Non-Medical Cancer Treatment Methods

Non-Medical Cancer Treatment Methods.
When it comes to easing the standpoint gear of certain breast cancer drugs, acupuncture may work no better than a "sham" version of the technique, a close-fisted trial suggests. Breast cancer drugs known as aromatase inhibitors often cause side slang shit such as muscle and joint pain, as well as hot flashes and other menopause-like symptoms. And in the new study, researchers found that women who received either physical acupuncture or a sham variation saw a similar rehabilitation in those side effects over eight weeks.

And "That suggests that any benefit from the real acupuncture sessions resulted from a placebo effect," said Dr Patricia Ganz, a cancer maestro at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine who was not knotty in the study. The placebo effect, which is seen in curing studies of all kinds, refers to the phenomenon where some people on an inactive "therapy" get better. However, it's trying to know what to make of the current findings, in part because the study was so small who studies quality-of-life issues in cancer patients.

And "I just don't regard you can come to any conclusions. Practitioners of acupuncture place thin needles into specific points in the body to bring about therapeutic effects such as pain relief. According to routine Chinese medicine, acupuncture works by stimulating certain points on the pelt believed to affect the flow of energy, or "qi" (pronounced "chee"), through the body.

The study, published online Dec 23, 2013 in the record Cancer, included 47 women who were on aromatase inhibitors for early-stage boob cancer. Aromatase inhibitors include the drugs anastrozole (Arimidex), letrozole (Femara) and exemestane (Aromasin). They relieve lower the body's level of estrogen, which fuels tumor rise in most women with breast cancer.

Half were randomly assigned to a weekly acupuncture conference for eight weeks; the other half had sham acupuncture sessions, which involved retractable needles. Overall, women in both groups reported an upgrading in certain drug side effects, such as bright flash severity. But there were no clear differences between the two groups. And in an earlier study, the researchers found the same gauge when they focused on the side effect of muscle and joint pain.

Dr Ting Bao, who led the study, agreed that "you could conclude that it's a placebo effect". On the other hand, it's also baffling to plan a placebo version of acupuncture an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. During the artificial procedure, the needles did not penetrate the skin, and they were placed on areas of the rind that are not considered traditional acupuncture points.

But the stimulation may have some physiological effect. "It might not be quite inert. Many studies have suggested that acupuncture can help ease various types of pain, such as migraines and back aches, as well as entertain nausea and vomiting from surgery or chemotherapy. Some modern research suggests that the needle stimulation triggers the release of pain- and inflammation-fighting chemicals in the body.

The modish study was mainly designed to look at one side effect from aromatase inhibitors - muscle and union pain, which all of the participants had suffered from since starting the drugs. Bao's team looked at blether flashes, sleep problems and other menopause-like symptoms as "secondary outcomes". That's another limitation because the weigh was simply not set up to test those particular effects. Eleven of the 47 women, for example, had no hot flashes when they entered the study.

Larger studies are still needed, said Bao. And they should also embrace a patient bring that receives no acupuncture - to see whether the procedure is better than doing nothing. Still, Bao said that because acupuncture carries a deficient risk of side effects, women could give it a shot - even if any benefits come from a placebo effect. "The figures are not definitive. But I think it's OK to look into this as an option because it's low-risk".

There are other options for managing aromatase inhibitor side effects.For gas flashes, certain antidepressants and the anti-seizure drug gabapentin are often effective. For muscle and shared pain, Bao said there's evidence that exercise helps - if a woman can make out that. In some cases, the side effect clears up if a woman switches to a different aromatase inhibitor. While acupuncture may be proletariat risk, there is the issue of cost found it. Prices vary, but a ordinary session runs around $100, and insurance may not cover it.