Complementary and Alternative Medicines
What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)?
As with patients with other types of cancers, those with hepatobiliary cancers have increasingly expressed interest in complementary/alternative medicine (CAM).
Many patients or their relatives look into CAM to make sure they have covered all possible options to ensure
the best possible outcome for their loved one. As the term implies, complementary medicine is used in addition to conventional treatment. Alternative medicine is used instead of conventional treatment. Another term you may encounter is integrative medicine, which refers to bringing together the best of conventional and complementary medicine to optimize the care of patients.
We know of no evidence that alternative medicine can achieve outcomes that are better than or even as good as those of conventional medicine. But some complementary approaches can enhance comfort, control symptoms or side effects, or help patients to maintain their general health and quality of life. Increasingly, physicians and surgeons who care for cancer patients are open to the potential benefits of an integrative approach. We encourage patients who are considering the use of CAM to discuss it with their doctors.
Types of CAM
The types of CAM that many patients consider include:
- Mind-body approaches, such as meditation, hypnosis, yoga, or other spiritual practices
- Biologically based approaches, which include:
- Dietary changes or adoption of special diets.
- Nutritional or vitamin supplements, including antioxidant supplements, herbs, either as part of the diet or as supplements.
- Manipulation of the body, via massage, chiropractic, reflexology, etc.
- Energy or vibrational therapies, such as Qi gong, or Reiki
- Whole medical systems, usually based on the traditional medicine of ethnic groups, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda (the traditional philosophical and medical system of India).
One of the major developments in health care over the last several decades has been the tremendous interest in the use of nutritional supplements and “complimentary and alterative medicines” (CAM). Cancer patients, in particular, are interested in CAM as an alternative to or in addition to “conventional” western medicine.
This is a very broad topic that has been written about in length both in the mass media and in scientific publications. We encourage patients to investigate CAM using reliable information sources. There are many aspects of CAM, such as meditation, yoga and guided imagery that are considered safe and potentially beneficial for cancer patients unless specifically prohibited by their doctor.
Many substances that can be ingested fall under the broad category of “nutritional supplements” and/or “complimentary medicines”. Some have been studied in humans and have data regarding their effectiveness and safety. However, most nutritional supplements and herbal preparations have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA.
It is important to be aware that many dietary supplements are not U.S. FDA approved as medications to treat or prevent disease. When a medication receives FDA approval, there are several important assurances for consumers:
- The benefits of the product been proven in rigorous testing to substantiate the claims being made
- The ingredients, dose and side effects listed in the Package Insert are accurate and are updated as new information about the medication is obtained
- The product was manufactured in a U.S. FDA-licensed facility.
*Any product that is not FDA approved cannot be assumed to have these same guarantees.
Many patients wish to take dietary supplements or medications that claim to benefit their health. All medications and alcohol can interact with chemotherapy, and the results can include: no adverse effects, harmful effects, or decrease effectiveness of the chemotherapy. Patients are encouraged to tell their physician of all medications, vitamins or supplements they are taking, to avoid adverse reactions among medications.
Below are links to help you research companies that have received warning letters from the FDA for selling fake cancer cures online:
A number of major cancer centers throughout the United States have developed CAM units and web sites. Some units provide only advice and referrals, but others provide CAM services to in- and outpatients at their site. In addition, the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (
http://nccam.nih.gov/) and National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (
http://www.cancer.gov/cam/) offer helpful information.
Concerns with CAM
It is normal for patients with cancer to seek comfort, security, and the best possible treatment for their cancer. A common, but overly simplistic, belief is that conventional cancer treatments are toxic and that CAM is safe because it is “natural”. But most of the conventional treatments in use today have shown benefits in clinical trials; that is, patients who receive the treatments had better outcomes than patients who did not. And not all natural substances are safe; as everyone knows, toadstools are natural and quite deadly. To date, very few clinical trials have been conducted with CAM therapies in patients with hepatobiliary cancer.
Even the best treatments can be abused and may therefore cause harm. For example, some patients may feel so much better as a result of apparently harmless approaches, such as meditation or imagery, that they become euphoric and think that they no longer need conventional treatment. CAM can make an important contribution to a patient’s well-being.
Last Updated on 10/10/2011 10:20:40 AM