The time leading up to surgery or treatment can be physically and emotionally demanding, even before treatment itself begins. Acupuncture can be used during this preparatory period to help regulate the nervous system, improve sleep, reduce anxiety, address pain or digestive symptoms, and create a steadier baseline before surgery or systemic treatment begins.

Care is adapted to your diagnosis, upcoming procedures and medical plan. When surgery is involved, treatment may also focus on pre-operative stress and overall resilience, with post-operative care introduced when it is medically appropriate and cleared by your surgical team.

For some patients, fertility preservation becomes an urgent part of cancer care before chemotherapy, radiation or other treatment that may affect future fertility. These decisions often need to happen quickly, leaving little time to prepare physically or emotionally.

Acupuncture can be incorporated alongside expedited egg or embryo freezing cycles to help manage stress, sleep disruption, treatment-related symptoms and the physical demands of ovarian stimulation. Care is coordinated around your fertility and oncology timelines, with the understanding that this process is unfolding within an already intense medical experience.

Chemotherapy can affect nearly every system in the body, and acupuncture is often used as supportive care for symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, neuropathy, sleep disruption, anxiety, headaches, digestive changes and pain.

Treatment is adapted to where you are in your infusion cycle and how your body is responding. Some patients benefit most from care shortly after treatment, while others prefer sessions between infusions as symptoms evolve. Blood counts, infection risk, ports, medications and your oncology team’s recommendations are always taken into consideration.

Radiation treatment can create a different pattern of symptoms depending on the area being treated and the length of the course. Acupuncture may be used to address fatigue, sleep disruption, anxiety, pain, dry mouth when relevant, and the cumulative stress that can build over repeated treatments.

Care is adjusted around the radiation field and any skin or tissue sensitivity. Needling is not performed through irradiated or compromised tissue, and treatment is designed to complement your radiation plan while supporting recovery and overall wellbeing.

Hormonal and endocrine therapies can be highly effective parts of cancer treatment, but they can also create persistent symptoms that affect quality of life over months or years.

Acupuncture is commonly used to address hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, joint and muscle pain, fatigue, mood changes and other treatment-related symptoms. This can be especially relevant for patients taking therapies such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, where long-term symptom management becomes an important part of survivorship care.

Finishing active treatment does not always mean the body immediately feels “back to normal.” Fatigue, neuropathy, pain, sleep changes, anxiety, digestive symptoms and the emotional impact of treatment can continue well into recovery.

Acupuncture and integrative care can help support this transition by addressing lingering symptoms, rebuilding strength and resilience, and creating space for the body and nervous system to recover after an intense period of medical care. Treatment can evolve over time as your needs change, with the goal of improving comfort, function and quality of life during survivorship.

Yes. Acupuncture can be safely incorporated during cancer treatment when it is performed by a licensed practitioner who understands oncology care and adjusts treatment to the patient’s medical circumstances. Memorial Sloan Kettering specifically offers acupuncture as a complementary therapy during cancer treatment and recommends working with practitioners experienced in treating oncology patients.

There are times when treatment needs to be modified or postponed. Blood counts, infection risk, anticoagulant use, lymphedema risk, recent surgery, skin integrity and your oncology team’s recommendations all matter. My approach is always to adapt treatment to what is medically appropriate for you at that moment.

There is no single schedule that is right for every chemotherapy regimen. Timing depends on your infusion schedule, how symptoms tend to develop afterward, and how you feel between treatments.

Some patients benefit most from acupuncture shortly before or after an infusion to address nausea, anxiety or other symptoms, while others find the greatest value several days later when fatigue, digestive changes, neuropathy or sleep disruption become more noticeable.

Rather than using a rigid protocol, we learn how your body responds to each cycle and time treatment accordingly.

Yes, acupuncture can often be used alongside radiation therapy. Treatment is adapted to the area being irradiated, the condition of the skin and the symptoms you are experiencing.

Acupuncture is used in supportive oncology for issues including fatigue, anxiety, pain and sleep disturbance, and research also supports its use for radiation-related dry mouth in appropriate patients.

I avoid needling compromised or irritated tissue and adjust treatment as the effects of radiation accumulate over the course of therapy.

Acupuncture is increasingly used for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, including numbness, tingling, burning and nerve pain. MSK lists neuropathy among the cancer-treatment symptoms acupuncture is used to address, and ongoing clinical research continues to evaluate its role in nerve recovery.

Because neuropathy can persist well beyond chemotherapy, treatment may continue into recovery and survivorship rather than ending when infusions stop.

Yes. These are two particularly important applications of acupuncture in supportive cancer care.

Hot flashes and sleep disruption are common with endocrine therapies and treatment-induced menopause, and clinical studies support acupuncture for vasomotor symptoms in cancer patients.

For patients taking aromatase inhibitors, the evidence is especially strong for joint pain. The joint Society for Integrative Oncology/ASCO guideline states that acupuncture should be offered for aromatase-inhibitor–related joint pain in breast cancer, based on intermediate-quality evidence and a moderate-strength recommendation.

Yes. These are among the symptoms acupuncture is commonly used to address in supportive oncology care.

Research reviewed by MSK and NCCIH supports acupuncture for treatment-related nausea and vomiting, cancer-related fatigue, pain and sleep disturbance, with additional evidence for anxiety and other quality-of-life symptoms.

Treatment is not limited to one symptom at a time. A session might address nausea, disrupted sleep, anxiety and fatigue together based on what you are experiencing that week.

In most cases, yes - once it is medically appropriate based on the procedure, wound healing and your surgeon’s recommendations.

Post-operative treatment can be adapted to address pain, sleep disruption, digestive changes, fatigue, stress and the broader process of recovery. Needling is kept away from surgical sites or compromised tissue, and additional precautions may be needed when lymph nodes have been removed or there is a risk of lymphedema.

There is no advantage to rushing. The timing should reflect your surgery and how your body is healing.

In New York and Connecticut, a physician referral is not generally required to receive acupuncture. MSK likewise notes that acupuncture can be accessed without a doctor’s referral, while emphasizing the importance of appropriate medical diagnosis and collaboration between practitioners.

That said, I strongly believe in coordinated care. I want to know what treatments you are receiving, what medications you are taking, whether there are concerns about blood counts or infection risk, and any precautions your oncology team has given you.

Your oncology treatment remains the center of your cancer care. My work is designed to complement it.

Sometimes, but this is handled very differently from acupuncture.

Many herbs and supplements can interact with chemotherapy, radiation, endocrine therapy, anticoagulants and other medications. During active cancer treatment, some oncology teams recommend avoiding supplements altogether unless they have specifically reviewed them.

For that reason, I approach Chinese herbal medicine and supplementation very conservatively and on a case-by-case basis. There may be phases of treatment when I recommend none at all. When they are appropriate, recommendations take your diagnosis, medications and oncology guidance into account.

There is no universal schedule. During periods of active treatment or significant symptoms, weekly care is common, and some patients benefit from more frequent treatment for a limited period. As symptoms become more stable, appointments can usually be spaced farther apart.

Frequency is based on what you are experiencing, your treatment schedule and how long the benefits of each session are lasting. The goal is to use enough treatment to be clinically meaningful without creating another burdensome appointment schedule.

Absolutely. Survivorship often brings its own set of needs.

Neuropathy, fatigue, pain, hot flashes, sleep disruption, anxiety and musculoskeletal symptoms can persist long after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation has ended. Hormonal therapies may also continue for years and produce ongoing symptoms that deserve attention. MSK specifically incorporates acupuncture into supportive care for cancer survivors and treatment-related symptoms.

Recovery is not simply the absence of active treatment. Care can continue to evolve as your body rebuilds strength, function and resilience and you establish a new baseline for wellbeing.