Additional scientific evaluation of alternative and complementary therapies is needed. Scientific scrutiny has been increasingly applied in recent years. Some avid proponents maintain that it is unnecessary to study unconventional therapies; that their longevity and popularity provide adequate “proof” of validity. But how do we really know when a treatment works? We know only after it has been scientifically tested and found to be more effective than doing nothing, and at least as effective as other therapies. Comparisons are crucial and feasible — and they help tell us whether a therapy can pose any danger to our health. Anecdotal reports are not adequate.
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Thankfully, the burgeoning interest in alternative and complementary therapies has been accompanied by a growing interest in studying them properly. The quality of research in this area can and must be equivalent to any scientific study. The public needs and has a right to know whether healing methods, conventional or unconventional, fulfill purported promises.
The Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) was established at the National Institutes of Health by Congressional mandate in 1992. Its stated purpose is to investigate unconventional medical practices. The OAM has been renamed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in recognition of the significant distinctions between complementary and alternative therapies and in response to the public's call for intensified research. NCCAM supports complementary and alternative medicine research centers, most of which are based at major universities.
Our Research Program
The Integrative Medicine Service research program has two major components:
Quality of Life Studies
Quality of life studies address the ability of therapies used at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Integrative Medicine Service to relieve pain and other symptoms. Research currently underway or under development includes studies of acupuncture for fatigue, shortness of breath, hot flashes, nausea, and pain. We will also initiate a project to look at the benefit of music therapy in the recovery room. In addition, we are working with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Pain and Palliative Care Service to construct a clinical trial of the benefits of massage therapy for terminally ill patients.
Our recently completed and ongoing vitamin D research compares chart data with stored blood serum to explore the relationship between levels of vitamin D and survival among colorectal and breast cancer patients.
Botanical Therapies
Research suggests that some botanicals may have important benefits against cancer. Our botanicals research program, The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Research Center for Botanical Immunomodulators, in collaboration with the Institute of Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong, will systematically investigate immune-modulating botanical supplements, their composition, and mechanisms of action. The research projects will be carried out by investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Medical College of Cornell University. This research may have important clinical implications for cancer prevention and treatment, management of treatment side effects, health maintenance, and survivorship.
All Integrative Medicine research related to quality of life studies and botanical therapies is conducted in collaboration with senior laboratory and clinical scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Sloan-Kettering Institute.
Please see our clinical trials listing for more information.
