Oncology Supportive Care Acupuncture

The providers at Life Point have training and experience that give them unique tools to effectively support oncology patients through treatment and into survivorship. We are passionate about individualized care that improves patient quality of life.

 
 

What is Supportive Care?

The National Cancer Institute defines supportive care as care given to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease. The goals of treatment are to treat as early as possible the symptoms of a disease, side effects caused by treatment, and psychological, and spiritual problems related to a disease.

Our goal is to improve your quality of life while you endure both physical and emotional trauma.

  • Surgery

  • Chemotherapy

  • Radiation

  • Diagnosis/Prognosis

  • Chronic Pain

  • Pharmacological side effects

What oncology related symptoms can acupuncture treat?

The providers at Life Point specialize in oncology care and will know the side effects that are common with the surgery, medications, infusions, and radiation treatments specific to your case. Our treatments will focus on managing:

  • Nausea and vomiting

  • Pain

  • Neuropathy

  • Fatigue

  • Brain fog / “chemo brain”

  • Anxiety and depression

  • Insomnia

  • Hot flashes and night sweats

  • Mouth ulcers and oral mucositis

  • Radiation induced dry mouth

  • Headaches

  • Constipation and diarrhea

  • Low counts, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia

  • Lymphedema

  • Trismus (lockjaw) and Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction

The Society for Integrative Oncology and ASCO also recommend acupuncture for aromatase inhibitor–related joint pain, musculoskeletal pain, and general cancer pain.

 

Other Advantages to Acupuncture

  • Improves sleep

  • Relaxes the muscles

  • Strengthens the immune system

  • Treats medication side effects

  • Speeds recovery by improving blood flow

  • Reduces inflammation

  • Improves nerve signaling in patients with nerve pain

  • Reinforcement of other supportive care strategies

  • Patient empowerment with tools for the patient to use at home

  • Natural symptom relief to reduce medication intake when appropriate

  • Individualized care

 

When is the best time to schedule your acupuncture and how often?

At your initial consult and treatment your provider will go over your diagnosis, full health history, medications, and treatment plan

The providers at Life Point recommend that their oncology patients come in weekly to manage nausea, pain, digestive issues, fatigue, and neuropathy.A treatment plan consisting of 8-12  visits is typical, but is dependent on each patient’s oncology treatment plan

Many oncology patients doing chemotherapy are given steroids with their infusion which tend to help mask the side effects. They start to feel these effects around day 3. We recommend coming in 1-2 days after your treatment to manage side effects. Patients with dose dense treatments (given every 3 weeks) should still come in weekly to manage treatment effects support their immune system.

Starting acupuncture right before or during your chemotherapy is essential to prevent chronic complications such as neuropathy. Acupuncture can also be helpful after surgery when you have been cleared by your surgeon and you feel comfortable.

Is acupuncture safe?

Acupuncture is safe when performed by trained professionals. Our practitioners all completed their Master degree in Chinese Medicine and hold an active license with the California Acupuncture Board.The practitioners and staff at Life Point vigorously adhere to Clean Needle Technique and OSHA standards. All the needles are individually packaged, single use, and sterile. Pregnant women, patients with pace makers, lymphedema or low platelet count should inform their acupuncturist before starting treatment. Every employee at Life Point has been vaccinated for COVID-19 and will wear a mask to protect their immune suppressed patients at all times.

Our goal is to provide relief with few side effects. The side effects of acupuncture are limited to bruising and a mild sensation around the site of application that will go away quickly. Most patients find the treatment so relaxing that they fall asleep. A positive result should and can be noticed after your first treatment

Life Point’s owner, Lauren Messelbeck, has been working with the cancer support groups at Hoag Hospital for 7 years and speaks at their Annual Cancer Survivorship Symposium. Her journey with cancer care began when she was 15 and her youngest brother was diagnosed with Leukemia. Her brother was treated at CHOC hospital before the Integrative Program, that she would work for 10 years later, had been founded.

Our other acupuncturist, Judith French, worked with Lauren at the Integrative Health Program at CHOC hospital. They served critically ill oncology patients in both in patient and out patient settings. Lauren and Judith still see many of these patients today at Life Point. Judith is currently an active board member for The Pink Journey Foundation in bringing supportive and alternative care options to local breast cancer patients.

You can watch Life Point’s owner, Lauren Messelbeck, discuss acupuncture’s role in supportive oncology care on Hoag Hospital’s You Tube Page.