Acupuncture for the Side Effects of Oropharyngeal Cancer: Eric’s Story

59-year-old Eric had led a relatively healthy life until he was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer caused by HPV. Affecting the base of the tongue, the soft palate, the sides of the mouth, and the tonsils, the rare form of cancer requires an especially difficult protocol to treat.

“I was told this was one of the most grueling treatments I would ever go through,” says Eric. “They’re dealing with everything in your mouth, like your taste, your saliva, your voice box, everything. I had to do thirty-five radiation treatments in my neck and six or seven chemo treatments. I got sores in my mouth that wouldn’t go away. I lost my whole taste. I had a feeding tube put in because I couldn’t taste anything. Without that, I probably would have starved to death. It was just a really hard time in my life, not just because of the treatment, but also because of all the side effects that came with it.”

After three months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Eric was declared cancer-free. He was still in great pain, however, and not able to taste food. “I still needed my body to heal. The pain was so bad. No medication helped me. I had so many drugs here, even morphine, that would not work,” he says. “ I just lay in bed at night in so much pain, especially in my throat. I still had sores in my throat, and it was so raw. I couldn’t swallow without it hurting.”

Eric says that during one of those sleepless nights, he was looking online for someone who could help. He and his wife had discussed acupuncture as an “out-of-the box” drug-free option, and Eric began to search for someone in the Gastonia area that could help. While he found local acupuncture providers there, he says that he specifically wanted to work with someone who had experience working with cancer patients. Striking out in Gaston Country, he expanded his search to the Charlotte area and discovered Queen City Acupuncture and Wellness.

“I found Garrett Krause’s bio and saw that he had a lot of experience and even taught acupuncture to doctors,” he says. “There was also information on his site about working with cancer patients who had gotten great results. I kept digging and found his Facebook page, where I found out that he was really focused on taking care of veterans. I really liked that. So even though my drive was going to be 45 or 50 minutes, I thought that this was the person I needed to go to, because I wanted somebody who understands my pain.”

Eric made an appointment and explained his goals during the initial consultation. He says he told Garrett, “Number one, I wanted help with the pain, because the radiation and chemo destroy you at a cellular level, like down in your marrow and your bones. And secondly, I wanted to reclaim my life. I couldn’t taste anything. I could barely talk because I had dry mouth. My saliva was so bad that I had to constantly drink, but it hurt to swallow. I just wanted my life back. And I wanted to taste food again.”

Eric began regular treatments and started to see progress, both in pain reduction and improved ability to taste. Doctors told him that it might take years for his taste to come back, if ever. After four months, Eric says, “It’s probably 60% back now. I’m thankful that I am so far ahead of where the doctors told me I would be at this time. I can have a meal with my family now or go out to eat. Before, I couldn’t do that at all because it was just a waste of my money if I couldn’t taste anything. We’re not all the way yet, but we’re still working on it. These small, positive victories have helped me on the way back to a normal life.”

Eric describes his relationship with Garrett Krause as a partnership. “We’re working to get me back to the regular life,” he says. “I love my other doctors, but with them, the talk is always cancer, cancer, cancer. They just focused on that one area and not beyond that. With Garrett, we talk about the life that comes after cancer. I think that these acupuncture treatments have really helped me to be proactive in healing instead of just waiting around for my body to do it on its own. I’ve moved forward so much and I know I can continue to get better and better through this process.”

Acupuncturist Garrett Krause says that Eric’s body has responded well to the treatments, and he expects further progress to be made. “I used a combination of acupuncture points to help modulate his immune system and to improve his energy, which was impacted from his chemo treatments,” he says. “In addition, there are some acupuncture points that are used to help regain taste. Part of his treatment has included adding points to assist his liver in its ability to process and remove toxins in his body.”

Eric intends to continue treatments and looks forward to the benefits still to come. “I tell everybody what I’m doing and where I go. They all say, ‘Can he help with pain?’ and I say, Yeah, he can do it all! It’s worth the drive. He’s very accommodating with his schedule, and he’s helped me with getting my VA benefits. He’s helped me a lot, and he’s a caring man who loves what he’s doing and genuinely cares about people. I’m very excited about where I am now. This experience has given me a lot of hope.”