Though conventional medical treatment can help cure or manage cancer, it may cause side effects such as pain, stress, anxiety, sleep problems, depression, etc. To minimize these side effects and have control over your health, you can consider taking complementary cancer treatment along with conventional medical treatment.

Complementary therapies cannot cure your cancer, but they can:

• Improve your physical and emotional well-being
• Reduce side effects from cancer treatment
• Improve recovery from cancer

Types of Complementary Therapies

Here are a few alternative therapies that help you cope with side effects caused by cancer and cancer treatment and improve your quality of life.

Acupuncture

It stimulates specific points on your body using thin needles and pressure. Acupuncture targets the fascia (the connective tissue covering your muscles and bones), which signals the brain to release chemicals like serotonin or causes changes in electrical activity. These changes stimulate your body’s natural healing abilities, promoting your health and well-being.

Acupuncture can help combat symptoms such as:

• Pain
• Dry mouth
• Hot flashes
• Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
• Lymphedema
• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Sleep problems
• Weight changes
• Swallowing difficulties
• Anxiety during treatment
• Appetite loss

Yoga

It uses meditation, breathing exercises, poses, and relaxation techniques to stretch and flex muscles, increasing flexibility, body tone, and muscle strength. It helps to manage stress and anxiety, keeping you relaxed.

Yoga can:

• Improve your physical and mental health
• Increase your immunity
• Improve your quality of life
• Reduce pain, nausea, fatigue, inflammation, and sleep problems

Meditation

Meditation helps to relax your body and calm your mind. It involves focusing your attention by chanting a calming word, concentrating on your breathing, or being aware of feelings and thoughts without attachment, interpretation, or judgment. You can choose from different meditation types, including open awareness and mindfulness, compassion or loving-kindness meditation, and focused meditation.

Mediation can:

• Improve immune function, mood, and other aspects related to the quality of life
• Decrease chronic pain and stress

Music Therapy

A trained music therapist uses music-based interventions to promote healing and improve health and happiness while addressing social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.

Music therapy can:

• Evoke emotions
• Provide relaxation
• Facilitate movement
• Awaken memories
• Reduce pain, depression, and anxiety

Art Therapy

A trained art therapist works with patients to achieve therapeutic goals through visual arts, including developing social skills, exploring feelings, fostering self-awareness, managing behavior, and addictions, and reconciling emotional conflicts.

Art therapy can:

• Offer a feeling of control to patients during uncertain situations
• Reduce fear, anxiety, and stress
• Help express emotions and feelings

Nutrition

A healthy and well-balanced diet can help cancer patients get essential nutrients, such as proteins, minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates. Conventional cancer treatment can lead to weight loss, appetite loss, or weight gain. In such circumstances, eating nutritious foods can help you maintain a healthy body weight during and after treatment.

Typically, a nutrition-rich diet should include:

• Lean proteins
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Low-fat dairy products
• Protein-rich foods, e.g., beans, meat, egg, and fish

Other than these, the following alternative therapies can also help:

• Physical Activity: Exercising regularly can significantly enhance various aspects of the cancer patients' physical and mental health during each phase of treatment. An exercise regime personalized to your requirements can be beneficial in the healing process.
• Massage: Massages help ease tension, improve comfort, relieve pain, and promote relaxation. Oncology massage is a subspeciality massage technique that can be useful for cancer patients.
• Therapy: One-on-one therapy sessions with a trained counselor, peer support programs that connect you or a loved one with a trained volunteer who has faced a similar experience, or talking therapy sessions with a group of people who meet and share their experiences and support each other can be emotionally supportive for patients.

Ask your doctor the following questions about complementary treatment:

• Is the treatment specific for cancer patients or used for people with other conditions?
• What is the primary objective of complementary therapy?
• What are the side effects of complementary therapy?
• Will the alternative therapy impact your conventional cancer treatment?
• Who will be delivering the alternative therapy?
• Is the practitioner qualified to conduct the therapy and registered to do so under a valid professional organization?
• How much will the therapy cost, and is it cover by insurance?

These questions can help you figure out the best single or combination of alternative therapy for you. Contact Chesapeake Oncology Hematology Associates today if you are looking for complementary therapies for cancer. We will recommend the most effective complementary therapies that goes well with your cancer treatment plan.

Also Read: A Detailed Guide to the Types of Breast Cancer Surgery