Cancer Care

Boost Your Immunity

Total Wellness Centre believes that patients should learn about all medical options available to them to make informed decisions. Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been used to help build a stronger immune system for generations. As an adjunct treatment, acupuncture and TCM can help speed your recovery from various ailments, including cancer and cancer treatments. As a stand-alone treatment for various ailments, including pain associated with cancer, acupuncture and TCM are very effective.

Nausea from Chemotherapy and Post-Operative Nausea

The various drug cocktails used in Chemotherapy are harsh and can have long term side effects. Let acupuncture and TCM help you with nausea associated with Chemotherapy, stress and fatigue associated with Chemotherapy, a compromised immune system due to Chemotherapy and other unwanted acute or chronic side effects of cancer treatment.

It is estimated that roughly a quarter of all people who undergo major surgery experience retching and illness afterward, usually brought on by anesthesia. Researchers at Duke University have shown that acupuncture is far more effective for postoperative sickness and vomiting in a group of subjects than Zofran, a widely used antinausea drug. In addition, acupuncture has no side-effects while pharmaceuticals can often cause severe headaches and cramps and many patients are reluctant to take them.

The following studies assess the efficacy of acupuncture in treating nausea.

Good clinical evidence has been reported for the effect of PC6 acupuncture in preventing or attenuating postoperative and pregnancy related nausea. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether PC6 acupuncture during a period of chemotherapy could complement pharmacological treatment of nausea in cancer patients in the palliative stage of their disease. The patients underwent 10 treatment sessions with PC6 acupuncture over the course of three weeks, and at two follow ups during the following week. Compared to before treatment, the patients scored a significantly reduced intensity of nausea before the last treatment session (P<0.01) and at the first follow up (P<0.05). The study demonstrated that acupuncture treatment in cancer patients can be associated with a significantly reduced intensity of nausea during a period of chemotherapy in their final phase of life.¹

This study was performed in 100 consecutive metastatic solid tumour patients, who underwent chemotherapy for their advanced neoplastic disease, and who had no benefit from the standard antiemetic agents, including corticosteroids, antidopaminergics and 5-HT 3R-antagonists. Acupressure was made by a stimulation of PC6 acupoint. The emetic symptomatology was reduced by acupressure in 68/100 (68%) patients, without significant differences in relation to tumour histotype. This study confirms previous preliminary clinical results, which had already suggested the potential efficacy of acupressure in the treatment of vomiting due to cancer chemotherapy. Therefore, acupressure may be successfully included within the therapeutic strategies of cancer chemotherapy-induced vomiting.²

This study evaluated the efficacy of electro-acupoint stimulation versus ondansetron (Zofran) versus placebo for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Patients undergoing major breast surgery under general anesthesia were randomized into active electro-acupoint stimulation (A), ondansetron 4 mg IV (O), or sham control (placement of electrodes without electro-acupoint stimulation; placebo [P]). The complete response (no nausea, vomiting, or use of rescue antiemetic) was significantly more frequent in the active treatment groups compared with placebo both at 2 hours postoperatively and at 24 hours postoperatively. The need for rescue antiemetic was less in the treatment groups. Specifically, the incidence and severity of nausea were significantly less in the A group compared with the other groups, and in the O group compared with the P group. The A group experienced less pain in the postanesthesia care unit, compared with the O and P groups. Patients in the treatment groups were more satisfied with their management of PONV compared with placebo. When used for the prevention of PONV, electro-acupoint stimulation or ondansetron was more effective than placebo with greater degree of patient satisfaction, but electro-acupoint stimulation seems to be more effective in controlling nausea, compared with ondansetron. Stimulation at P6 also has analgesic effects.³

IMPLICATIONS: Electro-acupoint stimulation or ondansetron is more effective than placebo for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting but electro-acupoint stimulation is more effective in controlling nausea. Stimulation at P6 has analgesic effects.

Other studies are available, please ask us for further reading.

Fertility and Cancer Treatments

Often patients who have overcome cancer have trouble conceiving a child. This can be due to the treatment or to the cancer itself. Total Wellness Centre specializes in both male and female fertility treatments, including those fertility disorders caused by cancer. Please browse our fertility pages and studies for further information.

References

1. Nystrom E, Ridderstrom G, Leffler AS. Manual acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment of nausea in patients with cancer in palliative care - a prospective, observational pilot study. Acupunct Med. 2008 Mar;26(1):27-32.

2. Gardani G, Cerrone R, Biella C, Galbiati G, Proserpio E, Casiraghi M, Arnoffi J, Meregalli M, Trabattoni P, Dapretto E, Giani L, Messina G, Lissoni P. A progress study of 100 cancer patients treated by acupressure for chemotherapy-induced vomiting after failure with the pharmacological approach, Minerva Med. 2007 Dec;98(6):665-8.

3. Tong J. Gan, MB FRCA, FFARCS(I), Licentiate in Acupuncture, Kui Ran Jiao, MD, Michael Zenn, MD, and Gregory Georgiade, MD. A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Electro-Acupoint Stimulation or Ondansetron Versus Placebo for the Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Anesth Analg 2004;99:1070-1075.