What will the doctor think if my loved one uses alternative or complementary techniques? Should I tell the doctor?

24.What will the doctor think if my loved
one uses alternative or complementary
techniques? Should I tell the doctor?

Doctors and the medical establishment have been
wary of complementary and alternative medicine for a
number of reasons. Although some treatments, like
traditional Chinese medicine, may represent a
centuries-old body of knowledge administered by
trained, professional practitioners, they have only
begun to be evaluated for safety or effectiveness
through biomedical research. Sadly, too many alternative
and complementary treatments are simply deceptions,
the proverbial snake oil, meant to take advantage
of the hopes of the uninformed patient. At their worst,
they can cause harm to the patient.

Interest in these therapies, however, continues to grow,
in part because they help the patient promote a sense of
being an active, positive participant in his or her own
healing process. As a result, research on complementary
and alternative therapies has expanded in recent years.
This research, which the government has been sponsoring
as well, is examining what—if any—effects these
non-traditional therapies have on disease. The questions
are whether the particular therapy stops the progression
of disease, extends patient survival, or provides
a palliation of symptoms. Research is also examining
the risk for side effects and the risk for dangerous interactions
when used with conventional treatment.

Palliation = Reduction of severity (to mitigate). 
Palliative care focuses on treating the symptoms 
of disease rather than curing it.

It is the risks of side effects and interactions that are of
immediate concern to your doctor. Although doctors
may have a skeptical view of complementary and alternative
medicine (perhaps due to bias or unfamiliarity
with them), it is important that you tell them if the
patient is using complementary or alternative medicine
so that his or her care is not compromised. Because so
many of their patients have been using these therapies,
many major cancer centers now offer some of these
therapies themselves so that these treatments can be
better coordinated and used in conjunction with standard
medical care in an integrated fashion.