What are alternative or complementary therapies?
Standard or conventional therapies refer to mainstream medical treatments that have been tested following rigorous guidelines and found to be safe and effective. Alternative therapies are those which have not been proven to be effective in treating a particular disease but are taken instead of conventional treatment. Don’t be afraid of therapies often described as questionable, unorthodox, unconventional, New Age, holistic, natural or herbal. Different people have different levels of knowledge on the multitude of therapies available, thus these terms can have many different meanings. Complementary therapies are those that support more conventional treatments. Examples may include acupuncture or relaxation techniques to manage pain from chemotherapy or radiation treatments. These therapies do not cure disease but rather help to control symptoms and improve well-being. The use of both mainstream and complementary methods is referred to as integrative therapy. Do not take alternative or c
