Skip to content

Seminar takes guesswork out of cancer treatment

Type "complementary medicine" into any Internet search engine, and more than two million titles are generated.

It can be daunting for the 80 per cent of cancer patients who complement conventional medicine, such as radiation therapy, drugs and surgery, with treatments and therapies they hope will reduce their side effects or symptoms, for example.

Knowing which ones are safe and beneficial can be a challenge.

A workshop at the B.C. Cancer Agency's Vancouver Island Centre, where Island residents come for treatment, will arm patients and their loved ones with information that will simplify the decision-making process.

"B.C. Cancer agency is the trusted source, and they're able to help cancer patients and their supporters make informed decisions, and try to provide some reassurance," said B.C. Cancer Agency spokesperson Lubna Ekramoddoullah.

"Cancer diagnosis is, in and of itself, difficult to hear."

The workshop, open to registered B.C. Cancer Agency patients and their loved ones, happens Saturday (May 14), 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the B.C. Cancer Agency's Vancouver Island Centre, 2410 Lee Ave. To register, please call 1-800-663-3333 ext. 5960 or email aporcino@bccancer.bc.ca.

emccracken@vicnews.com