Lymphoma is a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, those organs that are responsible for the production and movement of white blood cells. In addition to western treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants or surgery, some patients use Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, modalities such as acupuncture. While acupuncture's cancer-fighting capacity remains unconfirmed by scientific research, it may serve a useful complementary role. Consult with your doctor and specialists before selecting a treatment for lymphoma.
Lymphoma in Western Medicine
According to western medicine, lymphoma is most commonly found among individuals with deficient autoimmune systems, regular exposure to specific chemicals or chemotherapy, or a history of Epstein-Barr virus, mononucleosis or HIV. The disease is characterized by abnormal cells throughout the lymphatic system, which grow in a disordered fashion, threatening to spread throughout the body. Western approaches to treatment aim to remove the abnormal cells and halt their spread.
Lymphoma in TCM
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, disease is a blockage or imbalance in the flow of "qi," or vital energy. Acupuncture purportedly restores balance and flow by activating specific points along meridians, the energetic channels associated with specific organs, along which qi flows. TCM may attribute lymphoma to various imbalances, which are conceived in terms of the five elements and contrasting pairs such as accumulation and loss, heat and cold, or dampness and dryness. According to Bob Flaws, a licensed acupuncturist and regular contributor to "Acupuncture Today" magazine, potential causes of lymphoma may include cold and phlegm stagnation, wind heat and blood dryness or liver-kidney depletion.
Complementary Approaches
Given the extensive side effects associated with cancer treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, acupuncture may serve as a complementary therapy to reduce negative side effects and aid western medicine. According to TCM, chemotherapy tends to produce a vacuity of qi and yin, along with excessive heat and toxins. Typically, an acupuncturist will recommend Chinese herbs or other modalities in concert with acupuncture to remedy these conditions.
Research on Cancer and Acupuncture
Acupuncture's role in directly fighting lymphoma growth is not widely supported with scientific evidence. Nonetheless, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes that it may improve immunity and the body's ability to detoxify. Various trials have shown its positive effects on the side effects associated with chemotherapy. According to a 1990 study carried out by the Northern Ireland Radiotherapy Centre and published in the "Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine," acupuncture or acupressure on the P6 point significantly reduced nausea among chemotherapy patients. Chemotherapy patients undergoing acupuncture treatment also displayed 31.1 percent less fatigue symptoms, based on a 2004 study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, published in the "Journal of Clinical Oncology."
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Lymphoma; Steven D. Ehrlich; June 2010
- "Acupuncture Today"; Chinese Medical Treatment of Malignant Lymphoma; Bob Flaws; July 2002
- "Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine"; Prolongation of the Antiemetic Action of P6 Acupuncture by Acupressure in Patients Having Cancer Chemotherapy; J W Dundee, et al.; June 1990
- "Journal of Clinical Oncology"; Acupuncture for Postchemotherapy Fatigue: A Phase II Study; Andrew J. Vickers, et al.; 2004
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