Myeloma- Acupuncture For Pain

Researchers find acupuncture effective for assisting in the restoration of mobility and reductions in both (MM bone) pain and inflammation…”

Are the benefits of acupuncture for pain real? Multiple Myeloma side effects certainly are real. Conventional oncology relies on a concept called “evidence-based medicine.” While the concept is great, proving a therapy is evidence-based is sometimes difficult.

As the article below points out, oncology doesn’t consider acupuncture evidence-based in a fashion they are comfortable with. But if you have collateral damage aka side-effects caused by chemotherapy, acupuncture may ease your side effects. Further, if you do experience side effects, pain, nausea, etc. from chemo, you will want to learn how to treat them- whether “evidence-based” or not.

Most importantly, MMers face a host of different sorts of side effects and symptoms caused both by their cancer as well as the therapy for that cancer.

Collateral damage aka side-effects from conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation are real. Non-conventional therapies such as acupuncture to treat side effects are real.

I underwent about six months of acupunture in an attempt to relieve my chronic xerostomis aka dry mouth caused by local radiation to my fifth cervical vertibra. I no longer suffer from xerostomia.

I underwent another six months of acupuncture in hopes of managing the my radiation-induced lumbosacral plexopathy (RILP). I have stayed out of a wheelchair but my leg weakness is progressive.

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Thank you

David Emerson

MM Survivor
MM Cancer Coach
Director PeopleBeatingCancer

Knowledge Mapping of Acupuncture for Cancer Pain: A Scientometric Analysis (2000–2019)

“This study aimed to demonstrate the state of the present situation and trends concerning the global use of acupuncture for cancer pain in the past 20 years…

Results: Yearly output has increased year by year, and the growth rate has become faster after 2012. According to the cluster analysis of institutions, authors, cited references, and keywords, 4, 4, 15, and 14 categories were obtained, respectively.

The most productive countries, institutions, and authors are the USA, Mem Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Mao JJ, whose frequencies are 196, 24, and 17, respectively. However, the most important of them are Australia, Univ. Maryland, and Bao T, owing to their highest centrality, they are 0.90, 0.21, and 0.09 separately.

Keywords such as acupuncture, pain, breast cancer, palliative care, and quality of life are the most frequently used. But auricular acupuncture is the crucial keyword.

In the cluster analysis of institutions, authors, cited references, and keywords, the more convincing research categories are multiple myeloma, placebo effect, neck malignancies, and early breast cancer, with S values of 0.990, 0.991, 0.990, and 0.923, respectively. Therefore, they can be regarded as research hotspots in this field…”

Acupuncture Promotes Bone Fracture Recovery

“Acupuncture promotes the healing of bone fractures. Two independent investigations confirm that the addition of acupuncture to usual care protocols increases positive patient outcomes rates. Researchers find acupuncture effective for assisting in the restoration of mobility and reductions in both pain and inflammation…”

Acupuncture, Real or Not, Eases Side Effects of Cancer Drugs

“Both acupuncture and sham acupuncture were effective in reducing menopausal symptoms in women being treated with aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer, a small randomized trial found. Joint and muscle pain, hot flashes and night sweats are common side effects of those estrogen-lowering drugs…

Patient-reported symptoms, especially hot flashes, improved significantly after both sham and real treatment. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.”

Questions and Answers About Acupuncture

“The oldest known medical book in China (second century BC) describes the use of needles to treat medical problems. The use of the treatment spread to other Asian countries and to other regions of the world, including to Europe by the 1700s. In the United States, acupuncture has been used for about 200 years…”

Acupuncture Associated With Pain Reduction in Cancer Patients

“Acupuncture and acupressure may reduce pain in cancer patients and help decrease use of pain drugs, including opioids, according to new findings.

A systematic review of 17 randomized clinical trials and a meta-analysis of 14 trials found a significant association between real acupuncture, as compared to sham acupuncture, and a reduction in pain.

In addition, acupuncture was associated with less use of analgesics.

Overall, the evidence level was “moderate,” say the authors.

“Cancer pain is inadequately managed clinically due to limited and effective therapeutic options,” explained study author Charlie Changli Xue, PhD, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. “This study demonstrated that acupuncture and acupressure should be considered as an option in clinical setting, particularly when pharmacotherapy alone has not offered adequate relief.”

Acupuncture and acupressure should be better integrated into practice guidelines for patients with cancer pain, he told Medscape Medical News.“Acupuncture/acupressure can be delivered by doctors with adequate acupuncture training or qualified acupuncturists accredited by regulatory bodies or members of reputable professional associations,” he said.

The study was published online December 19 in JAMA Oncology.

More than 70% of patients with cancer experience pain, but it is inadequately controlled in nearly half of patients, note the authors. The current opioid crisis in the United States has exacerbated challenges in pain management, and there has been an increasing interest in nonpharmacologic interventions to relieve pain. Both the American Society for Clinical Oncology and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network have recommended the use of nonpharmacologic methods for managing pain, including acupuncture, despite inconsistent results in studies.

The authors point out that although 20 systematic reviews have established an association between acupuncture and cancer pain relief, none reached a definitive conclusion. But more recent rigorous randomized clinical trials were not included in previous systematic reviews.

Reduction in Pain

In this study, Xue and colleagues conducted an analysis of published randomized clinical trials in order to evaluate the relationship between acupuncture and acupressure and pain reduction in cancer patients.

A total of 17 randomized trials were included in the systematic review or qualitative synthesis. Of these, results of 14 studies, which included 920 patients, were pooled through a meta-analysis. The studies were conducted globally; seven (41%) were conducted in China, six (35%) in the United States, and one (6%) each in Australia, Brazil, France, and Korea…”

Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission

Myeloma- Acupuncture For Pain

Researchers find acupuncture effective for assisting in the restoration of mobility and reductions in both (MM bone) pain and inflammation…”

Recommended Reading:

Knowledge Mapping of Acupuncture for Cancer Pain: A Scientometric Analysis (2000–2019)

Acupuncture Promotes Bone Fracture Recovery

Acupuncture, Real or Not, Eases Side Effects of Cancer Drugs

Questions and Answers About Acupuncture

Acupuncture Associated With Pain Reduction in Cancer Patients

Reduction in Pain

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