Personal stories about complementary medicine

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Dan, age 51: I am generally healthy, but I have a family history of heart disease. I decided I would try complementary medicine to help prevent any heart problems. I use meditation and yoga to help manage my stress, and I take antioxidants. I have read some research that says the damage caused by free radicals may be a factor in the development of atherosclerosis. But I continue to work closely with my doctor so she can monitor my health and progress.

Sara, age 28: I am overweight and have high blood pressure. I looked into some herbal diet remedies that were supposed to help speed up my metabolism and help me lose weight. When I did some research, I found out that people with high blood pressure should not take certain herbs—like the one I was considering. I did not want to risk worsening my high blood pressure or, worse yet, put my life in danger by taking the herb. I decided to work on my diet and struggle through weight loss the old-fashioned way.

Jeneane, age 36: I prefer to use complementary therapies whenever they are available. They are my first choice in most cases. However, I do see a general family medicine doctor who supports my use of complementary therapies but suggests a “standard” treatment when he feels it's necessary—like when I had a small skin cancer surgically removed. It was clear to me that this tried-and-true and possibly lifesaving treatment was best. For everyday health and wellness, though, I use a variety of complementary therapies—everything from tea tree oil for fungal nail infections; to aloe vera, straight off the plant, for mild burns; to acupuncture for low back pain.

Charles, age 42: I have had great success keeping my cancer in remission using conventional cancer treatments. At this point, I don't want to upset the apple cart. If it ain't broke, I'm not going to try to fix it.