Study Shows Cancer Patients are Using Alternative Therapies

A study conducted by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Bastyr University and the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland found that 7 out of 10 adult cancer patients in Western Washington use complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies. Alternative therapies used by the study subjects included nutritional supplements, meditation, magnets, acupuncture and biofeedback. Dietary supplementation was the most common approach.

These findings, based on interviews with 356 patients with breast, prostate or colon cancer, found that most cancer patients (between 83 and 97 percent) use CAM therapies for general health and reported that the therapies improved how they felt. A lesser percentage (from 8 to 56 percent, depending upon the type of cancer) used CAM specifically to help their cancer.

Writer: Bastyr staff writer
Date: 2003

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