Acupuncture and massage help relieve pain after cancer surgery

According to a new study, combining acupuncture and massage can help relieve pain and depression symptoms after cancer surgery.

Many studies have shown that acupuncture works to relieve pain, and there is growing evidence that acupuncture also helps to manage the symptoms of nausea after surgery. Meanwhile, some studies show that massage can help reduce the anxiety of cancer patients. However, so far no studies have attempted to combine the use of these two therapies for patients undergoing a cancer surgery - a physically and emotionally difficult process.

This new study included 138 patients who were randomly assigned to receive postoperative care or conventional post-operative care plus acupuncture and massage for 2 days after cancer surgery. .

(Photo: Beaumonthealth) In general, this study found that patients who received post-operative care with acupuncture and massage would relieve pain more quickly and have fewer depressive symptoms after 3 days. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management .

Dr Wolf E. Mehling, lead author of the study and an associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of California in San Francisco, said: 'We can say that adding more Rescue and massage are definitely helpful. '

It is possible that patients in the group that received acupuncture and massage were more comfortable just because they were given more attention, not because of some specific effect of these two complementary therapies. .

On the other hand, there is evidence of a study showing that acupuncture and massage have related physiological effects. Dr. Mehling calculates: For example, animal studies have found that massage can help increase the amount of oxytocin in the blood - a hormone that works to relieve pain and reduce anxiety. Increased levels of oxytocin may help fight the rise of hormones that cause stress at the time of surgery.

Similarly, there is also evidence that acupuncture also stimulates the release of chemicals of the nervous system that help relieve pain.

Dr. Mehlinh said that it remains to be seen whether these two therapies will become a widely used part in the post-operative cancer treatment or in other cases. Several major cancer centers in the US are currently introducing acupuncture and massage for inpatients and outpatients.

The problem is who will pay for these therapies. Cancer centers can include these therapies as part of their routine care, or charge extra for patients. Dr. Mehling pointed out that although it may be convincing that patients should try acupuncture and massage, hospital administrators and insurance regimes may need additional research evidence to show whether the two This method is also worth their pay.

Hong Linh