By Admin at 17 Mar 2016, 15:40 PM

Many non-drug options are available for managing pain and other symptoms in cancer patients, but despite their effectiveness they are not as widely accepted as drug therapies.

Experts speaking at the 2015 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium in Boston revealed some of the major benefits of non-pharmacologic symptom management in the hopes that more of these treatments can become mainstream. Among them:

Acupuncture

About 200 million people in at least 78 countries are treated with acupuncture every year.

Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, Professor and Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, explained that it’s safe and cost-effective and has been integrated into patient care at MD Anderson. Research shows acupuncture may benefit:

• Chemotherapy-induced nausea
• Uncontrolled nausea and vomiting
• Hot flashes
• Chronic pain (both cancer-related and non-cancer-related)
• Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
• Radiation-induced dry mouth (xerostomia)
• General side effects of treatment and medications

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is low cost, easily accessible and has existed as a form of medical treatment since ancient times.

Janet Kahn, PhD, LMT, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine in Burlington, explained, “some form of massage has existed in virtually every kind of medicine that humans have ever developed.” Massage has shown benefits for:

• Relieving pain
• Lowering stress and anxiety
• Inducing relaxation
• Decreasing nausea
• Relieving fatigue
• Improving depression

Dr. Kahn noted:

 
“One of the hardest things is feeling like you don’t know what to do for a loved one. But it is our belief that there is always some kind of touch that is safe and effective to offer a person with cancer.”

Music Therapy

Music therapy brings joy to patients, a significant benefit in and of itself. But that’s not all. In a study of 200 palliative care patients, those who participated in a single music therapy session reported lowered levels of pain. Both physical and emotional pain may be relieved via musical therapy.

Kathy Jo Gutgsell, RN, MT-BC, a music therapist at the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, explained:

“Music therapy helps to bring about a resolution of existential pain … And we all know that is the hardest part of pain— when we get into the existential issues. Interventions such as songwriting enable our patients to express their emotions and leave a legacy for loved ones.”

Sources:
2015 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium, Breakout Session October 9, 2015
The ASCO Post December 10, 2015

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