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Complementary therapies

Many modern cancer treatments combine a range of complementary therapies as extras to support you during your treatment. These therapies will not be not a cure for cancer but will help you feel better and help with things like pain relief and relaxation while you undergo your treatment.

Complementary therapies could include:

•    Touch therapies which stimulate the physical side of the body and include acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology and massage.

•    Mind and body therapies to extend the mind’s capacity to control and manage body functions and disease symptoms include meditation (including yoga), relaxation, music and art therapy, guided imagery, visualisation and hypnosis.

•    Talking therapies provide emotional support through a trained counsellor, group support where people share their experiences and support each other or peer support for your or you and or your family through contact with a person who has had a similar experience.

•    Lifestyle therapy includes adopting a healthy food and exercise regime which can relieve treatment or illness symptoms such as fatigue. Other things may be the inclusion of vitamin supplements in your diet.

Not all therapies will be recommend during some stages of treatment and many therapies won’t be compatible with the type of cancer you have because they could have interactions and make side effects worse so remember to discuss all complementary treatments with your doctor before you start if they haven’t recommended you do them.