Complementary therapies: a patient's choice
Preliminary EvidenceIn Plain Language: cancer pain, explained
Judith Thwaite discusses the role of complementary therapy in her treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1988 and since that time she has tried a number of therapies. A visit to the Bristol Cancer Help Centre changed her outlook on life and the Centre's policy of patient empowerment encouraged her to fulfil an ambition to write. She also visits the Royal Homoeopathic Hospital, London, regularly for massage, shiatsu, acupuncture, and reflexology and relates how these have helped her cope with the disease as well as her sessions of chemotherapy. Throughout her illness she has remained positive and optimistic, determined to use whatever methods that are available to help her.
Key Findings: what this case study found about cancer pain
- ✓A cancer patient with non-Hodgkins lymphoma reported using complementary therapies including reflexology, massage, shiatsu, and acupuncture alongside conventional chemotherapy treatment.
- ✓Patient empowerment programs at the Bristol Cancer Help Centre helped shift the patient's outlook and supported personal fulfillment during cancer treatment.
- ✓The patient reported that complementary therapies assisted her in coping with both the disease and the side effects of chemotherapy sessions.
What This Means for You
This is one person's account of how reflexology helped her emotionally during cancer treatment, but it's a single case study without scientific comparison—discuss with your healthcare team how complementary therapies might fit into your own care plan.
What This Means for Practitioners
Patient testimonials about reflexology's role in coping with serious illness can be meaningful, but document and encourage clients to combine reflexology with conventional medical care and realistic expectations.
Study Design: how this case study was run
Cancer pain: common questions
What does this study say about cancer pain?
This is one person's account of how reflexology helped her emotionally during cancer treatment, but it's a single case study without scientific comparison—discuss with your healthcare team how complementary therapies might fit into your own care plan.
What did this study find?
A cancer patient with non-Hodgkins lymphoma reported using complementary therapies including reflexology, massage, shiatsu, and acupuncture alongside conventional chemotherapy treatment. Patient empowerment programs at the Bristol Cancer Help Centre helped shift the patient's outlook and supported personal fulfillment during cancer treatment. The patient reported that complementary therapies assisted her in coping with both the disease and the side effects of chemotherapy sessions.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a case study and we rate its evidence preliminary. It covers 1 participants. It was published in Complementary therapies in nursing & midwifery, a Q1 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
Related Research
Complementary therapy in practice
Engaging Patients in Research That Involves Meditation: Religious Concerns and Nursing Implications
Improving Quality of Life in The Constipated Older Person: Reflexology or Abdominal Massage? A Two-Group, Randomized Comparative Trial
Mind-Body Interventions for People With Cancer: Evidence, Innovation, and Implementation
Therapeutic Massage for Cancer Survivors: An Umbrella Review
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