Acupuncture Before Chemotherapy To Manage The Pain

For one Atlanta mother, being treated with acupuncture prior to each of her chemotherapy treatments was the key to relieving the harsh side effect of the drugs. Jennifer Tesler was diagnosed with stage 2 aggressive breast cancer and began chemotherapy. According to Tesler, the side effects of the chemo were debilitating to the point she was so sick that she spent many nights sleeping on the bathroom floor because she was simply unable to get herself off the floor.

Non-Traditional Methods Can Help Relieve Chemo Side Effects

While cancer patients receive necessary, life-saving chemotherapy treatments, they may also suffer from the serious and uncomfortable side effects that come along with those treatments. For some, the well-known nausea is ever-present and can result in loss of appetite, thus causing patients to lose important nutrients necessary in healing and in maintaining strength during chemo. For others, side effects could include a range of symptoms such as fatigue, numbness, and skin issues. There are medications that oncologists can recommend to patients for relief of many chemo side effects, and dietary recommendations are at least an attempt to increase stamina in patients, once they are ready to resume eating. But for some patients, acupuncture can provide relief for a wide range of chemo-related symptoms.

Holistic Care Is A Helpful Strategy

For Tesler, acupuncture prior to each chemo treatment worked well in relieving her unbearable symptoms. Her acupuncturist, well known Taz Bhatia, MD with Atlanta Holistic & Integrative Medicine describes her method of healing in 3 phases. Phase one involves managing chemo side effects, such as nausea with acupuncture. In phase 2, acupuncture helps to balance the nervous system, reduce pain, and relieve other issues that may appear post-treatment. And phase 3 of healing uses acupuncture to minimize stress and reduce inflammation, which, according to Bhatia work at keeping the cancer at bay.

An Integrative Approach Offers The Best Of Both Worlds

The approach taken by Bhatia is to respect what both conventional medicine and holistic methods offer cancer patients. She states that the beauty of conventional medicine should not be thrown away, and at the same time, thousands of years of Chinese medicine can help heal patients. Her ideal remedy involves a marriage of both, which makes for great care. According to Tesler, acupuncture almost instantly gave her an overall sense of well being. The days following her acupuncture treatment, she felt more energy, reduced pain and increased spirits.

Metro Detroit Acupuncture

The acupuncturists at Metro Detroit Acupuncture focus on integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Medicine to provide our patients with the perfect blend of care.

Call Metro Detroit Acupuncture at 248-432-2846 to learn more about how we approach holistic and integrative cancer care using Chinese medicine.