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Complementary therapies for advanced cancer?

Page last modified on: September 29, 2008
Question from Susie: If someone has tried every medical treatment for advanced cancer, is it too late to move onto complementary treatments?
Answer —Beth DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S.: It is never too late to move on to complementary therapies. For some of my patients that may have been closed or uninterested in them previously, they may become the greatest fans of complementary modalities when faced with their mortality. I have had profound effects with several patients in Stage IV breast cancer when I have referred them to my acupuncturist, and I know in my heart that their therapies with the acupuncturist are making the greatest change in their physical bodies and their spirit. I truly believe that when we are able to get to a point where we marry Western medicine and Eastern medicine, not only can we treat the physical body, but we will truly be treating the spirit, and the healing process will be accelerated and profoundly affected. So the answer is that it is never too late.

On Wednesday, March 16, 2005, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Acupuncture and Touch Therapies. Mary-Ellen Scheckenbach, M.Ac., Tracy Walton, L.M.T., M.S., and moderator Beth Baughman Dupree, M.D., F.A.C.S. answered your questions about acupuncture and touch therapies.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Mary Ellen Scheckenbach, M.Ac. is co-founder of Hidden River: A Center for Health in Philadelphia. Ms. Scheckenbach has practiced acupuncture and chinese herbology since 1986 with an emphasis on women's health, chronic disease, and pain.

Tracy Walton, L.M.T., M.S. consults to hospitals and massage schools and teaches "Caring for Clients with Cancer," courses offered nationally for massage therapists.

Beth Baughman DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S.Beth Baughman DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a general surgeon. Her clinical practice is located at Holy Redeemer Hospital and St. Mary Medical Center.

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