Complementary and Alternative Therapies

This section of the ped-onc site has two main categories:

Complementary therapies to conventional cancer treatment, or CT. These therapies are outside the practices of most conventional physcians, but are generally recognized as safe to use along with chemotherapy and radiation. CT can improve the quality of life of the patient, and include therapies like art and music therapy, meditation, reiki, yoga, aromatherapy, and also nutrition and vitamin supplements.

ped-onc page on CT

Complementary and alternative therapies, or CAM. These therapies are outside the practices of most conventional physicians and their value has not yet been established in scientific journals - although this is slowly changing. Parents of children with cancer might persue an alternative therapy route if conventional therapy has failed or a proven therapy is not available. Another reason parents might be interested in an alternative therapy is if a friend or relative tells them about a specific alternative therapy that they "just must use!" for their child.

ped-onc page on CAM links to 3 more pages, one on some of the alternative therapies, one on some of the important names in alternative therapies, and one on important web sites that cover CAM therapies

The following links are pertinent to both CT and CAM and you will see them repeated several times in these pages because I consider them very important.

Steve Dunn's CancerGuide on Alternative Therapies
Steven Barrett's Quack watch on cancer therapies
National Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Complementary and alternative medicine searchable database of journal articles on PubMed
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center About Herbs, Botanicals and Other Products

Article in Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 2005:

Use of alternative and complementary therapies in children with cancer. Martel D, Bussieres JF, Theoret Y, Lebel D, Kish S, Moghrabi A, Laurier C. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2005 Jun 15;44(7):660-8. PubMed Abstract.

Transcript of the October 7, 2003 chat on the People Living With Cancer web site:

Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Cancer: What You Should Know

An article on OncoNurse about complementary and alternative therapies. It is thoughtful and informative, and while not cancer-specific, it is nevertheless relevant reading.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine on Onconurse.com (2001)

Do herbs, vitamins, and antioxidants adversely affect cancer therapies?

Preliminary report by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon (December 2002)