Can Acupuncture Help Chemotherapy Patients?
Acupuncture is a type of traditional Chinese medicine during which a trained acupuncture practitioner places needles, pressure, heat, or other treatments at specific points on the body called acupuncture points. The underlying principle is that acupuncture works by rebalancing the flow of qi (pronounced chee), a vital energy that flows in the body along channels called meridians. Acupuncture practice can potentially affect a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This complementary therapy is frequently used to relieve pain, especially chronic pain.
Please continue reading to find out whether complementary and alternative medicine therapy like acupuncture treatment can help cancer patients undergoing cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
What are acupuncture points?
Acupuncture points are predefined points in the skin relative to anatomic landmarks. They typically lie in muscular regions deep below the surface of the skin. The points are chosen depending on where a patient needs treatment. For pain relief in the lower back, for example, the practitioner may insert the needles at the opposite end of the meridian where the pain is located. Similarly, acupuncture points are chosen for chronic musculoskeletal pain in other parts of the body. Auricular acupuncture or auricular acupressure (ear acupuncture) is a treatment in which the acupuncture points are on the outer ear. The needles are inserted at different depths according to pain severity, and they may be rotated, heated, or even charged with a weak electrical current for more pain relief.
What happens during an acupuncture session?
During a typical acupuncture session, a trained acupuncture practitioner places very fine, disposable, stainless steel, sterile needles at specific acupuncture points. The practitioner decides on the most appropriate acupuncture points based on a patient’s complaints. Patients treated with acupuncture needles typically experience a dull, deep, aching sensation called “de qi,” which can also feel like a heaviness, numbness, or tingling. The needles are left in place for a short time and then removed.
Is there a role for acupuncture in cancer treatment?
According to the National Cancer Institute, clinical trials suggest acupuncture helped treat nausea and vomiting caused by anti-cancer therapies like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. A randomized clinical trial also found that auricular acupuncture can reduce nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. It is unclear, however, if the effects of acupuncture in cancer survivors are psychological. This is because some studies have found that patients who received sham acupuncture also experienced less nausea and vomiting compared to patients who received only traditional anti-nausea medication.
Can acupuncture help with cancer-related pain?
There are mixed results from acupuncture trials in terms of the ability of this alternative therapy to relieve symptoms of pain in cancer patients. There is some evidence that true acupuncture can relieve muscle and joint pain in breast cancer survivors more than sham acupuncture. Acupuncture has also been found to relieve cancer pain in patients with various types of cancer, more so than pain medication alone. However, most clinical trials on cancer pain and acupuncture have been small and more research is needed.
Can a cancer patient get acupuncture?
Complementary therapies like acupuncture are relatively safe and do not interfere with conventional cancer treatments. Therefore, if a cancer patient wants to try integrative therapies, it might be worth trying acupuncture. As mentioned, acupuncture can help with nausea and vomiting associated with high-dose chemotherapy and postoperative pain in cancer survivors. It may also help with other cancer symptoms, such as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, cancer-related fatigue, and hot flashes in patients who receive hormone therapy for breast cancer or prostate cancer. However, this should be evaluated by your medical team to see the feasibility of applying this type of treatment.
Why is acupuncture good for cancer patients?
Acupuncture stimulates the flow of energy along paths called meridians in the body. Alternative therapies like acupuncture cannot cure cancer, but they can be an important part of cancer care. The needles inserted during acupuncture may help in treating cancer symptoms like pain and reducing the side effects of cancer treatments like nausea and vomiting. Randomized clinical trials have shown that fewer chemotherapy patients have nausea and vomiting when they receive acupuncture. Having significantly fewer nausea episodes and other cancer-related symptoms can greatly improve the quality of life of cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.
What is the fastest way to recover from chemotherapy?
The fastest way to recover from chemotherapy is to follow a healthy lifestyle, including:
- Eating a balanced diet.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Getting regular exercise.
- Ensuring enough restful sleep.
- Reducing stress.
- Avoiding tobacco and alcohol.
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