September 24, 2003 — The American Cancer Society reports
there will be more than one hundred five thousand new cases of colon cancer and
forty-two thousand new cases of rectal cancer diagnosed this year in the United
States. When the cancers become advanced, they bring on a host of side effects
that make quality of life poor.
Now, doctors hope acupuncture will
help them live better and with less stress.
Every tuesday, for thirty-three years, eddie thomas has done
the same thing.
"I have to set the board up. I put the quickies
out," said Eddie Thomas.
The church bingo game keeps eddie going -- despite the
cancer in his colon that spread to his lungs.
"I was coughing a lot, and I went to the doctors, and
they found nodules in my lungs," said Thomas.
Chemo keeps the nodules under control, but it's an
alternative treatment that recently helped this gambling man cope with the
cancer.
"Acupuncture? Wow! That's exciting. It's an exciting
word to me."
Doctor Ellen Redinbaugh and colleagues are looking to tiny
needles as a way to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. More than
that, they're trying to understand why it works.
"I think we, in Western science, have some tools
available to us that can help answer that question," said Ellen
Redinbaugh, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, University of Pittsburgh Cancer
Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
USING COTTON, STUDY PARTICIPANTS' SALIVA IS TESTED FOR THE
STRESS HORMONE CORTISOL FOUR TIMES A DAY. REDINBAUGH THINKS SHE KNOWS WHAT
THEY'LL SEE.
"Their cortisol levels will actually start to decline
because their overall stress will decline," said Ellen Redinbaugh.
These days Eddie is feeling good. He says part of it may be
the acupuncture and another part, his faith. Together, they're a winning card.
Study participants receive acupuncture three times a week
for four weeks. Each session lasts about forty-five minutes and is done at the
patient's home. The current study is being performed only at the University of
Pittsburgh, but a qualified acupuncture physician may be able to help relieve
the symptoms, Too.
For more information:
Donna Creola, project coordinator
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center
UPMC Cancer Pavillion
5150 Centere Ave., Room 447
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
(412) 623-5774
Last Updated: Sep 24, 2003