Complementary therapies in palliative care: a summary of current evidence

Complementary therapies are often cited as a possible alternative to the management of symptoms in palliative care, as another element in the armoury for coping with unmanageable problems. But how efficacious are these therapies, and what is the evidence to support their use in symptom management? Patients who are in the terminal stages of illness or require palliative care are in a very vulnerable position, so are they being exploited or are there real benefits from using complementary therapies? This article review some of the evidence currently available.