Hi,
I'm one who has been combining traditional and nontraditional therapies.
I do take supplements: as mentioned about, I highly recommend L-Glutamine. It gives you energy--the kind you need for endurance.
I also still go to acupuncture. It helps with pain, nausea, energy and lots of other things I can't begin to understand. It's weird, but it works!
I'm also taking a few supplements like extra vitamin C, B6, fish oils, etc.
I've read that cancer patients are to give up all sugars. BOY is that difficult. So, I greatly cut down on them.
All my best wishes on the continued success of your wife.
Actually many patients use complimentary therapy, they just don't report it. Macrobiotics and Gerson therapies/diets are not that common, however, and their effectiveness is debated. For example, Macrobiotics has actually been liked to death in cancer patients!
But it's one of those things where you will *always* find people who have succeeded in various therapies. It could be because of the comp. therapy or other factors, there is no independent tests (clinicial trials, etc) so there is never a way for the FDA to know (that's why none are listed as traditional therapies). Then again, who wants to fund a multi-million dollar trial for something that will never bring profit.
From what I've researched, I like Maitake D-Fraction (it's possibly the safest supplement you can take unless you are allergic to mushrooms), CoQ10, DIM, Genestien, and L-Glutamine in certain situations. Omega 3 fish oils are also especially useful in preventing the 'wasting' syndrome in cancer patients. All of those have research behind them. Maitake D-Fraction was (or still is in) in Phase II FDA clinicial trials...unheard of for a supplement!
If you want some articles I wrote on these, feel free to send me a message (for some reason the URLs no longer appear when you post them up here).