Cancer Care in Integrative Medicine

Santosh Rao, MD, the medical director of integrative medicine at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, Arizona, told ONCOLOGY he i...s excited about the advances made in integrative oncology. He and his colleagues foresee the inclusion of integrative medicine approaches in cancer management guidelines in the near future. Every year, there’s an increase in interest in integrative medicine. In 1996, integrative medicine was not well accepted, he said. We have come a long way in the last 20 years. More and more, positions are looking [to be filled by] clinicians and researchers who practice integrative oncology, and there will be more and more need as evidence grows. It’s definitely becoming more popular. Among many notable integrative oncology studies in 2018, Rao noted one that evaluated the effects of yoga on cognitive function in breast and ovarian cancer survivors as a standout. Lapen et al found that restorative yoga was better for the learning and processing of new information, whereas vigorous yoga was better at enhancing functions with regard to past memories.[10] Rao also highlighted a study by Chen et al that examined the effects of Quxie capsules, a type of traditional Chinese medicine used in antiquity to treat various tumor types, on colorectal cancer. The researchers found that, in mouse models, Quxie capsules suppressed the growth of colorectal cancer, in part mediated by alterations in the gut microbiome. Moreover, possibly secondary to changes in the gut microbiome, Quxie capsules also upregulated the expression of myosin 11, which might play a role in tumor inhibition.[11] Donald Abrams, MD, an integrative oncologist and professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, noted research published in JAMA Oncology in October of this year that made waves in the fieldbut in a much more negative light. Conducted by Johnson et al of Yale School of Medicine, researchers found that cancer patients who utilized complementary medicine were more likely to refuse conventional treatment, and therefore had a higher risk of death compared with those who did not use complementary medicine.[12] According to Abrams, the study was unbalanced in that it compared a significantly smaller cohort of patients utilizing complementary therapies (258) compared with control (1,901,557), and the results thus suggested that it [complementary medicine] was detrimental.

Abstract Objective: Breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL) is a common complication after breast cancer treatment. We investigated whether acupuncture could be used to manage limb oedema in women after breast cancer surgery. Methods: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and four Chinese databases were electronically searched for papers published through November 2017. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for BCRL were included. [ 251 more words ] https://drjihyukpark.wordpress.com//effects-of-acupunctur/

Figure 4: Schematic model of electroacupuncture on insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. SIRT1-mediated deacetylation of PGC1 is required to activate genes that are associated with mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in response to energy demands. The resultant increase in expression of mitochondrial genes, including NRF1, could exert positive effects on insulin signaling. eNOS: endothelial nitric oxide synthase; PGC1: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator 1; SIRT1: Sirtuin 1; NRF1: nuclear respiratory factor 1. [ 129 more words ] https://drjihyukpark.wordpress.com//low-frequency-electro/

Figure 7 Schematic summarizing CTS response to acupuncture therapy. (A) While distal acupuncture at the leg can modulate median nerve function via indirect S1 interhemispheric neuroregulatory pathways, local acupuncture can modulate median nerve function at the wrist via both indirect (e.g. S1 influences on the central autonomic control of local vasa nervorum) and direct pathways (e.g. direct axon reflex mediated control of local vasa nervorum). [ 452 more words ] https://drjihyukpark.wordpress.com//rewiring-the-primary-/

Results: After 8 weeks, 33 patients treated with EA at PC 5-6+ST 36-37 had decreased peak and average SBP and DBP, compared with 32 patients treated with EA at LI 6-7+GB 37-39 control acupoints. Changes in blood pressures significantly differed between the two patient groups. In 14 patients, a long-lasting blood pressurelowering acupuncture effect was observed for an additional 4 weeks of EA at PC 5-6+ST 36-37. [ 113 more words ] https://drjihyukpark.wordpress.com//long-lasting-reductio/