Complementary therapies is basically using some natural modalities in combination with conventional mainstream medicine. Alternative therapies are, as the name implies, a therapeutic regimen that does not include conventional medicine, but offers unproven alternatives. As an alternative health practitioner, I use the term "unproven." Conventional therapies are tested for FDA approval and usually exclusive patents for the pharmaceutical corporation. In alternative health, most of the modalities are either service oriented, as in hands on therapy, or products found in nature which cannot be patented.
Basically, the concept of complementary therapies is a dichotomy that doesn't come together all that well in many cases. Natural remedies usually become alternative therapies because they address the problem from a different perspective than conventional mainstream medicine. The practical rule of thumb is this: Natural remedies aim to strengthen the body's own immune system to fight whatever the attacking illness or disease is, while conventional medicine is formulated to attack the symptoms and/or kill the problem, sort of bypassing the body in the process. It seems cancer and autoimmune diseases tend to be at the forefront of most of the complementary therapy controversy. I know a bit about both and I'd like to share it with you.
Many autoimmune diseases are not fatal but quite debilitating. I have MS and RA. Neither have a cure. Only symptom management therapies are available. Neither are fatal disease, but can be a real pain to deal with on some days. In both cases, my disease symptoms are not nearly as bad as many others experience. Having first hand knowledge of this, I can attest that complementary treatment did not work for me. One of the biggest issues in MS is weakness, and unfortunately one of the biggest side effects for many of the treatments in MS exacerbation, is weakness, so I found myself recovering twice . . .
As for pain management, I simply cannot stand the wooziness or fear of addiction that accompanies the long term use of most pain medication. The other issue with complementary therapies, is the fact that conventional mainstream medicine has the social approval and legal power that natural remedies lack in this culture. I've been completely out of any conventional mainstream medical treatment plan in nearly a decade and a half. I left conventional treatment the first year of this millenium, and never went back. I've sure learned a lot about more alternative remedies as well as the social stigma in a Christian nation, for believing our Creator heals.
Cancer is a horrible disease and as most of us are aware, it is often fatal. The information I will share regarding cancer treatment includes a external link, as well as comments from a few people with first hand knowledge of the disease. A friend of mine, a nurse who cared for her father through his battle with cancer, using a conventional treatment plan shared with me two things. First, she said, the chemo was poison and the hope was the poison would kill the cells in the tumor before it destroyed all the healthy cells. The second thing she said was in regard to the surgery. She said the surgery is great if it gets every single cell, but if even one cell is left, it can be like a dandelion in the wind, and metastasize quickly.
Another perspective I've gained recently is the spouse of a cancer patient. They are proceeding with all conventional recommendations and including alternative remedies, only for pain management. They also were told the same thing about surgery. The patient is using all prescribed treatment methods including chemo, but fear of the disease spreading prohibited surgery. The prognosis is not good, but they continue to be hopeful . . .
A third individual recently lost their battle with the the dreaded disease, and they struggled with treatment plans through the entire battle. They opted for surgery, but postponed chemo in an attempt to use an alternative treatment plan. Sadly, the surgeries did not remove every cell and the disease spread quickly after the last surgery. Complementary therapy, as described in the article linked below clearly views alternative therapies as substandard to conventional methods. Integrative medicine is on the rise, but again conventional medicine is the flagship. Integrative medicine, to me, is the way to get more alternative modalities on the radar and under the control of conventional mainstream medicine.
None of us can make the decision for another, but in studying complementary therapy, the very real possibility exists, that a combination of conventional medicine and natural modalities could actually prove counterproductive and contraindicated.
A complementary therapy means you can use it alongside your conventional medical treatment. It may help you to feel better and cope better with your cancer and treatment. It is important to discuss with your doctor any complementary therapy that you are thinking of using.
