Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Endorses Acupuncture

World renowned cancer center Memorial Sloan Kettering has endorsed acupuncture for relieving the side effects of radiation, chemotherapy and surgery – going so far as to produce a video outlining the benefits to cancer patients. Here at the Northside Holistic Center, we see many patients who are going through or are recovering from the effects of such therapies and we find the acupuncture is an exceptionally useful adjunct to oncological care.

Watch the video here.

Florida Acupuncturist Works with Cancer Pain

From a Florida newspaper comes this story which highlights an acupuncturist who treats cancer patients for the pain and symptoms associated with their disease. This is something that we, as acupuncturists, help our clients cope with on a daily basis. Quite frequently, this is true for those patients who are either currently experiencing the prodigious use of drugs and radiation, or who have completed courses of treatment but who are still feeling pain, fatigue and other symptoms from their therapy. (the video from this story was no longer active as of this writing).

ABC News report: Acupuncture Useful for Cancer Pain, Symptoms

A recent ABC news report/video describes the multiple benefits experienced by patients undergoing cancer therapies who had been experiencing pain due to the cancer and side effects related to the treatments. The report combines descriptions of the firsthand experience from a variety of patients with acupuncture while citing several studies which, "... show [that] acupuncture alone cuts post-chemotherapy fatigue by 31 percent. It also cut hot flashes by 50 percent and slashed overall cancer pain by 36 percent."

Another source on this information, Oncology Nurse Advisor recommends acupuncture to manage symptoms of cancer, including fatigue. This is based on many sources, including a UCLA acupuncture study with cancer patients which found that, 

Fatigue was reduced by 66% among the study participants in the treatment group.

The AARP Reports on the Use of Acupuncture for Cancer Care

The American Association of Retired People (AARP) describes how acupuncture can be useful in managing side effects of cancer therapy with acupuncture.  The article details three particular problems, generated by chemo- or radiation therapy: nausea, peripheral neuropathy and xerostomia (a problem wherein the salivary glands are no longer producing adequate fluid). The overall tone of the article is extremely postive.

Battling Cancer With Acupuncture

By: Peter Jaret | Source: From the AARP Bulletin print edition | April 1, 2010

When prescription medications aren’t enough to ease nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy drugs, specialists at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston now turn to an unconventional treatment: acupuncture.

Growing evidence suggests this centuries-old technique, which involves the insertion of small needles just below the surface of the skin, can help treat nausea and other common side effects of cancer drugs. In a 2008 study by researchers at Germany’s Saarland University, for example, 23 children undergoing chemotherapy who received acupuncture were significantly less likely to need anti-nausea medications.

First studied in the West for its ability to relieve acute and chronic pain, acupuncture is also being used to ease a condition called peripheral neuropathy, which results when nerves are damaged by toxic cancer drugs. Acupuncture also may help alleviate hot flashes, a common side effect of treatment for breast cancer. 

But the most surprising benefit from acupuncture is relief from xerostomia, a condition that occurs when radiation damages or destroys salivary glands, causing extreme dryness of the mouth. A common side effect of treatment for head and neck cancer, xerostomia can make it difficult for patients to swallow or eat. Acupuncture can help.

“Although we don’t yet know exactly how it works, acupuncture appears to be able to restore salivary function in some patients, offering really significant relief,” says Barrie Cassileth, M.D., who directs the integrative cancer program at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

In a 2009 study at M.D. Anderson, 19 patients suffering from this common side effect who received acupuncture for four weeks reported significant relief from dry mouth and an overall improvement in physical well-being. A similar study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil also recorded significant increases in saliva production among cancer patients given acupuncture treatments.

Not everyone responds to acupuncture, admits M. Kay Garcia, an acupuncturist who conducts research into the therapy at M.D. Anderson. “But what we find is that many of those who do benefit see a lot of improvement.” Garcia is convinced from her clinical experiences that acupuncture boosts the cancer-fighting potency of chemotherapy and radiation, even if there is limited evidence as yet.

Fortunately, acupuncture has few risks, except for occasional bruising where the needles are inserted and bleeding in patients prone to bleeding. Still, experts say it’s important to find a trained and experienced practitioner. A good place to start is the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, which maintains a list of board-certified acupuncturists on its website at www.nccaom.org.

(Photos by Darryl Estrine)

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Peter Jaret is a freelance writer in Petaluma, Calif.