Breast Cancer Awareness Month: How Acupuncture Can Help

Every October, breast cancer awareness takes center stage as communities band together in support of breast cancer research and fundraising for a cure. We at Evolve Acupuncture and Wellness take keen interest in cancer patients, as we know that acupuncture treatment is extremely beneficial for cancer support. Our team has been working with cancer patients for seven years, in whatever phase of treatment they happen to be in. Whether they are newly diagnosed and need symptom relief, or have completed traditional treatment and are looking to get their health back on track, holistic health care is the optimal route to take.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been helping cancer patients for thousands of years. Studies show that these methods of treatment have been useful in reducing the side effects of chemotherapy such as nausea and vomiting. Through our experiences, we also believe it to increase energy, decrease dry mouth, and relieve hormonally induced hot flashes. We aren’t discrediting conventional medicine, but believe that it can be enhanced when coupled with functional medicine therapies such as acupuncture, a personalized nutrition plan, nutritional pharmacology and botanical medicine.

While acupuncture can provide substantial relief from symptoms for breast cancer patients during treatment, it also can provide benefits for breast cancer survivors who are prescribed aromatase inhibitors, the medication used for up to ten years to protect against a relapse. These specific medications have severe side effects that cause a lot of women to stop taking them. The main side effect is joint pain, which research suggests can be alleviated through acupuncture treatment, allowing survivors to continue taking this important life-saving medication without fear of daily pain in their joints and stiffness affecting the knees, hips, hands and wrists. These are all symptoms that could potentially disrupt a person’s regular, daily routine including things as simple as sitting, walking and climbing stairs. Pain could even reach levels to where driving a car is difficult to do as well. Acupuncture proves to be a natural, non-pharmaceutical option for treating this condition, known by researchers as aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal syndrome (AIMSS), which is highly coveted as more and more health care providers are looking for alternative ways to treat patients without prescribing opioids.

When you think about how acupuncture works, how it activates specific acupoints in the body to promote natural healing, it’s no wonder it is a recommended treatment for cancer patients. If you or someone you love are going through cancer treatment, and are looking for relief from both the physical and emotional pain and suffering associated with chemotherapy or AIMSS, our practitioners are here to help.