Alternative or Complementary Medicine

Many people with cancer are interested in what they can do to help themselves. Some patients are so concerned about the possible toxicity from conventional therapy (chemotherapy or radiation) they choose what they believe are more natural therapies (many of them unproven by current scientific standards) and avoid all conventional therapy (this would be called alternative therapy). Perhaps better, many patients will proceed with standard therapy but also include other therapies they believe will improve their health (this would be called complementary medicine).

Before considering alternative medicine read the advice from the NIH (National Institute of Health or NCCAM) , their section on cancer, the ASCO site, or the NCI advice or the NCI list of treatments, also the MD Anderson site.

Also before loading up on herbals and vitamins read the nutrition/herbal section here particularly the links from: Sloan-Kettering Memorial, the Mayo Clinic , MD Anderson and the American Cancer Society. There are many studies which show vitamin supplements as harmful.

The main areas of interest include: body works, mind and spiritual and nutritional and herbals.

Start with general information and web sites and  university sites, then read about the dangers and risks