Most alternative therapies have not been well studied, making it difficult to recommend any specific therapy. Supplements like bovine and shark cartilage are often touted as being active against cancer, but no good studies have yet been completed that show a convincing effect. Herbal remedies are also available, although none have been proven to be effective. Any of these types of treatments can be expensive, and the dangers are equally unknown. To be effective against cancer, any treatment must be able to kill cancer cells. If an agent is potent enough to kill these cells, it should easily be able to kill normal cells and potentially have serious negative side effects.
Be suspicious of treatments that allege results with no side effects. Furthermore, if you are on medications prescribed by your doctor, you need to be aware of the potential interactions between herbal therapies and those prescription medications. In the end, we urge you to use caution and common sense when considering alternative therapies, especially dietary supplements and herbal medications. The National Institutes of Health maintains a website of complementary and alternative medicine at http://nccam.nih.gov/ that provides information and links to other resources. You can also see our appendix for more sources of information.