Acupuncture Improves Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Patients

Eleanor M. Walker, et al at Henry Ford Hospital (Michigan), determine that “Acupuncture appears to be equivalent to drug therapy in these patients. It is a safe, effective and durable treatment for vasomotor symptoms secondary to long-term antiestrogen hormone use in patients with breast cancer.” 


They studied 50 breast cancer patients, randomized to receive either acupuncture or drug (venlafaxine) treatment for 12 weeks. Both groups experienced a 50% decline in hot flashes and depressive symptoms.  Over time, the acupuncture group  experience minimal hot flashes, while the drug therapy group had a significant increase in hot flashes. The acupuncture group did not experience an increase in the frequency of their hot flashes until three months post-treatment. The group further sated that ”the acupuncture group experienced no negative adverse effects. Acupuncture had the additional benefit of increased sex drive in some women, and most reported an improvement in their energy, clarity of thought, and sense of well-being.”


While 50 is an insufficient number to create the power to generalize, this is a very promising study. It is one more piece of knowledge that demonstrates that acupuncture and Chinese medicine have a place in the American medical systems. 


Go here for a link to the study