Cancer patients increasingly rely on herbal medicines and treatments due to fear, anxiety, and social stigma.
Fiji Cancer Society Clinical Nurse Manager Karolina Tamani highlighted this trend.
However, she added that it is important to note that herbal treatments have no scientific evidence of their effectiveness against cancer.
She said many patients tend to choose herbal medicine first rather than seeing a doctor, which makes their symptoms worse.
“If you listen to a lot of survivors, they choose herbs after the first three or four years. When they see they’re not getting better, they come here. It’s pretty expensive.”
Tamani says it’s important to seek treatment as soon as you are diagnosed with cancer and not leave it until the last moment.
She added that family support plays a vital role in helping patients make informed decisions.
