Acupuncture: A Cure for Opioid-Induced Constipation (OIC)?
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about how acupuncture can be used to treat pain itself, either in lieu of, or in combination with more commonly prescribed opioid medications. But what about some of the very real, very unpleasant side effects of these drugs? Amidst a battery of other negative side effects, opioid-induced […]
Studies Seek to Clarify Why Acupuncture Relieves Pain
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, the medical community and recent studies agree on two things: 1. Pain after surgery is all too common and often unnecessary, yet it remains difficult to manage for hospitals and doctors. 2. Acupuncture has been found to reduce postoperative pain, the need for […]
Acupuncture & Post-Op Pain: A Systematic Review
Throughout medical history, doctors have tried all sorts of strategies to relieve and manage pain, particularly in the aftermath of a surgical procedure. And while a bevy of studies have focused on the variety of ways that acupuncture has been used to treat patients in recovery, one team set out to gather and analyze […]
Post-Surgery Pain and Healing: Acupuncture Can Help
Surgery is a serious, painful business, even when successful, and managing your recovery can be as delicate and important as the procedure itself. Currently, the use of opioids is the most broadly accepted way to treat postoperative pain, but the benefits of these drugs come with a host of side effects that range from the […]
Larger Trials Continue to Find Acupuncture a Safe and Effective Swallowing Therapy
When small, promising case studies yield positive results, they call for larger studies to verify and expand on their progress. Lately, the effects and benefits of acupuncture have received this same treatment, with a particular focus on its role in treating dysphagia. Though the most recent large-scale clinical trial, facilitated by the National Institutes […]
Acupuncture for Chemoradiation-Induced Dysphagia
In the past, dysphagia has been treated with swallowing therapies, dietary changes, and feeding tubes—but most of these options present a significant decrease in quality of life, and don’t offer a long-term solution to sufferers. In this post, we’ll discuss the case series that’s pointing to acupuncture as a viable alternative treatment. Who took part […]
Difficulty Swallowing? Acupuncture as a Cure for Dysphagia
Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is used to describe a range of problems related to swallowing foods and liquids. Unfortunately, it’s a common side effect following chemoradiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC), as well as a possible complication for stroke survivors. In every case, finding a cure is important in order to: prevent […]
Acupuncture: Relief from Chronic Lymphedema and Other Radiation Therapy Complications?
Last week, we discussed some of the wide-ranging symptoms of radiation-induced tissue fibrosis, or Radiation Fibrosis Syndrome (RFS), and how acupuncture is emerging as a post-therapy option for minimizing, and even treating, many cancer-treatment complications. Since radiation therapy puts patients at permanently increased risks of fibrosis in the lymph nodes, where scarring and adhesions in […]
What is Radiation-Induced Tissue Fibrosis and How Can Acupuncture Help?
For cancer survivors, finding relief from the medical complications of cancer treatment can be difficult. But thankfully, recent studies have cited acupuncture as an effective new way to battle a variety of the most common and serious side effects. What is radiation-induced tissue fibrosis? Radiation induced tissue fibrosis, or Radiation Fibrosis Syndrome (RFS), describes a […]
The Long Term Effects of Acupuncture on Hot Flashes
In my last post, I pointed out how multiple studies have shown that acupuncture helps relieve hot flashes. Acupuncture not only lowers the intensity of hot flashes in women with breast cancer, it also helps keep their hot flashes down after each treatment. In fact, it does this much better than gabapentin, a standard […]
