How acupuncture supports people in treatment
Acupuncture is offered at many major cancer centers as part of supportive care, and clinical guidelines recognize it for several treatment side effects. Studies support its use for chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, and research suggests it may help with cancer-related fatigue, treatment-related joint pain, hot flashes from hormone therapy, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, dry mouth after radiation, anxiety and sleep. Treatment is gentle, and we adapt it to where you are in your protocol.
We work alongside your oncologist, never instead of them. Before your first visit we ask about your diagnosis, treatment plan, blood counts and any precautions your team has given, and we adjust accordingly. Chinese herbs and supplements are used cautiously, if at all, during active treatment, and only with your oncology team’s knowledge.
Before, during and after
Before treatment, visits focus on steadying sleep, digestion and anxiety so you start from a stronger place. During chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy or hormone therapy, we treat the side effects that are affecting you most, timed around your infusion schedule. After treatment, care turns to recovery: rebuilding energy, easing lingering neuropathy and joint pain, supporting the return of normal sleep and appetite, and processing what you have been through.
Nutrition and recovery
Eating well through treatment is difficult when taste changes, nausea or fatigue get in the way. Our nutrition counseling focuses on what is manageable and nourishing right now rather than ideal, and on rebuilding strength afterward. Recovery therapies such as gentle bodywork can be added when your team agrees it is appropriate. Caregivers are welcome to book their own visits; the people holding everything together need support too.