Oncology acupuncture: cancer support, reimagined
We understand that navigating a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment is profoundly challenging, and we're here to provide professional, compassionate support tailored to your needs.
Acupuncture offers a natural approach to managing the side effects of cancer treatment. Our skilled acupuncturists use acupuncture to alleviate pain, reduce nausea, improve sleep, and boost your overall well-being.
When coupled with conventional cancer treatment options, acupuncture can provide relief from the symptoms caused by the disease and the treatment it requires to cure it. Integrating acupuncture into your oncology care plan can enhance your quality of life and support you through the physical and emotional challenges of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and other cancer treatments.
Acupuncture can address many of the concerns that often arise from cancer treatments, including:
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Stress
- Pain
- Nerve damage
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Night sweats
- Dry mouth
Acupuncture for cancer support: the research & science
Many studies have shown acupuncture to be effective and beneficial for oncology care, which is why many leading cancer hospitals like MD Anderson have acupuncturists on staff - it's THAT beneficial.
How does it work? Studies indicate that acupuncture can cause physical responses in nerve cells and parts of the brain. These responses then cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control many body functions. It is thought that this is how acupuncture affects blood pressure and body temperature, boosts immune system activity, and causes the body’s natural painkillers, such as endorphins, to be released.
Benefits of Oncology Acupuncture:
- Increased white blood cell count
- Improved immune function and faster recovery
- Overall improved quality of life
- Reduced anxiety and depression
- Increased resilience to stress
- Reduced constipation and diarrhea
- Reduced hot flashes, night sweats, and dry mouth
- Reduced inflammation
- Reduced insomnia
- Reduced fatigue
- Reduced acute and chronic pain
- Reduced nausea and vomiting
- Reduced post-operative pain
**References:
Effectiveness of Electroacupuncture or Auricular Acupuncture vs Usual Care for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Among Cancer Survivors: The PEACE Randomized Clinical Trial. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33734288/)
A phase IIA trial of acupuncture to reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy severity during neoadjuvant or adjuvant weekly paclitaxel chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30007894/)
Randomized, blinded, sham-controlled trial of acupuncture for the management of aromatase inhibitor-associated joint symptoms in women with early-stage breast cancer. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20100963/)
Acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23109700/)
You're in good hands with us
Dr. Anh Tran is the oncology acupuncturist on our team. Anh received advanced oncology acupuncture training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is a member of the Society for Integrative Oncology, and her treatments are designed to complement, not replace, traditional Western cancer care. Before joining The Point Acupuncture & Holistic Medicine, Anh practiced at UCHealth Integrative Medicine where she focused on cancer-related care.