A randomised, controlled pilot study has been completed, assessing the contribution of acupressure and acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue. Forty-seven cancer patients with moderate to severe fatigue, were assigned at random to one of three groups: acupuncture, acupressure or sham acupressure. The acupuncture group received six treatments spread over two weeks. The two acupressure groups were shown points which they pressed daily for two weeks. At the end of the trial, the acupuncture group enjoyed a 36% improvement in fatigue levels, the acupressure group improved by 19%, and the sham acupressure group improved by 0.6%.
(The Management of Cancer-Related Fatigue After Chemotherapy with Acupuncture and Acupressure: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, December 2007.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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