With the advancement of science and technology, the improvement of medical and health levels, tumor complications and adverse reactions after treatment have gradually become the main factors affecting the normal life of patients, such as cancer pain, adverse reactions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, sleep disorders, etc., which seriously affect the quality of life of patients.
As a non-invasive treatment method of traditional Chinese medicine, ear acupuncture therapy is simple to operate, safe and effective, and has no toxic side effects, and has been more and more widely used in the adjuvant treatment of tumors to solve the above problems. Today we will talk about the application of ear acupuncture therapy in tumor treatment.
What is Ear Acupuncture?
Ear acupuncture therapy refers to a treatment method that, under the guidance of meridian theory, uses Wang Bu Liu Xing Seed (or magnetic bead) to act on the ear acupuncture points, promote the operation of the body's meridian qi and blood, adjust the function of each organ, and thus exert the role of the meridian acupuncture points on the body's regulation [1].
Ear acupuncture is not only the reaction point of the whole body disease, but also the treatment point of the disease, with the advantages of small side effects, fast effect, easy material, good curative effect, economy and simplicity.
Common techniques:
Point pressure method: refers to the ear acupuncture pressure with a loose pressure on the fingertip, and the compression interval is about 3 seconds.
Direct pressure: Press the ear point with your finger on the stomach for 30 seconds.
Counter-compression: Place the abdomen of the index finger and thumb on the front and back of the patient's auricle and press the auricular area for 20-30 seconds.
How does auricular acupuncture fight tumors?
01
Relieves digestive system reactions such as nausea and vomiting
40% to 80% of patients [1] receive chemotherapy with nausea and vomiting, especially chemotherapy regimens containing platinum or cyclophosphamide, which seriously affects the patient's treatment plan and quality of life, and auricular compression can effectively prevent the occurrence of gastrointestinal reactions caused by chemotherapy.
The combination of ear acupuncture points and the continuous stimulation given by pressing several times a day can soothe nervous nerves and inhibit their excitability, thereby alleviating nausea and vomiting, sedating and relieving spasm and stopping hiccups.
02
Relieves anxiety, depression and other mental reactions
Once diagnosed, patients with malignant tumors will have psychological disorders to varying degrees, manifested as anxiety and depression, which are common clinical features, which can suppress the immune system and reduce disease resistance, and often become one of the important factors for the deterioration of the disease.
Ear acupuncture can effectively intervene in patients with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, because ear acupuncture stimulation causes the activation and inhibition of the normal orderly order of the human brain's reticular system, so that the pathological behavioral state is transformed into a normal physiological behavioral state.
In one study, acupuncture point patches were used to intervene in anxiety and depression in patients with tumors, and acupuncture points such as the portal, heart, brainstem, brain point, occipital point, kidney, spleen, subcortical, sympathetic, and endocrine were taken, and the efficiency rate was 70% [2].
03
Relieves sleep disturbances
The survey found that 25% to 59% of tumor patients had sleep disorders, and 23% to 44% of tumor patients continued to have insomnia for many years after receiving treatment, suggesting that insomnia developed into a chronic disease in most tumor patients.
Chinese medicine believes that most of them are caused by excessive thinking, fear and other damage to the heart and spleen, resulting in insufficient qi and blood, and loss of nourishment. Clinical practice shows that under the guidance of traditional Chinese and Western medicine theory, reasonable selection of ear acupuncture points and the use of ear pressure stimulation methods can play a role in nourishing the heart and spleen, calming the mind and concentration, and calming hypnosis.
04
Relieves cancer pain
Pain is one of the most common symptoms of advanced malignancies, often caused by tumor metastasis, infiltrating surrounding tissues, compressing nerves, and certain substances such as prostaglandins produced by cancerous tumors.
Acupuncture can adjust the blood composition, promote blood circulation, regulate the dysfunction of autonomic nerves, coordinate the excitatory and inhibitory processes in the cerebral cortex and subcortical layer, thereby exerting analgesic and sedative effects.
05
Relieves cancer-induced fatigue
Cancerous fatigue is a kind of tumor, tumor treatment related, continuous subjective fatigue feeling, and affect the normal function of the body, compared with normal fatigue, its occurrence is fast, heavy, long duration, can not be relieved by rest, the incidence of up to 70% to 100%.
Ear acupuncture therapy can play a role in running qi and blood, adjusting the function of internal organs, so that the qi and blood balance, through the qi patency, help correct the evil, to achieve the effect of improving the body's immune function, anti-fatigue effect. Combined with aerobic exercise, it speeds up fluid circulation and promotes tissue metabolism, thereby reducing fatigue in patients.
How-to
First use the probe rod to probe, find the sensitive point, use the indentation as a pressure marker, and then use a 75% ethanol cotton ball to disinfect the auricular skin, and after drying, use forceps to clip the ear patch to align the indentation, gently press with the finger abdomen, and the strength is appropriate for the patient to feel sore, swollen, painful, hot and tolerable.
Compression frequency and course of treatment: 4 to 6 times a day, each time for 3 to 5 minutes, each time to press one ear point, 3 days later to change to the other ear point, the two ears alternately, 10 times for 1 course, a total of 1 month.
bibliography
1. Hao Zhongfang. Clinical effect of opioids alone in the treatment of cancer pain and palliative chemotherapy combined with opioids in controlling cancer pain[J].Medical Information,2015,28(38):22.
2. Lei Yanwei, Yang Zhizheng, Gong Shenmou. Clinical study of ear acupuncture patch intervention in anxiety and depression in tumor patients[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2010,25(5):828-829.