WEBSITES FOR INFORMATION ON COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) FOR CANCER
What is Complementary and Alternative American Cancer Society (ACS) Medicine (CAM)? 1) The ACS provides guidelines for exercise The National Institutes of Health defines CAM and nutrition to prevent cancer. as “a group of diverse medical and health care http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/docu systems, practices, and products that are not ments/webcontent/002577-pdf.pdf presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.” Complementary therapies are 2) And it offers guidelines for exercise and those used in addition to standard medical care. nutrition during and after cancer treatment. Alternative therapies are used in place of http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/Survivorsh conventional treatments. Integrative health ipDuringandAfterTreatment/NutritionforPeop care combines conventional treatment with lewithCancer/nutrition-and-physical-activity- CAM therapies that are known to be safe and during-and-after-cancer-treatment-answers- effective. The list of CAM therapies changes to-common-questions regularly because over time some of them become part of conventional medicine. Integrative Medicine Program at the What are reputable websites for University of Wisconsin-Madison School information on specific complementary of Medicine and Public Health and alternative medicine treatments? Website: www.fammed.wisc.edu/integrative Many websites provide information on complementary and alternative medicine. Our website contains: Some are excellent. Others may give A module on Integrative Care and incomplete or biased information. For Prevention of Breast Cancer, which includes guidelines on how to evaluate the information detailed information for both health care on these sites, see “Evaluating Information professionals and patients. Sources for Complementary & Alternative Patient handouts on a variety of integrative Health Care.” You can find this article on the medicine topics. website of the Program on Integrative Medicine Supplement Samplers providing information at the University of North Carolina School of for clinicians on a variety of supplements, so Medicine. (Website: http://pim.med.unc.edu. 1) they are better able to guide their patients. Click on “Resources,” 2) Next click on “Monographs on IM.”) 3) Finally click on “Evaluating CAM Information.”) The following websites are a few you may want to visit:
PATIENT HANDOUT University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine www.fammed.wisc.edu/integrative
Websites for Information on CAM for Cancer
Complementary/Integrative Medicine National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the Education Resources (CIMER) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 1) Website: www.cancer.gov
Website: Enter “CAM” in the search box. Click on http://www.mdanderson.org/education-and- “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” research/resources-for-professionals/clinical- under “Best Bets for CAM.” This section tools-and-resources/cimer/index.html contains: An overview of CAM approaches CIMER provides evidence-based information to Information on specific topics in two improve the lives of patients who choose to use versions—patient and health professional. CAM therapies under the direction of informed Both versions are available to anyone. physicians. Information is provided for health (To view or print the entire document rather care professionals and patients. than each individual segment, go to the box entitled “Page Options” and choose “View entire document” or “Print entire Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center document.”) Research information. Click on “CAM News Website: & Resources.” Includes a database of http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm clinical trials in the U.S. involving CAM that are currently enrolling patients. Search the database provided by the Integrative Medicine Service of Memorial Sloan- 2) Office of Cancer Complementary and Kettering Cancer Center for evidence-based Alternative Medicine (OCCAM) at the NCI information on herbs, botanicals, supplements, and more. Summaries are available for both Website: http://www.cancer.gov/cam/ consumers and healthcare professionals. This website contains health information on CAM and a list of clinical trials. Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health The information in this handout is for Website: http://ods.od.nih.gov/ general education. Please work with your health care practitioner to use this This website offers a variety of information on information in the best way possible to dietary supplements. promote your health and happiness.
This handout was created by Charlene Luchterhand, MSSW, Integrative Medicine Program, Dept. of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.
Date revised: October, 2011
PATIENT HANDOUT 2 University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine www.fammed.wisc.edu/integrative