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Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices from traditional Chinese Medicine have been used for thousands of years. Their use, along with traditional treatments for cancer, have become increasingly mainstream and popular.
Of all these CAM treatments, acupuncture is the most common, especially for those suffering from mesothelioma.
Though there is no proof showing the CAM in any way treats cancer, it has been shown that it can help to alleviate associated symptoms, ultimately contributing to a better quality of life for cancer patients.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), acupuncture is a technique that has been used to help rebalance energy throughout the body along specific paths. Practitioners use acupuncture to stimulate various points on the body by inserting thin needles into the skin at various pressure points.
Western medicine looks at acupuncture as working through a different manner: the stimulation of nerves, connective tissues, and muscles, which helps to stimulate both blood flow and the flow of chemicals in the body. The most commonly treated symptom via acupuncture is pain.
Since pain is a common issue with mesothelioma, both from the tumors and from the treatments that you must undertake, numerous studies have found that acupuncture can reduce pain for most patients. There has been other strong evidence showing that acupuncture treatment may be responsible for reducing chemotherapy-related nausea, fatigue, and dry mouth.
Additionally, many mesothelioma patients experience feelings of anxiety and depression, which can greatly affect one’s ability to sleep normally. Some studies have shown that acupuncture helped patients to feel more relaxed, thus enabling them to get better sleep after receiving the treatment technique.
These practices are becoming much more mainstream in Western medicine, when used in conjunction with traditional practices, that today some cancer treatment facilities actually have acupuncture practitioners on staff.
Like any medical treatment, acupuncture can have some side effects. These side effects may include minor bleeding or bruising, and/or soreness where the needles were inserted. However, when it is performed by a well-trained and experienced practitioner, who uses single-use sterile needles, it has been widely regarded as a safe practice.
The full effects of acupuncture on the human brain are still being discovered, and we are only beginning to understand how to best measure its results. Current evidence shows us that there are many different factors that go into how acupuncture fully works – including expectation and belief, as the power of the mind can be extraordinary. These beliefs can play a major role in its effects on pain management and relief.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, it may feel hopeless and overwhelming. The Pennsylvania mesothelioma lawyers At Brookman, Rosenberg, Brown & Sandler care about our clients and the issues that they are facing. For a free consultation, contact us online or call us at 215-569-4000 today. We help clients in Delaware County, Chester County, and Philadelphia County, across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.