Many cancer patients suffer from cold syndrome due to poor circulation. Some suffer exceptionally cold hands and feet or in local parts of the body that cause numbing pain. However, western medicine does not consider this ‘cold’ as a disorder. Thus, even if the patient complains of numbing or cold pain, no clear treatment options are available. The patient is often depressed because poor circulation prevents even temperature distribution and fluid within the body. As a sequela of Chemotherapy, other types of
cold syndromes include muscle weakness, decreased heart function, poor blood circulation due to vascular disease, excessive consumption of cold food, etc.
Commonly used Herbs: GuiZhi (cinnamon bark), Pao FuZi and Wu Zhu Yu.

The tongue, gums, back of the throat, and lips can become inflamed and sore during chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy and radiation are extremely damaging to the rapidly growing cells in the mucous lining of the mouth and throat, causing stomatitis to occur. Stomatitis and glossitis are treated for various causes such as anticancer drugs, radiotherapy, vitamin deficiency, malnutrition, viral or fungal infections, and often links to a dry mouth. Ban Xia XiXin Tang, Huang Lian Bai Du Tang and Wen Qing Yin are commonly used, and dry mouth posterior to Chemo can be relieved by taking Mai Men Dong Tang.

Frequently accompanied by decreased immunity, cancer patients suffer from herpes zoster, which appears as a stripe of painful, burning blisters on one side of the body, typically on the torso, neck, or face. In the acute phase, it is treated with an antiviral agent, but when the rash and blisters disappear, a case of ‘postherpetic neuralgia’ lasts for a long time. Acupuncture and herbal treatments have proven to have a significant effect on reducing pain and boosting immunity to alleviate the symptoms at a rapid rate.
Commonly used herbal formulas: Gegen Tang, Mahung Fuzi Xixin Tang and Xiao ChaiHu Tang.
Acupuncture points: GB 41, SJ 3.

Hiccups are caused by nerve compression due to cancer, sequelae of surgery, and electrolyte metabolic abnormalities. In addition, there are cases of side effects of anticancer drugs and corticosteroids given for nausea control, such as Decadron (Dexamethasone), but the cause is unknown in many cases. Chronic, non-stop hiccups consume heaps of energy out of the patient. BaiShao GanCao Tang and Xiao BanXia Tang are effective for chronic hiccups.
Acupuncture points: PC 6 and SP 4.

The chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), characterized by burning, numbness, or shooting pains in the fingers and toes, is a progressive and enduring condition. Once CIPN occurs, it is difficult to treat, so prevention is more effective than treatment. In addition to Chemotherapy, there is a clinical report that the administration of Niu Che Shen Qi Wan results in less peripheral nerve impairment and allows long-term administration of anticancer drugs. When the patient develops peripheral neuropathy, acupuncture treatment is expected to have a more significant effect.

After the surgery or radiation therapy, breast cancer patients are treated with hormone therapy that suppresses the action of female hormones for five years when the estrogen receptor (a follicular hormone) is determined to be positive. In such cases, suppressing estrogen receptors leads to symptoms similar to menopausal symptoms and can be severe. For example, sudden facial flushing, in which the patient suddenly feels hot and sweats profusely several times a day, abdominal palpitation, anxiety, depression, and arthralgia appear. In general, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is sometimes prescribed for menopausal disorders, but it is forbidden for breast cancer patients. In the treatment of Eastern Medicine, the herb ChaiHu, an Eastern herb that improves blood circulation, is used numerously with other herbs to benefit circulation effectively. The mechanism of how herbal medicines work on the side effects of breast cancer is yet to be discovered, but herbal medicine is expected to contain estrogen-like substances that act only on normal cells without affecting the estrogen receptor in breast cancer cells.