Claim Check: "Natural Treatments Cure Cancer or Autoimmune Disease"

Urgent first

Do not delay or replace cancer treatment, or treatment for an autoimmune disease, with an unproven product. Call 911 in the US for chest pain, stroke signs, severe breathing trouble, or a severe allergic reaction. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 in the US. This page is information only and does not replace your care team.

The claim

Websites, social posts and some sellers say that a diet, herb, supplement, cleanse, IV treatment or clinic protocol can cure cancer or an autoimmune disease, and that standard treatment is unnecessary or harmful. This page checks each part against what health agencies and studies say. No view is attributed to every practitioner; practitioners differ.

Cancer

NCCIH states that no complementary health approach has been shown to prevent or cure cancer. [1] The National Cancer Institute says there are no studies proving that any special diet, food, vitamin, mineral, supplement, herb or combination of these can slow cancer, cure it or keep it from coming back. [2] The FDA warns that "natural" cancer products often falsely labeled as supplements may cause harm by delaying or interfering with proven, beneficial treatments. [3] NCCIH lists phrases such as "cures cancer," "more effective than chemotherapy" and "selectively kills cancer cells" as red flags. [1]

Complementary care used alongside treatment is a different thing. NCCIH reports that guidelines say some approaches, used in addition to conventional therapies, help control symptoms and well-being, but that unproven methods should not be used in place of conventional treatment because delayed treatment reduces the likelihood of remission or cure. [1] See supportive care vs alternative treatment and integrative care during cancer treatment.

What survival studies found

A 2018 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute followed patients with nonmetastatic breast, prostate, lung or colorectal cancer who chose alternative medicine as their only anticancer treatment (281 patients). [4] Alternative medicine use was associated with a greater risk of death than conventional treatment (hazard ratio 2.50). [4] A second JAMA Oncology study looked at people who received conventional treatment with or without complementary medicine. [5] It found that complementary medicine use was linked to more refusal of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy, and that the extra risk of death was no longer significant once treatment refusal or delay was accounted for. [5] The JAMA Oncology study is described as retrospective and observational, a design that cannot prove cause, and its authors concluded the added risk appeared to be mediated by refusal of conventional treatment. [5] The JNCI result came from statistical matching rather than a randomized trial. [4]

Autoimmune disease

MedlinePlus explains that in an autoimmune disease the immune system attacks the healthy cells of organs and tissues by mistake, and that treatment usually aims to slow the immune system and ease inflammation. [6] The NHS says there is currently no cure for multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis, while treatment can slow progression or reduce joint damage. [7] [8] On complementary therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage and osteopathy), the NHS says there is little or no evidence they are effective in the long term. [8] It also says there is no strong evidence that specific dietary changes improve rheumatoid arthritis, and recommends a Mediterranean-style diet overall. [8] Do not stop or lower immune-suppressing or other prescribed medicines without your prescriber.

Questions to ask any clinician

Ask what the treatment is claimed to do, what evidence exists for your exact condition, what standard treatment you would be skipping, and who is coordinating your care. Tell your oncologist or specialist about everything you take. See naturopathic care for autoimmune conditions, coordinating complementary and medical care and red flags in marketing.