Acupuncture Useful for Dry Mouth, Pain after Neck Cancer Surgery

On a website oriented toward physicians, there was a recent report on a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology which demonstrated clear benefit for people suffering from xerostomia and pain after neck dissection for cancer in that region.

In summary, significant reductions in pain, dysfunction, and xerostomia were observed in study patients receiving acupuncture versus usual care. Acupuncture treatment was well tolerated. Although further study is needed, these data support the potential role of acupuncture in addressing post-neck dissection pain and dysfunction, as well as xerostomia," the authors conclude.

More recently a research study performed by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, in the journal Cancer, comparing standard care for dry mouth found, 

Saliva flow rates were greater in the acupuncture group, starting at three weeks into radiotherapy and persisting through the one and six month follow-up.

Those in the treatment arm received acupuncture therapy three times per week during the seven-week course of radiotherapy.

 A newspaper article about this study can be ready here.