There's been a trend over the last 30 years for Americans to seek care outside traditional medicine for illnesses, diseases, and conditions such as cancer. There are dozens of choices for alternative care. These include yoga, T'ai Chi, acupuncture, spiritual healing, herbal remedies, diet therapies, naturopathic, and many more.

When patients use traditional medicine along with these other methods, the other methods are called complementary. Patients may use them to cope with the side effects from standard medical treatments. In this case, complementary means "add to or complete." Alternative means the patient uses these methods instead of traditional medicine.

Alternative and complementary therapies are based on a different way of thinking than traditional medicine. Instead of viewing diseases as something that can be treated and cured, the idea is that the mind-body connection is out of balance, and restoring this balance allows the body to heal itself.

Some people seek alternative and complementary care to keep in good health and prevent disease. Alternative care is thought to affect physical, emotional, and spiritual health.