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Traditional Chinese Medicine is helpful during cancer treatment, whether it's chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy. Chinese medicine and acupuncture can alleviate various patient discomforts.
1. Common side effects of chemotherapy: body aches, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, diarrhea, poor wound healing, and fatigue.
2. Common side effects of radiotherapy: tissue contractures, dry and itchy skin, redness and swelling, dry mucous membranes, dry mouth, mouth sores, post-radiation dermatitis, angular cheilitis, low white blood cells or platelets, and fatigue.
3. Post-surgical side effects: post-operative wound pain, numbness, and tightness.
4. Side effects during targeted therapy: joint pain, skin rash, paronychia, and fatigue. All of the above issues can be addressed with the help of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM practitioners can use Chinese medicine or acupuncture to reduce treatment side effects and improve patients' mental and physical health, sleep, and appetite.
How does TCM assist in cancer treatment?
1. Alleviating Side Effects: TCM uses syndrome differentiation and treatment to address chemotherapy-induced discomfort, such as nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, mouth ulcers, and itchy skin.
2. Improving Physical Function: Using herbs that tonify Qi, strengthen the spleen, and invigorate Qi, TCM helps restore the body's vital energy, enhance immunity, and promote physical recovery.
3. Assisting in Treatment Completion: Through TCM assistance, patients can alleviate the physical and mental suffering of chemotherapy, strengthen their will to live, and gain greater confidence to complete treatment.
4. Preventing or Alleviating Adverse Reactions: Early consultation with TCM before or during chemotherapy can help reduce the incidence and severity of side effects.
What are the differences between chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer?
1. Chemotherapy drugs enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body, so their effects are systemic and can be used on a single tumor or cancer cells that have spread.
2. Radiation therapy's effects are primarily local; only the area of the body where the radiation is applied will kill cancer cells.
What are the differences in side effects between chemotherapy and radiation therapy?
1. Because chemotherapy has a systemic effect, it can cause widespread systemic side effects, affecting various organs, such as thrombocytopenia, loss of appetite, and diarrhea.
2. Radiation therapy side effects are primarily local. For example, breast radiation may cause redness in the breast and surrounding skin, while radiation therapy to the head and neck may result in decreased salivation. These are side effects specific to the area of the body where the radiation is applied.
Generally speaking, the side effects of radiation therapy are milder than those of chemotherapy.
The frequency and intensity of chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments
1. The frequency of chemotherapy treatments depends on the type of drug and the condition, and can range from several weeks to several months, usually in intervals. 2. The frequency and duration of radiation therapy (RT) treatments vary widely, generally five times per week for several weeks (approximately 15 to 35 sessions). However, some specialized techniques, such as stereotactic radiosurgery, can be performed with just one treatment.
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