Infusion Therapy for Cancer: A Review
Chemotherapy is used to treat cancer cells by eliminating them and reducing the risk of their resurgence. Depending on the severity of cancer, chemotherapy can have certain debilitating side-effects on a patient’s body.
Some of these effects include fatigue, nausea, mouth sores, loss of appetite, and bowel issues such as constipation or diarrhea. To reduce the effects of these side-effects in cancer patients, infusion therapy is used as a complementary treatment for cancer, in addition to the traditional chemotherapy treatment.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of this treatment to assess its efficacy in the treatment of cancer.
How does it work?
Commonly used for hangovers, dehydration, and colds, infusion therapy is a specialized treatment in which a patient receives intravenous fluids, vitamins, and other medications. The medication is administered directly into the veins of the patient using a catheter or a needle.
What are the benefits of infusion therapy?
Here are a few ways infusion therapy can treat cancer.
Provides thorough and effective hydration
While hydration should be a top priority for a healthy human being, it’s significantly more important for anyone who is recovering from an illness or a disease. Since our cells are working overtime to make the required repairs in our body, staying hydrated will allow them to function normally.
IV fluids used in infusion therapy contain a saline solution that incorporates a hydrating mixture of sterile water and sodium chloride. When the mixture is administered into the system of a cancer patient, the fluids can revitalize the cells and provide quick and efficient hydration—consequently, averting symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
Bypasses your stomach
One of the most common side-effects of chemotherapy is loss of appetite and nausea, both of which prevent an individual from consuming food and nutrients that their body requires to recover. In addition to that, nausea can also prevent a patient from taking your medication.
In such an instance, medication and other nutrients required by the body are administered through an IV so they can infuse directly into the bloodstream of the patient.
Medications and nutritional supplements are fully absorbed
Oral supplements and medication have lower relative bioavailability. This means that when an individual consumes medication or supplements orally, the digestive system strips away some of the amounts that are needed by the body.
To counter this, IV infusions are used to replenish the patient’s body by administering required supplements and medication directly into the bloodstream, allowing all the elements to absorb immediately.
Flushes out toxins
In addition to hydrating and restoring the nutrients in the body, IV infusions can flush out certain toxins in the patient’s body that may impede their recovery. For instance, anti-oxidants required by the body sometimes attach themselves to free radicals to create compounds that may lead to cellular damage.
These free radicals can be removed from the body using infusion therapy effectively—allowing the body to heal better.
Since the struggles that come with cancer treatment aren’t lost on anyone, it’s important to seek treatment from a health-care provider that can help you physically and emotionally through this crucial time in your life.
If you’re looking to get Infusion Therapy for Cancer Katy TX, the professionals at Memorial Home Healthcare in Houston provide a holistic approach to healthcare. We administer the medical treatment, coordinate with your primary physicians to help you recover, and provide you caregiver services to help you manage under the supervision of professionals.
Avail our in-clinic or In Home care service Katy TX by scheduling an appointment with us at (281)206-7806.