Stomach or gastric cancer is a cancinogenous growth on the lining of the stomach. Like all forms of cancer, this too is fatal if not diagnosed and treated at the right time. However, a study done by researcher Dang Wen at Beijing Jiuxianqio Hospital in China studied the affect of acupuncture on people suffering from it. During the study, 48 patients suffering from gastric carcinoma pain were treated with acupuncture. The pain-killing effects of the filiform needle group and point injection group were compared with that of the western medicine group. After two months of treatment, the long-term rate of effectiveness was similar among the groups. However, the long-term remarkable effective rate of the former group was notably superior to that of the last. Based on results of clinical research, the pain-killing effect of acupuncture is presumed to be related to the fact that, after needling, plasma leucine encephalin was raised and the cellular immune function improved. Thus acupuncture raises the pain threshold and restores the balance in the patient’s body, and the latter’s effects will further increase its analgesic effect.
The specific feature of acupuncture therapy in this study is on the method of concentrating the mind on the aching area of the gastric carcinoma. This method involves psychotherapeutics in acupuncture treatment for relieving pain. The doctor starts with concentrating while needling, and the patient also quietly concentrates on the aching area. The greater the concentration of mind, the greater is therapeutic results.
Clinically the cancer patient’s immune function is low, and both radiation therapy and chemotherapy inhibit the immune function. Acupuncture has a regulative effect on immunity and so is very significant in the detection of immune target when considering this as an alternate treatment for gastric carcinoma pain. This may act as circumstantial evidence of the effect of acupuncture in strengthening body resistance and relieving pain. Acupuncture treatment for gastric carcinoma pain actually has a three-sided effect—analgesia, regulation, and defence. As acupunctural effects are general, they may not manifest much direct effect. For the severe pain incurred by late-stage cancer acupuncture treatment may not be sufficient. However, considering the self-recovery of the whole body, it is a superior regulative method. In terms of prolonged effect, acupuncture treatment for cancer pain remains an important method.
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