Acupuncture in Cancer Treatment
There have been
many advances in the early detection and treatment of cancer. While the
standard medical care for cancer is effective, the treatments are
aggressive and cause numerous unwanted side effects as well as a lowered
immune system. Acupuncture has received much attention as an adjunctive
therapy in cancer treatments for its use in pain relief, reducing side
effects, accelerating recovery and improving quality of life.
What Acupuncture is used for during Cancer Treatment
Acupuncture provides a total approach to health care for people with
cancer. It can be used to address many of the concerns that come up during
and after chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy and surgery.
According to the National Cancer Institute, acupuncture may cause physical
responses in nerve 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.
Areas that acupuncture has shown the most promise include:
· Nausea and
Vomiting
· Dry Mouth, Night
Sweats and Hot Flashes
· Stress, Anxiety
and Fatigue
· Pain Management
· Increasing White
Blood Cell Count
Nausea and Vomiting
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.
Other symptoms 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.
Boosting the Immune System
Human studies on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer
patients showed that it improved immune system response, including
increasing the number of white blood cells.
Pain Management
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.
Acupuncture is also very useful for support if you are undergoing
chemotherapy, radiation, or hormonal therapy. Because chemotherapy and
radiation therapy weaken the body's immune system, a strict clean needle
method must be used when acupuncture treatment is given to cancer patients.
To learn more about how acupuncture can safely and effectively be
incorporated into care for people with cancer, please call for a
consultation today.
Source: National Cancer Institute. www.cancer.org
New Lung Cancer Guidelines Include Acupuncture
Acupuncture is now
officially recommended for lung cancer patients experiencing fatigue,
dyspnea, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, pain, nausea and vomiting.
Evidence-based guidelines published by the American College of Chest
Physicians recommend acupuncture for lung cancer patients experiencing
fatigue, dyspnea, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, or to soothe symptoms of
pain or nausea and vomiting.
The new edition of these standard guidelines represents the first time
complementary and integrative medicine has been addressed in the prevention
and treatment of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer
death in the United States, causing more fatalities than the next four most
common types of cancer combined.
The new guidelines were developed and reviewed by 100 multidisciplinary
panel members and have been endorsed by the American Association for
Bronchology, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American College of
Surgeons Oncology Group, American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and
Oncology, Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, Oncology Nurses Society,
Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the World Association of Bronchology.
Source: Chest, September 2007
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In This Issue
·
Acupuncture
in Cancer Treatment
·
New Lung
Cancer Guidelines Include Acupuncture
·
Cancer
Fighting Veggies
Cancer Fighting Veggies
Widely considered
to be one of the healthier food choices is the cruciferous vegetables.
Included in this family of vegetables are broccoli, cauliflower, radishes,
brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and bok choy. Cruciferous vegetables are
high in vitamins, fiber, and potent anti-cancer phytochemicals.
According to the American Institute for Cancer, there is solid
evidence that links cruciferous vegetables and protection against cancer.
Studies have shown that this vegetable group has the ability to stop the
growth of cancer cells for tumors in the breast, uterine lining, lung,
colon, liver, and cervix. And studies that track the diets of people over
time have found that diets high in cruciferous vegetables are linked to
lower rates of prostate cancer.
It is recommended that we eat 3-5 servings of cruciferous vegetables per
week. It's best to eat these veggies raw or only lightly steamed so they
retain their cancer fighting phytochemicals.
EAT SOME OF THESE EVERY DAY:
• Arugula
• Beet greens
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chinese cabbage
• Collard greens
• Daikon
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mustard greens
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
• Swiss chard
• Turnips
• Watercress
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