Acupuncture in Cancer Support

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

In most western countries, it is illegal to claim that acupuncture

can treat cancer. However, it is legal to claim that it can support

health / alleviate some symptoms of cancer.

 

As regards acupuncture in cancer, my translation of Chinese data on

http://tinyurl.com/6ap28e says:

 

oesophagus cancer: CV17, CV16, CV14, CV22, BL17, BL22, Pigen

 

ST cancer: CV12 through CV13, BL20, BL21, LU10, PC06

 

LU cancer: BL25, BL13, LU10, CV17

 

LV cancer: LV03 through KI01, Pigen, BL18, BL18

 

rectum cancer: SP06, BL25, BL13, CV04 through CV03, BL26

 

cervix cancer: CV04 through CV03, SP10, ST36, SP06 through GB39 +/-

BL23 through Pigen

 

nasopharyngeal carcinoma: LI11, LI04, BL13, LU10, SJ03, SI05

 

breast cancer: PC07, LU10, LI04, BL13, ST36

 

lymphosarcoma, lymphatic metastatic cancer: BL13, LU10, ST36, BL22,

LI11

 

brain malignant cancer: BL37, LI04, BL60 through KI03, KI01

 

myeloid leukemia~ chronic: ST36, BL20, SP10

 

Any comments?

 

Best regards,

 

[Guest guest]

Chinese Medicine , " "

< wrote:

 

Hi All,

In most western countries, it is illegal to claim that acupuncture

can treat cancer. However, it is legal to claim that it can support

health / alleviate some symptoms of cancer.

Any comments?

 

Best regards,

 

 

 

Phil's translations of point prescriptions for various malignancies

omitted in this reply... see original post

 

Hi Phil and others reading along,

 

Oncology suport is my special interest, so am always grateful &

interested to read what others are doing.

 

The point combos Phil quoted make sense to me, as they are combinations

of major points for Zang-fu function/misfunction, qi, blood and essence

disorders, channel points distal to tumour areas, local points, element-

partner points etc.

 

This is how we are taught to address any pattern of disharmony, and

running through those listed points was a useful exercise!

 

Helping people through their cancer journeys is a potentially fraught

task. I'm unaware that any allopathic or natural medicine in

particualar has THE answer to what is a multifactorial, cellular, and

ultimately whole-person conglomeration of many disorders... a complex

illnes made more complex by the side-effects of surgery, chemo &

radiotherapy etc.

 

The words of my herbs professor are handy for complexity - 'you ask the

patient, what's the main complaint, and just treat that'. Most times

the patients' main complaints are not their cancers, but the myriad of

co-exisitng concerns; exhaustion, GIT disturbance, poor immunity, low

blood counts, chemo-induced cognitive dysfunction, peripheral

neuropathy, vaso-motor problems, xerostomia, pain, mood & sleep [shen]

disorders etc

 

If we can treat these effectively, we are then looking after the whole

person [macro-cosmos], through to single cell [micro]; it is sometimes

helpful to completely disregard the cancer in one's thinking, and

simply 'treat who / what you see'.

 

I mainly use acupuncture and moxa - safe, simple, effective -

particularly when people are in active allopathic treatment; am wary of

herb-drug interactions in such a vulnerable group.

 

Kind regards

Margi Macdonald

[Guest guest]

Hi Margi and Phil

 

Thank you for your posts. There are so many of us are working on our own with

patients who present such complex and difficult illnesses. It is both good and

supporting to invite discussion.

 

Margi I totally agree and see your logic with regards why these points may be

suggested. Interestingly many of the points mentioned are ones I have used

for such patients for other reasons. But then I would also commonly use

these points in treatments for patients with much less severe complaints

anyway.

 

As I say to my patients diagnosed with a terminal illness, " you are now on a

journey and no one can tell you what the destination will be " . I think in

these circumstances this is also true for for the practitioner's .treatment

choices too.

 

I find myself treating according to what I observe and hear, and according to

the patients needs and wishes. as well as addressing or harmonizing the affects

of any of the allopathic and non- allopathic treatments, Rarely is it a direct

focus on the illness itself. Interestingly the milestones treatments that

bring out the psychological and experiential aspects within the patient quite

often reflect at a much deeper level the underlying illness anyway. Thus you do

by default end up using points indirectly that may seem to an outsider

applicable to the cancer. I am also extremely careful not to needle where it may

disturb the site of the tumor, although I have heard there is some thought in

the Chinese community to be beneficial in certain circumstances. Whatever

these are I have no idea and I certainly wouldn't want to risk it in my

patient.

 

On the bright side I have seen some cases of long term remission where no hope

has been given . In these cases it has always been the patient that has taken

the initiative in their recovery. Doing as much as they can for themselves

towards their own healing processes. Working alongside this with acupuncture

means it has to be a totally different matter to using any point formulas for

cancer.

 

 

Helene

 

 

 

1a. Re: Acupuncture in Cancer Support

Posted by: " margi.macdonald " margi.macdonald margi.macdonald

Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:04 am ((PDT))

 

Chinese Medicine , " "

< wrote:

 

Hi All,

In most western countries, it is illegal to claim that acupuncture

can treat cancer. However, it is legal to claim that it can support

health / alleviate some symptoms of cancer.

Any comments?

 

Best regards,

 

 

 

Phil's translations of point prescriptions for various malignancies

omitted in this reply... see original post

 

Hi Phil and others reading along,

 

Oncology suport is my special interest, so am always grateful &

interested to read what others are doing.

 

The point combos Phil quoted make sense to me, as they are combinations

of major points for Zang-fu function/misfunction, qi, blood and essence

disorders, channel points distal to tumour areas, local points, element-

partner points etc.

 

This is how we are taught to address any pattern of disharmony, and

running through those listed points was a useful exercise!

 

Helping people through their cancer journeys is a potentially fraught

task. I'm unaware that any allopathic or natural medicine in

particualar has THE answer to what is a multifactorial, cellular, and

ultimately whole-person conglomeration of many disorders... a complex

illnes made more complex by the side-effects of surgery, chemo &

radiotherapy etc.

 

The words of my herbs professor are handy for complexity - 'you ask the

patient, what's the main complaint, and just treat that'. Most times

the patients' main complaints are not their cancers, but the myriad of

co-exisitng concerns; exhaustion, GIT disturbance, poor immunity, low

blood counts, chemo-induced cognitive dysfunction, peripheral

neuropathy, vaso-motor problems, xerostomia, pain, mood & sleep [shen]

disorders etc

 

If we can treat these effectively, we are then looking after the whole

person [macro-cosmos], through to single cell [micro]; it is sometimes

helpful to completely disregard the cancer in one's thinking, and

simply 'treat who / what you see'.

 

I mainly use acupuncture and moxa - safe, simple, effective -

particularly when people are in active allopathic treatment; am wary of

herb-drug interactions in such a vulnerable group.

 

Kind regards

Margi Macdonald