# What is integrative cancer care? There are no silver bullets in cancer treatment. Integrative care utilizes a much wider variety of treatment methods and tools in combination with the treatments that your standard care doctors will provide. Sadly I think some of these alternative treatments are viewed as less legitimate because they come from outside the standard care track, which can make it difficult to work with your regular doctors and integrative doctors at the same time. You've got to be the bridge between those yourself and advocate for a plan that considers everything. \ # Ask lots of questions I'd suggest asking lots of questions of your standard care doctors. Ask them about food & diet, botanical [supplements](3.3%20%20Supplements/3.3%20Supplements%20overview.md), [exercise](Exercise.md), and [meditation](Meditation.md). Watch their reaction to your interest in these. Are they open and curious? Or dismissive and closed? You might not be able to change your standard care doctors, but it's helpful to know where they stand on this stuff. \ # Different treatments for different purposes Some integrative treatments are mainly designed to improve quality of life and reduce side effects from standard care treatments (eg. chemo), and support the body's natural healing processes from a more holistic approach. Other's integrative treatments are focused on directly treating the cancer itself with specific anti-tumor / anti-cancer benefits. Integrative cancer treatment is not meant to replace your conventional cancer treatment, but instead give it a boost of support from other angles. Successful outcomes won't come from a single magical treatment type - it seems the best survival stories are those that had an all sides approach to winning the match. \ # Talk with your cancer team You definitely want to discuss all your treatment options with your healthcare team, including any complementary or alternative therapies you might end up considering. Here is an example integrative care clinic with some good resources: [Integrative Cancer Care | UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health](https://osher.ucsf.edu/patient-care/clinical-specialties/integrative-cancer-care) ----