Cancer Alternative Therapies

Summary

You have many choices to make about your cancer treatment. One choice you might be thinking about is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard care. Examples of CAM therapies are acupuncture, chiropractic, and herbal medicines.

People with cancer may use CAM to:

• Help cope with the side effects of cancer treatments
• Ease worries of cancer treatment and related stress
• Feel that they are doing something more to help their own care

CAM treatments do not work for everyone. Some methods, such as acupuncture, might help with nausea, pain and other side effects of cancer treatment. Talk to your doctor to make sure that all aspects of your cancer care work together.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

National Cancer Institute

Specifics

• 6 Things To Know About Massage Therapy for Health Purposes National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• 714-X National Cancer Institute
• Acupuncture National Cancer Institute
• Alternative Cancer Treatments: 11 Options to Consider Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Antineoplastons National Cancer Institute
• Aromatherapy with Essential Oils National Cancer Institute
• Cancell/Cantron/Protocel National Cancer Institute
• Cannabis and Cannabinoids National Cancer Institute
• Cartilage (Bovine and Shark) National Cancer Institute
• Coenzyme Q10 National Cancer Institute
• Essiac/Flor Essence National Cancer Institute
• Gerson Therapy National Cancer Institute
• Hydrazine Sulfate National Cancer Institute
• Hyperthermia to Treat Cancer National Cancer Institute
• Laetrile/Amygdalin National Cancer Institute
• Milk Thistle National Cancer Institute
• Mistletoe Extracts National Cancer Institute
• Newcastle Disease Virus National Cancer Institute
• PC-SPES National Cancer Institute
• Spirituality in Cancer Care National Cancer Institute

Related Issues

• 6 Things to Know When Selecting a Complementary Health Practitioner National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Cancer Therapy Interactions with Foods and Dietary Supplements National Cancer Institute
• Dietary Supplements American Cancer Society
• Finding Cancer Information on the Internet American Cancer Society
• Products Claiming to “Cure” Cancer Are a Cruel Deception Food and Drug Administration

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society American Cancer Society
• Find a NCCAOM Certified Practitioner National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
• National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Start Here

• Cancer and Complementary Health Approaches: What You Need To Know National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine National Cancer Institute
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Patients National Cancer Institute
• Complementary and Integrative Methods American Cancer Society
• PDQ Cancer Information Summaries: Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies National Cancer Institute
• Talking about Complementary and Alternative Medicine with Your Health Care Providers: A Workbook and Tips National Cancer Institute

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cancer Alternative Therapies National Institutes of Health
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine Cancer Clinical Trials Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms National Cancer Institute

Patient Handouts

• Integrative medicine for cancer treatment Medical Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia

• Protecting yourself from cancer scams Medical Encyclopedia

Journal Articles

• Cancer Alternative Therapies