Page last updated: March 2026
The information on this webpage was adapted from Understanding Complementary Therapies - A guide for people with cancer, their families and friends (2026 edition). This webpage was last updated in March 2026.
Expert content reviewers:
This information is based on international and Australian research on complementary therapies. It was developed with help from a range of health professionals:
- A/Prof Geraldine McDonald, Director Patient Experience and Wellbeing, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC
- Laura Carman, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria
- A/Prof Christine Carrington, Senior Consultant Pharmacist Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital and Metro South Health and The University of Queensland, QLD
- Kellie Giannarelli, Consumer
- Dr Suzanne Grant, Senior Research Fellow, Integrative Oncology, NICM Health Research Institute, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW
- Vivienne Hansen, Bush and Western Herbal Medicine Practitioner, WA
- Karla Jaji, Administration Officer, Nepean Cancer and Wellness Centre, NSW
- Dr Laura Kirsten, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Nepean Cancer Services, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, NSW
- A/Prof Judith Lacey, Director of Supportive Care and Integrative Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW
- Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim, Western Sydney University and University of Technology Sydney, NSW
- Dr David Mizrahi, Senior Research Fellow and Accredited Exercise Physiologist, The Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW
- Professor Avni Sali AM, Founder and Director, National Institute of Integrative Medicine, VIC
- Gillian Thompson, Consumer
- A/Prof Kate Webber, Medical Oncologist, Monash Health, VIC
- Tanya Wells, Integrative Oncology Consultant and Naturopath, Melbourne Integrative Oncology Group, VIC
- Prof Kate White, Professor Cancer Nursing, Cancer Care Research Unit, The Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW
Deciding whether to use complementary therapies should be like deciding on conventional treatment. It’s important to talk to your cancer specialist, GP and complementary therapist about your situation and any treatment.
Ask questions and find out as much as possible about the complementary therapy you are considering trying. It’s your decision whether to use complementary therapies.
Friends or family may encourage you to try therapies that aren’t tested. They may mean well, but you may feel pressure to take their advice. It’s your right to decide what is best for you.
If you’re not sure how to respond, you could say: “Thank you for caring and wanting to help. I really appreciate your support.” Or: “I’m working closely with my medical team to make decisions that are right for me.”
Cancer Council warns people not to delay or replace conventional treatment or medicine with a complementary or alternative therapy
What to consider before you try a therapy
- What are the benefits?
- Is there scientific evidence that shows it works?
- What are the risks and possible side effects of the therapy?
- Will it interact with other medicines I am taking?
- Could it be harmful if the therapist asks me to stop or delay conventional treatment?
- Can I afford the cost of the therapy or medicines?
- Will I join a conventional treatment clinical trial?
How to find a complementary therapist
A good starting point when looking for the right therapist is talking with your GP or cancer care team.
Your cancer treatment centre may offer some complementary therapies or recommend suitable and qualified therapists in your local area. You can ask family, friends or your support group to recommend a therapist.
Some doctors, nurses and pharmacists are also trained in a complementary therapy, such as nutritional and herbal medicine, hypnotherapy, counselling, acupuncture or massage.
Many natural therapy associations have online directories to help you find therapists. See below for more tips on how to choose a therapist.
Checking a therapist is qualified
Some complementary therapists don’t need specific qualifications to practise. To reduce the risk of harm, always check that the therapist is qualified, and ask if they have experience treating people with cancer.
See Regulation of complementary therapists for information about the qualifications a complementary therapist may or may not have.
Some health services providing complementary therapies require therapists to be registered with a professional body, such as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), to ensure that they have the right qualifications.
It is a breach of Ahpra’s advertising guidelines for registered health practitioners to make curative claims that are not scientifically proven to be effective, as this may mislead patients.
What to consider when choosing a therapist
- Check the therapist’s qualifications and whether they are registered with Ahpra, recognised by Medicare, or a member of a professional association
- Ask if they have experience treating people with your type of cancer.
- Make sure the therapist is willing to communicate with your cancer care team, especially if you are using remedies that could interfere with your current or possible future treatment.
- Give your therapist a list of all your medicines and your treatment plan. Ask them to check for any possible interactions before recommending any therapies. This reduces the risk of them dispensing remedies or other treatments that might interact with your conventional medical treatment.
- Keep a record of treatments received and any medicines or supplements prescribed.
- Ask about the cost of each session, how many sessions you are likely to need, and whether you will need to pay for any products or medicines.
- Ask if they have professional indemnity insurance.
- Take someone with you to appointments for support, to get involved in the discussion, take notes or to simply listen.
- Just as you may want to get a second opinion from a cancer specialist about your conventional cancer treatment and medicine, you might consider seeing more than one complementary therapist to compare how they would approach your care.
How to choose a complementary therapy
Weigh up the different types of therapies
- Think about how you hope the complementary therapy will help you. Which ones match your needs?
- Consider possible side effects and safety issues of the different therapies you are interested in. Are there any reasons why you shouldn’t use them?
- Consider whether you prefer to use complementary therapies with strong scientific evidence, or whether anecdotal reports are enough for you.
- Find out what therapies are offered at your hospital or treatment centre.
- Ask how much the various therapies cost.
Find out more about the therapies that interest you
- Gather information about the effectiveness of the therapy. Consider whether the evidence is accurate, up to date, and comes from a reliable source.
- Borrow books from a library or read about therapies on trustworthy websites.
- Ask the therapist about the quality of the product and how it is regulated.
- Talk to people who have tried these therapies, for example, at a cancer support group or through the Cancer Council Online Community.
- Write down questions or use our checklist.
Discuss your concerns
Talk to your doctors, pharmacist and complementary therapist about:
- what you’d like to try
- any potential interactions with your conventional treatments
- side effects to be aware of; or
- if it will interfere with any clinical trials you may be eligible for.
Get a second opinion if you didn’t get enough information.
Understanding the costs
Complementary therapies aren’t covered by government-funded schemes such as Medicare or the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Some treatment centres offer free or lower-cost complementary therapies to patients, but many you will need to pay for. Some private health funds cover complementary therapies, which may be called “extras” on the policy.
This may include massage and shiatsu, acupuncture, naturopathy, Chinese medicine, Alexander technique, yoga, Pilates, and tai chi.
Check your policy to see what it covers, including the limits per visit and treatment type. Private health insurance doesn’t usually cover medicines, herbs or remedies used in complementary therapies.
Complementary therapists set their own fees for consultations. The cost can vary depending on their training and experience, how long the consultation lasts, and the type of treatment you have.
Fees may sometimes be expensive, so it’s a good idea to speak to a few therapists to compare costs. Also ask about the long-term plan and consider that cost.
If they suggest you have a therapy every two weeks for six months, consider what the total cost will be. The consultation fee usually does not include the cost of:
- herbal remedies
- nutritional supplements, or
- other products that they may recommend (e.g. yoga equipment or therapeutic skin creams).
In particular, it’s common for naturopaths, herbalists and homeopaths to mix or make remedies for you, sell you pre-made nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplements, or give you a script for a naturopathic dispensary or a compounding pharmacy/chemist.
How much you will pay for these products varies depending on the type of remedy and the ingredients, strength and quantity.
How to assess online information
- The source – Is it reputable? Have you seen it before? Is it clear who runs the website? Check the “About us” section.
- The reviewers – Has the content been reviewed by experts with qualifications specifically related to cancer?
- The date – When was it reviewed? It should be in the last 2–3 years.
- The claims – Is the website promoting a “miracle cure” or selling something? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Check with your doctor before trying any new therapy.
Taking part in a clinical trial
A clinical trial can help show whether a treatment works and is safe. In a randomised control trial, one group of people is given the new treatment, and the other group is given the existing standard treatment.
Researchers compare the results to work out which treatment works better, is safer and is more cost-effective.
Clinical trials for complementary therapies often involve small groups of people with specific cancer types, such as breast and prostate. This can make it hard to know whether the trial results apply to other cancer types.
Personal stories (anecdotal reports) are based on individual experiences and observations, and are not proven. This makes them less reliable than scientific evidence from clinical trials.
Funding for clinical trials or research into the effectiveness and safety of complementary therapies is limited.
Because complementary therapies are popular in Australia, the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University was established to support research in this area.
Some health professionals, universities and hospitals also run clinical trials and do research. Your hospital or support group may offer opportunities for you to take part in one of these.
Before joining a clinical trial for a complementary therapy, ask the clinical trials team and your cancer specialists about:
- what tests you may have
- whether it affects your conventional treatment
- any risks of side effects
- whether the trial has ethics approval
- any costs that you may have to pay.
Keep in mind that using some complementary therapies may mean you can’t join a clinical trial for conventional cancer treatment.
This is because clinical trials have strict criteria about what other medicines and supplements you can take while you are receiving the trial medicines.
Your trial team will need to know about any complementary therapies you are taking to check that they are allowed during the trial. Talk to your specialist or cancer care team to get a second opinion.
If you decide to take part in a clinical trial, you can withdraw at any time. For more information, visit Australian Cancer Trials.
“If you’re reading a website and have an emotional response, it’s likely to have an offer at the bottom of the page. It will be eliciting a reaction to try to sell you something. Actual scientific research is very bland and unemotional.” Tanya, Naturopath
Understanding Complementary Therapies
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