About 40 percent of patients with cancer use some form of nontraditional medicine, more than for any other major disease, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Surgery.

It's interesting that this ultra-high tech area of medicine has readily incorporated nontraditional therapies as part of the overall therapeutic approach.

Over the past 10 years, traditional medicine has confirmed some of the basic ideas of traditional medicine and its role in preventing and treating cancer.

For instance, practitioners of nontraditional medicine have said for years that exercise, good food and water can reduce cancer risk.

A significant number of new cancers can be prevented by simple changes in lifestyle, such as eating a low-fat diet, reducing stress, stopping smoking and excessive drinking and getting regular exercise. In this, traditional and nontraditional medicine are one.

What about nontraditional therapy for people who already have cancer?

Acupuncture can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and, unlike medications, it does not cause side effects of its own. I recently learned about a successful "acupuncture-anesthesia" for a breast cancer lumpectomy, which was performed under physician supervision in Portland, Ore., by an acupuncturist who recently moved to the Chicago suburbs.

Good nutrition can boost the immune system, especially during a time when the body needs all of the nutrition it can get.

Meditation increases energy and stimulates the immune system. Tai chi, qigong and yoga, if taught correctly, can increase energy and reduce stress. They are considered a form of moving meditation.

Massage has been shown to stimulate the white blood cells that kill cancer. Therapeutic touch might be beneficial, also, and has no side effects.

Skin changes that accompany radiation therapy might be minimized by skin care products containing herbs such as aloe, mugwort, astralagus root and feng-feng as well as essential oils and antioxidants such as Vitamin E.

Frequently, cancer centers offer nontraditional therapies.

The Regional Cancer Center at Alexian Brothers Medical Center offers evaluations by alternative medicine physicians and a variety of physician-supervised therapies including massage, acupuncture, homeopathy, nutritional supplements, meditation, guided imagery, skin care, tai chi, qigong and prayer.

Medical research has shown that patients who participate in a combined approach are more confident and have a greater feeling of control and a better outlook on life.

Are there cures for cancer in nontraditional medicine? Anecdotal reports of cures might be true. I haven't found good evidence of a cure, although a nutritional therapy of vegetable and fruit juices invented by Max Gershon, M.D., has potential. I believe that through careful research, truly miraculous therapies will result.

Already, research on phytochemicals (natural plant compounds) has yielded taxol, a very important treatment for cancers of the female reproductive tract. It comes from yew trees and even from a fungus (Pestalotiopsis microspora).

I recommend that nontraditional therapies not be substituted for traditional medicine in most cancers (there might be exceptions). They simply have not been properly evaluated.

Some of my patients either have or have had cancer. They came looking for options: nondrug pain management, better nutrition, optimizing their physical health; reducing stress. They wanted to maximize their potential while undergoing chemo- and radiation therapy and beyond.

I believe that they were successful. Will they live longer? I don't know, but I do know that they have a better quality of life ... physically, mentally and spiritually.

　　 (From HealthWorld Online)