Review Article
Complementary Strategies for the Management of Radiation Therapy Side Effects
Christine E. Stubbe, ND, FABNO, and Meighan Valero, ND, BAS
Dr. Stubbe recently completed a 3-year residency at the Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic and Frontier Cancer Center, Billings, Montana. Dr. Valero is a naturopathic doctor and researcher currently practicing in Windsor, Ontario.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Correspondence to: Christine Stubbe, ND, FABNO, Genova Diagnostics, Inc., 63 Zillicoa Street, Asheville, NC 28801. E-mail: drchristinestubbe@gmail.com
J Adv Pract Oncol 2013;4:219–231 |
DOI: 10.6004/jadpro.2013.4.4.3 |
© 2013 Harborside Press®
ABSTRACT
Patients with cancer utilize complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for a variety of purposes, one of which is the reduction of side effects of conventional treatment. With a large number of their patients using CAM, it is important for advanced practitioners in oncology to have an understanding of these therapies to better guide their patients. Side effects of radiation therapy that may have dose-limiting potential include diarrhea, mucositis, skin toxicity, and xerostomia. A common side effect that is not necessarily dose-limiting but considerably troublesome to patients is cancer- and treatment-related fatigue. The CAM therapies that may alleviate some of the side effects of radiation therapy include probiotics, psyllium, exercise, melatonin, honey, acupuncture, and calendula. Therapies that require more research or have been shown to be ineffective include aloe vera, glutamine, and deglycyrrhizinated licorice. This article provides an overview of these therapies as well as related research and analysis.
For access to the full length article, please
sign in.
