In The Human Side of Cancer, Jimmie C. Holland, M.D., of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, explores the broad range of emotions people with cancer and their loved ones experience from the moment of diagnosis through the treatment and its aftermath.

DO'S AND DONT'S
FOR ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES

DON'T take an alternative therapy in place of a conventional treatment. You may be delaying a proven, potentially curative treatment.

DO use any of the complementary therapies that make you feel better and help you cope.

DON'T believe that if you don't choose to use a particular complementary therapy you are allowing your tumor to grow faster.

DO discuss with your doctor any alternative/complementary therapy that you are considering or taking. Some complementary therapies can interfere with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. If your oncologist doesn't ask, be sure to tell him/her what you are taking.

DO seek out reliable sources of information about alternative and complementary therapies. (See Resource Section.) Don't rely on a single source, no matter how laudatory.

DO be aware that many websites are advertising products that are not subject to quality control in their manufacture and their claims are unregulated. It continues to be a "buyer beware" market.

DO think through your reasons for seeking a complementary therapy. If the reason is that you are having trouble coping, consider asking your oncology team for a referral for counseling. You may be able to have psychological support built into your medical care.

DO check the credentials and reliability of the complementary therapist you choose. Be sure you have a licensed acupuncturist, for example, who uses sterile needles. Check into the benefits and risks of each therapy.

DO use the complementary therapies that make sense to you. You may find that what was great for someone else is not helpful to you at all.

DO use the complementary therapies as aids to reducing pain, nausea and other symptoms, for example, ginger root tea for nausea.