Some patients do not inform the medical team of the complementary treatments they are taking.
Acupuncture, yoga, plants: many cancer patients are followers. A study shows that a third of cancer patients use alternative medicine. The results of this research, conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, were published in the JAMA Oncology.
A survey was conducted of more than 3,100 cancer patients in the United States. They answered various questions about the food supplements they took or the alternative medicines they used. A third of them say they use one or other of these complementary medicines: among them, the majority are followers of herbal medicine, followed by chiropractic and osteopathy. Young patients and women are more likely to favor them.
Lack of communication with caregivers
29% of people who use food supplements do not tell their doctor. This figure worries the main author of this study, in particular in the case where patients take herbal food supplements: “You don’t know what they contain, explains Nina Sanford. (…) I would recommend to patients not to use them during radiotherapy because sometimes there is no data on these products, and they could interfere with the treatment”. Most of the people concerned say they do not want to hide it from the doctors, only that the caregivers have not asked the question or that they have not seen fit to inform them.
Yoga and the meditation: useful supplements
Conversely, doctors are generally in favor of yoga or meditation. They help reduce stress, better manage emotions and maintain a sporting activity. “We strongly recommend that patients stay active and exercise during treatment, confirms Nina Sanford. I inform patients that people who feel the most tired are the most sedentary, and those who exercise exercise are often the ones with the most energy.”
In France, the National Cancer Institute also recommends that patients maintain physical activity to maintain their muscular and cardiovascular capacities and their autonomy.
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