Complementary or integrative medicine generally refers to combining the best of western and eastern medicine. Western medicine tends to be interventionally oriented, where Eastern medicine tends to be more oriented towards treating your “terrain”.

Combining both schools of medicine provides the cancer and post cancer patient a wide arsenal of tools to deal with pain, stress, and fatigue. Many cancer patients find themselves seeking complementary treatments to help with a variety of side effects associated with traditional care. 

Alternative therapies, on the other hand, represent a cure that lies outside the medical establishment. Going through the cancer process, we all look for some magic bullet that will make everything just go away. Some people swear by various alternative treatments. The final judgement is up to you. You are CEO of your own health!

On integrative therapies…

From Duke University:  What is integrative medicine?

Dana Farber Cancer Institute: Integrative Medicine for Cancer Survivors

Keith Bloch, M.D., a leader in integrative cancer care. The Block Center is an outpatient clinic specializing in the treatment of the entire range of cancers. The center is dedicated to providing a caring environment that emphasizes the unique biological, physical and psychological qualities of each person they treat.