Should I tell the doctor?
Doctors and the medical establishment have been wary of complementary and alternative medicine for a number of reasons. Although some treatments, like traditional Chinese medicine, may represent a centuries-old body of knowledge administered by trained, professional practitioners, they have only begun to be evaluated for safety or effectiveness through biomedical research. Sadly, too many alternative and complementary treatments are simply deceptions, the proverbial snake oil, meant to take advantage of the hopes of the uninformed patient.
At their worst, they can cause harm to the patient. Interest in these therapies, however, continues to grow, in part because they help the patient promote a sense of being an active, positive participant in his or her own healing process. As a result, research on complementary and alternative therapies has expanded in recent years. This research, which the government has been sponsoring as well, is examining what—if any—effects these non-traditional therapies have on disease.
The questions are whether the particular therapy stops the progression of disease, extends patient survival, or provides a palliation of symptoms. Research is also examining the risk for side effects and the risk for dangerous inter-actions when used with conventional treatment.
It is the risks of side effects and interactions that are of immediate concern to your doctor. Although doctors may have a skeptical view of complementary and alter-native medicine (perhaps due to bias or unfamiliarity with them), it is important that you tell them if the patient is using complementary or alternative medicine so that his or her care is not compromised.
Because so many of their patients have been using these therapies, many major cancer centers now offer some of these therapies themselves so that these treatments can be better coordinated and used in conjunction with standard medical care in an integrated fashion.