Acupuncture, anyone tried it????

[butrflies]

Couple of friends of mine truly believe in acupuncture and have suggested I do it along side of whatever treatment my doc gives. They have said that it balances your body and would help with cleaning out the toxins? I'm willing to do whatever I can to fight this disease!
I had surgery last Monday and they found 5 out of the 14 lymph nodes to have infected. Going to see my surgeon on Monday for my follow up.

Does anyone have experience with doing acupuncture before, during, or after treatment?

Thanks
Amy

[missjv]

ACUPUNCTURE IS GREAT BUT NOT WHILE ON CHEMO BECAUSE OF INFECTION CHANCE FROM NEEDLES. I WOULD DO MASSAGE THERAPY. I GO FOR A FULL BODY MASSAGE ONCE A WEEK NOW AND IT IS GREAT AND MASSAGE ALSO HELPS REMOVE TOXINS. WHEN NOT ON CHEMO THEN YES ACUPUCTURE.

MISSJV

[butrflies]

Thanks!

That makes a lot of sence and i would of never thought about it! Also thanks for responding to my post on smoking! I thought the acupuncture would help with that also. I'm just so darn confussed. i've seen info on not eating candy or sugar and i'm thinking how am i ever going to get over smoking, sucking my thumb? i want to fight this thing so i will do what i have to.

[missjv]

hi,
i know i was a smoker but that word cancer scared the crap out of me and i don't think about a cig anymore and all my smoking friends know not to come over smelling like an ashtray cause the smell makes me nauseated another good thing i can't stand the smell so that helped. really i don't even think about them anymore unless it comes up in conversation. i do however find the people where i went for chemo disgusting, while they were hooked up to chemo pumps they were outside with iv stands smoking i couldn't believe it i asked the nurses they said they can't stop them and most were old people probably figured they had been smoking so many years anyways why give up now. it just floored me to see that. anyways good luck and do massage therapy it works wonders just make sure you find a therapist who has worked with cancer patients.

missjv

[mariak]

Hi
I have 4/12 treaments left and was given acupuncture sessions as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. My chemo center actually offers it during chemo as well as reflexology etc. I opted for an independent doctor of acupunture 1 hr. per week during my on and off weeks. The needles are disposable. I noticed a tremendous difference as my nausea is at a minimum compared to barely getting out of bed for 4-5 days following treatment. I bounce back within a day. Many have also commented on my eyes being crystal clear - even those who didn't know I was going for the acupunture! I admit I was skeptical but am now a true believer and wish I started sooner! (I also consulted with my oncologist first and he was in favor of me trying it - he said many of his patients have had great success with it.)
Maria
Stage IV colon cancer

[missjv]

hi,
wow im glad it helped you! i was told to stay away from it during chemo especially with avastin and being on the coumadin and i do massage therapy once a week. i guess it all depends what each docs say. how are you with your stage 4 treatments? i am stage 4 or was my pet scan came back clean after 5 chemos but im still going to see about surgery to remove the places where the cancer was on my liver and then more chemo as precaution i hope it will work.


missjv

[maria]

I, too, had a clean PET and CT this month!! Congratulations - I know I feel blessed! My tumor preforated the colon and dripped into my stomach causing another tumor and 3/11 lymph nodes - thank God not in the liver or lungs! Right now I just want to be done with the 4 treatments left but my platelets don't always cooperate - I seem to be on a one on two off week schedule - hopefully I can kiss this cancer good bye by the new year!! I'll keep you in my prayers. Maria

[missjv]

hi maria,
sounds like you have this stuff defeated congrats! i have a spot they are calling residual cancer on my liver i guess it is scar tisssue maybe anyhow i don't trust it and i want it surgically removed. nothing glowed on the pet scan so it is not active but i know this crap pops back up and can come back to life. mine got to my liver but it was caught early. 9 months ago i had a ct scan before my hysterectomy due to endometriosis and my liver was fine so this nasty stuff just moved in to my liver within a couple of months. im just glad it was found when it was cause another few years my liver would probably been covered with the crap and it would have made for a not so good outcome but i think now i can keep it under control.


missjv

[Abby]

My husband is experiencing pain post chemo. What are people's experiences with acupunture and pain relief?

-Abby

[butrflies]

Hi all

Went for my consultation and my first session at the acupuncturist. I thought it was great.
He said that my energy in my body was very low and I don't doubt that because I'm having a hard time relaxing and taking it easy. Seems like during the day I get tired but I'm already on the go (on top of me being sick my mother has Multiple Sclerosis and is in a wheelchair and we are having a very hard time finding someone to come in and get her out of bed and dressed in the am) and at night time when I go to sleep I'm wide awake.

Anyway he put needles in my forehead, arms, ears, legs, and feet: you lay down and they turn on some soothing music. It was very relaxing and at one point I had a very strong sensation on the top of my head and tears just started flowing down my face, the acupuncturist said that is normal that I've blocked some channels in my body and the acupuncture opens them up.

I'm going back to see him in hopes to get my energy level up and my stress level down before chemo, i'm 31 and was diagnosed with stage 111c, had surgery two weeks ago and now am looking for an oncologist. I want to do whatever I can to battle this disease! My dad had colon cancer when he was 47, went to kidneys and then brain. it was 15 years ago and i know technology and medicine are different and better now but I still want to fight with whatever tools that are at my disposal.

Thanks and I hope you are all well


Thanks and I hope you are all well
amy

[Hannah]

I have had acupuncture on my shoulder (although not for cancer) and it worked very well for me. I decided to do it after my chiropractor recommended it. A friend of mine who is an orthopaedic surgeon also recommended it - he started getting acupuncture because he spends so many hours leaning over during surgery and it works for him as well.

There is no research to show that acupuncture can keep cancer from coming back or that it "cleans" your body or anything like that - but there is PLENTY of good research that shows that acupuncture can work for pain, nausea and vomiting. "In 1996, the FDA removed the 'experimental' label from acupuncture needles as medical devices. And in the following year, the NIH concluded that acupuncture is effective against nausea and some pain... and is now considered a legitimate pain-control technique." (p.183-184, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Colorectal Cancer," by my very favorite doctor, Mark Bennett Pochapin). Hey, since the FDA and NIH like it so much, maybe insurance will even pay for it!

There is good reason to skip acupuncture in case your white blood cells are low - as missjv pointed out, you are more susceptible to infections at that time. But if your blood cell counts are good, you should be able to do acupuncture. I don't know how coumadin would affect it - I'm guessing the doctor is worried about bleeding?

If you want to read more about complementary therapies, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Pochapin's book, which I actually highly recommend all the time anyway. He has a whole chapter on this, and you can buy the book at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/044669 ... 6?n=283155

Hannah