Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1693013
Homoeopathy in Cancer Pain Palliation and End of Life with Future Perspectives
Publication History
Publication Date:
30 June 2019 (online)
Abstract
Pain is a common companion of people receiving palliative care in cancer and at the end of life. Cancer pain is multifactorial and complex. Its impact can be devastating, with increased morbidity and poor quality of life, if not treated adequately. Cancer pain management is a challenging task both due to disease process and due to treatment-related side effects; therefore, it requires a holistic approach which can be covered by homoeopathic remedies. The purpose of this article is to enlighten the scope and future perspective of homoeopathy in pain palliative care and at the end of life. This article summarises the need of multidimensional approach towards the cancer pain palliation and at the end of life in which homoeopathy may play a key role of supportive care. Homoeopathy may become a valuable treatment in palliative care to provide relief and comfort to the dying patient, and therefore the fear of death may reduce and the family may be better prepared for the bereavement. Homoeopathy can well integrate with standard oncologic cares to improve patient outcome including symptom burden, quality of life and end-of-life outcomes, all achieved with low associated costs.
Financial Support and Sponsorship
None.
-
References
- 1 Patt RB, Lang SS. The Complete Guide to Relieving Cancer Pain and Suffering. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP: Oxford University Press; 2006
- 2 Breivik H, Cherny N, Collett B. , et al. Cancer-related pain: a pan-European survey of prevalence, treatment, and patient attitudes. Ann Oncol 2009; 20 (08) 1420-1433
- 3 Shute C. The challenges of cancer pain assessment and management. Ulster Med J 2013; 82 (01) 40-42
- 4 Nair MK, Varghese C, Swaminathan R. Cancer: current scenario, intervention strategies and projections for 2015. NCHM Background papers. Burden of Disease in India. 2015: 219-225
- 5 Rajagopal MR, Joranson DE. India: opioid availability. An update. J Pain Symptom Manage 2007; 33 (05) 615-622
- 6 Rana S, Gupta R, Chaudhary P, Khurana D, Mishra S, Bhatnagar S. Cancer pain management: basic information for the young pain physicians. Indian J Palliat Care 2011; 17 (02) 127-130
- 7 Vithoulkas G. The Science of Homeopathy. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers; 2002
- 8 Wingo PA, Cardinez CJ, Landis SH. , et al. Long-term trends in cancer mortality in the United States, 1930–1998. Cancer 2003; 97 (12, Suppl): 3133-3275
- 9 Fine PG. The evolving and important role of anesthesiology in palliative care. Anesth Analg 2005; 100 (01) 183-188
- 10 Mercadante S, Fulfaro F. World Health Organization guidelines for cancer pain: a reappraisal. Ann Oncol 2005; 16 (Suppl. 04) iv132-iv135
- 11 Wootton M. Morphine is not the only analgesic in palliative care: literature review. J Adv Nurs 2004; 45 (05) 527-532
- 12 Haegerstam GA. Pathophysiology of bone pain: a review. Acta Orthop Scand 2001; 72 (03) 308-317
- 13 Caraceni A, Portenoy RK. ; International Association for the Study of Pain. An international survey of cancer pain characteristics and syndromes. IASP Task Force on Cancer Pain. Pain 1999; 82 (03) 263-274
- 14 Manfredi PL, Gonzales GR, Sady R, Chandler S, Payne R. Neuropathic pain in patients with cancer. J Palliat Care 2003; 19 (02) 115-118
- 15 Wu JS, Beaton D, Smith PM, Hagen NA. Patterns of pain and interference in patients with painful bone metastases: a brief pain inventory validation study. J Pain Symptom Manage 2010; 39 (02) 230-240
- 16 Hemming L, Maher D. Cancer pain in palliative care: why is management so difficult?. Br J Community Nurs 2005; 10 (08) 362-367
- 17 George RM, Ahmedzai SH. The management of neuropathic pain in cancer: clinical guidelines for the use of adjuvant analgesics. Indian J Cancer 2000; 37 (01) 4-9
- 18 Mallick-Searle T, Snodgrass B, Brant JM. Postherpetic neuralgia: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and pain management pharmacology. J Multidiscip Healthc 2016; 9: 447-454
- 19 Hahnemann S. Organon of Homoeopathic Medicine. W. Radde; 1869
- 20 Roy RK. Homoeopathy in Cancer Treatment. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers; 2003
- 21 Carlson CL. Effectiveness of the World Health Organization cancer pain relief guidelines: an integrative review. J Pain Res 2016; 9: 515-534
- 22 Network NCC. NCCN guidelines for supportive care: adult cancer pain. Version 2016; 2: 2013
- 23 Caraceni A, Hanks G, Kaasa S. , et al; European Palliative Care Research Collaborative (EPCRC); European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). Use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of cancer pain: evidence-based recommendations from the EAPC. Lancet Oncol 2012; 13 (02) e58-e68
- 24 Raphael J, Ahmedzai S, Hester J. , et al. Cancer pain: part 1: Pathophysiology; oncological, pharmacological, and psychological treatments: a perspective from the British Pain Society endorsed by the UK Association of Palliative Medicine and the Royal College of General Practitioners. Pain Med 2010; 11 (05) 742-764
- 25 Cormie PJ, Nairn M, Welsh J. ; Guideline Development Group. Control of pain in adults with cancer: summary of SIGN guidelines. BMJ 2008; 337: a2154
- 26 van den Beuken-van Everdingen MH, de Rijke JM, Kessels AG, Schouten HC, van Kleef M, Patijn J. Prevalence of pain in patients with cancer: a systematic review of the past 40 years. Ann Oncol 2007; 18 (09) 1437-1449
- 27 Deandrea S, Montanari M, Moja L, Apolone G. Prevalence of undertreatment in cancer pain. A review of published literature. Ann Oncol 2008; 19 (12) 1985-1991
- 28 Heyland DK, Cook DJ, Rocker GM. , et al; Canadian Researchers at the End of Life Network (CARENET). Defining priorities for improving end-of-life care in Canada. CMAJ 2010; 182 (16) E747-E752
- 29 Boericke W. Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica & Repertory: Comprising of the Characteristic and Guiding Symptoms of All Remedies (clinical and Pathogenetic [sic]) Including Indian Drugs. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers; 2002
- 30 Finch PM, Drummond PD. Topical treatment in pain medicine: from ancient remedies to modern usage. Pain Manag 2015; 5 (05) 359-371
- 31 Oberbaum M, Schreiber R, Rosenthal C, Itzchaki M. Homeopathic treatment in emergency medicine: a case series. Homeopathy 2003; 92 (01) 44-47
- 32 Bello L. End of life care: homeopathy and hospice patients. Am J Homeopath Med 2007 ;100(3)
- 33 Castro J. Cancer. Cause, Care & Cure. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers; 2001
- 34 Rahman S, Dey JK. A case report of plantar psoriasis treated with homoeopathy. J Homœopathic Links. 2018; 31 (04) 248-253
- 35 Brulé D, Balon J, Zhao L, Seely D. An N-of-1 feasibility study of homeopathic treatment for fatigue in patients receiving chemotherapy. Homeopathy 2018; 107 (03) 196-201
- 36 Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin 2018; 68 (06) 394-424
- 37 Sankaranarayanan R, Ramadas K, Qiao YL. Managing the changing burden of cancer in Asia. BMC Med 2014; 12: 3
- 38 Matthews M, Glackin M, Hughes C, Rogers KM. Who accesses complementary therapies and why?: An evaluation of a cancer care service. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2015; 21 (01) 19-25
- 39 Frass M, Friehs H, Thallinger C. , et al. Influence of adjunctive classical homeopathy on global health status and subjective wellbeing in cancer patients—a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med 2015; 23 (03) 309-317
- 40 Greenlee H, DuPont-Reyes MJ, Balneaves LG. , et al. Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment. CA Cancer J Clin 2017; 67 (03) 194-232
- 41 Fisher P. What is homeopathy? An introduction. Front Biosci (Elite Ed) 2012; 4: 1669-1682
- 42 Saha S, Hossain DM, Mukherjee S. , et al. Calcarea carbonica induces apoptosis in cancer cells in p53-dependent manner via an immunomodulatory circuit. BMC Complement Altern Med 2013; 13: 230
- 43 Saha S, Bhattacharjee P, Mukherjee S. , et al. Contribution of the ROS-p53 feedback loop in thuja-induced apoptosis of mammary epithelial carcinoma cells. Oncol Rep 2014; 31 (04) 1589-1598
- 44 Watson JD, Crick FH. The structure of DNA. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 1953; 18: 123-131
- 45 Dey SK, Ganguli S, Basu P, Roy P, Datta A. Lysine richness in human snurps—possible sites for electrophilic attacks. Bioinformation 2010; 4 (09) 409-411
- 46 Tang D, Kang R, Berghe TV, Vandenabeele P, Kroemer G. The molecular machinery of regulated cell death. Cell Res 2019; 29 (05) 347-364
- 47 Yadav R, Yadav RK, Khadgawat R, Pandey RM, Upadhyay AD, Mehta N. Randomized controlled trial of a 12-week yoga-based (including diet) lifestyle vs. dietary intervention on cardio-metabolic risk factors and continuous risk score in Indian adults with metabolic syndrome. Behav Med 2019; 1-12 (e-pub ahead of print). Doi: 10.1080/08964289.2018.1538098
- 48 Thangapazham RL, Rajeshkumar NV, Sharma A. , et al. Effect of homeopathic treatment on gene expression in Copenhagen rat tumor tissues. Integr Cancer Ther 2006; 5 (04) 350-355
- 49 Saha SK, Roy S, Khuda-Bukhsh AR. Ultra-highly diluted plant extracts of Hydrastis canadensis and Marsdenia condurango induce epigenetic modifications and alter gene expression profiles in HeLa cells in vitro. J Integr Med 2015; 13 (06) 400-411
- 50 Saha S, Bhattacharjee P, Guha D. , et al. Sulphur alters NFκB-p300 cross-talk in favour of p53-p300 to induce apoptosis in non-small cell lung carcinoma. Int J Oncol 2015; 47 (02) 573-582
- 51 Mondal J, Samadder A, Khuda-Bukhsh AR. In vitro studies of Psorinum 6x on several human cancer cell lines reveal its anti-cancer potential. Int J High Dilution Res 2015 14(2)
- 52 da Silva J, Herrmann SM, Heuser V. , et al. Evaluation of the genotoxic effect of rutin and quercetin by comet assay and micronucleus test. Food Chem Toxicol 2002; 40 (07) 941-947
- 53 Ahmad S, Rehman T, Abbasi WM. Homoeopathic approach for the treatment of cancer. Indian J Res Homoeopathy 2018; 12 (03) 157-160
- 54 Wälchli C, Baumgartner S, Bastide M. Effect of low doses and high homeopathic potencies in normal and cancerous human lymphocytes: an in vitro isopathic study. J Altern Complement Med 2006; 12 (05) 421-427
- 55 Tracey KJ, Czura CJ, Ivanova S. Mind over immunity. FASEB J 2001; 15 (09) 1575-1576
- 56 Miller AH, Ancoli-Israel S, Bower JE, Capuron L, Irwin MR. Neuroendocrine-immune mechanisms of behavioral comorbidities in patients with cancer. J Clin Oncol 2008; 26 (06) 971-982
- 57 Frenkel M, Ari SL, Engebretson J. , et al. Activism among exceptional patients with cancer. Support Care Cancer 2011; 19 (08) 1125-1132
- 58 Guajardo G, Wilson J. Models for explaining the homeopathic healing process: a historical and critical account of principles central to homeopathy. Homeopathy 2005; 94 (01) 44-48
- 59 Oberbaum M, Singer SR, Vithoulkas G. The colour of the homeopathic improvement: the multidimensional nature of the response to homeopathic therapy. Homeopathy 2005; 94 (03) 196-199
- 60 Khuda-Bukhsh AR. Towards understanding molecular mechanisms of action of homeopathic drugs: an overview. Mol Cell Biochem 2003; 253 (1–2): 339-345
- 61 Bellavite P, Conforti A, Piasere V, Ortolani R. Immunology and homeopathy. 1. Historical background. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2005; 2 (04) 441-452
- 62 Bellavite P, Conforti A, Pontarollo F, Ortolani R. Immunology and homeopathy. 2. Cells of the immune system and inflammation. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2006; 3 (01) 13-24
- 63 Bellavite P, Ortolani R, Conforti A. Immunology and homeopathy. 3. Experimental studies on animal models. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2006; 3 (02) 171-186
- 64 Bellavite P, Ortolani R, Pontarollo F, Piasere V, Benato G, Conforti A. Immunology and homeopathy. 4. Clinical studies-part 2. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2006; 3 (04) 397-409
- 65 Bellavite P, Ortolani R, Pontarollo F, Piasere V, Benato G, Conforti A. Immunology and homeopathy. 4. Clinical studies-part 1. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2006; 3 (03) 293-301
- 66 Bellavite P, Ortolani R, Pontarollo F, Pitari G, Conforti A. Immunology and homeopathy. 5. The rationale of the ‘Simile’. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2007; 4 (02) 149-163
- 67 Baltrusch HJ, Waltz M. Cancer from a biobehavioural and social epidemiological perspective. Soc Sci Med 1985; 20 (08) 789-794
- 68 Rithesh B. Pain & Palliative Care in Homeopathy—Homeobook. https://www.homeobook.com/pdf/cancer-pain-homeopathy.pdf . Access date: 12 May 2019
- 69 Campbell A. The concept of constitution in homoeopathy. 1981. Homeopathy 2011; 100 (1–2): 79-82
- 70 Master FJ. Homoeopathy in Cancer. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers; 2003
- 71 Kent JT. Lectures on Homoeopathic Philosophy. New Delhi, India: B. Jain publishers; 2003
- 72 Boger CM. Studies in the Philosophy of Healing. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers; 2003
- 73 Wee B, Hadley G, Derry S. How useful are systematic reviews for informing palliative care practice? Survey of 25 Cochrane systematic reviews. BMC Palliat Care 2008; 7: 13