Complementary therapy should complement medical care, not substitute it. This can involve

Yoga and other relaxation and meditation techniques

Acupuncture which has been shown to improve post radiation effects in head and neck cancer, and help with nausea and neuropathy control.

Reiki therapy has been used for relaxation and symptom management.

Massage therapy has been used for management of lymphedema (or swelling related to lymph collection), and for muscle spasms and relaxation.

Alternative therapies are therapies that are pursued instead of standard medical care. This genre of therapies are commonly being lumped together as Complementary and Alternative Medicine or CAM, but they are not the same.

Around the world, in different cultures, there are other schools of medicine. e.g

Homeopathic medicine, which is practiced in India and Germany. This school of medicine delivers non-measurable amount of medicine to alter the body's way of reacting to disease.

Ayurvedic medicine is part of traditional Indian medicine, using indigenous herbal extracts

Chinese herbal medicine is extensively used as primary therapy in China