Patient Educational Flyer
Instructions: Design a 1-2 page patient education flyer/pamphlet for an alternative medicine/herbal product.
Describe the product, its intended use, side effects, adverse reactions, and safety issues (risks and benefits of using an alternative medication/herbal product versus a prescription medication).
The flyer should include at least two community and/or online resources for the patient to obtain more information.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are not required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.
Solution
Patient Educational Flyer
The Use of Acupuncture in Managing Cancer’s Side Effects
What is Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an alternative from of medicine that involves the use of heat, needles, or pressure, among other applications, to a single or different areas of the skin, which are referred to as acupuncture points. The treatment originated from Asian countries, including China, where it is used in Chinese traditional medicine. The treatment has been adopted by different professionals across the globe and has proven to be effective in the management of the side effects of cancer.
The Intended Use
Acupuncture is applied in the treatment of different ailments and illnesses including the management of cancer. In cancer patients, it is used to reduce nausea and vomiting, hot flashes, pain, fatigue, neuropathy, xerostomia, sleeping problems, anxiety, and depression. The treatment works by causing responses in the pituitary gland, the nerve cells, and different areas in the brain, thus affecting body temperature and blood pressure.
Side Effects
There are various side effects of acupuncture that have been reported, most of which stem from using non-sterile needles, wrong placing of the needles, needle defects, and patient movement. Some of the problems that may arise from this include; pain during treatment and soreness; infections; and feeling lightheaded, tired, or sleepy. Given that the immune system is weakened by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it is important to ensure that the needle used for acupuncture on a cancer patient is clean and sterile. In addition, such treatment should be offered by a qualified practitioner to avoid any administration problems.
Adverse Effects
There have been rare occurrences of adverse effects associated with acupuncture with no more than one per a thousand cases reported. Such adverse cases include extreme pain during treatment and injury (nerve or blood vessel) due to poor needle placing.
Safety Issues
The benefits of using acupuncture to curb the side-effects of cancer outweigh those of using prescription medicine as such medicine is associated with additional side-effects including nausea and vomiting. In addition, the dangers involving acupuncture are modifiable and can be effectively curbed through proper hygiene, and engagement of qualified acupuncture therapists, who know how to place the needles to the acupuncture points.
For more information on acupuncture, please visit:
American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
2512 Artesia Blvd, Ste 200
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 379-8261
OR
The National Cancer Institute Website at: http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/acupuncture-pdq