Cancer Treat Rev. 2001 Aug; 27(4): 235-46.

Integration of Chinese medicine into supportive cancer care: a modern role for an ancient tradition.

Wong R, Sagar CM, Sagar SM.

Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre, Ontario, Canada.

Recent evidence suggests that many traditional Chinese medical therapies are effective for the supportive care of cancer patients. This is a review of some of the published literature (indexed in Medline) and our own practical experience. It is not intended to be a systematic review, but does provide various levels of evidence which support further research into a developing model of integrative care. The holistic approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may be integrated into conventional Western Medicine to supplement deficiencies in the current biomedical model. The philosophy of TCM proposes novel hypotheses which will support the development of a science-based holistic medicine.Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.