A Complement to Chemotherapy Visit the Ovarian Cancer Special Report for more articles. The agents in the anti-cancer drugs that kill the cancer cells can wreak other kinds of havoc as well, causing loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue and weakness. In search of ways to make chemotherapy more tolerable, the Western medical community has looked to the East to the ancient Asian therapy of medical acupuncture for help. After years of research and clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers liked what they saw. He is the director of the Oregon Acupuncture Center in Portland, Ore., and a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, the only national organization for physicians who practice acupuncture.
Medical acupuncture is a medical specialty practice.
The systematic procedures of medical acupuncture practiced in the United States incorporate traditions from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, France, England, Germany and Canada. By that time, the patient is probably feeling better, sleeping better and having improved energy. For a woman with ovarian cancer, the physician might place six to 12 needles in points on the abdomen, arms, legs, head and ear. According to ancient Chinese philosophy, acupuncture improves the body's flow of energy to re-establish its normal balance and help the body heal itself. Some insurance carriers currently cover medical acupuncture costs.