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| From OncoLog,
September 2005, Vol. 50, No. 9 |
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Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
Sorting through the Choices
 When facing a diagnosis of a serious disease like cancer, it’s natural to want to fight it in every way possible. According to one large study, close to 70% of patients with cancer try at least one type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as part of their cancer treatment.
Alternative medicine refers to therapeutic approaches used in place of traditional medicine to treat or ease the effects of disease. Complementary medicine, on the other hand, includes nontraditional approaches used together with conventional medicine.
One example of CAM is homeopathy, which uses nondetectable doses of substances made from plants, minerals, animals, or chemical drugs to trigger the body to heal itself. Traditional Chinese medicine views health as a balance in the body of two forces called yin and yang. Still another example of CAM is ayurvedic medicine, a system from India that emphasizes herbal medicine, physiotherapy, and diet. Naturopathy advocates treating one’s mental, physical, and emotional states.
Will it help or hurt?
Studies show that most people do not discuss their use of CAM with their doctors, and this can be a mistake. While some forms of CAM have proven beneficial, others can interfere with cancer treatments and can even be harmful. For example, a study on the use of laetrile (another name for the chemical amygdalin, which is found in the pits of many fruits and in numerous plants) showed it ineffective or potentially harmful in treating cancer.
Some alternative approaches, however, have been shown to be useful in managing the symptoms of cancer. For instance, acupuncture, which involves stimulating specific anatomic points in the body by puncturing the skin with a needle, has been demonstrated to be effective in managing chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting and in controlling pain associated with surgery.
The jury is still out on many CAM treatments because there aren’t enough scientific data yet. But much research is underway: both the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the federal government’s agency for research on CAM, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are funding research to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of many CAM therapies.
This research is looking into issues such as the effect of massage on cancer-related pain, the use of acupuncture for symptom control, the effectiveness of ginger in reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and the effect of spiritual healing on survival time and loss of function in patients with a certain type of brain cancer.
Seek trustworthy advice
Cancer patients who are considering CAM should ask their doctors about the possible benefits, risks, and side effects to ensure the approach won’t interfere with their treatment. Even some seemingly harmless herbs and vitamins may cause anticancer drugs to work less effectively. High doses of vitamins, for example, may affect how radiation and chemotherapy work, and the herb St. John’s wort, often used for treating depression, may make some cancer medications less powerful.
While there is a lot of information available about CAM, it’s important to get guidance from trustworthy sources such as your physician, reputable public agencies, or academic institutions. One example is M. D. Anderson’s Web site on complementary/integrative medicine education resources, which provides evidence-based reviews of therapies as well as links to authoritative resources, such as NCCAM and NCI’s Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The Directory of Information Resources Online includes information about a number of health organizations that focus on CAM. Additionally, Medline Plus provides access to reliable health information. Useful free publications from the NCCAM Clearinghouse (1-888-644-6226) include “Are You Considering Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine?” and “Selecting a Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioner.”
For
more information
on this topic or for questions about M. D. Anderson’s treatments,
programs, or services, call the M. D. Anderson Information Line at (800)
392-1611 (in the United States) or (713) 792-3245 (in Houston and outside
the United States).
Other
articles in OncoLog, September 2005 issue:
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