Q: What are the most effective complementary therapies for cancer pain?

A: It varies very much from individual to individual. Some of us respond very well to relaxation, music, distraction, walking, or exercise. There is not a single intervention that would have an overarching effect on decreasing pain. By talking to the patient and the family, sometimes it is possible to figure out added interventions that might help. Keeping a dialogue with their physician and nurse, patients can be guided to some interventions that can be good adjuvants. It's most useful to keep an open dialogue so the patient can prevent these therapies from having a bad interaction with their cancer treatment.