What is alternative medicine? How does this compare to complementary medicine?
Those mean different things. Sometimes people lump them all together, but they are actually different things. So alternative medicine implies choosing types of therapies that are as an alternative to traditional Western medicine.
Western medicine would be in myeloma’s example, using our cancer treatments like lenalidomide or bortezomib and choosing things that haven't necessarily been vetted in the classic traditions that we have here for FDA approvals. So that's really kind of an alternative pathway versus complementary is bringing in things. And I think of of lifestyle medicine as a complementary medicine where you're doing all of the treatments that are recommended for myeloma.
In addition, you're exercising, you're thinking about your diet. So American Cancer Society recommends a plant based diet, meaning that two thirds of your diet be comprised of fruits and vegetables. So introducing that component, thinking about your sleep, trying to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, looking at those problems that may limit you from doing that massage, acupuncture, tai chi, all these are meditation.
These are complementary things that may enhance your wellness as you go through cancer treatment.
HealthTree • May 1, 2026