Acupuncture is an ancient medical art which was first practiced in China more than 4700 years ago. Lately, it has begun to gain popularity in Western medicine. Western medicine has recognized that acupuncture although it is considered as a pseudoscience, has tremendous potential in pain therapy as well as an adjunctive medical treatment for cancer.
Clinical tests have shown that acupuncture has no direct effect on cancer treatment. However, it has shown potential in helping cancer treatments as a separate method. It can help alleviate pain and related symptoms, including:
- Migraines and body aches. Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment which involves highly toxic chemicals which are injected into the body. These chemicals are aimed at killing specific cancer cells. However, chemotherapy itself is a painful process for the patients. The chemicals literally eat the body’s tissues, and the body reacts by experiencing many forms of pain. Acupuncture can be used for the patient’s pain treatment, which can be separate from the chemotherapy sessions. Acupuncture can be used instead of strong drugs which has been proven to be addictive, and have physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, including paranoia and depression.
- Another side effect of chemotherapy is nausea. Although the chemicals are injected into the body, the body reacts by throwing up whatever is in the stomach. Acupuncture can be used to prevent nausea brought on by chemotherapy.
- Acupuncture has been proven to be effective as an anti-depression treatment. This has been useful for cancer patients who have gone into clinical depression. Instead of being prescribed anti-depression tablets, patients are given acupuncture treatments.
- Fatigue, weight loss, excessive sweating, loss of appetite. Acupuncture is an excellent cancer treatment which can be administered before and after chemotherapy. Among the symptoms which acupuncture can remedy include fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite. These are major symptoms of cancer.
One reason that doctors and patients like to have acupuncture into a cohesive anti-cancer strategy is the cost of the treatment. Acupuncture is cheap. Whatever amount that the patient can save by undergoing acupuncture is a big help.
There are a lot of acupuncture clinics worldwide. In the state of Victoria, searching for the acupuncture clinic Melbourne will bring you a list of accredited acupuncture practitioners. These are professionals who have years of training in the modern methods of acupuncture.
Acupuncture is not just a form of treatment involving needles. Today’s needles are single-use disposable needles in accordance with hospital biohazard rulers. The needles are inserted in established pressure points called channels, and is meant to stimulate, or block the flow of the yin and yang, in order to maintain balance in the body. There are several types of acupuncture, including disciplines which do not use needles.
The needles are inserted in the skin and this can be painful. However, depending on the skill of the practitioner, by quickly placing the needles in place the practitioner can make this part of the procedure almost painless. Once in place, the needles can by twisted, heated, tapped, plucked, shaked and trembled. The skin feels a little tingling sensation akin to a very small current of electricity coursing through the skin; a numbing effect; or distension. The placement of the needles is meant to influence a person’s qi.
Acupuncture is an ancient medical procedure which has found new following in the West. It may not be able to cure cancer, however, it provides a non-addictive way for patients to feel less pain.
