Cervical Cancer
Complementary approaches for cervical cancer
Complementary approaches to dealing with cancer have not been subject to the same kind of rigorous testing as conventional medicine, so their effects are not measured or proven in the same way.
Some people use complementary approaches, such as Reiki, meditation or homeopathic remedies, in addition to conventional medicine during an illness, or to promote their psychological well-being and to help relieve side effects from treatments. Complementary approaches can be quite expensive, and many are not usually available on the NHS.
Some of the women we interviewed had used complementary approaches after their treatment to help them in their recovery. A few said that if they had they known about the possible benefits of complementary therapies, they would have used them as a complement to their medical treatment.
Others said they doubted the effectiveness of complementary approaches and preferred to only use conventional medicine.
Two of the women interviewed had used homeopathic medicine to help their body recover from the after-effects of their radiotherapy treatment (see also 'External radiotherapy' and 'Internal radiotherapy').
One of these women had been sceptical of the benefits of complementary approaches but had since found them extremely helpful in aiding her recovery from her chemoradiation treatment. She advised that others use a personal recommendation when choosing a homeopathic doctor.
A third woman had used a plant based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause which she had found beneficial.
She describes how she used homeopathic remedies after her radiotherapy treatment.
She describes how she used homeopathic remedies after her radiotherapy treatment.
She believes that using complementary approaches after her radio-chemotherapy treatment has helped her recovery.
She believes that using complementary approaches after her radio-chemotherapy treatment has helped her recovery.
I don't know, when I meet people now, I mean I stopped my treatments at the end of last year and I'm back to full time work now and I think I, people that sort of see me think oh my God I can't believe you've had all your treatment and things. And I have to, I do think that a large part of it is down to the fact that I've had acupuncture and homeopathy and watching my diet and things like that. I think it's got to be.
It's difficult to tell whether or not your energy levels have gone up because of the acupuncture or whether or not you generally get like that anyway. But I think that anything that makes you feel good and feel relaxed when you, you know after you've had it done has got to be a good thing really.
One woman described how using an acupuncturist had been both beneficial in reducing her post-operative pain and had helped her emotionally.
She describes how she has found complementary approaches useful in coping with her post-operative pain.
She describes how she has found complementary approaches useful in coping with her post-operative pain.
I think one thing I did while I was on sick leave the second time was I started looking at complementary therapies. The first thing I did was went to have acupuncture, specifically for the pain which I went to see somebody who was very local which was great because it's close and he's a GP as well so I had the confidence in his judgement. I'm not implying that other acupuncturists aren't very good and very well trained but that's how it helped me. And it did actually seem to help the pain and it wasn't, sometimes acupuncture can have a very good effect for back pain and things very quickly but my pain it didn't do that it was too complicated I think. But it did help me to reduce the painkillers and I think if any sort of complementary treatment is holistic, and it's helped me on other levels as well I think emotionally and that sort of thing and of course one of the reasons why this person doesn't work full time as a GP is he likes to have time with his patients and you're sort of lying there for an hour or so having your treatment and you talk to him as well about all sorts of things and that has a great benefit in itself I think. And since then I've looked into all sorts of other types of complementary therapy, herbal therapies and things like Bach Flower remedies and I've started learning Reiki myself, I went to a Reiki healer who helped a lot and I started learning that and things like meditation and relaxation and the whole sort of thing that can help people really.
A few women had tried Reiki (a form of spiritual healing) and believed it had a positive effect. Others had experienced forms of spiritual healing. One woman tried it once but felt she experienced no immediate benefits.
Another woman commented that although she was sceptical about its contribution to her physical recovery, spiritual healing had helped her to think positively when she was diagnosed with advanced cancer.
A woman who had an interest in Buddhism had found spiritual support a considerable help in enabling her to understand and give meaning to her diagnosis of cancer.
Some of the women interviewed had used aromatherapy, relaxation aids or they had started meditation. Two women had found yoga helpful in coping with stress before and during treatment and one with postoperative pain.
A few women had used visualisation techniques during their treatment. One woman mentioned that during her radiotherapy treatment she 'imagined she was a soldier on horseback in a battlefield with a bow and arrow fighting the cancer cells'.
She describes why she used visualisation techniques during her radiotherapy treatment.
She describes why she used visualisation techniques during her radiotherapy treatment.
Another woman explained the changes she had made to her diet. Others said they continued to eat as healthily as they had done before but increased their intake of healthy food in their diet.
Two women said they ate less healthily for a while after treatment because they felt that 'life was short and they wanted to treat themselves'.
She describes the changes she has made to her diet after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.
She describes the changes she has made to her diet after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.
So I think you do, I think you do because you want to, I think it's a really natural response to have that when you're diagnosing something you want to do absolutely everything you can to make sure that your recovery is as probable as it can be.
Last reviewed: February 2025.
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