October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There are about 1.38 million new cases and 458 000 deaths from breast cancer each year (IARC Globocan, 2008). Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, both in the developed and developing countries.
Acupuncture can help with several issues that may occur during or after their chemotherapy sessions.
Practitioners of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine don’t purport to cure cancer, but instead, use treatment modalities to help alleviate symptoms and complement a patient’s overall cancer treatment plan. For example, acupuncture and Oriental medicine treatment can help with pain and other symptoms or secondary issues, including problems with mood, appetite, sleep, energy, and more.
Joint pain and stiffness are common side effects of aromatase inhibitor therapy, in which the synthesis of estrogen is blocked. The therapy, which is a common and effective treatment for early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women, has been shown in previous research to cause some joint pain and stiffness in half of women being treated. Among the women treated with true acupuncture, findings demonstrated that they experienced significant improvement in joint pain and stiffness over the course of the study. Pain severity declined, and overall physical well-being improved. No such improvements were reported by the women who were treated with the sham acupuncture.
For many women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, the use of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs -- either alone or with chemotherapy -- may help guard bone marrow and immune system, while improving overall quality of life. Researchers found that Chinese medicinal herb treatments showed some evidence of reducing side effects, and caused no harm to patients who were treated with them.
If you’re suffering from breast cancer that has been destroying your life, call us for help at: (703)268-5558
The Balance Art Acupuncture is conveniently located at:
450 Maple Avenue East, Suite 311, Vienna, VA 22180