Complementary and Alternative Medicine

A guide to help you navigate the realm of complementary and alternative medicine with tips and warnings on treatments such as herbals, vitamins, chemicals, diet, meditation, massage, acupuncture, and body-mind therapy.

Overview

Are Dietary Supplements Safe?
An introduction to the regulation and safety of dietary supplements.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Introduction for Patients
A brief overview of complementary and alternative therapies in cancer care.

Treatment

A New Cancer Cure
Beware of claims in the media of "a new cure for cancer." It is natural for the cancer patient to buy into media hype and accept claims of "cure" at face value. Many patients feel desperate and out of control of their lives. When respected news...

Acupuncture: The Basics
Acupuncture techniques are used to redirect or restore the flow of qi by accessing one or more of the 12 primary meridians (and 8 additional meridians) by means of more than 360 acupuncture points, which lie along the meridians. Each meridian is connected to an organ system.

Green Tea
Green tea has been promoted as an agent to prevent the development of cancer. It purported to contain antioxidants that reduce the risk of some cancers, particularly those of the gastrointestinal tract. Claims have also been made that it can lower...

Resources

Helpful CAM Websites
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: the U.S. Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine. Part of the National Institutes of Health. The American Botanical Council: an...

NCI Resources

NCI/PDQ^® Health professionals: Essiac/Flor Essence (PDQ®)
TABLE OF CONTENTS OverviewGeneral InformationHistoryLaboratory/Animal/Preclinical StudiesEssiacFlor EssenceThe Individual Herbs of Essiac and Flor EssenceHuman/Clinical StudiesEssiacFlor EssenceAdverse EffectsSummary of the Evidence for Essiac and...

NCI/PDQ^® Health professionals: Selected Vegetables/Sun's Soup (PDQ®)
TABLE OF CONTENTS OverviewGeneral InformationHistoryLaboratory/Animal/Preclinical StudiesHuman/Clinical StudiesAdverse EffectsSummary of the Evidence for Selected Vegetables/Sun's SoupChanges to This Summary (08/16/2012)About This PDQ®...