Chinese Medicine Warm Compress to Combat Cancer-Related Pain

Pain, pain, go away

Only 50% of cancer patients experience effective pain management. When traditional medicine alone can’t control your patients’ pain, you might consider a complementary therapy.

Researchers investigated the effectiveness of Chinese medicine warm compress (CMWC) on relieving cancer-related pain. They randomly assigned 62 patients with a malignant tumor and cancer-related pain to receive appropriate drug therapy based on the World Health Organization 3-step ladder for cancer pain relief. Doctors also gave the treatment group CMWC on back meridians and published their results in Medicine.

Patients experienced mild, moderate, and severe pain (n=19, 22, and 21, respectively) in various regions. Compared to the control group, the treatment group experienced pain relief “with reduced doses, less adverse reactions, and improved QOL [quality of life].” Investigators noted the study was limited by the small sample size and short length (2 weeks) and advised further research.

Other complementary practices that have been shown to be effective in pain management include mindfulness meditation, relaxation exercises and more. To learn more about these practices or to help your patients learn to self-manage emotional reactions to cancer-related stress using an innovative digital platform, visit CanSurround.