Cancer- Adjuvant therapy for cancer and ways to improve side effects.

Cancer- Adjuvant therapy and ways to improve side effects.

In addition to pain relief, improving the side effects of cancer treatment is currently the most essential area of ​​acupuncture treatment.

According to the 2018 global cancer statistics released by the American Cancer Society (ACS), a total of 185 countries were evaluated, and it is estimated that there are 18.1 million new cases in a year worldwide. With the rapid development of medical treatment, many cancers can become chronic diseases or effectively prolong survival time. However, the side effects of drug treatment are still unbearable, such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and pain, which may even cause patients to stop treatment. 

At this time, acupuncture can come in handy.

For example, the drug of breast cancer. This type of drug can reduce the level of estrogen in the body. Taking it continuously for 5 to 10 years can reduce the recurrence rate of breast cancer, but the side effect is to cause severe pain similar to arthritis. More than half of women are therefore Discontinuing the course of treatment.

However, Dawn Hershman, a scientist at Columbia University in the United States, recruited 226 women suffering from different cancers in 11 centers in the United States and found that acupuncture can significantly reduce the pain of breast cancer women receiving hormone therapy, thereby helping patients maintain treatment, improve survival, the study was published at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Included in regular medical programs Most American cancer centers provide acupuncture services.

In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three patients uses complementary therapies, including yoga, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutritional supplements. Therefore, as early as 1997, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States pointed out that acupuncture can relieve nausea, vomiting, pain, and other side effects of radiation and chemotherapy, and it is pretty safe, so it should be included in regular medical programs. So far, almost all cancer centers in the United States have set up complementary therapy centers and provide acupuncture services.

Acupuncture during radiotherapy and chemotherapy will not interfere with the course of treatment, and acupuncture can replenish qi and activate blood, which can help improve the soreness and numbness of fingers and toes after radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

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