
In China, over 250,000 cancer patients have participated in clinical trials in Chinese medicine, while across China, Chinese medicine is widely used to treat cancer and complement medical intervention (Xun el al., 2013). In this systematic review of 2,385 randomised clinical trials and 579 non-randomised trials, most of the studies assessed the benefit of treatment in the reduction of side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy: cancer pain; post surgery support; and the prevention of relapse and metastasis.
Our team at the Rozelle Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Centre (RACM) Sydney is very experienced in complementing cancer therapy and closely follows the latest research in Chinese medicine and medical intervention. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are at the forefront of complementary therapy in supporting cancer patients during cancer treatment (Boon et al., 2007; Gou et al., 2012; Jia 2012; Ni et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2007).
One of the important ways our team complements cancer therapy during treatment is by addressing risk factors relating to the effectiveness of the cancer therapy.
Receiving acupuncture support during cancer therapy may also aid recovery and wellbeing, as well as reduce the risk factors to improve the best possible outcomes of treatment. Many conditions may contribute to the development of risk factors and poor response to cancer therapy.
Receiving acupuncture during cancer therapy may help to:
- Alleviate anxiety and stress,
- Depression,
- Improve sleep quality,
- Poor dietary choices,
- Chronic infection,
- Fatigue and exhaustion,
- Chronic pain,
- Post traumatic stress after diagnosis and treatment,
- Side effects to chemotherapy therapy,
- Side effects to radiation therapy,
- Poor recovery after surgery,
- Low white cell counts,
- Lack of exercise and poor muscle tone,
- Night sweats and hot flushes.
Many of these symptoms can be treated with complementary medicine and, in particular, acupuncture is able to gently address multiple symptoms during the one session.
To support better outcomes our team also identifies, discusses, encourages, and supports clients to make the necessary changes to reduce all risk factors, in order to best complement medical intervention. Our practitioners monitor and support our clients through all stages of their cancer treatment while working to reduce risk factors through good guidance and acupuncture.
Our team recommends preparation before surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy commences. We cover diet, nutrition, and lifestyle factors; use acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to strengthen resilience, calm, relax, and reduce side-effects of cancer therapy and medication; and communicate with encouragement and empathy. Several Sydney specialists refer patients to us because they have observed better tolerance of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the patients we treat with acupuncture, compared to their patients without our acupuncture support.
At RACM, we focus on improving quality of life while working alongside conventional cancer therapies. Our approach combines the power of Chinese medicine, nutrition, and acupuncture to help patients feel more resilient and in control of their health journey.
References
- Boon et al., (2007) Trends in Complementary/Alternative medicine use by breast cancer survivors: comparing survey data from 1990 and 2005. BMC Women’s Health 30: 4.
- Gou et al., (2012) Herbal medicines for advanced colorectal cancer. Cochrane database of systematic reviews.
- Jia L. (2012) Cancer complementary and alternative medicine research at the US National Cancer Institute. Chin J Interg Med 18: 325-332.
- Li PW (2003) Management of cancer with Chinese Medicine. Dominica Publishing.
- Ni et al (2012) Chinese herbal medicine for advanced pancreatic cancer (Protocol). Cochrane database of systematic reviews.
- Xun et al., (2013) Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cancer Care: A review of controlled clinical studies published in Chinese. PLoS ONE 8(4): e60338. do: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060338.