CancerGuide: Alternative and Complementary Therapies Section Home

Evaluating Alternative Therapies

Some Thoughts on Alternative Therapies
Some of my ideas on evaluating therapies and avoiding traps.
Separating the Wheat from the Chaff (will open in new window!)
Thoughts on Filtering Worthwile Alternative Therapies from Nonsense.

Information on Specific Therapies

These are in three groups. First, I list things that I consider promising - I put these first because I am first and foremost interested in what might actually help cancer patients. Second, I list therapies I happen to have come across which are little known where the information here might be relatively unique. Third, I list some popular therapies I happen to have looked into. I make no attempt to be comprehensive in this area.

Promising Therapies

Please understand that my opinion that something is "promising" only means I think it might have some efficacy. It absolutely doesn't mean I think it's a guaranteed miracle cure and, in fact, I know of no alternative therapy that has a proven high rate of success. I strongly believe that it is a potentially lethal error to substitute alternative therapy for other treatment in any case where effective proven therapy is known.

Note: Will Need to Make Medline Searches into Pages

PSK: A Non-Toxic Polysaccharide Drug
A mushroom derived immunestimulating drug with real evidence, including randomized trials.
- MedLine Search: PSK, a non-toxic anti-tumor polysaccharide
Bovine Cartilage
An interesting immunotherapy with some real evidence.
- MedLine Search: Bovine Cartilage
Antineoplastons/Burzynski Clinic
A very controversial alternative drug treatment. I think there's something to it..
- MedLine Search: Antineoplastons
Coley's Toxins / Issel's Fever Therapy
This early immunotherapy was called quackery for years, but in fact it was pioneering work.

Lesser Known Therapies

Sun Farms Vegetable Soup
An herbal "soup" with some evidence particularly for lung cancer.
- MedLine Search: Lentinan, an anti-tumor polysaccharide from the Shitake mushroom
- MedLine Search: SMANCS
Elixir Vitae
A little known herbal therapy.
- MedLine Search: Side Effects of Hypericin

Popular Therapies

Simone Shark Cartilage Protocol
An example of how shark cartilage is used: Not an endorsement.
Gerson Therapy
Essiac Information
An incredibly popular herbal therapy... but does it work?.
Hulda Clark's "Cure for All Cancers"
- Leandra Smith's Experience with Hulda Clark
  Report of conditions at this clinic in 1996.

Related In CancerGuide

CancerGuide's large stories section is a view into how others have coped with their cancers. I hope you find the wide variety of ways people cope as inspiring as I do!

Inspirational Patient Stories
You are not alone... find out how others have coped.

Mind-Body medicine is a major branch of complementary medicine. See CancerGuide's Mind & Attitude section for my take on it and more.

Mind and Attitude Section Home
Thoughts on how to cope and how attitude matters.