Traditional Chinese Medicine--A Favored Adjunctive Therapy for American Cancer Patients

In May of 1991, thirty-five alumni of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program gathered at Commonweal for one of our regular reunions. We sat together in a large circle for introductions. Each person gave his name, hometown, type of cancer, and a short list of resources that had proved particularly helpful. Participants described compassionate surgeons and oncologists, high-quality cancer support groups, and helpful psychotherapists. But the most commonly mentioned additional resource that the alumni talked about were practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. One participant after another described how beneficial the acupuncture and herbal treatments were. They stressed particularly the value of Chinese medicine in coping with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.