In the not-so-distant past, a diagnosis of cancer was typically followed by a treatment of surgery to remove the infected areas (if possible), radiation, and/or chemotherapy. While all of these modalities are still in use today, they are no longer the only options. And perhaps more importantly, they are not used in a vacuum. Today’s medical practitioners are including a host of alternative therapies to assist patients with cancer in finding relief from their symptoms. One of those proven alternative approaches is acupuncture.
How Acupuncture Can Make a Difference in Cancer Treatment
Unfortunately, acupuncture cannot cure cancer. While there is hope that a cure for this deadly disease will be found in our lifetime, sadly, it is not currently available. However, treatment options have made great strides in the past century, and the diagnosis of cancer — if caught early enough — is no longer an automatic death sentence.
So while acupuncture cannot directly make cancer a thing of the past, what it can do is treat the symptoms — specifically those associated with the treatment of cancer. Since radiation and chemotherapy attack healthy cells along with their cancerous counterparts, the person as a whole is left to suffer. Nausea, depression, pain, fatigue, insomnia, poor appetite, weight loss, dry mouth, constipation, and diarrhea are all side effects commonly associated with the treatment of cancer. Fortunately, these are all symptoms that acupuncture is proven to alleviate.
Treat the Symptoms So the Body Can Heal
When the body is weakened, both by cancer and by traditional treatments, it has a difficult time healing itself. And at its core, that’s what the body knows how to do. If you listen to your body closely, you’ll know when and what to eat, how long to sleep, and when to exercise and for how long; the body knows itself and what it needs. But cancer is not something that the body wants, and it is invasive. It shifts what the body does naturally by taking over normal cells and making them cancerous. But since acupuncture can help to boost immunities by unblocking blood flow and helping the nervous system to communicate more effectively, it can have a profound effect on cancer treatments.
A licensed acupuncturist is a vital member of your cancer-fighting team. She will work in concert with your oncologist, medical doctor, naturopath, dietician, and other medical professionals to create a multi-pronged approach to fight the cancer inside the body. While acupuncture cannot cure cancer, it is extremely effective at releasing the energy the body needs to feel better and more productive.
What the Professionals Are Saying About Acupuncture and Cancer Treatment
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dedicates an entire section of its website to the use of acupuncture and other alternative medicine in cancer therapies. Although there are precious few clinical studies on the effects of acupuncture on patients with cancer, the medical community is beginning to take notice. Most notably, acupuncture has been shown to be effective at reducing nausea associated with chemotherapy, boosting immunity prior to and during treatment, reducing pain that comes with the disease, relieving hot flashes, and diminishing symptoms of fatigue. In most cases, acupuncture has eliminated these symptoms all together, reduced their effects, or stopped them from getting worse.
Putting It All Together
If you have been diagnosed with any type of cancer, it is imperative that you continue to follow the treatment that your allopathic physician suggests. But if you are open to alternatives, it might be a good idea to incorporate acupuncture into your treatment plan. Since there are virtually no negative side effects associated with acupuncture, cancer patients risk nothing by trying it out.
Please call Harmony and Health Acupuncture at 602-955-5444 to begin the discussion about how acupuncture can make a difference in your cancer therapy. We’ll get on board with your other medical professionals to create a comprehensive plan of attack designed to help you feel better and get the most out of life. We look forward to meeting you soon!
