Using Alternative Therapies To Get Relief From Cancer

Dr. Barrie R. Cassileth, Chief of Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, has some interesting recommendations for the use of alternative therapies to reduce the unwanted side-effects from cancer drug treatments and improve a cancer patient’s quality of life.

Here they are:

1. Use acupuncture to relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy.

2. For patients with head and neck cancers whose salivary glands were destroyed by radiation treatments, use acupuncture.

3. Use self-hypnosis to ease the severe hot flashes that plague women battling breast cancer.

4. Join support groups to improve quality of life and increase survival time for cancer patients.

5. Use massage and meditation to reduce stress, which may help the body in its fight against cancer.

To learn more about alternative therapies, visit www.annieappleseedproject.org, a website that is a clearinghouse about unconventional approaches to cancer treatments.

(Reported bulletin.aarp.org April 2010)

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