Acupuncture can be effective in treating the adverse reactions may have to cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation as well as in treating the disease itself. Chemotherapy can cause nausea and vomiting during treatment and sometimes leads to patients discontinuing the treatment due to their inability to deal with the side effects. Acupuncture has proven to be helpful in treating nausea and vomiting that many cancer patients experience and helps them continue their treatments. It can also be used to manage cancer-related pain and fatigue.
Research also suggests that acupuncture can stimulate the production of certain factors that fight cancer cells. Though much of this research is still in the testing phase, the results are promising.
In the United States, acupuncture is used to treat a variety of symptoms and conditions associated with cancer and the side effects of cancer treatments. A number of cancer centers in the U.S., including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston are integrating acupuncture into cancer care.
There are a few conditions for which sound research has demonstrated acupuncture to be an effective and safe adjunct therapy for cancer care. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) have demonstrated that acupuncture is effective for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Research studies also suggest acupuncture may be helpful in managing cancer-related pain, chemotherapy-related neutropenia, cancer fatigue, and radiation-induced xerostomia.
Acupuncture, an ancient medical treatment originating in China, is gaining momentum and acceptance as a valid intervention in medical practice. In the past decade acupuncture and other integrative medicine programs have been established in many major medical centers in the United States.
If you or someone you know is undergoing cancer treatment, contact Legacy Clinic today to get more information or get scheduled for your first appointment.