NSWOG Complimentary Therapies

Professor Stephen Clarke

Members of the NSW Oncology Group: Complimentary Therapies include complementary therapists, researchers, conventional health professionals and community representatives. Chair, Professor Stephen Clarke guides activity in the context of the best evidence, information and world's best practice.

What are complementary therapies?

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Complementary therapies are a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices and products that are used to diagnose, treat and/ or prevent illness, although the effectiveness and exact mechanism of such treatments may not have been scientifically proven.

Complementary therapies are taken in conjunction with conventional treatments, while alternative therapies are used instead of conventional treatments.

Cancer in Australia is conventionally treated by surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, or combinations of these. Many people with cancer choose to use complementary therapies although studies to evaluate their effectiveness are limited.

Complementary therapies include:

  • Nutritional and dietary approaches: supplements, Gerson diet, macrobiotic diet, coenzyme Q10, omega-3 fish oils, sharks cartilage, biological products.
  • Herbal supplements: ginseng, black cohosh, red clover.
  • Mind-body therapies: imagery, psychotherapy, meditation, spiritual healing, prayer, hypnosis.
  • Manipulative & body based therapies: acupuncture, massage, reflexology, chiropractic.
  • Traditional whole medicine systems: naturopathy, homeopathy, ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine.
  • Energy Medicine: reiki, therapeutic touch, qi qong.

(Incorporating definitions from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, 2005 and adapted from the National Centre for Complementary and Alternate Medicine, 2005).

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