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Touch therapy for pre-cancers?

Page last modified on: September 29, 2008
Question from Karlee: Can touch therapy and acupuncture be effective treatments for pre-cancerous conditions (e.g., DCIS) rather than radiation following lumpectomy or mastectomy?
Answers —Beth DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S.: I'd like to make the point that the therapies we are discussing are termed "complementary," and not "alternative." They are used in concert with conventional radiation and chemo, and not in place of.
Mary Ellen Scheckenbach, M.Ac.: If the condition is truly pre-cancerous and no Western conventional treatment is prescribed yet, frequently these conditions can be slowed at least with oriental medicine—acupuncture and herbs.

On Wednesday, March 16, 2005, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Acupuncture and Touch Therapies. Mary-Ellen Scheckenbach, M.Ac., Tracy Walton, L.M.T., M.S., and moderator Beth Baughman Dupree, M.D., F.A.C.S. answered your questions about acupuncture and touch therapies.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Mary Ellen Scheckenbach, M.Ac. is co-founder of Hidden River: A Center for Health in Philadelphia. Ms. Scheckenbach has practiced acupuncture and chinese herbology since 1986 with an emphasis on women's health, chronic disease, and pain.

Tracy Walton, L.M.T., M.S. consults to hospitals and massage schools and teaches "Caring for Clients with Cancer," courses offered nationally for massage therapists.

Beth Baughman DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S.Beth Baughman DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a general surgeon. Her clinical practice is located at Holy Redeemer Hospital and St. Mary Medical Center.

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