Hi
I had acupuncture for a neck problem (NHS physio) some time ago which worked well. Now that I’m on letrolzole/femara and suffering a bit from the stiff and sore joints I went back and asked if I could have another few sessions but was advised that acupuncture is contraindicated in all but late stage cancer as they are not sure what effects it can have.
I’ve had a look around the research sites but can only see that it seems to work well and can’t see anything about concerns over the safety of it.
Anyone know or heard anything about this. Or if anyone is trying acupuncture for the pain/stiffness - is it working?
Hi I had accupuncture to help with the hot flushes and found it worked well. I had it at a holistic cancer centre. My oncologist new about it as did the radiologist and were interested to see if it helped but didn’t seem bothered otherwise.
Hope this helps.
I suspect it was not that they thought it would not help, but wether they could justify the cost.
what you need is a reputable chinese accupuncture practicioner. preferably one that the national health use, not because you they will pay, but because they have checked him out. some physiotherapists have learned a bit of accupuncture but are not necesserily trained in all aspects.
I am using one to help me build up strenght for my radiation sessions and to cope with the side effects, I will go back to him when is start tamaxifan if i get side effects there too,
i discussed the lymphodemia thing with my accupuncturist and he said there are a couple of paths that he avoids just incase there is a risk of lymphodemia, but not the whole side of the body. He knows enough to avoid area that would normally be controlled by the lymph nodes
Thanks for all the responses.
Norberte, you’re right that she seemed concerned that lymphodema would be a problem but I did advise that as I had a sentinel node biopsy and clear nodes then that shou;dn’t be an issue.
OAL - I think it shouldn’t be a case of cost, as I work for the NHS, physio was through Occ Health and they’re supposed to help to keep staff working. More of this pain stuff and I’ll be needing a few days off.
I’ve looked again at current research and can’t see anything significant suggesting it is a problem. I’ll speak with onc this afternoon to see what he says. If there’s any more problems then I’ll consider going outside the NHS.
sorry i misunderstood. I did not realise there was a full accupunturist at your hospital who could do everything. I got the impression they had trained the staff in certain proceedures and to do joint pain they would have to pay for them to get more training.
Hi
I have exstensive bone mets and had acupunture as pain relief.My onc was quite happy about it (I also have a mass in the axilla)but said I would have to stop treatment when I started chemo.Lady who did my treatment said it would also help with chemo side effects.I did not have too many se’s,but would be impossible to say whether that was due to the acqupunture or not.I am also now suffering from femera related aches and pains as well as bone pain and would happliy have more acupunture but cannot afford it.Last time it was paid for by a cancer charity but I have moved and changed hospitals.
Hi Lucinda
Although I’m an NHS employee and was having it done through Occ Health, I also had it through NHS previously. I thought you’d be able to get this. I’ve been reading a bit about how it can help with chemo-related nausea and even hot flushes as well as the joint stiffness and pain.
S
OAL
Thanks again. I think you may be right first time, she’s a qualified physio who does acupuncture but she definitely didn’t seem confident in doing it with me now that I’ve had the BC diagnosis. Maybe a more qualified person may be more informed.
S
I had acupuncture to try to keep my white count up during my second round of chemo - during the first (6xFEC) every treatent had to be delayed due to this. So when I had to have it again (this time tax) I had the acu because I really didn’t want any more delays. I don’t know whether it was the acu or not but my white count was absolutely fine during the whole 6 treatments. I didn’t have it after tax #6 and the se’s were much worse then too. So I’m in favour. When I was having chemo she used acupressure rather than needles to avoid any infection risk.
my guy says he can definatly help with hot flushes, wether brought on by menopause or by hormone therapy. it is so hard to choose a good practicioner, anyone can learn to pop a few needles in for a specific problem but it takes years of training to understand the whole body.
My guy worked in a pain clinic at St Barts, so i thought if the NHS used him then he was probably ok.
Thanks again, I’m thinking outside the NHS is the way to go. Looked more but still can’t see any convincing evidence against it. Onc mentioned it may be a case of them avoiding it in case cancer comes back and then I blame the acupuncture. Sheesh! More likely the vast mountain of painkillers that I’d need to take instead.
s
I have acupuncture every two weeks soon to be every month and it has really helped. I had severe tension?/stiffness two months after taking tamoxifen, no energy, etc and acupuncture has really helped me. It may be a placebo effect but combined with regular exercise and healthy diet I feel much improved.
I use a fully qualified Chinese practitioner, I have mentioned to my doctor and oncologist and they seem fine about it - I had a mastectomy and sentinel node op and just don’t have any needles in that arm.
I was about to start having accupuncture, on my lower back, the day after my breast cancer diagnosis.
So I went along and told the therapist about this and she advised not to have it until after treatment. She also said that the problems with my back could be down to the cancer. Is this true? I’ve since had a mastectomy and SNB, where my consultant said he was extremely confident that he’d got it all and it hadn’t spread to the lymph glands. I didn’t mention what the accupunturist had said (well, to be honest, I forgot lol).Does anyone think I should tell someone, and is it relevant to treatment? I’m starting chemo after my wedding at the beginning of August,. I do have to admit that my back hasn’t been as bad since the op!!!