Acupuncture a great help to cancer patients
AMY MINER describes acupuncture as "being a tremendous benefit" for her as she prepared for and recovered from cancer surgery. Jeannette Kojain credits it largely for her mother living two years longer than predicted, and with a good quality of life. Sue Welch sees it as playing an important role in her decision to move forward with her treatment.
The good news is that all of these people turned to acupuncture during their cancer treatments and uniformly benefited. The bad news is that they had to find their own way to the acupuncturists. Of the many physicians they saw during the course of their treatments, none referred them to acupuncture or even mentioned it as something that might help. To her credit, the Stanford University oncologist attending Kojain's mother was so impressed with the outcome of the acupuncture treatments that she called the acupuncturist to see if they could do some research.
CANCER WORKSHOP
Learn how acupuncture can ease cancer's effects:
When: 3-5 p.m. tomorrow
Where: Spalding Auditorium, UH-Manoa
Cost: Free
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The research already had been done by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, however, and on Nov. 19, one of the researchers is coming to Hawaii to talk about the results. This is an extraordinary opportunity for cancer patients and their doctors to learn how this 2,500-year-old practice can play a valuable role in the healing journey.
Amy used acupuncture for surgery preparation and saw it as helping reduce worry, boost appetite, support the immune system and increase her circulation. She describes it as "having a huge benefit in clearing my thoughts and helping me focus." After her first surgery, she spent two days in the hospital, then left in a wheelchair. After her second surgery, she left the same day and walked a mile later that afternoon. She believes that much of the difference was the result of her pre-surgery acupuncture treatments.
Jeannette recalls that her mother watched other members of the support group fall apart while she experienced no nausea, didn't lose her hair, had no problems walking, felt good, slept well and lived for more than two years after the diagnosis.
Sue experienced instant relief with the first placement of acupuncture needles in her abdomen and now goes for an acupuncture treatment after each chemo session. Her energy is up, white cell count is up, sinuses and coughing have been helped and she feels more peaceful and relaxed.
Research and experience show that acupuncture can play a significant role in supporting people going through the cancer healing journey. No cancer patient should go uninformed about the benefits of acupuncture. I urge people with cancer, their families and their doctors to attend the lecture from 3-5 p.m. tomorrow at Spalding Auditorium on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus.
The lecture is free and is the second of the monthly workshops offered by the Hawaii Cancer Lecture Series. Presented by the Turning Point Cancer Center and the UH medical school, it is co-sponsored by Kaiser, Hawaii Medical Services Association, Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii Society of Naturopaths, Hawaii State Consortium of Integrated Healthcare and Hawaii Psychological Association. For more information call 941-8253 or visit www.turningpointcancercenter.com.
Laura Crites is founder and director of the Turning Point Cancer Center.