What about alternative or complementary therapies?
Complementary and alternative medicine, often referred to as CAM, is a commonly used phrase to describe a variety of healing philosophies and medical practices that are not currently accepted or commonly used by conventional Western medicine.
Diverse therapies are classified as CAM, including yoga, guided imagery, acupuncture, herbal remedies, and more. These methods share several common threads. In general, CAM practices are considered holistic, meaning they address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components that make up a whole person.
Yet complementary and alternative therapies have some important and distinct differences.
Complementary medicine consists of a variety of treatments used in conjunction with conventional therapies. They usually focus on promoting health, managing symptoms, nourishing and strengthening the body, or enhancing mental and emotional well-being. Complementary therapies can be safely used at the same time as conventional treatments for cancer. The vast majority of CAM practitioners and cancer patients who use CAM therapies use complementary medicine together with Western medicine.
Combining types of complementary therapies that are designed to promote wellness, such as guided imagery or yoga, with conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy, rarely causes any problems. In fact, there are many complementary therapies that can significantly enhance quality of life for patients and reduce side effects of conventional treatment in safe and beneficial ways.
However, herbs and supplements may have adverse interactions with conventional treatments. For example, some herbs or supplements can interfere with the effectiveness of chemotherapy or other important medications that patients may be taking. It is important that patients are aware of these risks, and that they discuss with their physician any CAM therapies they are interested in using.
Alternative medicine, unlike complementary medicine, refers to a wide variety of therapies and healing modalities that are generally used instead of conventional medicine. Most alternative therapies are also unproven from a scientific perspective, and unregulated in the marketplace. Whereas complementary therapies are generally oriented at supporting the patient, rather than attempting to treat the disease, alternative therapies are alleged, and often used, to treat disease directly. By definition, from a conventional medicine standpoint, any therapies that are used instead of conventional treatments for a specific illness are considered "alternative" and should be approached with thoughtfulness and care.
For minor health issues, alternative therapies are generally not dangerous. However, most practitioners of conventional medicine, and many who practice complementary medicine, are uncomfortable with patients using alternative therapies in lieu of standard, proven therapies, especially when confronted with life-threatening diseases such as cancer. People who decline conventional treatments, even when they are known to be beneficial in treating their disease, take a potentially serious risk. Using alternative therapies in this way may delay conventional treatment and result in serious complications or even death.
Patients may turn to alternative medicine for a number of different reasons. Some do so when conventional medicine has nothing more to offer. Others may feel that the risks and toxicities of conventional treatment are worse than the risks of the alternative therapy. Sometimes a very negative experience with conventional medicine leaves a patient in search of alternative forms of medicine. Still others may feel pressure from family or friends. Whatever the motivation, it is important to carefully discuss any alternative medicine use with your physician.
CAM and Conventional Medicine
Integrative medicine is an emerging new field that combines conventional medicine with CAM in the belief that many different therapeutic approaches may be helpful to heal the whole person, and make the experience easier and more meaningful. Integrative medicine uses scientific research to discover which CAM therapies are reliable, effective, and safe. Integrative medicine sometimes uses promising therapies while they are still being researched and before conventional medicine has fully accepted them. The goal of integrative medicine is to create a unified medicine in support of whole, healthy people.
CAM Therapies and Cancer
Studies show that up to 80 percent of all cancer patients use some form of CAM therapy during the course of their illness. Many patients have numerous questions and concerns about the role of diet, exercise, nutrition, massage, acupuncture, and other CAM therapies. Many also have questions about support groups and educational programs, as well as how to effectively address their emotional and spiritual needs and concerns.
Most CAM therapies are very individualized, with a specific therapy regimen tailored to the unique health issues of the individual. CAM also requires that patients be actively involved in their healing. Patient education and involvement are promoted to a greater extent than is common in conventional medicine. In CAM, patient and practitioner talk about treatment options. They form a partnership dedicated to restoring and maintaining health and wellness. Family members and loved ones may also participate to benefit both the patient and themselves.
Types of CAM
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, defines the following five major types of CAM:
Whole Medical Systems
Whole medical systems are complete systems of medical theory and practice that evolved independently of conventional Western medicine. Some are traditional systems of medicine practiced worldwide for thousands of years, including traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and ayurveda. Other whole medical systems have developed more recently, such as homeopathy and naturopathy.
Biologically Based Therapies
Biologically based therapies are intended to address and correct health imbalances on a molecular level. They use substances derived from a wide variety of natural sources, such as herbs, foods, vitamins, and minerals or from pharmacologic, that is man-made, substances also often used in conventional drugs.
Energy Medicine
Energy therapies are divided into two categories: those involving energy that originates from within the body (biofield therapies) and those that are generated by sources outside of the body (bioelectromagnetic-based therapies).
Biofield therapies are based on the theory that energy fields exist within the body, and that disruption of a biofield results in disease. In some therapies, individuals perform certain exercises or postures to affect their biofields (e.g., qigong, tai chi, yoga). Other therapies attempt to manipulate biofields by touching the body (e.g., acupressure). Still others move the practitioner's hands through the patient's biofield without touching the patient's body in an attempt to clear energetic imbalances (e.g., Reiki, therapeutic touch). Practitioners may also use flower remedies or crystals and stones to try to restore energetic harmony and balance. Very little research exists on biofields. Although the existence of biofields has not been scientifically proven, many individuals nonetheless report receiving very meaningful benefits from such therapies.
Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies use external energy sources, such as pulsed electrical fields, magnetic fields, radio waves, and direct or alternating current fields, to manage symptoms such as pain or to attempt to improve the overall health and well-being of patients.
Mind-Body Medicine
Mind-body interventions are a variety of techniques that use the mind's ability to affect bodily symptoms and functions. A number of mind-body interventions have been extensively studied, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and patient education. As a result of such research, these therapies have been adopted by conventional medicine and are no longer considered CAM therapies. However, there are many other mind-body therapies whose benefits are still being studied, including meditation, dance, music, art therapy, guided imagery, and biofeedback.
Additional types of CAM therapies include:
Herbal/Plant Therapies
Herbal/plant therapies use whole plants or parts of plants that are known and valued for their medicinal effects. They emphasize the importance of using whole, natural plant substances-which often contain numerous helpful compounds that work together for the patients' benefit- as opposed to pharmacologic therapies, which tend to use single molecule drugs or isolated components of plants.
Manipulative and Body-Based Methods
This category includes methods which involve the manipulation of muscles, soft tissues, bones, or organs by a practitioner or by the patient. The theory is that restoring skeletal or neuromuscular soft tissue or organs to their proper alignment in the body harmonizes the entire system and can promote overall health. Chiropractors, osteopaths, and massage therapists are examples of practitioners offering these therapies.
Nutrition and Special Diets
The food we eat provides our bodies with nutrients necessary for cellular replication, repair, and maintenance. Nutrition therapists believe that certain types of food or specific combinations of food can prevent illness and facilitate recovery from disease. In addition, many non-Western cultural traditions do not distinguish between medicine and food, and in fact regard food as medicine. Well-known special diets include vegetarianism and macrobiotics. An additional common nutritional approach involves drinking freshly prepared fruit and/or vegetable juices, which facilitates absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients.