FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Marx, MAcOM, LAc, Director of Research, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 503-253-3443 x168
November 10, 2017
Portland, OR — Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) has received $10,000 from the Knight Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program at Oregon Health & Science University to design and implement a statewide survey for breast cancer survivors. The survey will assess the unmet needs of breast cancer survivors in Oregon, and gauge interest in a future acupuncture and Chinese medicine based survivorship program. The survey will also assess knowledge, attitudes, and use of acupuncture among breast cancer survivors. Data collected will be used to expand knowledge of and access to acupuncture and Chinese medicine for breast cancer survivors.
With recent advances in cancer treatments, rates of survivorship are increasing, resulting in cancer survivors who experience substantial physical and emotional needs. Studies show that acupuncture and Chinese medicine has great promise as a component of supportive cancer care, demonstrating effectiveness for many conditions which affect survivors, including chronic pain, psychological distress, insomnia, fatigue, immune function, and well-being. Findings also suggest that although a demand for acupuncture and Chinese medicine care clearly exists, nearly half of patients have no knowledge of it. This project will benefit Oregon breast cancer patients by ultimately providing a community-based survivorship group or program designed to increase access and understanding of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, including evidence-based principles for healthy lifestyle changes, nutrition, and stress-reduction.
According to OHSU Oncologist Jingjing Hu, MD, “the remarkable advances in cancer treatment have greatly improved the survivorship rates of breast cancer patients. Though positive, this also results in a large population of patients in need of ongoing, multi-modality support to manage cancer related symptoms and improve the quality of life. I believe acupuncture and Chinese medicine will have an increasingly important role to play in this integrative approach in coming years, and this project is an important first step in determining the shape of that role for breast cancer patients in Oregon.”
This project is funded through the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program. The program is designed to build sustainable collaborations with Oregon communities by providing grants and other resources to foster development of community-identified cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and survivorship projects. The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute has made a decade-long commitment to invest in the program to develop robust, sustainable programs that benefit the health of all Oregonians. Additional information about the program is available on the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s website.
About Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM)
Founded in 1983, OCOM is a single-purpose nonprofit graduate school that offers two specialized degree programs: Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM) and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM). OCOM’s mission is to transform health care by educating highly skilled and compassionate practitioners, providing exemplary patient care, and engaging in innovative research within a community of service and healing. Our 1,402 graduates practice, teach, and research Chinese medicine in 50 states and across the globe, and have provided an estimated 10 million treatments during the past 33 years. In 2012, OCOM relocated its campus and clinic to a LEED Gold certified academic, clinic, and research facility in Old Town Chinatown. For more information, contact Beth Howlett, MAcOM, LAc, Director of Communications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 503-253-3443 x196.
