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Alternative treatments for cancer
"Complementary" and "alternative" are words used for a wide range
of healthcare therapies and products outside of mainstream
conventional medicine. People who have cancer often look at these
options for a variety of reasons.
When making decisions about any of these types of treatments, it is
important that you are fully informed and seek the advice of your
doctor. If you are already taking complementary products it is
important to tell your medical team. This is because your treatment
may suppress your immune system, making some complementary
medicines, such as raw or powdered products, unsafe. Some
complementary products may also affect how your treatment works.
Examples of complementary therapies include relaxation therapy,
yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, reiki, music therapy, tai chi, and
massage therapy. These can help you deal with the emotional and physical impact of the disease
and treatment side effects.
If you're thinking about trying a complementary or alternative product or therapy, ask yourself
the following questions:

What is the product or therapy and how can it help me?

What are the side effects or risks?

What are the therapist's qualifications?

Are they a member of a professional association?

What is their experience of treating people with my type of cancer?

How many other people with this cancer have used this treatment?

Has it been tested in clinical trials?

If it has been tested in clinical trials, have the findings been published and are they available
for me to read?

How much does the treatment cost? Can I afford it?

Can this treatment be combined with my conventional therapy?

How long should I have the treatment and how will I know if it is working?

Under what conditions was the product prepared? For example, was it prepared in a backyard
factory where there may be no infection control procedures and ingredient monitoring?
HealthInfo reference: 53148
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Issued: 23 March 2016
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Page 1 of 2
Alternative treatments for cancer
www.healthinfo.org.nz
Advice on nutrition
Eating nutritious food will help you to keep as well as possible during treatment. There are no
special foods, diets or vitamin supplements that have been scientifically proven to cure cancer or
stop it from coming back.
Many alternative diets, especially those that cut out food groups such as meat or dairy products,
may not give you the nutrition (especially protein) that you need. As a result, you might lose
weight and become very tired. These diets could also damage your immunity.
Local health professionals recommend the following pages.
New Zealand

Cancer Society – Complementary and alternative medicine
canterbury-west-coast.cancernz.org.nz (search for “complementary”)
This section explains the difference between alternative therapies and complementary
therapies, looks at different traditional medicines and also gives links to websites where you
can get more information. You can also download and print a PDF of this information
International

American Cancer Society – Complementary and alternative methods and cancer
www.cancer.org (search for “complementary and alternative methods”)
Detailed answers to many questions such as: What are complementary and alternative
methods? What kinds of cancer treatment are there? and What are the risks of not using
mainstream cancer treatment?

National Cancer Institute (USA) – What Is complementary and alternative medicine?
www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam
General information about complementary and alternative medicines.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre – About herbs, botanicals and other products
www.mskcc.org (search for “herbs and botanicals”)
Information about specific complementary and alternative medicines. You can browse specific
products, read frequently asked questions, or search for what you want.
Compiled by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Updated March 2016.
53148
HealthInfo reference: 53148

Issued: 23 March 2016

Page 2 of 2