Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
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In cancer care, acupuncture is a natural way to manage symptoms without adding new drugs.
Here at MD Anderson, we offer symptom-oriented acupuncture as opposed to wellness acupuncture. This means acupuncture is used to target specific symptoms associated with cancer or cancer treatments.
Some symptoms that acupuncture can help with include:
There is also some evidence that suggests acupuncture combined with other activities and lifestyle changes can help with fatigue and improve mood.
Who is acupuncture a good fit for?
Acupuncture is a good fit for people who want to manage cancer and cancer treatment-related symptoms without adding new medications.
Before beginning acupuncture, MD Anderson patients have a consultation with an integrative medicine physician. During that appointment, you and your doctor will talk about your lifestyle and health. Then, they will determine if there is evidence that acupuncture or other treatments may be helpful in your specific case.
Patients are only referred to see an acupuncturist if research has shown that acupuncture can help their symptoms in a significant way.
Are there any patients who shouldn’t get acupuncture?
Acupuncture can generally be used alongside treatment for all types of cancer.
We have very specific safety guidelines we use to decide if it is safe to treat patients. For example, it may be unsafe to treat patients who have an extremely low white blood cell count — such as those undergoing CAR T cell therapy — or patients with unmedicated blood clots or who have trouble forming blood clots. We may also need to avoid certain body parts due to treatments like radiation.
Finally, acupuncture might not be the best choice for people who are very claustrophobic or have trouble staying still for a 20-minute session. When that’s the case, we’ll recommend online yoga classes or breathing exercises to help someone learn how to relax their body before trying acupuncture.
What happens at an acupuncture appointment?
Your first acupuncture appointment will begin with a consultation that focuses on your symptoms. We will discuss your symptoms at length and answer any questions you may have. Next, we will take a look at your tongue and feel your pulse; this part of traditional Chinese medicine helps us understand what’s going on in your body so we can customize the treatment to your specific needs.
Next, your acupuncturist will insert needles into each acupoint at a variety of depths and angles. You may be lying face up, face down or on your side.
The acupuncture process is not really painful. You may feel a little ‘zing’ when the needles go in, but after that, you don’t really feel anything. The needles are left in for about 20 minutes while you relax. Your acupuncturist is just a call away if you need anything. Then, the needles are removed, and you are free to go.
Most patients will have a course of treatment involving multiple sessions for optimal results. The number of sessions depends on the symptoms being treated and your response to the treatment. For example, many patients will see an acupuncturist once or twice a week for a total of 8 to 10 sessions before a reevaluation.
Are there any side effects or pain associated with the process?
Acupuncture is very safe. Usually, the worst adverse events I see are cosmetic, such as a little bruising and blood when the needle is taken out.
Infections from acupuncture are extremely rare.
Acupuncture during myeloma treatment Acupuncture during myeloma treatment
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2 comments
Sandra Chelnov says
last week
I have been having weekly acupuncture treatments during induction treatment for multiple myeloma. My intention has been to help my bodymind’s resilience and it certainly seems to have done the job! (I should add that I was familiar with acupuncture beforehand but did not have such regular treatments before diagnosis.
I continue to find studies showing the ability of acupuncture to manage pain, immune health, etc. And then I find MDA, one of the most conventional, aka traditional, cancer centers on earth, touting acupuncture during chemo for MM.
