Patients who try alternative medicine for the first time after treatment for breast cancer are often experiencing more mental distress than those who do not turn to alternative therapies. Anxiety, marital strain, depression, increased symptoms, and lower levels of sexual satisfaction are common among patients with breast cancer in the year after diagnosis. But the women in the study who started using alternative medicine after their cancer treatment were more likely to report these negative feelings and symptoms than were continuous users of alternative therapies or nonusers.

The New England Journal of Medicine June 3, 1999;340:1733-1739, 1758-1759.

COMMENT: An interesting observation. It states nothing about the effectiveness of natural therapies, but does suggest that women would do better emotionally if they were following natural approaches prior to their illness. Any emotional impairment surely will not benefit their ability to control the cancer growth. Fortunately, there are some very effective therapies like Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) for this problem. You can review details of this technique on my web site in the Articles section and call the One Foundation 800-638-1411 for a list of clinicians in your area that provide this treatment.