For people diagnosed with cancer, chemotherapy can be seen as one of the lifesavers. This is because it destroys cancer cells by stopping their growth and multiplication. Unfortunately those medicines do not only kill the cancer cells but also damage some healthy cells. These are called the side effects of chemotherapy. Common side effects of chemotherapy include: fatigue, weak immunity, infection, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, no appetite, pain and poor circulation.
Within these side effects, according to American Cancer Society News, “Nausea and vomiting are major concerns for patients,” says Joannie Shen MD, MPH, the lead author and a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. There are many kinds of medications to stop or reduce the nausea and vomiting to help the chemo patients. “But there are still patients who, no matter what you do, will have nausea and vomiting,” says John Glaspy, MD, MPH, an oncologist at UCLA Johnson Cancer Center. He says electroacupuncture could help those patients.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), nausea and vomiting are seen as stomach qi (the energy in your body) going up which opposes its normal way of going down. There are many different reasons to cause these same symptoms, even they all come from chemotherapy. It could be caused by too strong or weak liver, stomach, intestine, lung qi. TCM sees and treat each patient differently. It depends on each patient’s general and special health situations which reflect on many daily life habits such as what you like to eat, drink, and bowel movements. Acupuncture can reduce the nausea and vomiting improving and restoring the balance of your body.
To learn more information, please call our office at 661-298-9298, or the Sui Zhao cell phone at 661-886-9326 or Amy Lee at 909-979-0249.