Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Complementary Therapy

Written by Martha Anne Tudor, Stephanie Watson
Medically Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on April 04, 2025
5 min read

Targeted drugs, surgery, and radiation are common treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but complementary therapy can also play a role in helping manage your disease.

Holistic measures such as yoga, tai chi,  massage, and acupuncture shouldn't replace your regular cancer treatment, however. They can work alongside your medical treatments to ease your side effects and stress, and help you feel better overall.

Before trying a complementary therapy, talk to your cancer specialist to make sure it's safe for you and you use it correctly.

Deep breathing is a simple way to help lessen the anxiety and stress of living with cancer. It might also help you sleep better.

You can do deep breathing anywhere. To start, take a deep breath from your diaphragm, which is between your lungs and belly. Hold it for a few seconds, and then slowly let the air out.

Meditation takes deep breathing a step further by focusing your mind. Sit somewhere quiet and concentrate on the feel of your breath going in and out of your nose and mouth. Or focus on the sound of a word that you repeat, such as "love" or "hope." Let any thoughts pass through your mind without dwelling on them.

Yoga combines deep breathing with movements and a series of poses. It can help ease your stress and improve your mood, which may help boost your quality of life during cancer treatment.

If you want to try yoga, ask your doctor first to make sure the poses are safe for you.

When you get acupuncture, a practitioner puts thin needles into specific spots on your body. It may help with chemotherapy side effects, such as:

  • Pain
  • Nausea
  • Sleepiness
  • Hot flashes
  • Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet

Acupuncture has few risks. Still, you want to go to a licensed acupuncturist who has experience treating people with cancer. Treatments such as chemotherapy can weaken your immune system, your body's defense against germs. That raises your chances of an infection from unclean needles.

Massage creates a feeling of warmth in your body and increases blood flow to your organs and tissues. It can help manage your stress, ease your soreness, and make you feel relaxed.

Reflexology combines massage with elements of acupuncture. The therapist massages points on your hands and feet.

Studies suggest massage helps with leukemia symptoms such as pain, nausea, tiredness, and trouble sleeping. Relief can last up to two days after your session.

Massage is generally safe for people with cancer. You may need to avoid deep tissue massage if you have a low platelet count because it could cause bruising. Ask your doctor before you try this therapy, and look for a massage therapist who has experience in treating people with cancer.

This form of talk therapy has been shown to help people with leukemia and other cancers feel more in control and build self-confidence. Studies show CBT can reduce your anxiety and depression and increase your quality of life, including when you're dealing with cancer and cancer treatments. It's also been linked to reduced pain and less cancer-related fatigue.

Along with those benefits, CBT can help you process the psychological and emotional challenges of your leukemia diagnosis and treatment. That includes learning ways to handle stress and replace negative thoughts.

Also called medical marijuana, medical cannabis is sometimes used to treat leukemia symptoms and chemotherapy side effects such as pain, nausea, vomiting, and low appetite. While it can help with these symptoms, there's no scientific evidence it can help prevent or treat leukemia or other cancers.

Cannabis approved for medical use has the active ingredients delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Medical cannabis comes in various forms, including:

  • Dried flowers for smoking or vaping
  • Vaporized sprays
  • Capsules
  • Oils
  • Tinctures
  • Edibles
  • Lozenges
  • Suppositories
  • Creams 
  • Skin patches
  • Gels
  • Lotions

Talk with your doctor about whether medical cannabis is a good choice for you, and whether it's legal where you live.

Aromatherapy uses concentrated oils from plants, called essential oils, to ease cancer symptoms. You can either breathe in these oils or have a massage therapist rub them into your skin.

In small studies, aromatherapy helped improve symptoms like these in people with cancer:

  • Anxiety
  • Appetite
  • Tiredness
  • Depression
  • Nausea
  • Pain

Each essential oil has a different use. For example:

  • Ginger oil helps with nausea.
  • Sweet marjoram improves pain and anxiety.
  • Lavender helps you relax and sleep better.

Essential oils are safe overall, but in some people, they can cause allergic reactions or irritate the skin. If you have sensitive skin, you might want to try out a tiny bit of the oil on a small area of your skin before using it during a massage.

This form of Chinese martial arts combines slow, flowing movements with deep breathing and focused thoughts. Tai chi is more than just an exercise program. Studies show it can be helpful for fatigue, sleep problems, depression, and pain. And it's gentle enough for people with cancer.

The best way to learn tai chi is to take a class, either in person or virtually online. Let the teacher know if you have any joint or muscle problems before you start. You may need to modify some of the movements.

Plants have been part of the treatment for many diseases for thousands of years. A few herbs have been studied for their ability to treat cancer, including:

  • Ginseng
  • Garlic
  • Kenaf
  • Grape seed
  • Turmeric
  • Green tea extract

Some small studies suggest these natural treatments kill cancer cells or stop them from growing and dividing in the lab. But more research is needed to see if they work in people. Talk to your doctor before you try any herbal supplement. Although these remedies are natural, they could cause side effects or interact with medicines you take to treat your cancer.

What's the best natural medicine for leukemia?

There aren't foods that can cure leukemia or other cancers. Some herbal products, including turmeric and ginseng, may help with cancer and cancer treatment symptoms when used alongside conventional cancer treatments. But there's no evidence they can cure or prevent leukemia on their own.

Is CBD an effective CLL therapy?

Yes, CBD is effective in easing leukemia symptoms and chemotherapy side effects such aspain, nausea, vomiting, and low appetite. But it doesn't prevent or treat the underlying cancer.

Is curcumin one of the natural remedies for CLL?

There are no natural remedies for preventing, treating, or curing CLL. There's some evidence that turmeric, whose main active ingredient is curcumin, may help ease some symptoms of CLL and CLL treatment when used along with traditional cancer treatments.