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Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is quickly becoming a popular form of supplementary therapy for people with a variety of conditions, including prostate cancer. Many patients prefer these natural cancer treatment alternatives that come with fewer side effects. Those who believe in a more holistic form of treatment may turn to energy healing to help diminish the symptoms of prostate cancer or side effects of other, more invasive treatments. Some patients believe that in order to promote health and wellness, they need a more balanced energy, and activities such as Reiki and acupuncture can help achieve this.
Acupuncture and Reiki as Complementary Cancer Treatments
During acupuncture, thin needles are inserted at certain points of the body in order to stimulate and balance the flow of energy. Studies have shown that acupuncture can help relieve certain side effects caused by prostate cancer treatments. Acupuncture has been used to alleviate nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy treatments. The pain that’s caused when cancer spreads to the bones has also been shown to diminish with acupuncture. Some patients undergo acupressure, which uses finger pressure instead of needles, to help control the breathlessness they experiencei.
During Reiki, a trained practitioner uses their hands to heighten the flow of energy within the body to promote health. This form of natural healing has been used for stress reduction and relaxation, and is now part of the growing list of alternative healing therapies for a wide variety of conditions, such as prostate cancer. Reiki has been the subject of clinical trials used to test the effects it has on anxiety, PSA levels, and post-surgical pain in prostate cancer patientsii. The positive stories from patients who’ve tried Reiki as a complementary treatment is a sign of its effectiveness and staying power in the field of alternative medicine.
i http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/prostate-cancer-000028.htm
ii http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00065208 |
