Acupuncture found to ease pain, symptoms of cancer

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Carol Forsloff - Dr. Cyrus Loo was a man before his time, if we are to believe present research studies, in that he believed acupuncture could ease the pain of cancer patients, something now found is true. 

Loo was a dermatologist in Hawaii who studied acupuncture for decades, studied and practiced both in China and the United States, and had as his patients government officials and celebrities.  As a practitioner of acupuncture, he developed a method of applying targeted aid to specific areas through an electric needle.  The needle was less intrusive and less uncomfortable than the traditional assortment of needles placed at various parts of the body to aid energy, and he claimed more effective.  He claimed it could alleviate the pain of cancer in an interview with this journalist years ago. 

Research has recently verified Loo’s claims that acupuncture can help control a number of symptoms of cancer and its side effects that include pain, fatigue,
nausea and vomiting. 

What is acupuncture and what is involved in its use?  The procedure known as acupuncture was developed as a part of Chinese medicine about 5,000 years ago and relies about what is called energy points called qi that are meridians around the body.  Each of these meridians is associated with a different organ in the body.  Needles are placed in various junctures to aid in the flow of this qi energy, to provide healing to the sources of pain and disease.  Experts  tell us there are over 1,000 acupuncture points on the body.

Experts from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Integrative Medicine Service  have examined some of the studies related to the use of acupuncture and have begun to recommend its use for cancer patients.  They also completed a study in April of this year, examining the use of acupuncture specifically for head and neck cancer, evaluating 58 patients who were assigned to two groups, one receiving targeted acupuncture treatments and others receiving standard care.  Those receiving acupuncture treatment had a significant reduction in the symptoms associated with cancer. 

Experts also found acupuncture beneficial in the treatment of leukemia in symptom management.  It has been found especially helpful in treating nausea.  For breast cancers acupuncture has been found helpful in improving the mood of women who are involved in treatments that reduce hormone production and thereby initiate or exacerbate menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, excessive sweating and depression. 

Acupuncture, researchers emphasize, is part of the supplementary treatments for cancer and should not be confused with alternative therapies that may actually interfere with mainstream cancer treatments. 

The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) provides a list of practitioners who are nationally certified in Oriental medicine,