Why Are Lavender and Peppermint Oils Effective for Relieving Fatigue? Part Two—Peppermint
If you’ve been following our recent blog posts on cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and other types of chronic fatigue, you probably already know that lavender and peppermint oils can promote relaxation and stimulate energy. We recommend using them as part of a daily acupressure massage, which has been shown to relieve CRF symptoms and improve patients’ […]
Why Are Lavender and Peppermint Oils Effective for Relieving Fatigue? Part One—Lavender
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) can be difficult to live with, making every little activity exhausting and overwhelming to complete. In our most recent blog post, we explored some self-care methods that can help relieve CRF and other types of chronic fatigue, including supplements and acupressure massages. We recommended using lavender and peppermint essential oils to […]
Self-Care Methods to Reduce Fatigue and Stimulate Health and Wellbeing
In our last blog post, we looked at a study supporting the use of acupressure to treat cancer-related fatigue (CRF). CRF is a common and persistent side effect of cancer treatment that can affect patients for years, resulting in a draining lack of energy that makes it difficult to do the things you love. CRF […]
Study Reveals Acupressure Can Effectively Relieve Cancer-Related Fatigue
Recovering from cancer is a difficult and emotional journey. For many patients, one of the hardest side effects to overcome is also, unfortunately, the most common: cancer-related fatigue, or CRF. CRF is not the same as tiredness, which everyone experiences from time to time. It is a persistent lack of energy felt throughout the […]
Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea (CID)
As we mentioned last week, the reason chemotherapy wreaks such havoc on the digestive tract is that it unintentionally targets many of the fast-dividing cells that line the mouth, stomach and bowels. But as uncomfortable and harmful as chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID) and other side effects are, an oncologist’s first responsibility is to treat the cancer. […]
How Acupuncture Can Help with Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea (CID)
Last month, we discussed an unpleasant and uncomfortable side effect of both cancer treatments and the opioids prescribed to help with them: constipation. Perhaps counterintuitively, those same cancer treatments can also cause diarrhea. Since the gastrointestinal tract is such a complex bodily system, aggressive cancer-fighting treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can easily throw it out […]
Studies Link Acupuncture and Relief from Diarrhea
Suffering from frequent or regular diarrhea? Worried about your hydration and electrolyte levels? Concerned that your quality of life is (literally) going down the tubes? Here’s some good news: studies have shown that as few as 10 acupuncture sessions can seriously improve sufferers’ bowel health, without resorting to side-effect heavy drugs. Brain imaging for […]
How Acupuncture Can Help with Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea (CID)
Last month, we discussed an unpleasant and uncomfortable side effect of both cancer treatments and the opioids prescribed to help with them: constipation. Perhaps counterintuitively, those same cancer treatments can also cause diarrhea. Since the gastrointestinal tract is such a complex bodily system, aggressive cancer-fighting treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can easily throw it out […]
Constipation & Acupuncture: A Systematic Review
Last week, we spoke specifically about a study that targeted tumor patients suffering from acute opioid-induced constipation (OIC) and its effective treatment with acupuncture. This week, let’s zoom out a little. Many studies corroborate the finding that acupuncture can mitigate a variety of the side effects that result from opioid use, but a recent […]
A Closer Look: Study Shows Acupuncture’s Positive Effects on OIC
Last week, we discussed how a common and under-treated side effect of opioid use–opioid-induced constipation (OIC)–can undermine the very quality of life the opioids are meant to promote. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Even if acupuncture alone can’t replace opioid use in your personal pain management plan, it has been proven […]