Introduction to the Safe Practice of Acupuncture in Cancer Care
Date(s): 15 March 2024
Time: 10am-5pm
Eligibility: Acupuncture graduates
Venue: College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, Reading
Working with people undergoing treatment for cancer is often seen as daunting by acupuncturists. In addition, there are many stories about what to do or not do in this field. This 1-day session introduces the subject of cancer and provides a fundamental understanding of cancer and its treatments, and of some of the side effects of these treatments. A key focus is on the guidelines for the safe practice of acupuncture for people undergoing treatment for cancer – this clarifies contraindications, potential adverse events, and amber and red flags that may arise. How to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team is also addressed. This is an introduction to the subject for acupuncturists who have little or no experience of working with people living with and beyond cancer.
This course aims to introduce the essentials of cancer and its treatments to acupuncture practitioners with little or no experience of this area of healthcare. After participating in this session, attendees should be able to:
- Discuss what cancer is and how it is treated
- Describe the criteria for safe practice when working with people undergoing treatments for cancer
- Identify critical situations and when patients should be referred to other healthcare professionals
Beverley de Valois is a practicing acupuncturist, researcher in the NHS, and author of the book “Acupuncture and Cancer Survivorship: Recovery, Renewal and Transformation”. She is the lead author of an international collaboration responsible for developing recommendations for the safe practice of acupuncture in integrative oncology.