I think a broad range of treatments should be necessary and tried for every illness.

Plus questions like this are subjective because everyone is quite different and bodies respond to different treatments.

Try and do what you think is right.

Sorry if my post sounded aggressive.

Lack of voice tone and eye contact can make forum postings sound more argumentative than they are intended. Reading it back, it does seem a bit harsher than I intended.

As for what you should do...

I don't think that holistic medicine and western medicine are mutually exclusive. If I was in your shoes, I would research every available option and go with the ones that seemed to fit best. Unless any of the therapies were counter-indicated by one of your health practitioners you could try a few of them in combination.

If a melanoma needs removing, than by all means have it removed. Laser, scalpel... whatever.

But you may want to get to the root of why you are developing these melanomas in the first place. This is where alternative medicine tends to shine. Preventative and root cause stuff. A diet higher in antioxidants for example. Switching to green tea or maté instead of coffee, perhaps.

A better sunscreen.

Limiting one's exposure to sun through windows. Windows only let the UV-A through, and this is the kind that causes cancers. UV-B on the other hand, is the kind that creates Vitamin D and mitigates the bad effects of UV-A. Thus, sitting in sunlight filtered through a window is much worse for you than direct sunlight.

Untm is correct though... you have to do what you think is right.

At any rate, massage (including Shiatsu and Rolfing) feels great and is an awesome treatment for stress and tension, which are huge killers. (google Cortisol if you don't believe me) So does Reiki, if done by someone who has some skill in it.

Often the big task with alternative medicine is ascertaining the actual skill level of the practitioners. Getting a license to practice is often very easy, and not commensurate with the amount of practice it actually takes to master the art.

IMHO a skilled acupuncturist/ herbalist can be a godsend. For things like stimulating glandular production of hormones (thyroid and adrenal problems are rampant these days), as well as nerve issues and general tonification of the organs... Chinese Medicine has it all over the western stuff. I personally know a friend who went from a regular insulin taking diabetic to having his diabetes diagnosis revoked (to the amazement of his house doctor) due to an 18 month course of acupuncture and herbs.


Good luck with your health issues. Fresh fruits and vegetable, along with some select herbs and salves is probably a no-brainer to assist in whatever you decide to do. Vitamin E and Aloe Vera applied to the skin should help as well.