In Your Words

Our Cancer Patients talk about Acupuncture

Since this month’s newsletter has an emphasis on cancer treatment, we thought we’d include thoughts shared by some of our patients as a way to emphasize acupuncture’s benefits. Chinese medicine is a wonderful adjunct therapy for people undergoing chemotherapy and radiation; it’s also helpful to maintain good health after completing conventional cancer treatments. And, it can be a great support for not only the patients, but also their families. The stories from our patients and their journeys from diagnosis to treatment to recovery will show you just how helpful, and transformative, acupuncture has been for them.

“I was so happy to hear of your acupuncture services from Cornucopia House,” one patient writes.  “They suggested I try acupuncture to see if it would help the awful feelings of nausea caused by my chemotherapy treatments.”  Using acupuncture for post-chemotherapy nausea is perhaps the most common reason cancer patients seek out acupuncture.  In most cases, the treatments work immediately, giving the patient relief from the nausea as soon as the needles are inserted. “I was very surprised to find,” she says, “that even the first treatment gave relief.”  After the treatments, many people find that the severity of their nausea is decreased for several days until it finally disappears.  With ongoing treatments, patients can use acupuncture to keep post-chemo nausea to a minimum.  Other side effects of chemotherapy can also be addressed.  This same patient adds:  “I later had treatment for the pain and tingling in my toes and thumbs and found the results quite remarkable.”  

Many patients find that chemotherapy and radiation, and the battle with cancer itself, is both physically and emotionally exhausting.  Acupuncture can be a tremendous support through the ups and downs of cancer treatment.   “The difference [after acupuncture] was remarkable,” another patient writes.    “After…I started acupuncture, my weight stabilized, and I even gained a few pounds.  I was able to walk every day and I had a noticeable increase in energy after each treatment.”  It is common for our patients to state that when they compare themselves to other people going through cancer treatment, they notice that they are feeling more energetic, less emotionally drained and more connected to their healing. “I am elated,” states one patient, “to have practically breezed through a year of cancer treatment full of energy and with no problems or illness.”

Finally, the calming effects of acupuncture can be a great asset for anyone, but especially for those undergoing conventional cancer treatments.  The anxiety and grief that one experiences can be relieved by acupuncture, making the process of chemotherapy, surgery or other cancer-related procedures a little more manageable.  One patient describes that, “During my first appointment and with the insertion of the very first needle, I was shocked to discover how effectively acupuncture immediately relieved my feelings of extreme anxiety.”  Not only that, but the effects of acupuncture are cumulative and generally long-lasting.  She writes, “I love my new sense of calm as I now handle daily stressors with ease. The effects of acupuncture on my anxiety and nervousness have been increasingly long term. I’m a new person thanks to acupuncture.”  By using acupuncture in conjunction with chemotherapy, patients feel empowered knowing that the chemotherapy is treating their cancer and that the acupuncture is supporting their health as they go through it.