Mind and Body Approaches for Cancer Symptoms and Treatment Side Effects

Article Source: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/cancer

Accessed from the world wide web at 14:00 hrs on 09.04.19.

Many people who have been diagnosed with cancer use complementary health approaches. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included a comprehensive survey on the use of complementary health approaches by Americans, 65 percent of respondents who had ever been diagnosed with cancer had used complementary health approaches. Those who had been diagnosed with cancer were more likely than others to have used complementary approaches for general wellness, immune enhancement, and pain management.

Findings from a substantial amount of research suggest that some mind and body approaches, such as acupuncture, massage therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and yoga may help to manage some cancer symptoms and side effects of treatment. This issue of the digest provides a summary of available research on mind and body health approaches for cancer-related symptoms and treatment side effects.