First of all thank you for writing this. It’s very well done and respectful. As someone doing both traditional and CAM and who has done a clinical trial I would like to share. You may be in agreement to some of this from what I read.
I think the medical system is missing something big: quality of life.
Many patients don’t refuse therapies because they’re anti-science — they refuse them because the side effects can be devastating. Endocrine therapy in particular has huge dropout rates. People literally risk their lives because living on the medication can feel unbearable.
I’m a single mom. I don’t want to die. But I also can’t become someone in constant pain and misery who can’t show up for my child.
So we try to support ourselves: acupuncture, lymphatic massage, organic food, exercise. But none of that is covered. Lymph massage is $150–$200. Healthy food costs more. All of it takes time and energy on top of standard treatments. I’m always looking for who is thinking about how patients actually live through this?
I’m grateful for my oncologist and team at UCSF and for the clinical trial I participated in. I’m not anti-medicine. But even the best system focuses almost entirely on the tumor, not the whole body — not the gut, nervous system, or long-term resilience. They offer pills to combat side effects but the main treatment is harmful to the whole body. The tech is here.And we can be more holistic and personalized.
Patients are trying to bridge that gap themselves. The future has to merge East and West: rigorous science with whole-body health. We now have enough data and tools to study why some people heal exceptionally well without traditional therapies. Study those humans if they consent. Study them more deeply than some blood work and scans. Do a deeper more integrated dive and lifestyle and location and dna stress tests and all that. I am sure there are things I am missing.
If patients are choosing death over treatment, that’s the signal the system needs to pay attention to.
As a Clinical Psychologist, I will also comment that mental health is almost always left out. From the existential crisis of the diagnosis through the treatment process there are few referrals to psychotherapy. I could write volumes about the harm this does to patients trying to navigate a life with cancer. We need to support the entire human and their family system too. It can be done.
As a breast cancer survivor, I went through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and I have now been taking Letrozole for five years. Throughout each stage of my conventional treatment, I also received complementary support from Dr. Neil McKinney, ND (now retired), author of Naturopathic Oncology.
My healthcare team was fully aware of my complementary program and trusted Dr. McKinney’s recommendations and the supplements he added to my treatment plan.
Now in my fifth year of Letrozole, I continue to take several supplements, including Vitamins K and D, Quercetin, and low-dose Naltrexone. I had an Oncotype score of 45, and at present my health is good.
My belief is that a patient’s healthcare team—including both conventional and complementary practitioners—should work collaboratively to meet the individual needs of each patient.
To clarify, each of my complementary treatments was carefully matched to the different conventional treatments I was receiving. They were chosen to help manage potential side effects and improve overall outcomes. I did not take quercetin during my other cancer treatments.
In recent years, I have not needed to take any additional medications. If a new medication is required, I always discuss it with my health care team to determine whether any changes to my regimen are necessary.
I did have surgery on my Achilles tendon a few years ago, and I adjusted some of my supplements at that time. For example, I stopped taking low-dose naltrexone for a week prior to the operation. I should also add that I take omega-3 to help manage joint pain associated with the aromatase inhibitor.
I appreciate you pointing out the potential for interactions between supplements and medications. This highlights how important it is to have a health care team that works together—both complementary and conventional practitioners—so that treatments can be safely coordinated and individualized.
My oncologist told me not to take question because as an anti-inflammatory it can decrease the body’s ability to attack cancer. I had been taking it for 20 years for sarcoidosis, and overactive inflammatory disease . I
I appreciate the post. As a breast cancer survivor, I agree wholeheartedly with a previous comment. Many of us who say no to a medication, in my case Tamoxifen, it is not due to not trusting the science but QOL. I too worked with an integrative provider to help strengthen my body and improve overall health and wellbeing.
SMDH — why are complementary and alternative practices not “approved?” Because the medical establishment refuses to rigorously evaluate them. Why? Profits. “Show me the incentives and I will tell you the outcome.”
National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society are the funding “whales” for cancer research. Combined they allocate about a half a penny to complementary and alternative practices for every dollar spent. And much of that is for massage and acupuncture therapy as palliative care. Not research.
Not really. Plenty of studies on alternative treatments. For example there are studies showing that acupuncture is not much better than sham acupuncture (but probably has placebo effect), there are tons of studies on various types of vitamin, mineral and herbal compounds and their effect on the body.
Great article! I’ve wanted to try supplements but my Oncologist usually advises against any alternative therapies and is over cautious about any of it.
First of all thank you for writing this. It’s very well done and respectful. As someone doing both traditional and CAM and who has done a clinical trial I would like to share. You may be in agreement to some of this from what I read.
I think the medical system is missing something big: quality of life.
Many patients don’t refuse therapies because they’re anti-science — they refuse them because the side effects can be devastating. Endocrine therapy in particular has huge dropout rates. People literally risk their lives because living on the medication can feel unbearable.
I’m a single mom. I don’t want to die. But I also can’t become someone in constant pain and misery who can’t show up for my child.
So we try to support ourselves: acupuncture, lymphatic massage, organic food, exercise. But none of that is covered. Lymph massage is $150–$200. Healthy food costs more. All of it takes time and energy on top of standard treatments. I’m always looking for who is thinking about how patients actually live through this?
I’m grateful for my oncologist and team at UCSF and for the clinical trial I participated in. I’m not anti-medicine. But even the best system focuses almost entirely on the tumor, not the whole body — not the gut, nervous system, or long-term resilience. They offer pills to combat side effects but the main treatment is harmful to the whole body. The tech is here.And we can be more holistic and personalized.
Patients are trying to bridge that gap themselves. The future has to merge East and West: rigorous science with whole-body health. We now have enough data and tools to study why some people heal exceptionally well without traditional therapies. Study those humans if they consent. Study them more deeply than some blood work and scans. Do a deeper more integrated dive and lifestyle and location and dna stress tests and all that. I am sure there are things I am missing.
If patients are choosing death over treatment, that’s the signal the system needs to pay attention to.
So well said! Looking forward to the day when hormones are no longer deemed to be expendable.
As a Clinical Psychologist, I will also comment that mental health is almost always left out. From the existential crisis of the diagnosis through the treatment process there are few referrals to psychotherapy. I could write volumes about the harm this does to patients trying to navigate a life with cancer. We need to support the entire human and their family system too. It can be done.
What clinical trial were you enrolled in?
Ispy 2
As a breast cancer survivor, I went through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and I have now been taking Letrozole for five years. Throughout each stage of my conventional treatment, I also received complementary support from Dr. Neil McKinney, ND (now retired), author of Naturopathic Oncology.
My healthcare team was fully aware of my complementary program and trusted Dr. McKinney’s recommendations and the supplements he added to my treatment plan.
Now in my fifth year of Letrozole, I continue to take several supplements, including Vitamins K and D, Quercetin, and low-dose Naltrexone. I had an Oncotype score of 45, and at present my health is good.
My belief is that a patient’s healthcare team—including both conventional and complementary practitioners—should work collaboratively to meet the individual needs of each patient.
Are you aware that quercetin is a potent CYP3A4 inhibitor and as such may interact with many medications? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25196644/
To clarify, each of my complementary treatments was carefully matched to the different conventional treatments I was receiving. They were chosen to help manage potential side effects and improve overall outcomes. I did not take quercetin during my other cancer treatments.
In recent years, I have not needed to take any additional medications. If a new medication is required, I always discuss it with my health care team to determine whether any changes to my regimen are necessary.
I did have surgery on my Achilles tendon a few years ago, and I adjusted some of my supplements at that time. For example, I stopped taking low-dose naltrexone for a week prior to the operation. I should also add that I take omega-3 to help manage joint pain associated with the aromatase inhibitor.
I appreciate you pointing out the potential for interactions between supplements and medications. This highlights how important it is to have a health care team that works together—both complementary and conventional practitioners—so that treatments can be safely coordinated and individualized.
My oncologist told me not to take question because as an anti-inflammatory it can decrease the body’s ability to attack cancer. I had been taking it for 20 years for sarcoidosis, and overactive inflammatory disease . I
Can’t help but wonder if
It could have contributed to the onset of cancer.
I appreciate the post. As a breast cancer survivor, I agree wholeheartedly with a previous comment. Many of us who say no to a medication, in my case Tamoxifen, it is not due to not trusting the science but QOL. I too worked with an integrative provider to help strengthen my body and improve overall health and wellbeing.
SMDH — why are complementary and alternative practices not “approved?” Because the medical establishment refuses to rigorously evaluate them. Why? Profits. “Show me the incentives and I will tell you the outcome.”
— Charlie Munger
National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society are the funding “whales” for cancer research. Combined they allocate about a half a penny to complementary and alternative practices for every dollar spent. And much of that is for massage and acupuncture therapy as palliative care. Not research.
Not really. Plenty of studies on alternative treatments. For example there are studies showing that acupuncture is not much better than sham acupuncture (but probably has placebo effect), there are tons of studies on various types of vitamin, mineral and herbal compounds and their effect on the body.
Great article! I’ve wanted to try supplements but my Oncologist usually advises against any alternative therapies and is over cautious about any of it.