Blog

Lucas Teachings > Blog > Blog > Case study: Kidney transplant plus breast cancer diagnosis and continuous prophylactic chemotherapy

Case study: Kidney transplant plus breast cancer diagnosis and continuous prophylactic chemotherapy

  • September 29, 2023
  • Posted by: Dr. Martha Lucas
  • Category: Blog
No Comments
case study

We thought we’d share a case study with you. If you have questions about it or would like to discuss it with Martha (Dr. Lucas), please contact her here.

This is a 52 year old female who had a kidney transplant in 2014 (IgA nephropathy) and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 for which she is on a continuous Trodelvy chemotherapy infusions for prevention.

Her request was to have acupuncture pre-chemotherapy treatment to help prevent the overwhelming nausea. She says that the nausea is so bad that she can’t eat for several days after each infusion which are every other week. She is also starting to suffer from anticipatory nausea.

She (we’ll call her Helen) receives treatment once/week and we’ll number them.

  1. Open Dai Mai, choose points on the St channel downward (St 8, St 25, St 41), Ren 12, SJ6, Kidney channel up (K7, 16, 27), Lu 1, Chong Mai, bilateral Pc6, Yintang.
  2. From treatment #1, Helen reported that there was NO nausea after the infusion but she did feel tired. Opened the Dai Mai, St channel down like Tx#1, Kidney channel up (like Tx#1), open the Liver channel (Liv5, 14, Lu 1), Ren 14, what Dr. Lucas calls “the 3” = Anmian, Ear Shenmen, Du 20, bilateral Pc 6. We added Gua Sha on the neck and shoulders to this treatment.
  3. There was some nausea this week but better by acupuncture day; constipated. Open Dai Mai. Needled the “local” liver area down to Gb 26 to help drain toxicity and stagnation from the liver. Ren 12 and 14, St 25, St 36, Sp 6, Liv 3, Lu 1.
  4. No nausea this week but felt bloated. Local liver points, Ren 14, St 25, St 36, Sp 15, Sp 6, K 2.
  5. A little nausea after the infusion but she could eat which is so important for her. Some bloating and constipation for a day or two. St 8, 25, and 41; Liv 2, local liver, Pc 3 and 6, Chong, Lu 1, Gb34.
  6. Had a much better infusion experience; no 3 days of nausea, eating well, but a little tired. Open Dai Mai, Gb26, Liv 2, 14, Lu 1; St 8, 25, 41; Chong Mai, Pc 6, Ht 7, Yintang.
  7. Had infusion yesterday but not much nausea, eating, a little tired; feels dehydrated. Local liver points, Liver 2, 14; St 36, Du 20, Sp 6 and 9, St 8 and 40; Chong Mai, Pc 6.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Author:drmartha

Dr. Lucas is uniquely qualified in the field of Chinese Medicine because she holds a Ph.D. in Research Psychology a well as her certification and licensing to practice Traditional Chinese Medicine. Lucas has more than 20 years of teaching and speaking experience and is described as "a dynamic speaker who keeps her classes engaged and who can explain complex information in an understandable form." She is internationally known for teaching and training Practitioners the Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture System. As well as teaching Cosmetic Acupuncture, she teaches practitioners how to properly take care of their patients’ skin using My Zen Skin Care products. Her other course offerings include the Pulse Diagnosis and Biofeedback Internship where practitioners study under her mentorship to learn to be better, more effective diagnosticians. Her private practice is based in Denver and in Littleton Colorado where she specializes in internal medicine: diagnosis and treatment of serious chronic illness and, of course, Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture. Dr. Lucas has been interviewed about Cosmetic Acupuncture and skin care by many publications including The NewYork Times and USA Today and is the author of several books: Pulse Diagnosis: Beyond Slippery and Wiry, Cosmetic Acupuncture Works! Your guide to Cosmetic Acupuncture for anti-aging, The My Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture workbook included with course registration, and You don’t need Botox (out of print). Her latest book projects are Sex Sucks: What we can do about it, and for children, The Skeleton in a Tutu gets Acupuncture.