Tamberi, a cancer patient, only recently experienced peripheral neuropathy, for which she was prescribed acupuncture. Acupuncture is an East Asian medical practice that involves inserting needles into the skin at strategic points on the body.
Even though his neuropathy is primarily confined to his feet and toes, he enrolled in an eight-week acupuncture treatment at Fred Hutch that included needles inserted into his feet, hands, and forehead just above the bridge of his nose. Masu.
His acupuncturist, who manages the Fred Hutch Integrative Medicine Program, is Jonathan Seaman, DACM of Louisiana. He is a licensed acupuncturist with a doctorate in acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
“Many patients who complete a course of chemotherapy have lingering chemotherapy-induced neuropathy,” Shiman says. “The main complaints are numbness, tingling, and pain, and some patients are also sensitive to heat and cold.”
Tanberg said that after several sessions on the acupuncture table, during which he also took duloxetine, which is used to treat diabetic neuropathy, the numbness and pain in his feet gradually subsided. He describes it as dialing down symptoms rather than switching them off. It turned an anxious and sometimes painful condition into a “tolerable nuisance.”
“My legs are still numb, but not as bad,” he said. “I can grab my toes and feel them. After three or four weeks with Jonathan, I was able to flex my toes again. That was amazing.”
Ciman points out that there is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of acupuncture to manage symptoms of CIPN. However, he said larger, more rigorous trials are needed to support the use of acupuncture for this condition.
There is a subjective element to measuring the effectiveness of pain treatments and pain management strategies, including complementary medicine such as massage, yoga, and acupuncture. Measuring pain relies on patients reporting their experience, including how they rate their pain on a 10-point scale.
Fred Hutch Acupuncture Clinical Trial
Shiman is a co-investigator on the Fred Hutch clinical trial, led by oncologist Stacey Cohen, MD, and currently enrolling up to 56 patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of today’s standard treatments, acupuncture and acupressure (applying pressure or massage to specific acupuncture points without needles), combined with cryotherapy, the application of cold or ice to the mouth, hands, and feet. testing gender. Some patients will be assigned 12 weeks of acupuncture and self-administered acupressure and cryotherapy. Some people only receive cryotherapy.
Clinical trials like this one are conducted on that evidence and, depending on the results, can strengthen or weaken the case for the use of acupuncture in specific clinical situations.
Ciman said it’s true that the mechanism of action that explains why acupuncture works is “still not completely understood.” Some studies have shown that acupuncture reduces inflammation, improves blood flow and repairs damaged nerves. Another working hypothesis is that it stimulates natural pain-relieving chemicals (endorphins and enkephalins) produced in the brain.
“It’s unlikely to cause any harm here, and early studies have shown some benefits, but there’s no evidence to say, ‘Yes, that’s right.’ everyone You should take this to prevent or treat neurological disorders,” Ciman said. “But we know that peripheral neuropathy can be difficult to manage, and having additional tools is great for patients, so naturally we want to learn more from these studies. ”
Heather Greenlee, MD, ND, PhD, is the medical director of Fred Hutch’s Integrative Medicine Program, who uses acupuncture, the mind, and the mind to alleviate symptoms and promote overall health in cancer patients. We offer counseling on the somatic approach and the proper and safe use of nutritional supplements. There is.
“Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy has a dramatic impact on the quality of life for many patients,” said Greenlee, a senior investigator on the acupuncture trial. “The risk of peripheral neuropathy or CIPN may change the course of cancer treatment for some people. There are patients such as athletes who have
“There is no good way to predict who will develop CIPN and who will not. “I’m working on it,” she said.
