Acupuncture and Cancer
YES! Acupuncture can really make a difference in the lives of people living with cancer.
Local pain and swelling, often experienced after surgery, can be a debilitating issue which acupuncture can help.
Nausea, vomiting, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, mental fatigue, side-effects of chemotherapy---these are all significant cancer-related problems for which acupuncture can offer improvement in conjunction with typical western medicines. But acupuncture works without causing side-effects!
And, acupuncture stimulates our body’s immune system, which promotes healing and resistance to infection.
There are many studies that confirm acupuncture’s effectiveness in this role. For example, just last month there was widespread news coverage of a study comparing acupuncture with a drug commonly used for treating hot flashes in breast cancer patients being treated with the chemotherapy drug Tamoxifen. Acupuncture was more effective, lasted longer, and had no side-effects.
Just as there are so many different kinds of cancers, there are numerous approaches that acupuncture can offer to help relieve or reduce the complex problems associated with with cancer.
Whenever acupuncture is used, the majority of patients experience an overall improvement in their sense of well-being, which usually leads to a better quality of life.
If you have or know someone who has cancer and is experiencing problems living with it, urge them to speak with a medical acupuncturist to see if they can be helped.
