Cancer Support

All of the myriad types of cancer come with their own symptoms and problems, as do the medications and treatments. Acupuncture is a useful complement to the primary care provided by your oncologist. Whether you are receiving radiation, gamma knife or chemotherapy, some of the side effects may be relieved by doing regular acupuncture alongside your protocol.

We will work with your oncology team to coordinate the most effective acupuncture treatment for your needs. This includes the timing of your treatments and the number of treatments. Our services aim to provide relief with a minimal number of treatments throughout your course of oncology care. Some patients prefer acupuncture to help them prepare for treatment, while others respond best a few days after chemo or nuclear treatment.

“Acupuncture is a safe and effective therapy to manage cancer and treatment related symptoms, while giving patients the ability to actively participate in their own care plan.”
— Hematol Oncol Clin North Am

Acupuncture has been shown to:

  • Reduce nausea, vomiting and fatigue associated with chemotherapy

  • Relieve pain from neuropathy, incisions, tumors or chronic issues

  • Help manage stress and balance the mood swings from anxiety & depression

  • Treat dry mouth or Xerostomia

  • Increase the appetite

  • Reduce or eliminate hot flashes and night sweats

  • Decrease the incidence and increase sensation of neuropathy

  • Increase T-cell and Nk killer cell count to help fight rogue cancer cells

  • Reduce or eliminate hiccups

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Research

 

Chiu HY, Hsieh YJ, Tsai PS. Systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture to reduce cancer-related pain. Eur J Cancer Care. February 2016

This review included 36 trials and over 2200 randomized patients. They found a moderate effect size of acupuncture on cancer-related pain, and concluded that “acupuncture is effective in relieving cancer-related pain, particularly malignancy-related and surgery-induced pain.”

Lu W, Dean-Clower E, Doherty-Gilman A, Rosenthal DS. The value of acupuncture in cancer care. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2008

“The evidence currently available has suggested that acupuncture is a safe and effective therapy to manage cancer and treatment related symptoms, while giving patients the ability to actively participate in their own care plan.”

Garcia, M. Kay, et al. "Systematic review of acupuncture to control hot flashes in cancer patients." Cancer 121.22 (2015): 3948-3958.

“All studies showed significant within-group improvement from the baseline for true acupuncture (TA).”

Ezzo, Jeanette, et al. "Acupuncture‐point stimulation for chemotherapy‐induced nausea or vomiting." Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2 (2006).

This review complements data on postoperative nausea and vomiting, suggesting a biologic effect of acupuncture-point stimulation.