ACUPUNCTURE FOR CANCER RELATED FATIGUE
Most people expect to recover from cancer related fatigue after treatment, but it can take 6-12 months. This is because the body has to eliminate all the toxic cancer treatment AND rebuild the cells that have been destroyed in the process.
Acupuncture has been shown to assist in recovering from cancer related fatigue.
Evidence
The evidence is solid that acupuncture can improve cancer-related fatigue. Trials have shown repeatedly that people recieving a course of acupuncture treatments improve faster compared with those with no acupuncture, or a placebo.
A recent meta-analysis by Zhang (2017) examined 10 randomly controlled trials, covering 1327 patients and concluded “acupuncture is effective for CRF management and should be recommended as a beneficial alternative therapy for CRF patients, particularly breast-cancer patients and those currently undergoing anti-cancer treatment.”
Schedule
The above report also cited evidence that:
A course of 6-10 treatments was required to see benefit
Duration, frequency or length of course of treatment do not affect the result
Results seem to show patients can be flexible in their schedule of acupuncture - once, twice or even three times weekly will show similar improvements as long as 6-10 acupuncture sessions are achieved.
Clinically, improvements can be noticed after the first treatment. Improvements are intermittent or hard to pin down initially. After 3-4 treatments, functional improvements can be seen - eg. number of walks per week, distance of daily walks.
Timing
Acupuncture will assist with cancer related fatigue, whether administered during active cancer treatment, between regimes or after treatment.
Overall Strength & wellness
We now know that treating or actively managing cancer-related fatigue can improve quality of life and outcomes. Actively addressing cancer-related fatigue with acupuncture can improve:
Feelings of physical exhaustion
Energy levels and day-to-day function
Ability to exercise
Quality of sleep
Appetite
Ability to relax, and more stable emotional symptoms
Cognitive brain function - memory, decision making and emotional resilience
Zhang Y, Lin L, Li H, Hu Y, Tian L Effects of acupuncture on cancer-related fatigue: a meta-analysis Support Care Cancer (2018) 26:415–425