FIGURE 2 (
A) An electroacupuncture unit is used to deliver low-level electrical stimulation to the acupoint. The leads are connected to the acupuncture needle on the patient. (
B) Patient resting while receiving acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture needles are placed at acupoints. (
C) Electroacupuncture lead is connected to the acupuncture needle.
In a 3-armed, randomized, prospective clinical trial, women with high-grade mammary carcinoma who were treated with high-dose myeloablative chemotherapy were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: antiemetic alone, antiemetic with electroacupuncture, and antiemetic with acupuncture at a nontherapeutic location (ie, acupuncture needle is placed where a known acupoint does not exist) on the body.7 Women in the antiemetic with electroacupuncture treatment group had significantly fewer vomiting episodes as compared with women in the other groups.7
Another study investigated the effect of acupuncture on WBC count and absolute neutrophil count in ovarian cancer patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy.9 Patients received either therapeutic acupuncture or nontherapeutic acupuncture while undergoing chemotherapy. Acupuncture was given 2 to 3 times per week starting 1 week before the second cycle of chemotherapy, for a total of 10 sessions. WBC count, absolute neutrophil count, and plasma granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were assessed weekly for 1 month. The median WBC count in the therapeutic acupuncture group was significantly higher than in the nontherapeutic acupuncture group after adjusting for baseline value (8600 cells/μL [range, 4800-12 000 cells/µL] vs 4400 cells/μL [range, 2300-10 000 cells/µL]; p = 0.046). Additionally, the incidence of grade 2 to 4 leukopenia was less in the therapeutic acupuncture group than in the nontherapeutic acupuncture group (30% vs 90%; p = 0.02). The median leukocyte nadir, neutrophil nadir, and recovering absolute neutrophil counts were all higher but not significantly different after adjusting for baseline differences. There were no significant differences in plasma G-CSF between the groups. The clinically relevant trend of higher WBC values during 1 cycle of chemotherapy observed in patients with ovarian cancer that received therapeutic acupuncture during myelosuppressive chemotherapy suggests a potential myeloprotective effect of acupuncture.9
Related Article: Acupuncture: History & Application