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All contents (databases, journals, print & e-books, websites, and other resources) in this guide are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please, always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.
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Complementary Medicine:
Treatments that are used along with standard medical treatments but are not considered standard treatments. One example is using acupuncture to help lessen some side effects of cancer treatment.
Alternative Medicine:
Treatments that are used instead of standard treatments. Standard treatments are usually researched and currently accepted while alternative medicine has less research. Examples are special diets, herbal preparations, and special teas.
References:
NIH National Cancer Institute NCI Dictionaries. Accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/complementary-medicine
NIH National Cancer Institute NCI Dictionaries. Accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/alternative-medicine
Complementary vs. Alternative
When describing these approaches, people often use “alternative” and “complementary” interchangeably, but the two terms refer to different concepts:
Most people who use non-mainstream approaches also use conventional health care.
Reference:
Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name? NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name. Published in 2018. Updated July 2018.
Natural Does Not Mean Safe
CAM therapies include a wide variety of botanicals and nutritional products, such as dietary supplements, herbal supplements, and vitamins. Many of these “natural” products are considered to be safe because they are present in, or produced by, nature. However, that is not true in all cases. In addition, some may affect how well other medicines work in your body. For example, the herb St. John's wort, which some people use for depression, may cause certain anticancer drugs not to work as well as they should.
Herbal supplements may be harmful when taken by themselves, with other substances, or in large doses. For example, some studies have shown that kava kava, an herb that has been used to help with stress and anxiety, may cause liver damage.
Vitamins can also have unwanted effects on your body. For example, some studies show that high doses of vitamins, even vitamin C, may affect how chemotherapy and radiation work. Too much of any vitamin is not safe, even in a healthy person.
Tell your doctor if you're taking any dietary supplements, no matter how safe you think they are. This is very important. Even though there may be ads or claims that something has been used for years, they do not prove that it's safe or effective.
Supplements do not have to be approved by the federal government before being sold to the public. Also, a prescription is not needed to buy them. Therefore, it's up to consumers to decide what is best for them.
Reference:
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) - National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam. Published in 2019. Updated 09/30/2019.
