Cancer Management in TCM

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Realistic Approach for Cancer Management

We in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) often receive a question “Can you treat cancer?” Our answer to that common but ambiguous question is always this: Yes, we can help you have a better quality of life. However, this is the question we should ask: “Is there a place for acupuncture in the vast field of cancer with its diverse treatment modalities?”

Vast since cancer itself is not one disease but over 300 different malignancies, each with its own unique histology, pathophysiology, and clinical behaviour. Diverse because of the different chemotherapeutic classes of agents, hormonal agents, types of high-energy particle beam generators, and various delivery systems for radiation treatment. Diverse also because it encompasses various types of surgical procedures, nutritional support, and the body-mind holistic approach.

Cancer Diagnosis is usually done by modern medicine. And, before knocking on a TCM clinic’s door, most of cancer patients already went through various check-up, and chemotherapies or radiotherapies. Realistically, in Canada’s medical system, there might not be much we can do as TCM doctors to cure the cancer itself, unless we get full support from medical doctors & oncologists. However, there are something we can do so the patients can have a better quality of life as a human being.

Nausea, Vomiting, & Pain Management with Acupuncture

The dreaded nausea and vomiting which commonly occurs in some patients undergoing chemotherapy and inevitably, with the use of certain classes of agents, can often be worse than the disease itself. Most oncologists have experienced the patients who start vomiting at the thought of their next clinic visit.

At the University of Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine, a well-controlled study completed over two years ago, the authors of the published paper reported significant reduction of nausea and vomiting when pre-treated with. It is now routinely administered before, after and in between chemotherapy treatment sessions for control or nausea and emesis. Such treatments are relatively simple and easily executed in an outpatient setting. Its effectiveness helps in minimizing the use of standard, expensive multi-drug anti-nausea regimens with their attendant side effects, given along with the chemotherapeutic agents.

That acupuncture is a powerful tool for general pain control is widely known. Less known is its success use in some cancer-related pain and in reducing narcotic use and thereby minimizing the side effects confusion, disturbed mentation, behavioural changes, nausea and severe constipation.

Energetic acupuncture repletes energy level to the organism as a whole, reestablishes homeostasis by rebalancing energy distribution and unblocking energy flow. This systems approach to deal with system wide pathophysiology can be complemented by distinct meridian acupuncture, which directs healing energy to specific organ pathology and is a routine approach in treating diseased organs such as liver, pancreas kidney, including those ravaged by cancers.

Emotional Wellbeing

When it comes to emotional health, TCM could be the first choice, because we in TCM do not consider human body and mind are not separated. We look at the human beings with the psychosomatic point of view: A healthy state of mind & spirit comes with a health body, for they are together and they are all within you.