Should i use alternative medicine

But we don't know much about how they might interact with conventional treatments like cancer drugs or radiotherapy. And some types of complementary or alternative medicine might make conventional treatment work less well.

And some might increase side effects. Some people might get a lot of comfort and satisfaction from the touch, talk and time that a complementary therapist usually offers. A good therapist can play a supportive role during cancer treatment and recovery.

For example, a skilled and caring aromatherapist can take the time to make you feel cared for. This might help improve your quality of life. Having a positive outlook is an important part of coping with cancer for most people. It is normal to want and hope for a cure, even if your doctor suggests that this might be difficult.

There are claims that certain complementary therapies can boost their immune system and help fight cancer. There is evidence that feeling good and reducing stress boosts the immune system. But doctors don't know if this can help the body to control cancer. There are clinical trials looking at how certain complementary therapies might affect the immune system.

Some people believe that using specific alternative therapies instead of conventional cancer treatment might help control or cure their cancer. There are also people who promote alternative therapies in this way.

Using alternative therapy can become more important to people with advanced cancer if their conventional treatment is no longer helping to control it. It is understandable that they hope that alternative therapies might work. People seek out these alternatives because 1 they are dissatisfied in some way with conventional treatment; 2 they see alternative treatments as offering more personal autonomy and control over health care decisions; and 3 the alternatives are seen as more compatible with the patients' values, worldview, or beliefs regarding the nature and meaning of health and illness.

Additional predictor variables explored included demographics and health status. Design: A written survey examining use of alternative health care, health status, values, and attitudes toward conventional medicine. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used in an effort to identify predictors of alternative health care use. Setting and participants: A total of individuals randomly selected from a panel who had agreed to participate in mail surveys and who live throughout the United States.

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