The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture can help alleviate symptoms associated with cancer and cancer treatments, as well as conditions not related to cancer.

Answering questions on the topic is Meide Liu, M.D., L.Ac., who treats about six cancer patients a day, five days a week at M. D. Anderson’s Place … of wellness.
What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine and involves inserting thin needles into points on the body to unblock energy, or qi (pronounced “chee”), to balance the yin and yang within the body (opposite forces).

[In traditional Chinese medicine, disease is diagnosed and treated based on the balance of yin and yang, or opposite forces (night and day, dark and light, cold and hot), according to the National Cancer Institute.]

Qi should move like a freeway, the way cars move in a free flow. If one car stops, other cars behind it are backed up. If people have a free flow of qi, they’re fine. If there’s a blockage, then they’re sick or have pain.

To unblock qi, acupuncturists insert needles into acupuncture points, or acupoints, along the body’s 14 major meridians (energy pathways) or 15 minor meridians. There are more than 400 acupoints in the meridian system.

How does acupuncture help cancer patients?

Acupuncture is used to treat the side effects of traditional treatment: chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Cancer patients need a physician’s referral in order to receive acupuncture. Patients also should check with their insurance company to see if acupuncture is covered.

Side effects that acupuncture addresses:

* Pain
* Nausea
* Neuropathy
* Dry mouth
* Fatigue
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Insomnia
* Hot flashes
* Diarrhea
* Constipation

Before cancer patients come to see me, I review their history; I check their white blood cell count, their platelet count and see what medicine they’re taking. At their first appointment, I find out what symptoms are bothering them. I then consider a treatment plan for them.

What symptoms do you treat most often?

The most common symptom is pain. It can be pain from cancer treatment or the disease, or pain that’s not related to the cancer. Some pain, like lower back pain, is related to the cancer, but I have treated people for unrelated back pain that they’ve had for a long time, sometimes 40 years.

Another common symptom is neuropathy (tingling, numbness or burning in the hands and feet from nerve damage), which can be caused by chemotherapy. I also see patients with dry mouth from radiation. Acupuncture has helped them a lot.

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