Post Cancer treatment – Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy

In the past five year’s western medicine has made significant breakthroughs in treating cancer and new, highly targeted treatments are emerging, but still the majority of cases are treated in the traditional way with surgery, chemotherapy and or radiotherapy which can leave the patient feeling very depleted and with a range of unpleasant side effects.

Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of the body grow and reproduce uncontrollably. The cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue, including organs.  Cancer sometimes begins in one part of the body before spreading to other areas. This process is known as metastasis.  More than 1 in 3 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. There are more than 200 different types of cancer, and each is diagnosed and treated in a particular way. Although the precise cause of most cancers is unknown there are indicators which suggest that a healthy and balanced lifestyle may be a factor in preventing many cancers.

As well as killing cancer cells, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can damage some healthy cells in the body, such as blood cells, skin cells and cells in the stomach.  This can leave the patient feeling very depleted and with a range of unpleasant side effects, such as: feeling tired most of the time, feeling sick and vomiting, hair loss, an increased risk of picking up infections, a sore mouth, dry, sore or itchy skin, diarrhoea or constipation. 

Although there are many stories of miracle cures from holistic treatments, these are the exceptions.  Whilst we would not promote the suggestion that acupuncture can cure cancer, it can significantly improve the patient’s quality of life during and after treatment by helping to manage the symptoms, and keep them in the best possible health to deal with life after treatment. A lot has been learned about the importance of a positive mental outlook in terms of both quality of life, and longevity, and in feeding the spirit of the patient, acupuncture can provide emotional support in a way that a purely physical treatment might not.