The results of an exploratory study in the UK suggest acupuncture can help improve the quality of life for patients with lymphoedema following cancer treatment.
A total of 35 breast, head and neck cancer patients, who had been experiencing lymphoedema for three or more months following their cancer treatment, received seven individualised acupuncture treatments plus six optional additional treatments. On a self-assessed scale, patients reported significant improvements in their symptoms at four and twelve week follow-up. Additionally after acupuncture treatment, pain and vitality scores showed significant improvements.
(Assessing the Feasibility of using Acupuncture and Moxibustion to Improve Quality of Life for Cancer Survivors with Upper Body Lymphoedema. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, on-line September 2011.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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