| Complementary Therapies are a diverse range of | | | | balance between the mind, body and spirit. When |
| therapies which can be used in addition to | | | | this balance is restored it is said to stimulate the |
| mainstream medicine in order to relieve the | | | | body's natural self-healing processes. |
| discomfort of children with cancer and improve | | | | For those who feel less comfortable with touch |
| their quality of life. Some of the best known are | | | | or talk therapies art or music therapies are |
| aromatherapy massage, reflexology, art therapy, | | | | wonderful options. Art therapists believe that |
| music therapy and counselling. The use of these | | | | being creative helps to heal. To do music therapy |
| therapies is increasing especially in the cases of | | | | the patient does not need to be musical as the |
| the sickest children. | | | | purpose is to relax and reduce anxiety, |
| The most frequent reasons that parents opt to | | | | symptoms and the side effects of treatment. |
| use a complementary therapy for their child with | | | | A brief history of complementary therapies: |
| cancer are: | | | | For those new to considering complementary |
| 1. They wish to try every possible healthcare | | | | therapies it may be a surprise to find out that the |
| option | | | | roots of many holistic therapies go back |
| 2. To improve the child's general health | | | | 4000-5000 years across the Ancient Egyptian |
| 3. To help the child to relax | | | | culture to the Indian subcontinent where one could |
| 4. To reduce side effects from treatment | | | | find Ayurvedic medicine which is still practised |
| 5. To decrease the child's anxiety | | | | today. |
| Complementary therapies can have varied effects | | | | Chinese Medicine has more than 4000 years of |
| from soothing and relaxing to pain relief and also | | | | history and is based on the philosophical concept |
| in helping strengthen the immune system. On an | | | | of balance - yin and yang. In China they would |
| emotional level both the parents and the child can | | | | pay their physicians to maintain their health not |
| feel that they have taken back some of the | | | | when they found themselves ill. |
| control by using a complementary therapy. Some | | | | As the UK has been a destination for invaders, |
| patients may believe that it can change their | | | | refugees, scholars, travellers and migrants part of |
| outcome and parents who go this route can feel | | | | this legacy is a diversity of health and medical |
| more motivated to find a cure for their child. | | | | practices that are today referred to as |
| The Department of Medical Oncology at St. | | | | "complementary and alternative medicine" (CAM). |
| Bartholomew's Hospital, London, produced a | | | | There has been much conflict in the past |
| research paper which concluded that patients' | | | | between conventional medicine and CAM |
| satisfaction with complementary therapies was | | | | practitioners and during the early twentieth |
| high even without the hoped for anti-cancer | | | | century CAM was virtually outlawed in Britain. |
| effect. Patients also reported psychological | | | | Nowadays the complementary/alternative health |
| benefits such as optimism and hope. | | | | movement is accepted as part of modern life and |
| Therapies such as aromatherapy and reflexology | | | | increasing amounts of people are opening up to |
| are based in the area known as holistic medicine, | | | | trying these therapies. |
| which means that well-being is a harmonious | | | | |