CAM and Chemotherapy Side Effects
Using Acupuncture, Antioxidants, Massage Therapy and Music
Mar 21, 2007
Chemotherapy, the major conventional medicine approach to cancer has both benefits and side effects. Sometimes the side effects are not well tolerated. How people deal with these side effects vary depending on their level of education, geographical area, gender and diagnosis. More and more they are using Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
In the most recent studies of manual therapy, energy medicine and vibrational healing approaches to dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy, many have been cautiously deemed safe and effective. Education about the potential ways to decrease or eliminate the nausea, fatigue, pain, depression, and anxiety, is a key factor in the use of CAM therapies.
"The prevalence of CAM use among cancer patients in the United States has been estimated to be between 7% and 54%. Most cancer patients use CAM with the hope of boosting the immune system, relieving pain, and controlling side effects related to disease or treatment."
Nausea
Nonpharmacological interventions that have shown some benefit in decreasing chemotherapy related nausea include therapies that reduce anxiety, music therapy, hypnosis and guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, dietary modifications, Integrative Manual Therapy, acupuncture and acupressure.
One study noted, "recent evidence in clinical research indicates that acupuncture is beneficial for chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and cancer pain. Preliminary data suggests acupuncture might be effective for chemotherapy-induced leukopenia, postchemotherapy fatigue, radiation therapy-induced xerostomia, insomnia, and anxiety. "
Fatigue
Both acupuncture, massage and healing touch may have a therapeutic role in cancer fatigue. "In a randomized, prospective, crossover intervention study, " researchers found, "Massage Therapy and Healing Touch are more effective than presence alone or standard care in reducing pain, mood disturbance, and fatigue in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy." Results from a pilot study on breast cancer suggests that Polarity Therapy may also have a positive influence on cancer-related fatigue and health-related quality of life in women undergoing radiation treatment.
Depression and Anxiety
Certainly decreasing the nausea, fatigue and the pain will lift a person's spirits. Additionally there is evidence for the effectiveness of guided imagery to manage the stress, anxiety and depression, and for the reduction of blood pressure, pain and other side effects of chemotherapy.
Music therapy, massage, and hypnosis may also have an effect on anxiety, Studies on Transcendental meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction have demonstrated a role for these practices in positively influencing a depressed mood and anxiety.
Pain
Acupuncture of the ears, therapeutic touch, and hypnosis may help manage cancer-related pain. More specifically, neuropathic pain or pain resulting from the effect of the chemotherapy on the nerves, has been decreased by manual therapies, acupuncture, magnetic therapy, and yoga.
Antioxidants
The use of nutritional supplements and especially antioxidants has been controversial in conjunction with cancer-related treatments. A large 2007 study looked at 280 peer-reviewed articles. Investigators found, 50 human clinical randomized or observational trials have been conducted, involving 8,521 patients using beta-carotene; vitamins A, C, and E; selenium; cysteine; B vitamins; vitamin D3; vitamin K3; and glutathione as single agents or in combination. The researchers concluded, that the studies "have consistently shown that non-prescription antioxidants and other nutrients do not interfere with therapeutic modalities for cancer. Furthermore, they enhance the therapeutic modalities for cancer, decrease their side effects, and protect normal tissue. In 15 human studies, 3,738 patients who took non-prescription antioxidants and other nutrients actually had increased survival."
