Thanks to earlier diagnosis and improved treatment, more and more people are surviving for longer after a cancer diagnosis. In fact, cancer is now regarded as a chronic disease, rather than a terminal disease.
What do we mean by surviving? According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer survivorship is a focus “on the health and well-being of a person with cancer from the time of diagnosis until the end of life.”
While many are surviving for longer, this also means that many are experiencing long-term side-effects and consequences of cancer and its treatments. Some examples include chronic pain, hot flushes and night sweats, lymphedema, fatigue, and sleep disorders. Emotionally, survivors may experience fear of recurrence, anxiety, and depression. All of this may impact a survivor socially and in the workplace, leading to feelings of isolation, loss of confidence, and financial hardship.
With as little as an estimated 1-2% of cancer survivors receiving rehabilitative care, these long-term consequences can have a profound impact on one’s quality of life.
How can acupuncture help? According to Beverley de Valois, PhD, LAc, FBAcC, MBLS,
Acupuncture offers a safe, evidence-based, non-pharmacological option for managing both the physical and emotional conditions arising in cancer survivorship, often within the same treatment. This is important because many of the consequences of cancer treatment have limited options for biomedical treatment.
Additionally, many cancer survivors do not wish to take further medications, and non-pharmacological options for managing pain are especially welcome in the age of the opioid crisis. Furthermore, randomized, controlled trials have shown acupuncture to be as effective as pharmacological interventions, but with fewer side effects, less rebound effect at the end of treatment, and with longer lasting and more wide-ranging benefits.
Dr. Valois goes on to say that in over two decades of research and practice, she has heard many cancer survivors say, “Acupuncture has given me my life back.”
This blog is a synopsis of an article originally published by Acupuncture Today, titled “Acupuncture and Cancer Survivorship: The Missing Piece. The Challenges of Post-Recovery Health and the Promise of Acupuncture” by Beverley de Valois, PhD, LAc, FBAcC, MBLS. Click here to read the original article.
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