My practice in Germany: a holistic approach to oncology

In Germany, the integration of complementary health practices has been established in a few hospitals – one of them is in Essen, another is in Berlin.

Within my first year back I was fortunate to be able to set up two private clinics – in Düsseldorf and Essen in the northwest of the country. Additionally, I was invited to join the complementary health team at a hospital in Essen, where I provide acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine treatments on a cancer ward.

Complementary treatment

Currently, I am engaged in an initiative that started on the senology department – the breast cancer ward to be precise. Complementary health practitioners have been invited to help patients get back on their feet after operations and to assist with easing symptoms caused by chemotherapy and other medications.

As treatments may continue for many years after the diagnosis, any side effect of a medication can be debilitating to the patient. Most are given a number of different medications, some being prescribed to ease the side effects of others. Since acupuncture generally produces no side effects, it is considered a welcome alternative to manage nausea, diarrhoea, lack of energy or the like.

In the hospital in Essen I treat people with acupuncture in three different settings:

On the ward

I see patients after they have had an operation in which the tumour has been removed. Sometimes, organs have been removed too, which presents a complete new set-up for me to deal with as a TCM practitioner.

For example, if the spleen has been removed, I will focus my treatment on nourishing the spleen and stomach channels in the future. I will also need to instruct the patient how to support their spleen and stomach through diet.

Common symptoms I encounter – caused by receiving pain medication, anaesthesia and the additional emotional stress of treatment – are oedema, diarrhoea, constipation, dry mouth and throat, and insomnia.

The body needs a lot of energy while healing – and this in turn can be very debilitating, especially after an operation.

Outpatients

Some outpatients who have completed or paused cancer treatment come for treatment of polyneuropathy caused by chemotherapy. Others struggle with side effects from the long-term medication they need to take in order to keep the cancer in check – for example frequent chest infections, fatigue or hot flushes.

Generally, outpatients come in once a week to have a 30-minute treatment in a private room in the hospital.

Outpatients during chemotherapy

Chemotherapy takes place in a separate building in the hospital. People sit on treatment chairs, each one with a drip to get their individual chemotherapy dosage.

In the same clinic – to ease symptoms like nausea and vomiting caused by the medication – we offer acupuncture. I can’t help but think of this as slightly bizarre – one type of medicine fixing the effects of another.

A different kind of side effect

What I find incredible – and wonderful – is that what started in the senology department has, over time, spread into the main hospital. We complementary health practitioners are currently treating cancer patients from other departments, such as gynaecology and internal medicine too.

Moreover, the hospital provides an 11-week daytime programme for small groups of cancer patients of a similar diagnosis and prognosis – offering a holistic approach that includes advice on diet, movement, mindfulness, qigong, and of course, acupuncture treatment. There are also lots of tips and tricks shared on how to deal with common chemotherapy side effects.

‘The ink drawings of Traditional Chinese Medicine patterns are my own work, developed as part of my note-taking process. So far, I have completed 117 of these drawings, and I continue to add new ones whenever I discover a new pattern.’

Treatment progression

I can envisage supporting cancer patients with both acupuncture and herbal medicine combined in the future.

While in many ways Germany is ahead in their approach to cancer, I would say that acupuncture practitioners in the UK generally have a higher level of knowledge and education in TCM. In Germany, there is no organisation like the BAcC to monitor and check the progress of training and personal development of their members.

Even so, the level of collaboration between conventional and complementary practitioners in the UK seems not as established as in Germany. And as far as I know, hospitals are not regularly incorporating Chinese medicine practitioners into their treatment programmes.

I firmly believe that because cancer treatment procedures can be traumatising to a patient, it is absolutely essential to look after their emotional wellbeing, as well as their tumour-markers.

Fortunately, some places in Germany have understood the importance of addressing the whole person in order to supply rounded cancer care. I hope that these insights will continue to spread – within this country and beyond.

Jasmin Reif’s career began with a fascination for bodily dysfunctions explored through performance art at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. Her art aimed to transform pain and dysfunction into creative expressions of action and adaptation. This artistic curiosity evolved into a desire to understand and treat pathologies and in 2019, she began studying TCM at the City College of Acupuncture (CCA) in London. She became a certified Heilpraktikerin in 2021, specialising in nervous system disorders and undertook training in scalp acupuncture.

Jasmin is a member of the BAcC and RCHM and is currently pursuing a master’s in Chinese herbal medicine at the Northern College of Acupuncture (NCA). She has taught at various workshops, most recently for AGIMed, educating doctors in Chinese medicine.

All illustrations by Jasmin Reif

jasminreif.com
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