Lifetime Friends: Breast cancer patients find relief with acupuncture

St. Petersburg, Florida -- Breast cancer patients going through chemotherapy may find relief from the side effects with the help of eastern medicine.

"When I was going through the chemotherapy, there were times when I couldn't get out of bed," says survivor Dinel Harris.

She says she couldn't beat breast cancer without the help of acupuncture. After six years of acupuncture treatment, she's a firm believer in its results. Recent studies have shown acupuncture can help with hot flashes and restricted blood vessels, both side effects of chemo.

"They trigger a biological effect in the body. These are energy hot spots, so based on the diagnosis of side effects from chemotherapy. The pain, the nausea, the hot flashes- we do specific points to allow the body to self regulate," says St. Petersburg Acupuncturist Oscar Hernandez.

He would make house calls when Dinel was too sick to make it to his office.

"Afterwards I'd feel so much better energywise. I could get up and do things. My depression was less," says Harris.

Dinel still gets treatment for her neuropothy and migraines. Depending on symptoms, she can have between a dozen and 18 needles placed on her trigger points for 15 to 20 minutes. She says she doesn't even feel the needles. For those weary of treatment, Dinel says this alternative is worth a try.

"It's something you should consider rather than take in the major drugs that can leave so many side effects," says Harris.

Dinel uses cold laser therapy and takes herbs in combination with her acupuncture treatment.

In Dinel's case, she couldn't find an in-network acupuncturist through her insurance, so she paid out of pocket for her sessions. Acupuncture can cost $65 a session, but talk with your acupuncturist. You could get a break for buying a package of treatments.

The study about how acupuncture was successful at relieving vasomotor symptoms, problems with restricted blood vessels, was published in December in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

To learn more about acupuncture and how it works, click here for a link to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.