Humanity has developed via diverse kinds of medical treatment since the dawn of civilizations. Communities have occasionally responded to the healthcare dilemma by helping to design a medical system based on their social, cultural, and traditional structures[1]. Until the early 19th century, all medical practices were what we now consider as traditional medicine, but with globalization, medical services have no longer remained restricted to geographical boundaries. India being the birthplace of some of the oldest medicinal systems has a rich heritage of traditional medicinal approaches that involve Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, Meditation, and several other treatment approaches that are capable of treating both acute and chronic disorders. Patients from many countries including United States, Australia, and Africa are among frequent flyers to India, mainly coming for their healthcare needs and more specifically for health rejuvenation by natural therapy in which the country has a rich cultural expertise [2-4].
The basic idea of integrated-pathy or integrated care incorporates cooperation in the healing process between the patient and the physician, as well as an apt use of conventional and complementary approaches to assist the body's intrinsic healing response. Although, it acknowledges the importance of using natural, less invasive methods whenever possible, as well as the larger ideas of health promotion, illness prevention, and disease treatment [5]. The modern interdisciplinary field of "integrative medicine" incorporates complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), conventional (allopathic) medicine, as well as biological, psychological, and social health factors including lifestyle approaches [6,7]. Currently, the WHO is working to define and understand “integration as well as integrative medicine”, and most significantly it has recently renamed its Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) unit as Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCI) which would cover the integrative approaches of both TCM and conventional medicine regarding policy, knowledge and practice [8]. TCI encompasses all beliefs, practices, or styles of medicine that are not just contemporary medicine. Indian traditional medicinal system comprising of Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, and Naturopathy is among few of the well-defined subsystems of the traditional wellness regime that make up TCI.
According to global and European surveys, there is a considerable growth in demand for patient specific treatments [9]. It is increasingly believed that good medicine should be research-driven, evidence-based, and open to new ideas. The majority of these procedures have centuries-old traditions, and are already being taught as academic specialties in Asia and Europe, predominantly in China's medical education sector [10]. Medical ventures of Patanjali established by Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna have recently gained valuable importance on the virtue of their ability to treat patients through their knowledge of Vedas, Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy. Yoggram is one such holistic treatment center that follows the principles of Yoga, Ayurveda, Naturopathy, and Panchakarma for treating diverse ailments including cancer, diabetes, Parkinson, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc [11]. Integrated-pathy is becoming more popular among cancer patients, who are open to other avenues of healthcare rather than just their oncology treatment regime. Various integrative treatment methods have been studied extensively in the past as well as being currently studied by various scholars, still there is little evidence to ascertain their effectiveness when combined with traditional allopathic medicine [12-15]. At present, in India, there are no standard guidelines at the national level for quality control and monitoring of integrative medicine practitioners [16]. Although a modest start has been made by NITI aayog to implement policy guidelines for integrative medicine, systematic documentation and trustworthy data on pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance for clinical practice, safety and adverse drug responses is either lacking or yet to be made open access [17].
The description of cancer found in ancient Indian literature predates the understanding of the identification and distinction of malignant diseases. The ailment was referred to as "Apacit" in the Atharva Veda, [18,19] which is the earliest and most important source of information. Numerous physical and psychological issues that are frequently brought on by cancer and its treatment can have a detrimental impact on the Quality of Life (QoL) for cancer survivors [20]. Cancer patients frequently experience pain, depression, stress, and fatigue, which might last long after therapy is finished [21]. Pain is one of the most common and distressing side effects experienced by cancer survivors, and it frequently has long-term repercussions [22]. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network defines Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) as an unpleasant, enduring, psychological sensation of physical, and cognitive fatigue or exertion associated with cancer and cancer-related medication which does not commensurate to unusual progress and disrupts normal functioning [23,24].
Not much is known about the possible interactions of integrated-pathy with chemotherapy (CT), radiation therapy (RT), or biological therapies, as well as how these interactions relate to results [25]. The purpose of the current study was to find the efficacy of integrated-pathy among cancer patients undergoing treatment at Patanjali Yoggram, Haridwar, who were also receiving the best CAM treatments and conventional CTRT.