Cancer Health Center

What is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)? How can it help me?

• Some patients with cancer choose to try and use CAM or complementary and alternative medicine. A certain type of treatment can be classified as complementary medicine when it is used along with standard medical treatment. Treatment can be called alternative medicine when it is used instead of standard treatment. CAM treatments include acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal products, vitamins, specialized diets, meditation and spiritual healing, among others. Many say that CAM treatments help them in feeling better. However, some of these treatments can change the way medical treatment affects you in harmful ways. Always speak to your doctor before seeking treatment like this as to make sure the affects will not endanger you.

I want to be screened for cancer. How do I do that?

• Screening can be done at your doctor's office much of the time. Other screenings must be scheduled and done in a medical facility with x-rays and other equipment. Consult with your doctor about cancer screenings and they can schedule you one in a location that best suits you. There are many different types of screenings just as there are many different types of cancers. A mammogram is the screening tool doctors used to find signs of breast cancer. A mammogram is a clear picture of the breast using x-ray technology. The Pap test (or Pap smear) is used to check for cervical cancer. This test requires the swiping of cells from the cervix and sending it to a lab for further analysis. Individuals age 50 and over should be screened for colon and rectal cancer. This can be done with many procedures including a digital rectal exam and a colonoscopy.