Alternative treatments are defined as either:

• Treatments that are used in place of conventional medical treatments, or
• Treatments that may have unknown or adverse effects when used in addition to conventional treatments.

Sometimes alternative treatments are illegal or unavailable in the United States or Canada, and families travel to other countries to obtain them.

Alternative treatments are usually based on word-of-mouth endorsements, called anecdotal evidence. Medical treatments are based on scientific studies using data collected from large groups of patients. In treating childhood cancer, these large clinical trials have resulted in dramatic increases in survival rates over the past three decades.

It is extremely important that any alternative therapy that involves ingestion or injection into the body (e.g., herbs, vitamins, oils, special diets, enemas) only be given with the oncologist’s knowledge. The oncologist’s involvement is needed to prevent you from giving something to your child that could lessen the effectiveness of the conventional chemotherapy or cause added toxicity. For instance, folic acid (a type of B vitamin) replaces methotrexate in cells and reduces or eliminates its effectiveness, allowing cancer cells to flourish. The oncologist will be much more knowledgeable about these potential conflicts than a parent, herbalist, or health food store salesperson.

Never inject any alternative product into a central line. Children have developed life-threatening infections and have died from this.

If you want to evaluate claims made about alternative treatments, check the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health to see whether any scientific evidence or warnings exist about the treatment that interests you. This information is available online at https://nccih.nih.gov.

Take all the information you gather to your child’s oncologist to discuss any positive or negative impacts the alternative treatment may have on your child’s current medical treatment. Do not give any alternative treatment or over-the-counter drugs to your child in secret. Some treatments prevent chemotherapy from killing cancer cells, and other substances, such as those containing aspirin or related compounds, can cause uncontrollable bleeding in children with low platelet counts. If the alternative treatment is made from plant materials, it may contain bacteria or fungi that could make a child with low blood cell counts very ill.

At one point, we decided to try some alternative therapies with our son. Our plan was to use it in conjunction with his conventional treatment. I scheduled a meeting with his oncologist and discussed the alternatives with him. I wouldn’t dare attempt to start anything, not even vitamin supplements, without first talking it over with the doctor, because I was scared that I would cause my child more harm than good. I was grateful that the oncologist was willing to listen to what I had to say and offer his opinion.

We both agreed that the alternative therapy we had in mind wouldn’t do any damage or interfere with the chemotherapy my son was receiving. Two months later, we decided that it was doing absolutely nothing for him, so we stopped. I figured the money would be better spent at the toy store than on a useless therapy. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. I’m much more skeptical now than I used to be. My new motto is “show me the proof.”

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I gave my son echinacea when he received chemotherapy. I checked with his doctor first. He didn’t think it would hurt but didn’t think it would help, either. Still, all the nurses in emergency swore by the stuff. We got good results, too. We started the echinacea after lots of treatment, and it was the first time that he didn’t have to be readmitted three days after chemo for febrile neutropenia. I’m convinced that it helped him during the recovery period when his counts would bottom out.

If, after thorough investigation, you feel strongly in favor of using an alternative treatment in addition to conventional treatment and your child’s oncologist adamantly opposes it, listen to her reasoning. If you still disagree, get a second opinion from another oncology specialist. Remember, your child’s health should be everyone’s priority.

My daughter Meagan was diagnosed with average-risk ALL seven years ago. She had many chemotherapy-related side effects, including severe high blood pressure and ongoing liver problems. We were constantly adjusting her doses or taking her off chemo altogether. I was so obsessed about it that the doctor took me aside and told me that it’s easier to treat leukemia than liver failure, and he just had to take her off her medications. He told me I had to stop worrying, but I couldn’t. When her hair fell out again during maintenance, I just worried more. I realized that every child seemed to have something that went wrong, but I was amazed at how many different “somethings” there were. Now she has a head full of gorgeous hair. She was just chosen for the select soccer team and is quite an accomplished skier. She has no long-term effects and is healthy and happy.