Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Treatments for Integrative Cancer Care

Acupuncture is commonly used as a complementary therapy to help manage various cancer-related symptoms and side effects, though it does not treat or cure cancer itself.

It can help provide relief from pain, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and neuropathy related to cancer or its treatments.

• Research—including randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews—shows that acupuncture can help reduce cancer-related pain, post-surgical pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting, and fatigue.

• Acupuncture may also help manage symptoms like hot flashes, constipation, insomnia, and anxiety caused by cancer or treatments.

• Several clinical guidelines, such as those from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and ASCO, include acupuncture as an integrative option for symptom management in cancer patients.