No dry mouth after radiation therapy.

• Position: Acupuncture - Brief article

When given alongside radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, acupuncture has shown for the first time to reduce the side effect of xerostomia, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Xerostomia, or severe dry mouth, is characterized by reduced salivary flow, which commonly affects patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Most current treatments are palliative and offer limited benefit, explains Lorenzo Cohen, professor in the Departments of General Oncology and Behavioral Science and director of the Integrative Medicine Program. The condition impairs quality of life for patients, as it creates difficulties eating, speaking, and sleeping, while also increasing the risk for oral infections.

"There have been a number of small studies examining the benefits of acupuncture after xerostomia develops, but no...