Study will use acupressure to treat breast-cancer related fatigue

Women who’ve been treated for breast cancer often suffer from extreme fatique. A Michigan State University professor wants to try an ancient procedure to see if it can relieve the  symptoms.

Gwen Wyatt, a professor at MSU’s College of Nursing, says breast cancer patients who’ve undergone chemotherapy and radiation therapies often complain of being very tired -- all the time.

Wyatt will teach 300 women to try an alternative therapy and will follow their results over five years.

"We're using a complementary intervention that's totally noninvasive, commonly called  acupressure -- as opposed to acupuncture -- to help relieve the cancer-related fatique," Wyatt says.

Acupressure doesn’t use needles. It uses pressure applied to specific parts of the body and is believed to affect the energy flow through the body.

Women can participate in the study at sites throughout the state.

For details about the study, call 1-888-603-2533.