Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine: Effective Support for People with Cancer

By Kathy Thorpe, MA, CHom, Boulder, CO

Getting a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most devastating moments in a person's life. With every diagnosis comes the fear of death or worse, worries about a long period of declining heath and suffering. Western medicine has made powerful steps forward in the treatment of different cancers and the survival rate is improving. Unfortunately, some of the treatments including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy leave the patient in a weakened state with side effects that may include nausea, vomiting, peripheral neuropathy, tingling, fatigue, joint pain, depression, decline in cognitive function, malnourishment and low platelets or blood counts. This is where acupuncture and Chinese medicine really shine. According to David Scrimgeour, Boulder Acupuncturist, these treatment modalities have been used over time to support a person undergoing cancer treatments or recovering from cancer.  People have regained their health and vitality sooner and have experienced a higher quality of life using these complementary modalities and have a lower rate of recurrence.

David Scrimgeour identifies several areas where acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can benefit a person undergoing cancer treatment or recovering from cancer. First, for a person going through conventional treatments, acupuncture can help with the side effect, including peripheral neuropathy, nausea, pain and fatigue. It can also speed post-surgical healing and can help the person have a higher quality of life during the treatments. Once the treatments are finished, Scrimgeour claims that there is a profound benefit of acupuncture and Chinese medicine to support the immune system to help prevent future recurrence and to help the person regain their overall energy, health and vitality.  Finally, at the conclusion of treatments, he recommends a very gradual detoxification program as very often the liver and kidneys have been strongly affected by chemotherapy.

Scrimgeour finds that Chinese formulas and functional medicine can provide enormous benefits for a person with cancer. For example, he recommends a Chinese formula made of the tonic herbs and mushrooms designed specifically for cancer patients to boost immune function and strengthen the core energy of the body -- Supreme Immune Tonic or 9405. Patients have also benefited from a Japanese herbal product, AHCC, that has a great deal of research showing that it increases natural killer cell activity. Providing an effective nutritional protocol for people recovering from cancer is also one of his specialties. The goal, says David Scrimgeour, is to ensure that people have all the support they need to lead a healthy, active life and to recover on the physical, mental and emotional levels.

David Scrimgeour practices Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine at his clinic in Boulder, Colorado. For more information about acupuncture for cancer support, he can be reached at 303 413-9596 or through his website: www.davidscrimgeour.com.

Kathy Thorpe is a natural health writer and blogger who has been writing about alternative approaches to health and wellness for the past ten years. Prior to that, she taught English at U.C. Berkeley and at the University of Colorado. She can be reached at 303 583-0179.
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