This week NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Willliams featured a report by Dr. Nancy Snyderman about the benefits of alternative therapies, including acupuncture, for cancer patients. Some highlights from the story are; 

“A 2010 University of Pennsylvania study found that 70 percent of comprehensive cancer centers offered information on complementary therapies on their websites, according to study co-author Dr. Jun Mao, an assistant professor and director of integrative care at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

“And over half of these centers endorse the use of these therapies in cancer care delivery,” Mao says.

The reason complementary therapies have moved into the mainstream, particularly with regard to cancer care, is that they can help patients deal with pain and treatment side effects, explains Dr. Barrie Cassileth, a pioneer in the field of complementary medicine
who heads up the integrative medicine service at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

“Acupuncture does not cure cancer, but it is extremely helpful in a cancer setting because it can control multiple symptoms, some of which are not treatable with mainstream means,” Cassileth told NBC’s chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman.“

To read the rest of the report or view the video click here.