Can Integrative Medicine Help You Fight Cancer?

When you have cancer, sometimes the treatment can seem worse than the disease. The side effects of the most effective cancer treatments are harsh and can cause additional health problems on their own. Treating these side effects is necessary to improve quality of life for many patients. One approach that is quickly gaining in popularity is the idea of integrative medicine.

With integrative medicine, treatment involves both alternative and western therapies used in conjunction with each other to provide relief from pain and discomfort. Your physician might prescribe massage or acupuncture between chemotherapy treatments, for example. These treatments are not meant to treat the cancer itself, but rather to treat the symptoms of cancer and, more often, of cancer treatment. You might use acupuncture to relieve pain, for example, caused by the cancer or the treatment of that cancer. By treating the side effects of the medicines in this way, we can help patients feel better as they are getting better.

This type of therapy is meant to be complementary. You should look at it as a supplement to your other treatments, not a replacement for them. Follow the link to learn more about Seattle cancer research. The only treatments we can prove are effective in treating cancer are those that are used by western doctors, that is, things like radiation and chemotherapy. If the center you visit wants you to stop using these treatments and focus instead on alternative therapies, you should look for another provider unless you are only looking for end of life care.

It's also important to remember that not all alternative therapies are helpful and some are even harmful. Massage or acupuncture used to help treat pain or nausea are helpful to many patients and can usually be safely used alongside your regular treatments. Using supplements or herbal therapies, on the other hand, can be dangerous because large doses of these things can interfere with the effectiveness of cancer drugs. Talk to your doctor before you start any supplements. If your doctor advises against them, it is best to listen.

With these caveats in mind, integrative cancer treatment does have its place in treating cancer. If you are interested in trying this approach to cancer treatment, you can find integrative medical centers in Seattle and elsewhere in Washington that offer both western and alternative treatment options and also centers that only handle one or the other. Although it is not the norm, some insurance companies also cover these treatments in addition to your standard cancer treatments, so it helps to find out whether your treatments are potentially covered by your insurance before you agree to them. If your insurance does not cover your costs, you'll have to find an alternative payment method. Finally, consult with your physician before you seek additional treatment to make sure it is safe for you to continue.