Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a rapidly growing aspect of how patients respond to having cancer. CAM is not solely a set of clinical interventions, it is a broad social movement that seeks to recast the meaning of health and illness. Professionals in psychosocial oncology need such a perspective to truly understand why patients are turning toward CAM. CAM's appeal emerges from its five core beliefs: holism, vitalism, spirituality, a positive definition of health, and a distinctive view of the healing process. These five beliefs are well matched to how many people with cancer experience their bodies and illness, and they also form a coherent response to the difficulties many patients have when dealing with conventional medicine. Increasingly, some elements in conventional medicine are accepting of CAM. Hospital chains, managed care organizations, drug companies, and retailers of health care products are less likely to make sharp distinctions between CAM and conventional care. CAM is likely to continue growing as a factor in the professional lives of health professionals who deal with cancer.
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