Data On Alternative Vs Conventional Treatment?

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited February 2016

    Jane, my sister has been in cancer research for 30 years, and she told me that the CTCAs, which I have always thought highly of, do not participate in the meetings, trials and research that the NCI-designated cancer centers do. That said, I have always been very holistic about my health, so if I could justify the cost, I would probably check in with a CTCA center just for a second opinion, if mainly to get their expertise on complementary txs, as I have heard of some out-of-the-box thinking from them -- really unusual supplements, etc. -- that I believe are aimed at controlling SEs and building our health in general, more than curing. The main "problem" with CEA, I believe, is that most conventional health insurance will not cover things that are not standard of care, which usually includes everything alternative and almost everything that can be classified as complementary. But certainly if money is no object, why not compare their approach? A few women here on BCO have reported being happy with their care @ CTCA. I, OTOH, have been thrilled to be at at an NCI-designated cancer center (UCLA) -- and I think Michigan is as well, although I haven't looked at the list -- because every tx they've put me on has been leading edge -- usually at least 6 mos. ahead of women who are treated by local, general oncs who often are not quite as up on the very latest research when it comes to bc and mbc. Just my two cents worth!

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  • Bestbird
    Bestbird Member Posts: 2,818
    edited February 2016

    A clinical study is currently underway to compare the outcomes of patients undergoing Integrative Therapy with the SEER standard.

    "This study describes the three-year survival outcome of consecutively recruited advanced stage breast, colorectal, ovarian and pancreatic cancer patients receiving advanced integrative oncology (AIO) treatment at one of the participating North American advanced integrative oncology specialist clinics. This study also aims to describe AIO treatments recommended by naturopathic oncologists for these advanced stage cancer patients and pilot the collection and evaluation of health-related quality of life data on a subset of Canadian AIO-treated patients...

    Although there have been some studies of complementary and alternative medicine use by cancer patients, little is known about the effectiveness of the naturopathic medicine and TCM provided to people with cancer in an integrative setting. While there is scientific evidence supporting specific treatments that are commonly used, systematic study of their effectiveness (especially when used in combination as commonly recommended) is virtually non-existent. An early step in the evaluation of clinical outcomes associated with AIO is to take a health service approach and seek to answer the question: "Does exposure to AIO services improve the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced stage cancer?"

    The survival outcome of consecutively recruited advanced stage breast, colorectal, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer patients treated at multiple naturopathic oncology clinics in North America will be tracked and compared to outcomes published in the current medical literature and by SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) in order to address the fundamentally important question of whether or not AIO has a beneficial impact on survival. Involvement of a total of seven active AIO clinics from Canada and the US will allow the recruitment of a sufficient sample size to address this question as well as provide outcomes that are generalizable for AIO across North America."

    From: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02494037

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  • singlemom1
    singlemom1 Member Posts: 434
    edited April 2016

    has anyone tried or know anything about infra red sauna to help treatcancer?

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  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited April 2016

    How would sweating help? If it did, I never would have had a recurrence. I sweat like a pig. Seriously. Have to have a fan in my office directed at me all year. Infrared is just a different term of heat.

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