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| Detailed Guide: Prostate Cancer |
Complementary and Alternative Methods |
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There is a great deal of interest today in complementary and alternative treatments for cancer. Before changing your treatment or adding any methods of your own, be sure to talk to your doctor or nurse. Some methods can be safely used along with standard medical treatment. Others, however, can interfere with standard treatment or cause serious side effects. You may want to carry a list of all of the medicines, vitamins, and supplements you are taking every time you visit your doctor and make sure that your doctor knows about them.
Many herbal mixtures are now being marketed "for prostate health." Because these mixtures are considered to be dietary supplements rather than drugs, they are not regulated as strictly by the FDA. They are not required to undergo testing to prove they are effective, or even safe. Therefore, the risks and benefits associated with these mixtures have not been studied and are not known.
The only dietary supplement to show some benefit against prostate cancer in well-conducted scientific studies, known as PC-SPES, was pulled off the market in 2002 when it was discovered to be contaminated with prescription drugs.
Revised: o8/28/2004
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