Acupuncture in cancer care

Evidence-based complementary support for patients undergoing treatment

Based on insights by Eugene Mak, MD — Board Certified Oncologist, MARF Board Member

Why acupuncture helps in cancer care

⚕️ Pain management

Helps minimize cancer-related pain and reduces reliance on narcotics.

⚕️ Manages treatment side effects

Reduces nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, fatigue, depression, dry mouth, and anxiety from radiation/chemotherapy.

⚕️ Supports immune function

Increases white blood cell count and improves lymphocyte activity.

⚕️ Enhances recovery

Aids post-operative pain control, reduces swelling, and accelerates healing.

Acupuncture in curative & palliative settings

Cancer is not one disease but over 300 different malignancies, each with unique characteristics. Timely diagnosis and early surgery offer the best possibility of cure for solid tumors. Acupuncture plays a valuable role in both curative and palliative contexts.

⚕️ Curative group

Adjunctive use in anesthesia, post-operative pain control, and hastening recovery from therapy side effects. Effective for pain control, local swelling, hematoma resolution, and minimizing medication side effects.

⚕️ Palliative care

For late diagnosis or recurrent tumors, acupuncture helps manage symptoms, improve quality of life, and reduce nausea/vomiting associated with chemotherapy — often worse than the disease itself.

Clinical evidence: nausea & vomiting control

At the UCLA School of Medicine, a well-controlled study reported significant reduction of nausea and vomiting when patients were pre-treated with acupuncture. It is now routinely administered before, after, and between chemotherapy sessions to control nausea and emesis — helping minimize the use of expensive multi-drug regimens with their own side effects.

— Published research, UCLA

Technical approaches & energetic support

Acupuncture offers a variety of techniques for cancer support: needling trigger points, percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, osteo-puncture, and whole-body energetic acupuncture. Chronic disease depletes the body's energy level; tonification (imparting energy into the system) helps restore balance, improve pain control, and enhance the patient's sense of well-being.

Kenneth Conklin, M.D., Ph.D. (anesthesiologist at UCLA working with the Oncology Department) reports gratifying results utilizing nutrition and supplements combined with energetic acupuncture. This systems approach repletes energy, re-establishes homeostasis, and unblocks energy flow — complemented by distinct meridian acupuncture directed at specific organ pathology.

Can acupuncture help me?

While the degree of beneficial results depends on clinical factors (presenting symptoms, staging, timing, areas of involvement), the answer to "can acupuncture help me?" is, in all probability, yes — acupuncture can help in the care of the cancer patient.

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© 2026 Dr. Yang — Acupuncture Healthcare Therapy Center Brussels
*Acupuncture is offered as complementary care alongside conventional cancer treatment. Always consult your oncologist.