How Acupuncture Can Alleviate Chemotherapy Side Effects

Cancer is one of the most devastating diseases that afflicts human beings, affecting millions of people each year. Not only does the disease wreak havoc on the body, but many of its’ treatments are also harsh. One of these treatments is chemotherapy—the use of drugs to kill or shrink the cancerous cells.

Chemotherapy is notorious for the severe side effects imposes upon cancer patients. According to the American Cancer Society include fatigue, anxiety, lack of sleep, fever, nausea, and the list goes on and on. Oftentimes doctors will prescribe medicine to counteract the negative side effects of the chemotherapy, but to some this may seem counterintuitive; taking more drugs to cancel the side effects a drug is giving you. Luckily, there is an alternative treatment for chemotherapy side effects, a type of medicinal treatment that has been around for centuries—acupuncture.

How Acupuncture Works

Acupuncture is an ancient East Asian medical practice that has been around for thousands of years. It offers a less invasive method of treatment that doesn’t involve drugs, surgery, or intensive and expensive medical care.

According to Dr. Ryan Han, chiropractor and acupuncturist based out of Elgin and Palatine, “Acupuncture uses the insertion of needles at specific meridian points of the body to redirect or rebalance “qi” (the energy flow of the body). In Western terminology, Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions.”

Acupuncture treats pain and other symptoms by selecting points near nerve endings or blood vessels to promote blood flow and neuropeptides. This is a minimally invasive treatment and it promotes the body to heal itself by correcting the body’s qi instead of adding more medication to the chemotherapy regime.

In Western terminology, acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions. It treats pain and other symptoms by selecting acupuncture points near nerve endings or blood vessels to promote blood flow and neuropeptides. This is a minimally invasive treatment and it promotes the body to heal itself by correcting the body’s qi instead of adding more medication to the chemotherapy regime.

How Acupuncture Works with Chemotherapy

According to the National Cancer Institute, “Cancer patients are receptive to receiving acupuncture for symptom control. A 2018 cross-sectional study of breast cancer survivors. showed that an equal percentage of patients preferred acupuncture versus medication for pain management. The most common barriers to using acupuncture for these patients were lack of knowledge about acupuncture, concerns about lack of insurance coverage, cost, and difficulty finding qualified acupuncturists.” This alternative/complementary treatment for chemotherapy has been scientifically and medically proven to help dull the very sharp and painful side effects. Contact Dr. Ryan Han, to learn more about how acupuncture can lessen chemotherapy side effects for cancer patients.