Dealing with a prostate cancer diagnosis and cancer care can be stressful. You may wonder if natural therapies can support your cancer experience. In this article, we’ve detailed the benefits of an integrative approach to prostate cancer care. These therapies can help your body better handle treatments, feel better, and reduce the risk of cancer coming back.
At CancerChoices, we use the term complementary therapy. This describes the use of safe, evidence-based, holistic and natural therapies and practices in addition to standard medical care. When you combine these complementary therapies with lifestyle changes and modern cancer medicine in a safe, coordinated way, we call this an integrative approach.
Integrative cancer care planning is a way to care for yourself as a whole person, not just a person with cancer. It can help you manage side effects, improve your overall well-being and may even improve treatment outcomes. An integrative approach can be beneficial at any stage of prostate cancer.
Additionally, CancerChoices founder Michael Lerner often remarks that prostate cancer is a poster child for an integrative approach. This is especially true in early-stage, low-risk disease. At this stage, these changes may help slow down or even prevent cancer growth and spread.
This article shares therapies with evidence specific to prostate cancer. Complementary therapies without prostate cancer-specific studies may still be worth exploring. You can find them in our Supplements and Therapies Database.
Watchful waiting and active surveillance
In the early stage of low-risk prostate cancer, your doctor may suggest holding off on intensive cancer treatments. Instead, they’ll closely monitor you. “Watchful waiting” is when they regularly check in for signs like worsening symptoms.
An “active surveillance” approach includes more regular testing for markers of cancer activity. This can include prostate specific antigen (PSA) level tests. Rising PSA levels could signal that cancer is growing or spreading.
During this period, there is an opportunity to make lifestyle changes and add integrative care to your routine. This approach is sometimes called active holistic surveillance (AHS). These programs are for men with low-risk, early-stage prostate cancer. They combine close monitoring, lifestyle changes, and other natural and holistic treatments.
AHS includes programs developed by Dr. Aaron Katz and Dr. Dean Ornish. They include changes to diet, stress reduction, exercise, social support, mind-body approaches, and dietary supplements.1Berg CJ, Habibian DJ et al. Active holistic surveillance: the nutritional aspect of delayed intervention in prostate cancer. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2016;2016:2917065; Werneburg GT, Kongnyuy M et al. Patient-reported quality of life progression in men with prostate cancer following primary cryotherapy, cyberknife, or active holistic surveillance. prostate cancer and prostatic diseases. 2018;21(3):355–363.
Compared to men under traditional active surveillance, those who followed Ornish’s program had better test results. These included lower PSA levels, less cancer growth and better weight, blood pressure and lipid profiles.
We list many of the lifestyle changes and supplements used in this program below. You can add them to your routine, under the supervision of your care team, without following a specific program.2Ornish D, Weidner G et al. Intensive lifestyle changes may affect the progression of prostate cancer. Journal of Urology. 2005 Sep;174(3):1065-9; discussion 1069-70; Ornish D, Magbanua MJ et al. Changes in prostate gene expression in men undergoing an intensive nutrition and lifestyle intervention. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2008 Jun 17;105(24):8369-74; Ornish D, Lin J et al. Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study. Lancet Oncology. 2008 Nov;9(11):1048-57; Dewell A, Weidner G et al. Relationship of dietary protein and soy isoflavones to serum IGF-1 and IGF binding proteins in the Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial. Nutrition and Cancer. 2007;58(1):35-42.
Key foods for prostate cancer recovery
Research shows that what you eat can play a significant role in helping prevent and manage prostate cancer. There is strong evidence supporting the benefits of specific foods. Talk to your doctor about any diet changes you’d like to make.3Schmidt JA, Huybrechts I et al. Protein and amino acid intakes in relation to prostate cancer risk and mortality—a prospective study in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Cancer Medicine. 2023 Feb;12(4):4725-4738; McCann SE, Ambrosone CB. Intakes of selected nutrients, foods, and phytochemicals and prostate cancer risk in western New York. Nutrition and Cancer. 2005;53(1):33-41; Kolonel LN, Hankin JH et al. Egg intake and cancers of the breast, ovary and prostate: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. British Journal of Nutrition. 2015 Oct 14;114(7):1099-107; Su ZT, Mamawala M, Landis PK, et al. Diet quality, dietary inflammatory potential, and risk of prostate cancer grade reclassification. JAMA Oncology. 2024 Oct 17; Gregg JR, Zheng J et al. Diet quality and Gleason grade progression among localised prostate cancer patients on active surveillance. British Journal of Cancer. 2019 Feb;120(4):466-471.
Lifestyle medicine for prostate cancer
The 7 Lifestyle Practices can make
you healthier in many ways
Adopting the 7 Lifestyle Practices can strengthen your resilience as you face cancer and its treatment challenges. These seven evidence-backed approaches act on your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions.
Adopting them can help manage symptoms and side effects. They may also make your body less hospitable to cancer and other diseases.
Research suggests these practices may help you live longer and lower the risk that cancer will come back. Discuss with your doctor if you have any other health concerns.
Managing chronic health issues
Managing chronic health issues you have will better support your body in fighting cancer. Talk to your doctor about chronic health issues like obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Additional body terrain factors such as inflammation, the microbiome, and the immune system also have links to cancer outcomes. Explore here to be proactive about optimizing these factors.
Mind-body practices to support your well-being
Regular monitoring and testing when living with prostate cancer causes ongoing stress. It can negatively affect your health. When used with modern cancer care, mind-body practices can help reduce stress and the psychological impact of cancer. They may even improve your physical health.
Mind-body practices are techniques that use the connection between the mind and the physical body to support quality of life. Research increasingly supports adding these practices into your prostate cancer care plan. They can help improve your physical symptoms and emotional well-being.
What supplements can help during cancer care?
A supplement is a product made from natural, herbal, or other substances that people take to support their health. These include vitamins and minerals, herbs and botanicals, and natural compounds. They’re used in addition to, not as a replacement for, prescribed cancer treatments.
The supplements below have clinical evidence for their benefit in prostate cancer. They may help in early-stage disease, during treatment and into survivorship.
Make sure you are under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner trained in the use of supplements in cancer care. They can help you avoid any safety concerns and drug interactions. Seek out an integrative oncologist or a FABNO Certified Naturopathic Oncologist.
Other complementary therapies
Complementary therapies can improve quality of life, reduce symptoms and side effects of cancer, and promote wellness. Talk to your doctor if you’re interested in adding one to your integrative care plan.
Acupuncture: This treatment uses very thin needles to promote healing. Studies show it can help manage symptoms like pain, fatigue, or sleep problems. It may be especially beneficial for hot flashes that happen from hormone therapy. Talk to your doctor about trying weekly sessions. Look for a licensed acupuncturist experienced in cancer care.26Hirsch LM, Goldstein LE. Acupuncture for hot flashes in men treated with androgen deprivation therapy. Canadian Journal of Urology. 2015;22(4):7938-7941.
Learn more
Helpful links
Anticancer Lifestyle Program – free lifestyle resources
Healing Circles – free cancer support circles
Cancer Help Retreats – in Bolinas, CA
Explore free videos of mind-body practices and exercise from the Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies at Dana Farber Cancer Center
Prostate Cancer Research Institute
How to use diet & exercise to help prostate cancer (video)
Oncologist Donald Abrams MD speaks about an integrative approach to prostate cancer
References
