For Patients

A few years ago, if you asked your oncologist for a referral to a masseuse, she'd think you were joking. But things have changed. Nowadays, your oncologist might be prescribing the massage  along with acupuncture, herbs and other therapies.

It's a sign of a new trend: Integrative medicine is making its way into the mainstream, combining standard medical treatments with complementary ones. Some hospitals have even set up entire integrative medicine centers -- largely because of patient demand.

"Patients love it," says Simone Zappa, RN, an administrator in the Integrative Medicine Department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New...