Accupuncture

calli66

Has anyone had any experience with accupuncture during treatments? Is it helpful with the nausea at all?

Hood1980

I have not had any experience with accupuncture, but have considered it for helping control hot flashes.  Does anyone have any experience with it and can tell us if it worked for you?

tkone

I can't speak to nausea specifically, but after my first chemo, I had such terrible bone pain from the Neulasta that I decided I would do whatever it took to make it go away.  I decided to try acupuncture (something I had never done before).  I went the day after each subsequent chemo after that and the bone pain diminished significantly.  I was very happy with the results.

After chemo once I was in full blown chemopause, I decided to try it again for hot flashes and night sweats.  As a side note, I have Restless Leg Syndrome which gets worse when I am tired and waking up several times a night from night sweats wasn't helping at all.

It did not make my hot flashes go away, but they did diminish and the Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms dropped by quite a bit as well.  It's not a perfect thing, and it certainly depends on who you go to see, but I say get some recommendations from friends or doctors if you can, find someone you trust, tell them everything you can about yourself and see if it helps. 

Acupuncture doesn't hurt, is safe (make sure they are using disposable needles) and at bare minimum, you get to relax for an hour which is always helpful when you are going through treatment or any other type of stress.

Best of luck.

Tracy 

Roninpt

Hi there - I have had acupuncture during both chemo experiences.  I found it very helpful with  fatigue, easing stomach distress, and also with hot flashes.  It also helped to normalize my blood pressure.  I usually had treatment 2 days or so after chemo, but the best thing to do would be to find an acupuncturist with experience with treating people on chemo - each person is different so the timeline may be different for you.  Acupuncture is all about bringing the body back into balance, and I found it to be very helpful for that.  Make sure that the acupuncturist is licensed, and that they use new needles.  The needles do not go deep, and there is really no pain, especially compared to what we are all used to. Good luck!

joyner1963

Hey there,

I  have used acupuncture prior to my BC diagnosis on Sept 29, 2009.  Now, I receive acupuncture treatments once per week since my chemo began on Oct 19th.  I think it has helped my nausea as well as my overall well being.  I am now experimenting with the timing of the acupuncture. For instance, I have received acupuncture one day prior to chemo with very good results.  I have also received chemo one day after chemo with good results. So, now it's a matter of trying to find the best use of the acupuncture to reduce the nause I have after the first several days of chemo.  I have chemo every three weeks, but I still get acupuncture every week to try and continue thebenefits it offers.   My acupuncture doctor places a different needle for each organ he is trying to strengthen.  Example: a needle for pancreas, a needle for kidneys, a needle for large intestine, etc.    And, a needle goes in each hand between the thumb and second finger for nausea relief.

Please let me know if you would like more details.  I am glad to help .

Hood1980

Thanks for the info on accupuncture and nausea joyner!  Do you have any experience with it helping to alleviate hot flashes?

joyner1963

Hey there,

So far, I have not had any hot flashes that needed treatment. However, my acupuncturist treats a lot of women for  hormonal issues, fertitility and anything related to womens health issues.

The first time I ever went to him, it was to aleviate the fatigue from Epstein Barr Virus. It  worked, and I was symptom free in  a few months.  I went to him as a last resort.  So, if you can find a good D.A. {Doctor of Acupuncture}, it would probably be worth the money to try.  

Dr.Michael J.Neeley is my acupuncturist. If you would like to email him and get advice, he will give it to you free of charge, right here in good ol' Huntsville, Alabama.  Just let me know if you would like his contact info.

Georgia Joyner

gardengirl42

Hi all,

I had a bilateral mastectomy 11/18.  I've been getting acupuncture for the last eight years -mainly to keep me healthy (and with the exception of BC - I have the gene- it has helped a lot) - and so I continued it during my chemo and surgery time.  It helped me keep going emotionally as I always feel more balanced and able to handle things after an acupuncture treatment.  I had virtually no problems with nausea (though I think that's partly just my luck too because I don't think nausea seemed to be my tendency) during chemo and had no complications during my chemo time.  I was able to keep working, just slowed down a little.  It definitely has helped with my hot flashes (chemo threw me into menopause in August).  They've gone from waking me up drenched to mild warm waves that hit from time to time.

 I have to add that I am an acupuncturist by profession.  That doesn't mean I advocate it for everything nor that I believe in it blindly.  It's not a cure-all and it works best when you're willing to make small life-style changes along with treatment.  I will say that I have quite a number of patients who come for hot flashes and it's one of the things I have the most consistently successful results with.  It's generally one of the easier symptoms to affect.  As for how often?  In terms of hot flashes, it doesn't generally take long but it's not a one-shot deal.  Many patients come for several treatments a week apart (say 2-3) and then space to maybe 2-3 treatments several weeks apart and then as needed (every couple of months or seasonally).  Relief from hot flashes usually begins with the first treatment or two but is cumulative and best relief is often after 5 or 6.  Then it's just maintenance. Hope that helps.   

Hood1980

Thank you GardenGirl!  I wish I lived near you!  I understand that the is key to find a good acupuncturist for the treatment you are seeking.