Oral Cancer refers to malignancies of the entire oral cavity including the lips, tongue, cheeks, throat, soft palate, floor of the mouth, and sinuses. Some of the risk factors for developing these cancers include smoking, chewing tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption and an STD known as HPV (Human-papillomavirus). This type of cancer can be life-threatening if not caught early, therefore, if any of these risk factors apply to you, it is crucial to get regular screenings.
Some of the symptoms of Oral Cancer include:
– A non-healing sore/ulcer
– A white or red patches/plaque
– A lump
– Bad breath
– Enlarged Lymph Nodes, etc.
General treatments in Allopathic medicine include the regulars – radiation, surgery and even chemotherapy.
Ayurvedic Management
Triphala
Triphala is one of the most impressive and well-known Ayurvedic formulations. It has been used in clinical studies for treating Diabetes Type 2, Obesity, Plaque-induced Gingivitis and more.
Other formulations which use Triphala as the primary ingredient have been used successfully in clinical trials for treating Diabetic Retinopathy, Thalassemia, Dental Caries, Immature Cataracts, Computer Vision Syndrome and Urticaria.
This formulation contains 3 fruits (Amalaki, Vibhitaki, & Haritaki) which have each been clinically tested for their own individual health benefits as well.
The history of Triphala goes back several thousand years and has been used by Ayurvedic doctors for treating even more illnesses than what has currently been studied.
One of the most impressive benefits of Triphala that I have come across is its cancer-fighting properties. For many years, Ayurvedic doctor praised Triphala as an anti-cancer agent, often supporting their claims with experimental research. However, Triphala has also been used in a clinical trial involving patients with pre-cancerous oral lesions. In this study, Triphala demonstrated great potential to reverse these lesions.
Please use your intelligence with this information. Triphala can be administered in more than 10 different ways, only an Ayurvedic doctor can determine which is right for you. Majority of the Triphala supplements found in stores and online are not made the correct way and contains many additives.
This is an Ayurvedic medicine and must be used under the supervision of an Ayurvedic doctor who has determined that this formulation is suitable for you. Make sure to speak with your primary care and specialist doctors about using Triphala as well (to avoid drug-herb interactions, etc).
Zinc
As mentioned earlier, HPV can lead to cancerous development in the body. For managing HPV, Zinc supplementation may be of use. It is a general remedy for viral warts that has been used in multiple clinical trials and demonstrated significant improvement. Of course, this has not been studied for oral lesions just yet. However, as a general remedial measure, I often recommend my patients/clients to get adequate amounts of zinc from their diet and/or supplementation.
Green Tea
With a long history of medicinal use, it should come as no surprise that Green Tea is useful in this condition. Green Tea is an antioxidant-rich drink that has been used in China for centuries. Due to its caffeine content, it is able to stimulate the firing of neurons and the release of dopamine in the brain. It has also demonstrated potential use for fat burning and improving oral health as well as its ability to regulate blood lipids and reduce blood sugar.
In the case or pre-cancerous oral lesions, Green tea has demonstrated the ability to suppress the progression of pre-cancerous oral lesions by inhibiting the stimulation of angiogenesis.
In observational studies, the consumption of Green Tea was associated with a lowered risk of several types of cancers.
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(Always use medicinal herbs under the supervision of a doctor)
by Dr. Nishal R.
Copyright © 2019
Clinical Trials:
1. Triphala
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4279322/
2. Zinc
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21352302
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17768472
3. Green Tea
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4243312/