Acupuncture Support During and After Cancer Treatment, at Home

Acupuncture is often sought to help support people with symptoms during and after cancer treatment, such as pain, nausea, tiredness, nerve symptoms and poor sleep. Anthony Keating provides gentle, home-visit acupuncture across Sydney’s North Shore and Northern Beaches, working alongside your oncology team. Home visits can make treatment more accessible when travel is tiring or you are already going to many appointments.

To talk about whether acupuncture may suit you, call or text Anthony on 0450 790 038.

• People having chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery or hormone therapy
• People who have finished treatment and are still living with side effects
• People who find it hard to leave home because of fatigue or low immunity
• Partners and family members arranging care for someone they love

Acupuncture may help support symptoms such as pain, nausea, fatigue, hot flushes, anxiety, poor sleep, and numbness or tingling after chemotherapy. It supports medical care. It does not replace it.

A joint guideline from the Society for Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology says acupuncture should be offered for joint pain caused by aromatase inhibitor medication in breast cancer, and may be offered for general cancer pain or musculoskeletal pain (SIO-ASCO guideline summary). Results vary from person to person, and Anthony will be honest about what is realistic.

Anthony comes to your home with everything needed, including single-use sterile needles. The first visit takes about 60 minutes and includes a conversation about your diagnosis, treatment schedule, medications and how you are feeling. Follow-up visits take about 45 minutes.

Treatment can be given on a portable table, in an armchair or in bed. Sessions are adapted to how you feel on the day, and a family member is welcome to stay. Read what happens during a home visit.

Please let your oncology team know you are having acupuncture. Anthony will ask about your blood counts, treatment cycle, ports or lines, radiotherapy areas and any risk of lymphoedema, and will plan treatment around them. Sessions may be postponed or adjusted when blood counts are low.

Contact your treating team or hospital straight away if you have a fever of 38°C or higher during chemotherapy, new bleeding or bruising, new swelling in an arm or leg, or severe or worsening pain.

• Bachelor of Health Science (Traditional Chinese Medicine), University of Technology Sydney, 2007
• More than 20 years of clinical experience
• 18 months of clinical internships in public and private hospitals in China and South Korea
• Postgraduate Oncology Acupuncture Training Program, Mater Hospital Sydney, 2019
• Registered acupuncturist, providing home visits across the North Shore and Northern Beaches

Dear Reader,

My acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice, developed over a decade in private practice, integrative medicine clinics in Sydney and Brisbane, and overseas hospital internships, took a dramatic turn towards oncology support in 2017, when my wife was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Supporting her led me to research and contact other Chinese medicine practitioners to learn the best ways I could help her through radiation and chemotherapy. I provided daily acupuncture and herbal medicine, and learned techniques to help ease the effects of her treatment.

I supported my wife through two years of medical treatment, hospital stays, surgery, emotional suffering and, sadly, her death.

That experience shapes how I work. People going through cancer treatment are already vulnerable, so I explain clearly and gently how acupuncture may help, and what it can and cannot do. I offer home visits because many people in treatment find it exhausting to leave the house when they are already travelling to hospital and other appointments.

I hope to bring this support to others who need it.

Thank you for reading.

Anthony Keating, B.H.Sc. (TCM)
Registered Acupuncturist

Is acupuncture safe during chemotherapy?

It is generally considered low risk when the acupuncturist knows your treatment plan and blood counts. Timing matters, and sessions may be postponed when counts are low.

Should I tell my oncologist?

Yes. Let your oncology team know you are having acupuncture, so your care stays coordinated.

Can acupuncture help with numbness and tingling after chemotherapy?

Some people find it helps ease these symptoms, and research is promising but still developing. Read Acupuncture for Numbness and Tingling After Chemotherapy.

Can treatment be given in bed?

Yes. Treatment can be given in bed or an armchair if getting onto a table is difficult.

Can a family member book on my behalf?

Yes. Partners, family members and care coordinators are welcome to call or text Anthony.

Is there a free chat before booking?

Yes. Call Anthony to talk through whether acupuncture suits your situation before you book.

Helpful reading

• Acupuncture for Numbness and Tingling After Chemotherapy: What the Evidence Says
• What Happens During a Home-Visit Acupuncture Appointment?
• Is Acupuncture Safe for Older People?

To talk about acupuncture alongside cancer treatment, call or text Anthony on 0450 790 038.