6 Complementary (Alternative) Breast Cancer Therapies for Side Effects and Stress

Also, whatever treatments you opt to try, be sure to fill your doctor in: Your medical oncologist and breast surgeon in particular need to know what you're doing or taking, in case it interferes with the treatment they're prescribing for you. According to one 2005 survey, 75% of cancer patients who used complementary and alternative medicine didn't tell their physicians.

Here's a quick look at some of the most common therapies:

1. Nutrition
One of the questions breast cancer patients tend to ask their doctors first is whether they should start eating differently. Indeed, "Diet plays a huge role in managing symptoms," confirms Mansi V. Shah, RD, clinical dietitian at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

But food is also key because you want to stay as strong as you can to support your treatment in fighting the cancer itself. Says Shah, "Make sure that you're well nourished and maintain lean body mass so you can complete chemotherapy and have fairly stable immunity."

A good diet now should include all the usual suspects—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes—and also plenty of lean protein, such as turkey, chicken, and fish. "Cancer is a high-energy-utilizing disease, and if you have nausea and vomiting with chemotherapy, too, you may have unintentional weight loss," Shah explains.

2. Supplements and herbs
Since the U.S. government doesn't regulate supplements, few doctors will recommend anything more than a daily multivitamin, plus perhaps an iron supplement if you're anemic. But that doesn't stop many women from doing their own research and trying a wide variety of herbs and supplements.

3. Acupuncture
Regular needling sessions have also been shown to be helpful in relieving pain, says Roy O. Elam, MD, medical director of the Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health in Nashville. And acupuncture may help with nausea, fatigue, hot flashes, and neuropathy.