Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Complementary therapies can enhance your recovery. They may be used in addition to medical and surgical treatment. Discuss these additional therapies with your health care provider to be sure they will help.

Some examples of complementary therapies include:

• Acupuncture
• Nutrition
• Biofeedback
• Herbal therapy
• Massage therapy
• Art therapy
• Yoga and meditation
• Counseling
• Music therapy

These therapies may help reduce symptoms including pain, nausea, and fatigue. Talk to your care team to make sure they don't react with your treatment.

More information can be found on the website of the National Cancer Institute.

Listening to music at home may reduce cancer patients' pain and fatigue. It may ease symptoms like loss of appetite and difficulty focusing. Breast cancer patients who listened to 30 minutes of music 5 times a week were studied. These patients had "noticeably" reduced side effects of cancer treatment over 24 weeks. Music helped their physical and emotional well-being. It helped them take their mind off cancer. Music therapy is convenient. It can easily be used while walking, driving or at home.⁴⁷