Experts claim that acupressure and acupuncture can reduce the amount of opioids people with cancer take. According to new research, the painkillers may help some cancer patients better manage their condition. They add that using these alternative medical methods can also reduce the need to prescribe medications for cancer pain. They also noted that these methods can strengthen the immune system because they heal the entire body.
Previous studies of acupuncture's effect on cancer pain showed inconsistent results, the researchers noted. The new study, drawn from biomedical databases in English and Chinese, examined randomized clinical trials. In these, researchers compare acupressure and acupuncture with analgesic therapy or other common methods of treating cancer.
The analysis showed that the two healing methods were significantly associated with reduced pain and reduced use of analgesics (painkillers), although the level of evidence was moderate. For this reason, scientists recommend more rigorous studies to identify the effects on specific types of cancer. Acupressure and acupuncture can therefore be well integrated into clinical care to reduce the consumption of opioids.
If acupuncture becomes a standard method for pain management, patients will be less likely to need opioids, or at least less high doses. So said Janet Thomson, an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist based in Oakland, California. This not only reduces drug addiction but also the side effects of opioids. This includes, for example, constipation, which can be really serious for patients.
Pain relief without pills
Nicole Glathe, a trained acupuncturist and pain management specialist in Los Angeles, has seen firsthand how acupuncture can help people with cancer.
“Doctors diagnosed my father with stage 4 glioblastoma (brain tumor) in 2017, which they successfully operated on in 2018. As he progressed quickly afterward, he began to experience increasingly severe headaches. His doctors threw every painkiller under the sun. However, acupuncture was the only thing that reduced his pain to a manageable level.”
Glathe, who is launching a clinically-backed herbal medicine platform called Elix in January, said the study could not only have a "massive" effect on treating the pain, but also illustrate how effective other forms of treatment can be .
“If a patient does not need to take additional pain medications, we have reduced the potential for side effects or additional side effects,” she said. “This is particularly important in cancer treatment as the patient generally receives high doses of chemotherapy or other harsh medications. Finding ways to manipulate the body's own methods of reducing pain will help avoid overloading the body. Acupuncture has also been shown to reduce stress and nausea, which can be of great benefit during cancer treatment. “
The research acknowledged its own limitations, including the significant diversity of subjects, the complexity of cancer, and the lack of sources of analgesics used. TheStudie ist in JAMA Oncology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association.
