Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and other alternative medicines for prostate cancer: an introduction and the need for more research.

There are several other alternative medicines apart from vitamins and minerals that the clinician should be aware of because they have grown in popularity in other fields of medicine. In time, these therapies should impact the arena of urologic oncology. Traditional Chinese Medicine, which includes acupuncture, is an area that has received some attention. The theory behind it can be quite daunting because it is so different from the theory behind Western Medical Science. In addition, exactly how acupuncture can be applied to a patient and its potential use in prostate cancer need to be addressed. Other herbal therapies for the patient experiencing symptoms related to a localized cancer diagnosis also need to be evaluated. St John's Wort for depression and Kava for anxiety are two examples of herbal alternatives that some prostate patients are inquiring about. Finally, Ginkgo biloba has received a great deal of attention in the media for erectile dysfunction, but there is a dearth of evidence in this area and the information that already exists can be misleading until further studies are conducted. Also, it is imperative that additional studies be performed in all of the above subjects as they relate to prostate cancer, but a general survey on alternative medicine use in urologic diseases is needed first before an adequate review of the most popular therapies can be published.