Types of therapies

Monday 2 February, 2009

Reviewed: A/P Michael Jefford,Consultant Medical Oncologist, Peter Mac; Dr Raymond Snyder, Director of Oncology, St Vincent's Hospital; Beth Wilson, Health Services Commissioner, Victoria; Dr Amanda Hordern, Director, Cancer Information and Support Service. Developed with funding from the Victorian Department of Human Services.

On this page: Commonly used complementary therapies ι Commonly used alternative therapies

There are hundreds of complementary therapies and alternative cancer therapies. Refer to the table in ‘Understanding the terms' to see how the American Cancer Society groups them.

Here we give a brief overview of some of the most commonly used complementary therapies, and alternative therapies that you may hear about or read about on the Internet.

Commonly used complementary therapies

Cancer Council Australia supports the use of complementary therapies that have been scientifically tested and proven to be safe and effective. Some therapies must be avoided in some situations. We recommend that you talk to your cancer specialist before starting any therapy.

Massage therapy

Massage therapy involves a variety of techniques that use touch and tissue manipulation to enhance the function of those tissues and promote relaxation and wellbeing. There are many different forms, including relaxation massage, Swedish massage, aromatherapy massage, sports massage, remedial massage, shiatsu and reflexology.

Safety and effectiveness

Research has shown that certain types of massage, in the short term, do help people feel emotionally better. It is thought that these therapies may also help with physical symptoms. But we need much larger trials with follow-up after the trials to find out how effective massage really is for people with cancer.

Certain massage techniques would not be suitable for someone in an advanced stage of cancer who is in a lot of pain. Please talk with your cancer specialist before starting massage, if this is your situation.

Meditation

There are many different types of meditation, some of which are part of ancient Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Meditation has become very popular in western cultures as well. It is thought that regular meditation can help to calm your mind and enhance your health and wellbeing. People with cancer use meditation to help ease anxiety, stress, pain and sleeping problems. Types of meditation include:

  • visualisation (see below)
  • transcendental meditation - repeating a specific word or phrase (mantra) to help focus the mind and improve concentration
  • prayerful meditation - this aims to enhance your spirituality and will vary between religions
  • guided meditation - using a CD or DVD, a teacher directs your mind in a certain way to help you relax
  • meditation with movement - this means combining a form of movement such as t'ai chi, yoga or walking with a meditation practice.

Safety and effectiveness

Research has shown that meditation can sometimes help to make people feel good, improve concentration and control pain. There is also some evidence that it may enhance the immune system.

Overall, meditation practices are safe to use. Sometimes, for people with depression, severe anxiety or certain other psychological problems, meditation can worsen symptoms. If this happens, don't persevere with the meditation - but you could discuss the problems with an experienced meditator who has experience working with cancer patients. While most doctors would not stop you using meditation as part of your cancer care it is always best to discuss it with them before practising.

There is no scientific evidence that meditation can help to prevent, control or cure cancer or any other disease.

Visualisation

This is also called ‘guided imagery' or ‘creative visualisation'. Visualisation is one of the most common types of complementary therapies used by people with cancer. It involves using your mind to direct and control images to help you relax. In other words, you use your imagination to help control your symptoms and side effects.

Safety and effectiveness

There have been some positive results from trials using visualisation, prompting further research in this area. A few studies have shown that it may help people with cancer to manage stress, anxiety and depression. One study has shown that visualisation greatly enhanced the mood of women having treatment for breast cancer.

There is no scientific evidence that visualisation can help with physical symptoms such as sickness and vomiting, but it may be useful for emotional wellbeing.

There is no scientific evidence that visualisation can help to control, cure or prevent any type of cancer.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical system that involves inserting fine needles just under the skin into specific pressure points on the body. It is used to treat various conditions such as pain, nausea and stress. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is often used with diet, herbal medicine and different massage techniques. It is said to help to restore the body's energy, known as Qi (pronounced chee) to its natural state. In western cultures, acupuncture is usually used on its own to treat various conditions, including pain and helping people with addictions such as smoking.

Safety and effectiveness

One of the main reasons people with cancer use acupuncture is to help with pain and nausea. There has been a lot of research into the use of acupuncture, including phase 3 clinical trials. Most of the research has been looking at how it can help with sickness (nausea and vomiting) and pain. There are also some studies looking at how it can help to reduce menopausal symptoms brought on by treatment with chemotherapy. There is some evidence to suggest that acupuncture can help with these symptoms in certain situations, especially with chemotherapy-related sickness.

There is no scientific evidence that acupuncture can help to control or cure cancer.

Chiropractics

This aims to diagnose, prevent and treat mechanical disorders of the bones, muscles and joints. Chiropractors use their hands to manipulate your bones and muscles, particularly those of your spine. No surgery or drugs are used.

In Australia chiropractics is one of only two complementary therapies regulated by law. The other is osteopathy.

Safety and effectiveness

Chiropractors believe that if your spine and nervous system are healthy the rest of your body will be in good health and wellbeing. There is some evidence that it may help to treat lower back pain, neck pain and headaches but more research is needed before it can be said that chiropractics is effective in helping treat pain of any kind.

Chiropractics is not recommended if you have bone cancer, osteoporosis, broken bones, cancer that has spread to the bones and certain diseases of the bone marrow such as leukaemia. Whatever type of cancer you have, ask your doctor before seeing a chiropractor.

There is no scientific evidence that chiropractics can help control, prevent or cure cancer.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is based on a belief that ‘like cures like' - that illness can be cured by taking a minute dose of a substance that, if taken by a healthy person, would produce symptoms like those being treated.

Homeopathic remedies are water or alcohol-based solutions that contain very small amounts of certain plant, mineral and animal substances. Homeopaths believe the remedies stimulate the body to heal itself.

Safety and effectiveness

Homeopathy appears to be safe. Some individuals say that homeopathy helped their symptoms but there is little reliable evidence to prove this. Some researchers suggest that we cannot be sure that any positive effects come from homeopathic remedies - results may simply be a placebo effect.

There is no scientific evidence that homeopathy can help to control or cure cancer.

Reiki

Reiki (pronounced ‘ray-kee‘) is a Japanese type of hands-on (touch) therapy. Reiki practitioners believe your ‘energy fields' influence your physical and spiritual health. If they can ‘release' your energy fields, it allows the body's natural healing powers to take over and heal itself.

Safety and effectiveness

There have been individual reports that reiki can help with relaxation and your overall sense of wellbeing. Early clinical trials reported that reiki might help with relieving pain in some people with advanced cancer. There are US trials looking into the effects of reiki on how quickly prostate cancer grows and anxiety in people with prostate cancer. But we need more research before we will know how helpful it really is.

Overall it is thought that reiki is safe to use but there are some reiki practitioners and doctors who suggest that people with psychiatric disorders should avoid using reiki. Ask your cancer specialist for advice before using any type of complementary therapy.

There is no evidence that reiki can cure, control or prevent any type of cancer.

 

Commonly used alternative therapies

Cancer Council does not support the use of any alternative therapy that has not been scientifically tested and proven to be safe and effective.

None of the alternative therapies described below has been scientifically proven to help control, cure or prevent any type of cancer. Always speak with your doctor before trying any type of therapy. We do not recommend that you replace your conventional cancer treatment with any type of alternative cancer therapy.

There are hundreds of different types of alternative cancer treatments. Although we are unable to mention them all here, many of the names of therapies are listed below under ‘Alternative cancer clinics around the world'. If you are unsure about any therapy ask your doctor or call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20.

Laetrile (also known as ‘vitamin B17')

This is a synthetic form of a substance called amygdalin. This is found in raw nuts and some fruit pips. The main foods associated with laetrile are apricots and almonds.

Safety and effectiveness

In the 1950s certain people began to promote this as a ‘cure for cancer'. This is not true. Laetrile actually contains the poison cyanide, and can cause serious side effects.

There is no scientific evidence that laetrile can help control, cure or prevent any type of cancer or any other disease.

Extreme diets

There are several types of diets promoted as cures for cancer: for example, the Gerson diet, some macrobiotic diets, the grape diet and diets involving coffee enemas.

Safety and effectiveness

Such diets can make you feel extremely tired and weak, cause unwanted weight loss, reduce your ability to fight infections and generally make you ill. This can be a huge problem, especially if your body is already under stress from the cancer and its side effects.

Many extreme cancer diets cut out whole food groups, such as dairy products or meat. This means you may not get enough of the protein and calories your body needs to function properly.

If you are thinking about making any dramatic changes to your diet during your cancer and its treatment, speak with your doctor or dietitian first. They can advise you about how safe it might be.

While certain dietary factors play a part in preventing cancer, there is no scientific evidence to support any claims that any special diet can help to control or cure cancer.

There are no special foods you must use or avoid when you have cancer. The best general advice is to make sure you eat well by having a variety of foods every day, and exercise at a comfortable level.

The Cancer Council's booklet Nutrition and Exercise contains useful information. View online or telephone 13 11 20.

Herbal remedies/medicine/herbalism

Herbal medicine uses roots, stems, leaves, flowers or seeds of plants to improve health, prevent disease and treat illness. It has grown from centuries of practice and observation from many different cultures and traditions. Herbalists are said to treat the ‘whole body'. They aim to restore your body and its ability to protect and heal itself. ‘Traditional Chinese medicine' is an example.

Safety and effectiveness

While many herbal remedies are probably safe to use, others may interact with other drugs or cause serious side effects. There may be impurities in the preparations that can also cause unexpected problems. The exact ingredients are not always shown or known in some herbal preparations.

Several scientific studies have found some very common ‘over the counter' herbal remedies such as ginkgo, echinacea, ginseng, kava, garlic and St John's wort may interact with cancer treatments. They can affect the way drugs are transported or broken down within the body. For example, St John's wort, used by people to help treat depression, reacts with certain chemotherapy drugs. This could mean the treatments are less effective. Other herbal medicines are known to thin your blood, which can increase the risk of bleeding. This can be very harmful for people with low platelet (clotting) levels.

There are certain herbal products that researchers think may help to prevent cancer or control side effects from cancer treatments. But they are still trying to find out if this is true and which herbs are effective and safe to use alongside conventional cancer treatments.

There is no scientific evidence that any herbal remedy can control or cure any type of cancer.

Vitamins and other dietary supplements

Vitamins are substances that are essential in small quantities for your health. Your body cannot make them so they need to come from your diet. Vitamins help to maintain the normal functioning of your body and in the right quantities can help to prevent illness and disease. The essential ones are vitamins A, B, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) B3 (niacin), B6, B12, C, D, E and K. The best way to get all the vitamins you need is through eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Vitamin supplements do not have the same benefits as those that occur naturally in fruit and vegetables. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommends a diet where you enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods. This does not include the use of vitamins and other dietary supplements. See the website www.nhmrc.gov.au for the NHMRC dietary guidelines.

You may hear or read about ‘vitamin B17', or laetrile or amygdalin. This is not a true vitamin. In the 1950s this was promoted as a ‘cure for cancer'. Unfortunately, this is not true. See the section titled ‘Laetrile'.

Why do people take vitamins and other supplements?

Some people believe taking vitamins and other supplements will ‘boost their immune system' and prevent or fight disease, including cancer. Despite there being very little research to back this up, many people with cancer (up to 60% in some countries) use some type of vitamin supplement to help improve the effectiveness of their conventional cancer treatment.

Can antioxidants help to prevent or treat cancer?

There is a belief that antioxidants, which naturally occur in fruit and vegetables, may slow or even prevent the development of cancer. Examples of antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and beta carotene. These substances protect the cells in your body from damage caused by free radicals (by-products of normal body processes). Over time free radicals can cause serious cell changes, causing them to grow so rapidly that they can cause tumours.

Some studies report that antioxidants may help protect against certain cancers. Others show antioxidants don't have any effect on your cancer risk. There are also results from several studies showing the antioxidant beta carotene may actually increase a smoker's chance of developing lung cancer. Overall there is still not enough evidence to either recommend for or against taking vitamins (including antioxidants) for cancer prevention. Several large international trials will hopefully provide specific answers about the role of antioxidants in cancer prevention and treatment. Results are not expected until after 2010.

Our message remains - eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

There is no scientific evidence that antioxidants can help control or cure any type of cancer.

Safety and effectiveness

Some vitamins and supplements are safe to use alongside your conventional cancer treatment. Others may not be, especially in high doses. They may interfere with chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.

The 2007 results from the US National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health study, the largest of its kind, found overuse of multivitamin supplements such as selenium, zinc and beta carotene (more than seven times per week) may be associated with an increased risk of advanced and incurable prostate cancer. (For more about this study, see ‘Useful websites'.)

Taking too much of any vitamin is not safe, even in people without cancer. So it is important to tell your cancer doctor about any vitamins and other supplements you are taking.

Shark cartilage

Shark cartilage is the cartilage of hammerhead sharks and dogfish sharks that has been made into a powder. It is available in many health food stores as a dietary supplement.

Several years ago, a doctor published two books claiming that sharks don't get cancer - which is not true, sharks can get cancer - and that shark cartilage could cure cancer.

Safety and effectiveness

Researchers are still interested in this substance and there have been many clinical trials looking into the effectiveness of shark cartilage in treatment of cancer. Even though very early studies in the laboratory showed promising results, it is now known that shark cartilage cannot be absorbed through the gut into the bloodstream.

There is no evidence that shark cartilage can help to control, cure or prevent any type of cancer.

Alternative cancer clinics around the world

If you search the Internet for ‘alternative cancer clinics' you are likely to come up with quite a few options. Some are in the Bahamas or Thailand but the majority are in Mexico. It is thought that there are between 35 and 50 alternative cancer clinics and hospitals in Mexico, most of which are in the border town Tijuana (US).

Some of these clinics offer a ‘cure for your cancer' while others offer ‘help with likely cure'. There are also similar options for clinics on offer in Australia.

It is difficult to find reliable information about exactly what these clinics do and offer people with cancer. It is thought that people who go to these clinics are asked to sign statements saying that they won't discuss their experience at the clinic with the media. However, several family members have spoken out about the problems and potential harm that some of these clinics may cause people with cancer. There have been reports of people with a supposed ‘cure' actually getting worse, their cancer progressing or even dying soon after leaving a clinic.

The clinics usually advertise their alternative cancer treatment as ‘natural' and ‘non-toxic'. It usually involves a ‘package of care' over several weeks. The majority cost anywhere between $2500 and $7000 a week, often with extra costs of travel and for a relative to stay with you. Outpatient packages can cost between $1000 and $2000 a week. You are often expected to pay the full amount upfront when you arrive.

You will be given an ‘individualised package of care' which usually sounds very appealing: lots of relaxation, healthy food, and 24-hour care from skilled and caring people. Most packages involve the use of several treatments taken from a wide range of choices.

Below is a list of a few of the treatments you usually find on offer over the Internet at alternative cancer clinics.

Some of these treatments can be very dangerous to use and there is no scientific evidence to support their safety or effectiveness in people with cancer.

  • Laetrile.
  • Issels treatment - this is a system of treatments ‘aimed at strengthening your immune system'.
  • Special diets such as the Gerson diet, macrobiotic diet, fasting and vegan. We discuss extreme diets earlier in this booklet.
  • Juicing - including drinking very large quantities of carrot juice and pressed liver.
  • Removal of mercury amalgam fillings.
  • ‘Cleansing' enemas or colonic lavage - which can involve the use of coffee, wheat and other substances in enemas.
  • High-dose vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements.
  • Metabolic therapy - a program developed to ‘train' the immune system to get rid of your cancer.
  • Oxygen therapies.
  • Enzyme therapy - using enzymes to help with digestion and supposedly reduce the growth of the cancer.
  • Cancer salves - these are pastes or poultices (a heated dressing containing a salve), which are applied to the skin and are said to treat skin cancers.
  • Shark cartilage.
  • Homeopathy.
  • Chelation therapy - this is a known effective treatment for lead poisoning (increased level of the metal lead in the blood) but can be toxic and has the potential to damage the kidney, heart and cause death if used in the wrong way.
  • Hydrotherapy - the use of water to treat disease.
  • Hyperthermia (high temperature therapy).
  • Giving chemotherapy in doses that have not been scientifically proven to help.
  • Electromagnetic devices that are supposed to kill cancer cells, such as the ‘electronic zapper'.
  • Insulin potentiation therapy - using insulin to induce low blood sugar levels, which can have very serious side effects.
  • Microwave therapy - a type of treatment where the tissues in the body are exposed to high temperatures. Also called microwave thermotherapy.

We recommend that you speak with your doctor before using any type of alternative cancer therapy including on the above list. While some may not be harmful, many are and may actually be very dangerous to use as an alternative to or alongside your conventional cancer treatment.

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