Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Cancer
This is always a very touchy subject and recommendations should ONLY be taken from those fully familiar in this field. There are certain chemotherapeutic drugs that work by creating high levels of free radicals, and taking antioxidants would prevent that drug from working the way it was designed. With that said, I know that, should the event transpire that I was diagnosed with cancer, I would not forsake Western medicine’s approach. But I would search hard for those few clinics in the country that combine the best of Western medicine and alternative for cancer care. As far as I am concerned, that is the ONLY way to go. That’s not to say that antineoplastins, Essiac tea and others are not effective and have not cured “incurable” cancers safely and effectively, but I think more work needs to be done in these areas. Just remember–the true answer lies in prevention.
Oncology Issues 15(6):17-19, 2000 The term “alternative cancer therapy” refers to clinically unproven treatments that are used in place of conventional cancer treatments, while the term “complementary therapy” is attributed to such treatments when they are used as adjuncts to conventional therapy. These treatments may enhance, interfere, or have no interactions with standard cancer therapy. Some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments may provide symptom control and palliation with minimal or no side effects. However, CAM treatments may have dangerous adverse effects or potentially interfere with standard therapy. In addition, if used alone, they may indirectly harm the patient by delaying clinically proven standard treatments.Complementary cancer therapies have recently received considerable attention in the scientific and medical community. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is dedicated to research investigating these therapies. Although CAM therapies have been used for many years, few well-designed, properly conducted clinical studies have investigated their efficacy and adverse effects. Many physicians treating cancer patients have little knowledge of alternative therapies and, therefore, frequently discourage their use by patients. More recently, however, reports of CAM treatments have begun to appear in medical journals, and research programs for CAM therapy have been developed by several comprehensive cancer centers.