Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education Resources

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) are therapies of proven or unproven efficacy that have been used to promote wellness, to manage symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment or to treat cancer. When properly combined with standard cancer treatments, some complementary therapies can enhance wellness and quality of life, but others may be harmful during or after treatment for cancer. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center’s Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education Resources (CIMER) Web site is offered to help patients and physicians decide how best to integrate such therapies into their care, as described in our Mission and Objectives.

Is it safe? Is it effective?What do studies show? Our Reviews of Therapies contain evidence-based reviews of published research studies on a variety of complementary/integrative or alternative cancer therapies such as alternative medical systems (e.g., traditional Chinese medicine), herbal/plant (e.g., essiac), other biologic/organic/pharmacologic substances (e.g., cartilage), nutrition and special diets (e.g., macrobiotic), body-manipulative therapies (e.g., massage), energy (e.g., tai chi) and mind-body approaches (e.g., support groups). Short summaries of each therapy are provided in both English and Spanish.
Continuing education and additional evidence-based reviews are provided by Natural Standard, an international, multidisciplinary collaboration of clinicians and researchers from over 100 eminent institutions.
Potential interactions between some drugs and herbal or other supplements are posted in Drug Interaction & FDA Advisories as provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other authoritative sources.

Videos How can patients and physicians talk with each other about complementary medicine? What experiences have some patients had in using compementary medicines? Why is it so important for the physician to ask what complementary therapies patients are using, and how does one go about it? Three videos exploring these important subjects can be viewed online or ordered on CD-ROM.
Important Conversations: Talking with Patients about Complementary Therapies (CME credit for physicians)
Patients talk about...Complementary Therapies and Cancer
Important Conversations: Complementary Therapies...What you must ask, and why
And more . . . Learn the meanings of commonly used terms in complementary/integrative medicine and how clinical trials are used to answer questions about safety and effectiveness.
Find educational programs and events (conferences, workshops and lectures) on complementary and integrative medicine at M. D. Anderson and elsewhere.
Consider complementary/integrative therapies provided at M. D. Anderson through the Place...of wellness and additional nutritional education and support services of the M. D. Anderson Department of Clinical Nutrition.
Access lists of recommended reading and internet resources plus a free consumer library with internet search assistance provided by the Learning Center.
Find out what's in the news and get answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about M. D. Anderson programs and this Web site.
This CIMER Web site is provided by Complementary/Integrative Medicine Educational Resources (CIMER), the education component of the Integrative Medicine Program at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

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