The International Oncology Acupuncture Symposium 22: The Power of Acupuncture in Oncology Support

We now know that most of health – possibly up to 80% – comes from factors outside of what we usually do in the clinic or hospital. The primary determinants of health involve social, environmental, lifestyle and complementary medicine factors that few clinicians learn to deliver. How can we integrate these health determinants into our routine practice?  In this talk, I will describe a simple, systematic approach called a HOPE (Healing Oriented Practices and Environments) visit, that helps patients tap into their inherent healing capacity. Drawing on the most rigorous scientific evidence available, I will show that by adding some simple questions and tools to your office practice, you can quickly move toward more patient-centered, integrative healthcare and enhance your patients’ healing for any chronic disease. 

Dr. Wayne B. Jonas, M.D. is a practicing family physician, an expert in integrative health and health care delivery, and a widely published scientific investigator. He is the Executive Director of Integrative Health Programs at Samueli Foundation.

Dr. Jonas is the author of the book How Healing Works.

His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, Nature Medicine, the Journal of Family Practice, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and The Lancet. Dr. Jonas received the 2015 Pioneer Award from the Integrative Healthcare Symposium, the 2007 America’s Top Family Doctors Award, the 2003 Pioneer Award from the American Holistic Medical Association, the 2002 Physician Recognition Award of the American Medical Association, and the 2002 Meritorious Activity Prize from the International Society of Life Information Science in Chiba, Japan.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common complication of anticancer regimens, with as many as 2/3 of patients reporting symptoms within the first month of treatment. Symptoms are primarily sensory, with numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands and feet. Symptoms can persist long after the offending agent has been discontinued, impairing quality of life and reducing function.  To date, there is no known treatment preventing the development of CIPN, and although the drug duloxetine may relieve pain, its use is limited by adverse effects.

I will present findings from our recently published (“Cancer” journal) multicenter study, which examined the effectiveness of a complementary medicine intervention in alleviating CIPN-related concerns during active chemotherapy while comparing standard care with acupuncture as a single modality or as part of a multimodal, complementary medicine regimen. I will share my thoughts about the development and application of the acupuncture protocol and future directions for acupuncture research in the field.

Prof. Elad Schiff, MD, is the Director of Internal Medicine B, and Integrative Medicine Service, Bnai Zion Medical Center. Prof. Elad Schiff began his medical studies in complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), concurrently studying conventional medicine at Hadassah and later on at the Technion Faculty of Medicine. Following his residency in Internal Medicine at Bnai Zion Medical Center, Prof. Schiff completed a two-year fellowship in Integrative Medicine, at the University of Arizona. In 2010, he opened the Integrative Medicine Services at Bnai Zion Medical Center, through which CAM treatments are provided in the hospital’s departments, highlighting CAM provision to in-patients with complicated, acute medical conditions. He is the director of Internal Medicine B, and the Integrative Medicine services at Bnai-Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, and an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Technion. Prof. Schiff has conducted and published outcomes of many studies, focusing on CAM in the hospital setting.

When we apply acupuncture, we focus mostly on supporting our patients in recovering their health. In this lecture, Dr. Julia Hartung, will give a different perspective on “healing” and share her experiences with patients with advanced and progressive cancer and dying patients in a palliative oncology setting (private practice and in the hospital). She will present case studies that show the fantastic support acupuncture can provide for a person in this crucial time.

Dr. Julia Hartung MD is an Internal medicine specialist. She specializes in haematology and internal oncology. With her further education in Chinese Medicine, she is bridging, in her own clinic, conventional and complementary medical therapies.

Evidence from research informs policy changes in health care and medicine.  When new evidence is found, it changes how we practice medicine in the clinic and what treatments are covered by insurers. The growing evidence supporting acupuncture in the oncology setting in patients living with cancer and cancer survivors is strong.  So strong that acupuncture has made it into the clinical practice guidelines in many countries. This presentation will highlight where acupuncture is listed as a recommended treatment for multiple symptoms in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network clinical practice guidelines used by the top cancer research centers in the US and elsewhere in the world.

Jennifer A. M. Stone MSOM, LAc has practiced acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for over 30 years, both in private practice and in integrative oncology cancer centers. She is assistant research faculty for the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesia, and Department of Pediatric Oncology, and the Co-Chair of the Indiana University Integrative Medicine Consortium.  She serves as Senior Editor of Medical Acupuncture, and is the owner of East West Acupuncture, in Bloomington, IN. She has participated in NIH funded research on both animal and human subjects. Her research interests include acupuncture as an adjunct in the cancer setting for the palliation of symptoms associated with cancer treatments. She has published 4 papers and a book chapter on the use of acupuncture in the oncology setting and the possible mechanisms behind the effects. 

The fear of cancer recurrence is experienced by all patients after the completion of cancer treatment.  Patients are often left on their own to decide methods for preventing cancer and maximizing recovery from cancer treatment.  Chinese medicine may be able to provide cancer survivors with comprehensive supportive care to help address their unique needs.  

In this lecture, participants will learn about the unique needs of cancer survivors and strategies for developing individualized treatment approaches that may help quicken the recovery from cancer treatment and potentially reduce the risk of recurrence.  An overview of current guidelines and a review of the most up-to-date evidence will be provided to help inform clinical decision-making.

Katherine Taromina, DACM, MSTOM, L.Ac., is the Academic Dean and a faculty member for the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine.  She also serves as an Oncology Acupuncturist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA.  Her clinical practice is focused on providing supportive care to adults and children with cancer, both on and off therapy.  Kathy has previously served as a Research Acupuncturist and Program Manager for the Integrative Therapies Program at Columbia University Medical Center and as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Society for Integrative Oncology.  Kathy is a dedicated student of internal martial arts and qi gong.

Congratulations! Your patient just finished her anti-cancer treatments successfully.  Apparently, the woman is healthy. The MRI looks OK, the doctors are happy, and now it is time to “get back to business” and back to the life she had before. But the fact is that it is never that easy. The period that comes at the end of chemotherapy and radiotherapy among women who recover from breast cancer brings new challenges, difficulties, and gaps.

They are different from those she experienced before; they are different from those that characterize recovering from other cancers. As TCM practitioners, we must know these challenges and gaps, recognize them and understand their roots and manifestations. In this meeting, we will talk about this meaningful and unique period; we will try to translate its “roots and branches” into the Chinese medicine language and to get practical tools and points of view, to improve our work and assist women who need us so much.

Ofir Michaelis is an experienced acupuncturist, herbalist and shiatsu practitioner. 

He is a specialist in Integrative Oncology and Hemato-oncology Traditional Chinese Medicine, a lecturer, a teacher and an ongoing student of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Since 2020 he has been an Acupuncture practitioner and Complementary Medicine coordinator at the Ha’emek Medical Center oncology unit. He has 16 years of experience as a TCM and Shiatsu practitioner in private clinics caring for infants and babies, children, and adults.