Complementary and alternative medicine can be divided into five major areas: alternative medical systems such as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and homeopathy; mind-body interventions such as guided imagery and hypnosis; biological treatments such as herbal medicines and special diets; manipulative and body-based therapies such as massage; and energy therapies such as Reiki and Qigong.

For any proposed CAM therapy, it is important to consider:

• Safety (appropriateness for particular conditions, producers' quality control for items such as herbal medicines, etc.)
• Effectiveness
• Cost in time and money in relation to potential benefit
• Credentials of the practitioner

Many patients report that CAM treatments are helpful, but others have found no effects or have reported problems. It is critical that you receive these treatments from qualified practitioners (see question on how to find a qualified practitioner) and that your doctor knows you are participating in these therapies. This is an integrative approach.

While many cancer patients use many different kinds of complementary remedies, these should not be the sole source of treatment. Many of these therapies are only in the beginning stages of being researched and are not cures, while conventional treatments have solid scientific research behind them. And not all complementary treatments can be used with an integrative approach; some may be unsafe, while others may conflict with the conventional therapy a patient is having or be unsuited to that particular person for other reasons.

Detailed information about individual complementary cancer treatments can be found at www.mdanderson.org/cimer (click on "Reviews of Therapies") and at some of the other websites listed in the page of resources for finding information on safety and effectiveness.

This section has more information on:

Alternative medical systems

Mind-body interventions

Biological-based treatments (includes herbal/plant and nonplant substances and nutritional practices)

Manipulative and body-based methods

Energy therapies