What is Acupuncture?
Inventor
Unknown – the treatment is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Theory
When patients are treated with chemotherapy, they receive drugs regarded by TCM as energetically cold. Cancer is regarded by TCM as the result of too much heat in the body. The stomach, however, reacts to the "cold" with nausea and vomiting. In TCM the nausea and vomiting is due to qi flowing 'backwards' (rebelling). The treatment is to open the pathways so qi can move in the right direction (downwards). The main acupuncture point used is Pericardium 6 (the point is located approximately two inches up from the wrist between the two distinct tendons).
Claims by the inventor
Stimulation of the Neiguan (P6) point relieves chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (NV).
Treatment
Acupuncture: An acupuncture needle is applied to the Neiguan (P6) point for up to three twenty-minute periods daily during on-going nausea/vomiting. The needle can be stimulated by either heat (moxa) or electric current (electroacupuncture).
Acupressure: The Neiguan (P6) point is stimulated by a wristband with a protruding knob or by finger pressure. The wristband can be worn continually, while the finger pressure is applied as needed, or at least three times a day for 20 minutes.
Providers
The treatment can be given by any trained acupuncturist, or by a specially trained doctor or nurse. Acupressure is suitable for self-treatment.
Prevalence of use
The exact extent of use is unknown.
Legal issues
In some countries the practice of acupuncture is restricted to health professionals or registered/authorised/licensed acupuncturists.
Costs
The cost of an acupuncture treatment session will vary from country to country. A session could typically cost between €30 and €80, dependant on whether it is the first or follow-up session. Acupuncture/acupressure treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting is largely given in conjunction with oncological treatment.
