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CAN ANCIENT CHINESE MEDICINE ALLEVIATE CANCER TREATMENT SYMPTOMS?

UVA Researchers to Begin Study of Qigong and Acupuncture

View a video about Qigong's effects on
cancer treatment symptoms.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 1, 2009 -- Fatigue is a common complaint for anyone who has ever undergone radiotherapy to treat breast cancer. This, along with other symptoms such as sleep and appetite loss, can further hamper a cancer patient's quality of life.  Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System are studying whether they can unlock the mechanisms that cause these symptoms using ancient Chinese methods for healing. Dr. Tyvin Rich, professor in the UVA School of Medicine, believes that acupuncture and Qigong, a Chinese form of exercise, may hold some promise.

"We want to learn why people feel the way they feel when undergoing cancer therapy," says Rich. "When anemia occurs, we can identify it and correct it, but presently, there are few good options for correcting treatment-induced fatigue."

Study coordinators will recruit breast cancer patients receiving daily irradiation without chemotherapy. The participants will be divided into three groups. One set of study participants will participate in Qigong classes and receive a companion tape to continue their exercises at home. The Qigong approach used in this study is a westernized form called Reflective Exercise, which consists of specialized breathing, slow movement and sensory meditation. Acupuncture, which is a treatment consisting of tiny needles and is used to reduce nausea in cancer patients, will be administered to a second set of study participants. The third set will act as a control group for observation.

Rich and his team will test their hypothesis by measuring cytokines in the blood of these volunteers. Cytokines are signaling molecules instrumental in cellular communication that can be produced by a cancer patient in reaction to a tumor, or they can be created by the tumor itself. When cytokines reach the brain they cause fatigue and other symptoms. Questionnaires will help the researchers determine factors like fatigue, pain and quality of life. An actigraph will be worn to measure rhythms of rest and activity.

Over a six-week period, researchers will collect and analyze data to see if acupuncture or Qigong have an effect on the symptoms experienced by participants. 

"Once we have an understanding of the mechanism, then it's reasonable to think we could design interventions that would be better and more effective then what we have today," Rich says.

Acupuncture treatments will be administered at the Health South offices in Charlottesville. Qigong classes will be administered by John Alton, owner of Unified Fitness in Charlottesville. Alton and Rich teamed up out of a shared belief in healing and exercise.

"The West never had a real tradition of mind-body exercise," Alton says. "Hopefully, through studies like this one, we can prove the benefits of Reflective Exercise to promote healing."

"Qigong turns out to be related to an exercise and meditation axis that we know has some success in managing cancer patients' symptoms. When a person is under stress, exercise seems to counteract that. And that's what we're exploring," Rich adds.

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