Why do some individuals choose to use alternative and complementary practices?

n the UK, up to one third of people with cancer (33%) use some sort of complementary therapy at some time during their illness. For some types of cancer, such as breast cancer, the number of people using complementary therapies is even higher at almost half (50%).

There is no evidence to suggest that any type of complementary therapy prevents or cures cancer. But people are very interested in using complementary therapies for many reasons, including those mentioned on this page. 

For some therapies there is currently very little research evidence to show that they help with certain symptoms – for example, pain or hot flushes. But reliable research studies are being carried out and we are beginning to collect evidence for some types of therapy. For example, there is evidence of improved quality of life following mindfulness based stress reduction, and reduced chemotherapy related nausea in people who have acupuncture. 

Even where there is little or no evidence for some types of complementary therapy, many people with cancer say they gain a lot of benefit from using them.