Modern Research

Modern Acupuncture Research: Cancer Care

At Noble Integrative Health Foundation, we are committed to evidence-based care that honors both the wisdom of Eastern medicine and the advancements of modern science. This page highlights current research demonstrating how acupuncture plays a vital role in supporting cancer patients throughout their journey.

Emerging studies from leading cancer centers and academic institutions continue to validate the effectiveness of acupuncture in managing the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. From reducing nausea, fatigue, and neuropathy to improving sleep, pain levels, and emotional well-being—acupuncture offers safe, non-invasive support that complements conventional oncology treatments.

Explore the growing body of research below and discover how integrative approaches like acupuncture are shaping the future of cancer care—one patient at a time.

Chemotherapy Induced Nausea

Randomized clinical trials have shown that acupuncture significantly reduces nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, with guidelines from the National Cancer Institute and others recommending its use as an adjunctive therapy

Acupuncture & Insomnia

In the treatment of insomnia, acupuncture has been shown to improve sleep efficiency and sleep disorders compared to those who do not receive acupuncture treatment. Long-term improvements in sleep were also seen from the acupuncture treatment according to clinical research from Henan University of TCM, Zhengzhou.7

Acupuncture & Depression

The effects of laser acupuncture were tested in a study published by the Journal of Affective Disorders. The study aimed to see if laser acupuncture had positive effects on those experiencing depression. The results from the study turned out to be very promising. Twelve laser acupuncture sessions were conducted in total, and the results yielded that the participants showed reduced symptoms of depression after getting laser acupuncture.11

Acupuncture & Pain Relief for Cancer Patients

Findings published in Integrative Cancer Therapies found that 90 percent of participants at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, reported pain had significantly decreased by the end of 10 acupuncture treatments, 42 out of 52 participants who had pain related to cancer rated the acupuncture study as “very useful.”14

Acupuncture & Migraines

A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that traditional Chinese acupuncture as well as Yamamoto new scalp acupuncture significantly decreased patients’ migraine frequency and severity. The study involved 80 patients who suffer from migraine headaches and concluded that participants had improvement in their ability to do daily activities after treatment.15

References

  1. “Acupuncture for Acute Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review,” The Clinical Journal of Pain, published February, 2013.

  2. “Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,”  Spine Journal,, 2013; Vol 38 (24).

  3. “Influence of acupuncture on the outcomes of in vitro fertilisation when embryo implantation has failed: a prospective randomised controlled clinical trial,” British Medical Journal, published March 19. 2013.

  4. “Acupuncture As an Integrative Approach for the Treatment of Hot Flashes in Women With Breast Cancer: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (AcCliMaT),” Journal of Clinical Oncology, published March 28, 2016.

  5. “Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine,” The Cochrane Review, published June 28, 2016.

  6. Suzanne Cochrane, Caroline A. Smith, Alphia Possamai-Inesedy, and Alan Bensoussan, “Prior to Conception: The Role of an Acupuncture Protocol in Improving Women’s Reproductive Functioning Assessed by a Pilot Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial,” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2016, Article ID 3587569, 11 pages, 2016. doi:10.1155/2016/3587569

  7. Source: Copyright © 2014 World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion House. Published by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Vas J, Santos-Rey K, Navarro-Pablo R, et al Acupuncture for fibromyalgia in primary care: a randomised controlled trial Acupuncture in Medicine Published Online First: 15 February 2016. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2015-010950

  9. Cochrane S, Smith CA, Possamai-Inesedy A, Bensoussan A. Int J Womens Health. March 2014; 6: 313–325

  10. MacPherson H, Tilbrook H, Agbedjro D, et al Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: 2-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial Acupuncture in Medicine 2017;35:17-23.

  11. Quah-Smith, Im, Caroline Smith, John D. Crawford, and Janice Russell. “Laser acupuncture for depression: A randomised double blind controlled trial using low intensity laser intervention.” Journal of Affective Disorders 148, no. 2-3 (2013): 179-87. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2012.11.058.

  12. J. Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2003 Sept.; 23 (3): 201-202.

  13. Li D, Zhou Y, Yang Y, Ma Y, Li X, Yu J, Zhao Y, Zhai H, Lao L. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2014 March, Epub

  14. Garcia MK, Driver L, Haddad R, Lee R, Palmer JL, Wei Q, Frenkel M, Cohen. Integr Cancer Ther. 2014 Mar;13(2):133-40. doi: 10.1177/1534735413510558. Epub 2013 Nov 25.

  15. Rezvani M, Yaraghi A, Mohseni M, Fathimoghadam F. J Altern Complement Med. 2014 May; 20(5):371-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/acm.2013.0120. Epub 2013 Dec 28.

  16. J. Rehab. Med., 2008 Jul.; 40 (7): 582-588.

  17. Brinkhaus Benno, Roll Stephanie, Jena Susanne, Icke Katja, Adam Daniela, Binting Sylvia, Lotz Fabian, Willich Stefan N., and Witt Claudia M.. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. April 2017, 23(4): 268-277. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2016.0357

  18. Zhu LB, Chan WC, Lo KC, Yum TP, Li L. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014 July 14, Epub http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4123534/

  19. Manyanga T, Froese M, Zarychanski R, Abou-Setta A, Friesen C, Tennenhouse M, Shay BL. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 Aug 23; 14(1): 312.

  20. Effect of acupuncture on house dust mite specific IgE, substance P, and symptoms in persistent allergic rhinitis

  21. McDonald, John Leslie et al.

  22. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology , Volume 116 , Issue 6 , 497 – 505

  23. Neuro-acupuncture, “Scientific evidence of acupuncture revealed”, Cho, ZH., et al., 2001.v

  24. Acupuncture – A scientific appraisal, Ernst, E., White, A., 1999, p. 74.

  25. Acupuncture Energetics, “A Clinical Approach for Physicians”, Helms, Dr. J., 1997, pgs 41-42, 66.

  26. Anatomy of Neuro-Anatomical Acupuncture, Volume 1, Wong, Dr. J., 1999, p. 34.

  27. National Institute of Health Consensus Conference on Acupuncture, “Acupuncture Activates Endogenous Systems of Analgesia.”, Han, J.S., 1997 (Bethesda, MD).

  28. Neuro-acupuncture, “Scientific Evidence of Acupuncture Revealed”, Cho, ZH., et al., p.116.