Alternative Therapies Fight Fatigue in Cancer Survivors

Constant fatigue is fought by thousands of breast cancer survivors. Gwen Wyatt, Michigan State University researcher and professor of the College of Nursing, will study acupressure to see if it will give beneficial relief to those enduring fatigue.

Professor Wyatt will be studying 300 breast cancer survivors to research the outcomes of two acupressure techniques on fatigue from cancer association. Fatigue or feeling weary affects up to 82% of survivors within the first five years of diagnoses.

According to Professor Wyatt, currently there are greater than two million breast cancer survivors who battle chronic fatigue from cancer which is one of the most usual and troublesome symptom. It is linked with decreased quality of life, depression and poor sleep quality.

Acupressure comes from acupuncture minus the needles where the practitioner applies pressure to acupuncture points on the body in order to treat disease. Dr. Wyatt states pilot research has demonstrated that self-applied acupressure can remarkably lessen fatigue up to seventy percent in cancer survivors along with improving their quality of sleep.

In the study, cancer survivors (all survivors at a minimum of twelve months after ending cancer treatments and enduring constant fatigue) at random will be divided into three groups and receiving either relaxation acupressure, stimulating acupressure or standard care for six weeks.

Researchers will also be examining the sleep quality effects along with the measurements of treatment outcomes on fatigue.

Dr. Wyatt states there are very few choices for chronic fatigue associated to cancer and the treatments are expensive and most of the times have to be done by a trained practitioner or the treatments have unwanted side effects. Self-applied acupressure is non-toxic, does not carry a hefty price tag and needs only a little instruction given. It appears to be a hopeful treatment.

Dr. Wyatt has researched numerous alternative treatments for women recovering from breast cancer in hoping of finding an effective treatment option. In recent research published by Professor Wyatt, she had discovered that 57% of women are using alternative treatments. The more ill a woman is the more apt she is to use several different treatments.

Constant fatigue affects up to 96% of all persons with cancer and is one of the most common symptoms following treatments especially of radiation or chemotherapy.

There are several low cost alternative treatments for chronic fatigue available to cancer patients.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic care is top rated among cancer patients to relieve pain, it also can aide in fatigue. Chiropractic also uses hand on manipulative therapies. Misalignment or called subluxations can interfere with normal nerve impulses. When these are corrected the body than returns to normal functioning ability. Chiropractic care has also been demonstrated to help aide in boosting the immune system.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture treatments have also been demonstrated to aide with chronic fatigue in cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy. Out of 13,000 patients after acupuncture treatments 31.3% had shown remarked improvement in fatigue symptoms.

Ginseng

For more than 2,000 years ginseng has been used in Chinese medicine. In 2005, a Barton study which is considered gold among medical evidence had made the results of ginseng affects well noted.

282 patients had been assigned a placebo or ginseng at three daily doses of 750, 1,000 or 2,000 milligrams. After eight weeks those taking the highest doses of ginseng around 27% had rated their fatigue at moderate. One-third of the patients who had taken the highest doses of ginseng were happy with the outcomes.

Ginseng is sold as a nutritional supplement. The ginseng in the study was American Ginseng. Anyone wishing to try ginseng should check with their health practitioner first as with trying any alternative treatment.

Sources:

Medical News Today

Sanford Health

Belief Net

Dr. Nalini

USA Today