Acupuncture is an excellent healing modality for every aspect of cancer. Today, many people think of acupuncture for relieving back pain, quitting smoking, or easing nausea from chemotherapy. But there are many ways that acupuncture can play a key role in recovery from cancer, regardless of the course of medical treatment. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has offered acupuncture since 1999 and has documented the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments for post-operative pain as well as many lingering chemotherapy and radiation side effects. In my acupuncture clinic, I commonly see positive responses to conditions such as constipation, diarrhea, low blood counts, pain caused by incisions, neuropathy, anxiety, depression, reactions from steroids, and insomnia.
The period of time following breast cancer treatment is one of significant transition. Women are coming to the end of an extremely challenging time and often want to integrate positive self-care, such as healthy diet, exercise, and meditation. Acupuncture is an outstanding choice for healing during this time since it works on the level of the body, mind, and spirit. Many acupuncturists can make recommendations about these changes and also provide exceptional emotional support.
Choosing the right acupuncturist is key to your experience. Each practitioner has his or her own style and a good fit is essential. If you have a friend who can recommend a practitioner they see, that is a starting place. I would also recommend looking at acupuncturists’ websites and seeing what their specialties are. Each acupuncturist is unique, and it’s advisable to call several to see who has a schedule and location compatible with yours. Acupuncture is an intimate modality, and it’s important to make sure that you like your practitioner! I would also ask them about their experience working with cancer patients. You will probably learn a lot. It’s important that your practitioner be a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) and be certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). You could also inquire about any continuing education they’ve had in oncology. Don’t feel shy asking questions about their approach to treatment. Update: Women who have had surgery and other treatments for breast cancer are at risk for lymphedema, and it is important to make sure that your acupuncturist knows not to insert needles in the chest, arm, or back in the areas where lymph nodes have been removed. Current research does not show that acupuncture can prevent or treat existing lymphedema. If you start receiving acupuncture and don’t feel comfortable with your practitioner, don’t hesitate to find someone else who will better complement your recovery support team!
In my clinic, I find people to be particularly responsive to acupuncture when dealing with cancer. From the anxiety of waiting for a diagnosis, through surgical or chemical treatment, to establishing a new normal afterwards, acupuncture has much to offer. Acupuncture is widely believed to support the body’s ability to heal. Acupuncture can help clear the effects of surgeries with protocols for healing scar tissue and assisting range of motion. Update: While it is customary to avoid needling the quadrant of the body that has had lymph node removal, if a client is comfortable with it, I offer gentle acupressure can be used on the area to keep energy flowing throughout the body. Another technique that I find to be very helpful for certain clients is “cupping.” This involves the very light placement of glass or silicone cups on the body for the purpose of pain relief, detoxification, and for some clients, lymphatic drainage assistance in areas of the body that have not undergone lymph node removal. In my clinic, I never use heat or extreme suction on the cups. I commonly use this painless technique in conjunction with acupuncture after medical treatment to detoxify from medications and release tight tissue and muscle. Not every patient is a candidate for all treatments, and it is essential that treatment is tailored to your specific needs. What is most important is that your acupuncturist respects your concerns and cares about your comfort and safety.
The time following diagnosis and treatment is often a very emotional period deserving a great deal of compassion and support. Mood changes are common, including anxiety and depression — sometimes resulting in insomnia. These emotional issues respond very well to acupuncture treatments and the therapeutic relationship. At a spirit level, I see women who have experienced loss and trauma, but also possess an emerging sense of connection and a realization of support and strength. In addition, there is the gradual process of seeing oneself as being strong and resilient after having been sick or in pain.
During my treatments, I typically combine some of the researched Sloan–Kettering protocols for symptom relief (such as hot flashes, joint pain, or fatigue) with acupuncture points selected for my patients’ individual constitution. Depending on the situation, I might use a combination of needles, a TDP infrared lamp (to help circulation and release tight tissue), liniments, foot massage, aromatherapy, or whatever else seems most beneficial that day. Some people require fewer needles than others, not everyone enjoys essential oils, and not everyone responds the same way to sessions. Frequency of treatments varies between patients and stage of treatment.
From a practitioner’s perspective, the work I do with patients who are dealing with cancer is some of the most rewarding. I experience this as inspirational work, a chance to accompany women who have already faced many fears and pain. My role as an acupuncturist affords me the opportunity to help my patients rebuild, and to identify the virtues they possess that support them during this journey. The intimacy of our acupuncture sessions and the time spent is particularly helpful and nurturing. In addition to being a powerful complementary medicine, acupuncture provides patients with a unique opportunity to be known and cared for.
Have you been treated with acupuncture? What were your experiences? I welcome your comments and questions.
puce says:
Hi Dory Ellen,
I have been treated with acupuncture through my chemotherapy treatments. It helped minimize ALL side effects, including curing me to my addiction to the Ativan I was taking to sleep and relieve nausea. In trying to get back to my new normal, I have not gotten acupuncture and I really miss it (No time now that I’m better???). This has reminded me I need more.
Thank you.
doryellen57 says:
Hi, PUCE
Thanks so much for you response. I find your experience to be typical of patients going through cancer treatment. I am glad you feel inspired to go back for more acupuncture. Sometimes we feel like we need to feel acutely ill to receive care, and of course we deserve it regardless. Best wishes.
Binney4 says:
Dory Ellen, hello,
All of us who have been treated for breast cancer are at risk for lymphedema of both the hand/arm and the breast/chest — in fact, the entire affected quadrant. I understand that to be effective, acupuncture need not be done in the affected area, so I wonder why you have omitted mention of this important contraindication for all of us here at bc.org.
Cupping is a modality that may not be a risk for a normally functioning lymph system, but a careful look at the physiology involved in the development of lymphedema after breast cancer suggests that drawing blood (or risking bruising) to an area at risk is a questionable practice that could conceivably lead to the development of this distressing, disfiguring, and life-long side effect. Sub-clinical (as yet undiagnosed), early stage lymphedema is a high risk for cellulitis, and both acupuncture and cupping create a risk for that as well. So again, some mention of avoiding at least the affected quadrant(s) post-breast cancer could protect women from experiencing this challenging condition.
Thank you,
Binney
doryellen57 says:
Binney, thank you so much for your important comment. I do, in fact, only use gentle acupressure on the affected side where lymphedema is a possibility – and if a client is not comfortable with acupressure, I certainly respect that. It’s important to keep the arm and breast in the flow of energy, but to avoid the risk of puncture, bruising, or swelling that could lead to lymphedema. There are many kinds of cupping available, and certain gentle methods performed on the back or opposite quadrant can again be helpful. Thanks to you, I will be making an addition to the piece that covers the importance of avoiding lymphedema risk with acupuncture.
kira says:
doryellen, Thank you for the clarification: when axillary nodes are removed, our entire QUADRANT is at risk: arm/shoulder/breast/chest/back–so it would be best to avoid injuring any area of the affected quadrant.
As someone who got lymphedema with “just” a SNB, we’re all at risk.
Thanks
Kira
Tina337 says:
Lest we forget about our sisters who sometimes have nodes removed from a lower quadrant due to gynecological surgery/procedures, I would think it should be noted that any quadrant of the body with a compromised node area should receive the same preventive care as described above with regard to punctures and bruising. Thanks!
Lisbeth says:
Acupuncture is a huge blessing in my life and has helped enormously with fatigue and anxiety. If you’ve never tried it, you may be surprised by how supportive it feels on all levels. I’ve had almost 30 lymph nodes out on one arm but my acupuncturist simply avoids that arm and breast area — and it’s been great. There’s a vast array of side effect relief that can happen even without the involvement of the affected arm/breast area. There are so many meridian points that can be accessed all over the body that it’s not really a big deal to avoid the treatment areas – much benefit can still be obtained.
Many acupuncturists already treat breast cancer patients and are very familiar with the risks of lymph node removal — but if your acupuncturist is not familiar, usually all it takes is a simple explanation or reminder and a lot of good can still be done via the rest of your body. Try it! You may be surprised by how good it makes you feel 🙂
doryellen57 says:
Absolutely, Kira. I appreciate your reminder that it is important to take utmost care to avoid increasing anyone’s risk of lymphedema. The best recommendation is to have a talk with anyone who is doing something to your body and make sure that they are familiar with the potential risks involved and can offer alternative procedures. Also it is most important that practitioners are respectful and take these concerns seriously.
kira says:
Just wanted to also clarify that lymphedema risk occurs whenever the lymphatic system is disrupted, and that can occur without lymph node removal: infection, surgery, radiation can all cause it.
Unfortunately, many patients and practitioners are not aware of their risks.
Just the comment that cupping can promote lymphatic drainage, yet it brings more blood flow to the area and can cause bruising which tends to disrupt lymphatic flow.
In my experience with several acupuncture practitioners, their medical knowledge varied significantly.
Andrea Cheville MD of Mayo Clinic advises that the meridians be accessed outside the at risk area, and although she’s a well trained acupuncture practitioner, as well as being a professor of medicine a Mayo Clinic, she did not find acupuncture very helpful for lymphedema.
Clearly it can be quite helpful, in the right hands, for other symptoms and conditions.
A simple explanation or reminder assumes knowledge of risk, and unfortunately risk reduction behaviors are not widely disseminated amongst patients or providers.
doryellen57 says:
Lisbeth, thanks for your comment. In my years of practice, my patients have all had responses similar to yours. The bottom line is, acupuncture can be really helpful for easing many kinds of suffering that accompany each phase of cancer.
doryellen57 says:
Kira,
I wholeheartedly agree with what Dr Cheville says, that acupuncture is NOT a good treatment for lymphedema.