Integrative Oncology Support in St. Petersburg, FL

A cancer diagnosis changes everything, and the treatment that comes with it, chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, often brings its own list of things to manage: nausea, fatigue, anxiety, neuropathy, sleep that won’t come, a body that doesn’t feel like yours anymore.

Dr. Holly Durning trained at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, one of the country’s leading cancer centers, where she earned certification in integrative oncology acupuncture. That training is specifically about supporting people through cancer treatment, not around it or instead of it.

Acupuncture is not a cancer treatment, and nothing on this page should be read as a claim otherwise. Dr. Durning’s role is supportive: helping manage the side effects of treatment your oncology team has already prescribed, always in coordination with that team, never in place of it.

Where the Evidence Actually Points

The Society for Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology have issued joint guidelines on integrative therapies in cancer care. Acupuncture has moderate-strength support for aromatase inhibitor-related joint pain in breast cancer patients, and a general recommendation for cancer-related pain more broadly. Acupuncture and acupressure are also recommended for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, based on multiple clinical trials. Evidence for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy is weaker but growing, several trials, including work done at Memorial Sloan-Kettering itself, have shown promising results. Acupuncture has been used to treat fatigue and hot flashes with some supporting evidence as well. 

What a Visit Looks Like

Dr. Durning starts by understanding where a patient is in treatment: what’s been prescribed, what side effects have shown up, what the oncology team is already managing. Treatment plans are built around that, and adjusted as a patient moves through active treatment, recovery, or survivorship. She’s glad to coordinate directly with an oncology team when that’s useful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does acupuncture treat cancer?

No. Acupuncture is not a cancer treatment and does not replace chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or any treatment your oncology team has prescribed. It’s used here strictly as supportive care for symptoms and side effects.

Can acupuncture help with chemotherapy side effects like nausea?

Acupuncture and acupressure have research support for reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea, according to joint guidelines from the Society for Integrative Oncology and ASCO. Individual results vary, and Dr. Durning will talk through what’s realistic for your treatment specifically.

Do I need my oncologist’s approval before starting?

It’s not required, but many patients loop in their care team, and Dr. Durning is glad to coordinate directly if that’s helpful. She’ll also ask about platelet counts, any lymphedema risk, and other treatment-specific factors before your first session.

Book Your Appointment  |  Not sure where to start? Ask Dr. Holly a question first.