How Acupuncture Helps Breast Cancer Patients With Lymphedema
Now that I’ve covered acupuncture as a treatment for both breast cancer and lymphedema, I’m going to tie everything together. Let’s discuss acupuncture as a treatment for breast cancer patients with lymphedema.
The Evidence
There are lots of studies on the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for the symptoms of breast cancer patients with lymphedema. Some of the most promising ones have been conducted in the past few years.
1. Acupuncture Reduces the Symptoms of Lymphedema in Breast Cancer
Another 2014 study conducted by the University of Western Sydney in Australia examined 20 women with upper limb lymphedema, specifically.
Each of them received 12 acupuncture treatments to the arms on the healthy limb over eight weeks, twice weekly. Outcomes were taken at baseline and at eight weeks, and factors like extracellular fluid levels and well-being were measured.
Of the 20 women, 17 completed the study at eight weeks. Researchers found that acupuncture helped maintain levels of swelling, prevented them from worsening, and caused no negative side effects.
Not the best outcome we could have hoped for, but still promising. But here’s another study that’s even more encouraging.
2. Acupuncture May Relieve Chronic Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment
A 2013 study, conducted by Memorial Sloan Kettering and published in Cancer, shows that acupuncture is a very promising treatment for upper limb lymphedema (swelling of the arms) in breast cancer patients.
The high-profile study, led by Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Chiefs of Integrative Medicine and Breast Cancer Medicine Service, applied acupuncture to 33 patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema. Fourteen needles were used at sites on the arms, legs, and torso.
Of the 33 patients, 11 experienced a significant decrease in swelling. Another 18 patients experienced a small decrease in swelling. In both cases, improvements lasted for several weeks after feedback. Most importantly, acupuncture caused no serious side effects. Given the high-risk nature of typical lymphedema treatments (which may include removing lymph nodes)–that’s great news.
