Abstract
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) causes pain and numbness in the hands and feet, which seriously disturbs the activity of daily living in severe cases. However, no effective treatments have been established for CIPN. Nine patients with CIPN were treated with oral Chinese herbal medicine and scalp acupuncture, and seven of them responded very well. Others, who did not respond well, continued or reinstituted the chemotherapy that induced their peripheral neuropathy. In most cases, an improvement of defi ciency, both in blood fl ow and static blood by the herbal medicine, lead to satisfactory relief of pain and numbness. Also, the use of Bushi was effective because the main cause of CIPN appeared to be neuronal sensitization. The mechanism of pain relief by scalp acupuncture is unclear, but one theory holds that the treatment affects the neuronal plasticity in brain. Therefore it is reasonable to treat CIPN with oral Chinese herbal medicine as well as neuronal sensitization, such as use of Bushi and scalp acupuncture.
