Cancer is a very ugly disease that requires scientifically vetting procedures in order to attempt to cure it. From surgeries to attempt to remove metastasis to chemotherapy and radiation, science has found multiple methods to remove and kill off cancerous cells from your body.

However, just because science has moved leaps and bounds forward with cancer treatment doesn’t mean these cures are effective 100% of the time. Some aggressive forms of cancer can’t truly be treated, and some cancers come back over time no matter how many times a person goes through chemo or radiation.

These people with these aggressive forms of cancer can sometimes fall victim to snake oil salesmen that try and sell miracle cures for the right price. Sometimes the scam isn’t that obvious – how many times have you heard on the news that such-and-such fruit can help prevent or cure cancer, and then suddenly products containing said fruit are all over the supermarket shelves? Cancer prevention and removal are actually booming industries – and in most cases they shouldn’t be.

Science always trumps homeopathic remedies for cancer, and most established medical organizations will tell you that the only effective forms of treatment for cancer are those created within the medical community.

Some forms of alternative treatment come in the form of packaged products, while other treatments are spiritual or dietary. Some treatments are tangible business, while others are more so a school of thought. No matter what form they take, the following cancer treatment methods have no scientific foundation and thus should be avoided as a main method of cancer treatment – some you should avoid no matter what.

Aromatherapy

We all know that essential oils can smell good, much like room sprays and fancy candles. When those into aromatherapy stop once they go that far, that’s one thing – but some aromatherapy gurus massively overinflate the potential for essential oils to affect a person’s health. Nice and soothing smells can help relieve stress and help a person relax (and thus there is some research that proves aromatherapy can help a person’s overall well-being), there is no direct link between aromatherapy and cancer prevention or cure.

Shamanism

In Native American cultures, shamans are often called upon to help the sick and dying. While being sensitive to culture is important, it’s equally important to consider science. Calling forth a shaman to bless you or to cure your disease is not a scientifically sound way of treating something like cancer.

Prayer

While this treads into a religious debate territory, it’s important that those of any faith understand that medicine is made to help cure physical ailments and prayer and religion are for easing the spirit. Prayer is welcomed and encouraged when it comes to cancer patients, but don’t let prayer be your only form of cancer treatment.

Herbalism

Herbalism speaks to the belief that different herbs have different various health benefits, including a potential for curing diseases like cancer. Herbs can again be relaxing and improve stress and fatigue, but there has never been a link to herbs and a cure for cancer. In some cases some herbs may make a patient nauseous or sick, which can only negatively impact their cancer diagnosis.

Fasting

Some believe that starving your entire body – as in refusing to eat or drink – can also negatively affect the tumors within the body; “starving” them as well. Science has indeed proven this to be false. Fasting can be dangerous if attempted quickly, and starvation has a negative impact on the body’s overall health. Fasting does not and will not remove a tumor from the body.

Dietary Limitations

From “superfoods” to different diets, many out there believe that the cure to cancer is in what we eat. While eating right can help to prevent cancer, sticking to only alkaline foods or macrobiotics won’t remove cancer from the body. Many cancer cure diets are created with a focus on making money and selling products, not on actually curing a disease.

Magnetic Therapy

This involves the practice of placing and moving magnets on and around the body. This is believed to help posture, promote wellness and curse diseases – cancer being one of them. Many who believe in magnet therapy swear by its ability to cure cancer, but researches and scientists have found no link between a cure for cancer and magnets (or any other diseases for that matter).

Therapeutic Touch

If you believed this was some sort of massage therapy, you’ve been fooled like many others. Instead of touching someone, a practice of therapeutic touch merely holds their hands near a patient in a certain spot, believing to affect their energy field. Like all other forms of energy healing, this form of “therapy” has no medical standing.

Acupuncture

Another form of energy healing, acupuncture is said to effect pressure points and how the energy within the body flows in order to promote healing. Acupuncture may actually lead to relieving some chemotherapy side effects but there is no link between acupuncture and a cure for cancer.