Many people with breast cancer choose to use some form of complementary and integrative therapy in addition to their standard medical treatment. Integrative therapies are complementary therapies used along with standard medical treatments. In many settings, they have become accepted as part of medical care. These include a wide range of health care approaches that originated outside of usual Western medical practice.

If the practice is used together with conventional medicine, it's considered complementary or integrative. If it's used in place of conventional medicine, it's considered alternative.

Alternative therapies have not had the rigorous testing of standard therapies to establish safety and effectiveness. Using alternative therapies instead of standard medical treatments is not safe and is not recommended. No complementary or alternative therapy can prevent or cure cancer.

There are many integrative and complementary therapies available, but make sure to let your health care provider know if you plan to use them as some complementary therapies can interfere with standard breast cancer treatment.