Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Cancer Patients
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which has been around for thousands of years is gaining impact in the western world as evidence shows that it can be of benefit to those suffering from cancer. Both acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been shown to lessen many of the unfortunate side effects of both radiation and chemotherapy.
The American Cancer Society recognizes the value of acupuncture and how it can seek to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. According to its website, “Acupuncture is an effective treatment for nausea caused by chemotherapy drugs and surgical anesthesia.” (http://www.cancer.org). A recent study found that acupuncture was instrumental in decreasing the level of pain suffered by patients with advanced cancer by 36 percent.
Acupuncture as a form of complementary medicine has been used for a number of years in the United States as a method of treating chronic muscle pain. It has only been in recent years that the medical community has come to see how valuable it can be to treat other forms of pain. For example, acupuncture shown promise in helping patients suffering from advanced breast cancer as well as lung cancer patients who have problems breathing.
Acupuncture is particularly useful for those who suffer from intractable pain (pain that cannot be easily managed) as opposed to acute pain. Many hospitals have trained acupuncturists on staff who are there to provide treatments for cancer patients and answer any questions they might have.
Just as acupuncture is revealing that it can be beneficial for alleviating pain in those who suffer from cancer, so is Chinese herbs. A selection of Chinese herbs can relieve nausea in patients after they have received chemotherapy. Some cancer patients cannot be administered analgesic drugs and therefore can be helped by a combination of both acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
It is the principle of Fu Zheng Gu Ben that guides the use of Chinese herbs to assist cancer patients. Chinese Medicine seeks to improve imbalances in the body and to increase blood flow and energy. In the Chinese discipline “Fu Zheng” means to strengthen what needs to be corrected while “Gu Ben” stands for regeneration and repair of the body.
In order to help cancer patients live as pain free as possible, the goal of the practitioner is to attack the cancer cells but also to bring harmony to the sufferer. There are herbs given to reduce stagnation, as well as those given to balance and strengthen the body, and finally, those that look for the cause of the problem and seek to prevent it from coming back.
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