Balanced Health & Beauty

Acupuncture as CAM for Cancer    T

Acupuncture has been linked to alleviating the nausea associated with chemotherapy and the pain incurred from the constant surgeries that cancer patients undergo. TheMesotheliomaCenter is an up-to-date resource for all mesothelioma issues ranging from mesothelioma diseaseto diagnosis options.

C

The following is copied from National Cancer Institute page on Acupuncture as CAM to cancer treatment

What is the theory behind the claim that acupuncture is useful in treating cancer?

Acupuncture may cause physical responses in nerves cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure and body temperature, boosts immune system activity, and causes the body's natural painkillers, such as endorphins, to be released.

How is acupuncture administered?

The acupuncture method most well-known uses needles. Disposable, stainless steel needles that are slightly thicker than a human hair are inserted into the skin at acupoints. The acupuncture practitioner determines the correct acupoints to use for the problem being treated. The inserted needles may be twirled, moved up and down at different speeds and depths, heated, or charged with a weak electric current. There are other acupuncture methods that do not use needles.

Some acupuncture techniques include the following:

• Electroacupuncture: A procedure in which pulses of weak electrical current are sent through acupuncture needles into acupoints in the skin.
• Trigger point acupuncture: The placing of acupuncture needles in a place on the skin that is away from the painful part of the body. Trigger points have to do with referred pain, pain that is not felt at the site of injury, but is sent along nerves and felt elsewhere in the body.
• Laser acupuncture: The use of a weak laser beam instead of an acupuncture needle to stimulate an acupoint.
• Acupuncture point injection: The use of a syringe and needle to inject drugs, vitamins, herbal extracts, or other fluids into the body at an acupoint.
• Microwave acupuncture: The use of a microwave device attached to an acupuncture needle to deliver microwave radiation to an acupoint.
• Acupressure: A type of massage therapy in which the fingers are used to press on an acupoint. In cancer patients, acupressure has been used to control symptoms such as pain or nausea and vomiting.
• Moxibustion: A type of heat therapy in which an herb is burned above the body to warm a meridian at an acupoint and increase the flow of blood and qi. The herb may be placed directly on the skin, held close to the skin for several minutes, or placed on the tip of an acupuncture needle.
• Cupping: A procedure in which a rounded glass cup is warmed and placed upside down over an area of the body, making a vacuum that holds the cup to the skin. Cupping is used to increase the flow of blood and qi. It is believed to open up the skin’s pores and allow toxins to leave the body.

Have any preclinical (laboratory or animal) studies been conducted using acupuncture?

Scientific studies on the use of acupuncture to treat cancer and side effects of cancer began only recently. Laboratory and animal studies suggest that acupuncture can reduce vomiting caused by chemotherapy and may help the immune system be stronger during chemotherapy.

Have any clinical trials (research studies with people) of acupuncture been conducted?

Most studies of the use of acupuncture in cancer patients have been done in China. In 1997, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began evaluating the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture as a complementary and alternative therapy.

• Studies of the effect of acupuncture on the immune system

Human studies on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response.

• Studies of the effect of acupuncture on pain

In clinical studies, acupuncture reduced the amount of pain in some cancer patients. In one study, most of the patients treated with acupuncture were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or to take smaller doses. The findings from these studies are not considered strong, however, because of weaknesses in study design and size. Studies using strict scientific methods are needed to prove how acupuncture affects pain.

• Studies of the effect of acupuncture on nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy

The strongest evidence of the effect of acupuncture has come from clinical trials on the use of acupuncture to relieve nausea and vomiting. Several types of clinical trials using different acupuncture methods showed acupuncture reduced nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, surgery, and morning sickness. It appears to be more effective in preventing vomiting than in reducing nausea.

• Studies of the effect of acupuncture on cancer and symptoms (other than nausea) caused by cancer treatment

Clinical trials are studying the effects of acupuncture on cancer and symptoms caused by cancer treatment, including weight loss, cough, chest pain, fever, anxiety, depression, night sweats, hot flashes, dry mouth, speech problems, and fluid in the arms or legs. Studies have shown that, for many patients, treatment with acupuncture either relieves symptoms or keeps them from getting worse.

Some tips to alleviate side-effects of cancer treatments:

Ginger

You can get this humble rhizome fresh from almost any grocery stores.  Clinical studies showed ginger to be effective for treatment of nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy.  

A folk remedy for early stage cold is a ginger tea in honey/brown sugar.  Moreover, ginger is used in Oriental cuisine to rid of seafood toxin – ever wonder why Sushi is served with pickled ginger?  Like its cousin, turmeric, sometimes called curcumin is also recognized for its anti-inflammatory property.

•  Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trialsby Ernst, E.; & Pittler, M.H. (2000).  British Journal of Anesthesia 84 (3) 
• See what National Institute of Health says about ginger 
• More interesting read on ginger at Wikipedia

Astragulus

Acupressure

Studies support use of acupressure on PC6 (Nei Guan) effective in relieving nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy.  PC6 is found on both arms. Apply a firm pressure on the palmer side the groove between the two large tendons, about two fingers width abouve your wrist.

• See pictorial location of PC6 (Nei Guan or Inner Gate)
• See article about the acupuncture point PC6 (Nei Guan or Inner Gate) 
• See WebMD on acupressure