Alternative, complementary, holistic, traditional…integrative? I’ve seen the terminology come and go over the last 30 years of working in this field. While there are many different definitions of integrative medicine, this term is the most-used today to include traditional medical systems such as acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and Ayurveda, more modern holistic approaches such as homeopathy, and a tremendous range of disciplines including massage therapy, energy work, mind-body modalities, herbal medicine and holistic nutrition. I like the term integrative in that it suggests the integration of multiple medical traditions, including biomedicine, as well as the principle of integrating all aspects of a person, including body, mind, emotion, community, environment and spirit, in the healing journey. In this view, health is seen as a dynamic equilibrium, and the goal of healing is restoring balance to the system.
The majority of people going through cancer use integrative medicine. A 2023 US survey put that number at over 70%. In 2025, a survey of over 300 oncology professionals worldwide found that over 70% had recommended integrative modalities to their patients, most commonly to help in managing treatment effects such as nausea, fatigue and pain.
At the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic in Oakland, we’ve been providing the full range of integrative modalities to women with cancer for 35 years, including acupuncture, massage, homeopathy, energy work and nutritional guidance, and have seen how much this medicine can do to support quality and quantity of life and reduce or manage side effects of cancer treatment. If you are interested in finding out more about integrative modalities in cancer care, Cancer Choices is a great resource. They have research reviews of the major integrative modalities and can be a wonderful source of information to share with care teams. The best way to learn about the benefits of integrative medicine, of course, is to experience them yourself with the support of a trained practitioner or experienced teacher.
If you or someone you know is in cancer treatment, and are interested in learning about the specialized integrative services provided at the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, please check out our website here. We provide services for free directly to anyone who meets our income guidelines, and if you are above the threshold we’ll refer you to specialized cancer practitioners with sliding scale options.
Nishanga Bliss, DAIM, DSc, LAc is an integrative physician and the Medical Director at the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic in Oakland.
