Helping your patients deal with questionable cancer treatments

Nutrition as a component of alternative therapy

OBJECTIVES

To discuss common "alternative" nutritional strategies that may be used by patients as a primary or adjunctive means of cancer treatment.

DATA SOURCES

Government reports, textbook chapters, published articles, and research reports.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of diet and nutrition to prevent and treat disease is one of six fields of alternative medicine. A number of dietary regimens have been purported to be effective in the treatment of cancer. Most have been inadequately tested with regard to safety and efficacy.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Oncology nurses need to be knowledgeable of the use of alternative methods so that they may provide accurate information to patients considering these approaches.