Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2006; 11: 10–1
To assess the benefits of a caregiver administered acupuncture programme in treating the symptoms of pilo-carpine-resistant xerostomia.
The caregivers of 57 head and neck cancer patients whose pilocarpine-resistant xerostomia had responded favourably to a four-session course of outpatient acupuncture served as this study’s subjects. Treatment included needling of ear points: Shen Men, Point Zero, and Salivary Gland II as well as non-auricular sites at Large Intestine 4 and on the Large Intestine meridian at the mid-lateral nail bed. Outcome measures included patient’s assessment of oral dryness, water consumption and ability to swallow dry foods. Training involved three sessions. The first consisted of the caregivers observing treatment on one side of the face and being coached as they inserted needles in the other. The second, 1–2 weeks later, involved caregivers being cued and encouraged as they provided the entire treatment. The third, 1 month later, was devoted to refining the caregivers’ technique and answering questions that may have arisen. Patients and caregivers returned after 4–7 months for follow-up.
Caregivers consisted of spouses (33), parents (6), siblings (5), friends (2) and children (11). At follow-up, 49 (86%) of the patients rated their xerostomia symptoms as good or better (> 3) on a 5-point ordinal scale. Median treatment frequency was once/week (range three times/week to monthly). All caregivers reported comfort with needle insertion but acknowledged that additional training would have been helpful.
Radiation-induced pilocarpine-resistant xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients can be successfully treated with caregiver administered acupuncture.
This study was supported by the Department of Physical Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.
