Cancer Rehabilitation
Acupuncture for Cancer Rehabilitation in North Vancouver
Cancer treatment can leave you dealing with fatigue, nausea, numbness, pain, poor sleep and worry, during treatment and long after it ends. AcuLife Wellness offers gentle acupuncture as supportive care for these effects, always alongside the care from your oncology team, never instead of it.
Overview
Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy can each bring side effects. Common ones include fatigue, nausea, peripheral neuropathy (numbness, tingling or pain in the hands and feet, often from chemotherapy), joint pain, hot flashes, dry mouth, digestive changes, trouble sleeping and anxiety. Some effects ease when treatment ends; others can linger for months.
Acupuncture does not treat cancer itself. At AcuLife Wellness, we start by learning about your diagnosis, treatment plan and current symptoms, and we plan sessions around your treatment schedule and blood counts, following your oncology team's guidance.
Common Symptoms & Experiences
- Fatigue that doesn't improve with rest
- Nausea or poor appetite during treatment
- Numbness, tingling or burning in the hands or feet
- Joint or muscle pain, including with hormone therapy
- Hot flashes, poor sleep, anxiety or low mood
How Acupuncture May Be Used
Acupuncture in cancer care is gentle, usually with fewer needles and shorter sessions, and uses points chosen for your symptoms and overall strength. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, recovery after intensive treatment is often seen as rebuilding qi and blood and supporting digestion and sleep. Chinese herbal medicine is only considered after discussion with your oncology team, because some herbs can interact with cancer treatments.
Some studies suggest acupuncture may help certain treatment side effects, such as nausea, fatigue, hot flashes and some kinds of pain, for some people, and many cancer centres offer it as supportive care. The evidence varies from symptom to symptom, and acupuncture is always complementary to your medical treatment.
AcuLife's Approach
Hong Ji, R.TCM.P., is a registered TCM practitioner in both Canada and China with 35 years of clinical experience. She takes a whole-body view and plans each session around how you're feeling that day, your energy, sleep and digestion, and your treatment schedule.
Learn more about Hong JiWhat to Expect
Your first visit includes a conversation about your diagnosis, your treatment so far and what's planned, your current symptoms and any precautions your oncology team has given you (for example about low blood counts, lymphedema or a port), followed by an individualized assessment and treatment. Sessions take place in a quiet, private room, and how often you come in is adjusted around your treatment.
Sleep often suffers during and after treatment. See our insomnia and sleep page for more.
When to Seek Medical Care
Contact your oncology team or go to emergency right away for a fever of 38°C or higher during chemotherapy, chills, shortness of breath, chest pain, new swelling or pain in a leg, bleeding that won't stop, or vomiting that keeps you from keeping fluids down. Tell your oncology team before starting acupuncture, and let your practitioner know about any changes to your treatment or blood counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for Support During or After Cancer Treatment?
Book an appointment with AcuLife Wellness.