Complementary healing therapies provide an integrative treatment approach which involves both Eastern methods and Western conventional methods. The combination of Eastern and Western methods can provide people with cancer the ability to take a proactive role in their treatment and recovery. Healing therapies is not an either/or approach but rather it is in addition to conventional cancer treatments.

It works alongside traditional approaches such as chemotherapy and radiation. Healing therapies alleviate the side effects which are experienced before and after surgery and during treatment. These therapies often help cancer patients move forward and continue their treatment program.

Though there are many hundreds of healing therapies and wonderful treatment options, the Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation focuses on the five therapies that its founder experienced during her cancer journey: acupuncture, acupressure, therapeutic massage, guided/visual imagery, and deep breathing meditation. These have been proven to be therapeutically beneficial in many scientific studies.

“Complementary cancer therapies can make a profound difference in quality of life with cancer. There is growing evidence that some of these approaches may also contribute to delaying or preventing recurrence of some cancers, and thus to life extension as well. Providing support to people with cancer to access complementary therapies is a great contribution to cancer patients.”

Michael Lerner
President
Commonweal