If you feel unwell or have any side effects that you think are from a complementary therapy, stop the treatment right away and talk to your therapist. They may suggest you adjust your treatment, stop the treatment permanently, seek a second opinion, or see another qualified therapist. You should also talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
If you have a serious reaction, call Triple Zero (000) or go straight to your nearest hospital emergency department. You can call the national Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice (24 hours a day).
If you think that a therapist has been negligent, incompetent or unethical, you can make a complaint.
- If they belong to a professional association, contact the association with a formal complaint.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) tracks health and medical scams to help the public spot and avoid scams. Visit scamwatch.gov.au or accc.gov.au.
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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.
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