Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the damage of myelin sheaths. Worldwide incidence is increasing over the years. Disease can cause irreversible disability in individuals and can seriously affect the quality of life of individuals. In addition to medical treatment, individuals with multiple sclerosis refer to methods called complementary and alternative medicine in order to alleviate their symptoms. Vitamin and mineral use, aqua therapy, massage, aromatherapy, acupuncture, reflexology are complementary therapies frequently used in multiple sclerosis patients. It is seen that multiple sclerosis type and duration of disease affect the rate of complementary therapy usage and the rate of complementary therapy usage in Turkey is lower than other countries. For this reason, the inadequacy of information on the complementary therapy issue of the society and the fact that the health personnel are not yet competent in this issue. The trend towards complementary therapies has grown steadily by the community without adequate knowledge and compliance check. Therefore; The nurse plays a key role in enabling complementary therapy methods to be used more effectively by individuals, to inform individuals about therapies and to determine the appropriateness of therapy application to the individual.