Supporting
cancer care
Acupuncture and the treatment of cancer. It is an auxiliary treatment rather than a primary treatment for cancer, helping to relieve the unpleasant side effects of cancer treatments. Acupuncture can be a helpful intervention in the multidisciplinary care of people living with and beyond cancer and it can be administered safely within and outside oncology settings. It can also help during recovery after treatment has been completed.
The weight of evidence on how acupuncture can support patients impacted by cancer throughout the care continuim is already substantial. Professionals at eminent institutions including Harvard Medical School advocate using acupuncture for a growing number of conditions including cancer care.
Global research has demonstrated that incorporating professional acupuncture treatment into conventional healthcare systems improves patient outcomes.
Recent advances in acupuncture clinical research suggest that acupuncture may be beneficial for cancer patients with treatment related side effects such as nausea and vomiting, post operative pain, cancer related pain, chemotherapy-induced leukopenia, post chemotherapy fatigue, xerostomia, and possibly insomnia, anxiety and quality of life. Most studies show that acupuncture is better than no treatment at all, and that it is as good as, or better than, standard treatment for these symptoms and side eftects.
Acupuncture offers a non-pharmaceutical, evidence-based approach to managing many uncomtorable consequences of cancer and its treatments.
Once appropriate medical assessment/management is in place and with medical agreement, acupuncture may provide a useful adjunctive symptom management strategy which may help reduce the need, dose, and side effects of analgesic and other medication.
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Research into acupuncture for cancer focuses on treating:
- Chemotherapy related sickness
- Tiredness
- Pain
- Anxiety and stress
- Depression and mood changes
- Quality of life
- Hot flushes