King Charles' 'alternative' health beliefs helping him through cancer treatment

King Charles is currently undergoing cancer treatment, with his wife, Queen Camilla, sharing that her husband is doing well.

The royal is being treated as an outpatient, and while the palace has not divulged the exact treatment he is undergoing, medical expert Professor Ramia Mokbel told HELLO! that cancer treatment usually comprises a multimodal treatment plan.

"While some cancers respond well to surgery alone, many necessitate supplementary interventions such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormonal therapy to ensure comprehensive management and improved outcomes," Professor Ramia says.

© Chris Jackson

On top of his medical treatment, King Charles could also be relying on alternative or complementary medicine, homeopathy.

King Charles is known to be a firm supporter of homeopathy, and in the book Charles: The Alternative Prince, author Edward Ernst wrote that the King: "Takes a great interest in [alternative medicine]."

We spoke to leading homeopath Lauren Johnson Reynolds, who is also a registered nutritional therapist, for her opinion on homeopathy as a treatment for cancer, to sit alongside his medical treatment programme.

© Kirsty Mackenzie

"While I personally wouldn’t consider homeopathy an alternative to chemotherapy or other cancer treatments, homeopathy works to stimulate the body’s own healing response and can therefore be a great addition to treatment plans," Lauren explained.

FAMILY TIME: How George, Charlotte and Louis helped King Charles during half-term in Sandringham 

With this in mind, perhaps the king's penchant for homeopathy could be helping him along the way to recovery, and aiding him in the variety of duties he has chosen to keep up, despite his illness.

Lauren explains that King Charles' fondness for homeopathy could also support his emotional wellbeing during this difficult time.

© Getty

"As the prescription of homeopathic remedies is always bespoke to the individual, it can take into account the mental and emotional symptoms that may arise from a cancer diagnosis as well as the toll that the challenging treatments can take on mental health.  I feel that this is where homeopathy can be extremely complimentary to conventional cancer treatment," Lauren adds.

How can homeopathy speed up recovery?

"Homeopathy works by stimulating the body’s healing response making it a great option when recovering from surgery," Lauren says.

"This stimulation of what is known in homeopathy as the ‘vital force’ can aid with physical recovery such as bruising or wound healing as well as any emotional symptoms that may arise."

READ: A timeline of King Charles' most significant moments of his reign so far 

Lauren adds: "Homeopathy isn’t one-size-fits-all and remedy selection is always based on the individual but there are some commonly used remedies such as arnica which can help improve bruising, swelling and even shock, to aid in the recovery from surgery.

"Other remedies such as hypericum and ledum are useful for wound healing where the skin has been cut or punctured and the herb calendula, known for its soothing and antiseptic properties, can be used topically on the skin or taken in homeopathic form to help prevent infection."

Visit HELLO!'s Happiness Hub for inspiration on living a more optimistic life.