Improving Fatigue: A Pilot Study of Acupuncture and Patient Education for Breast Cancer Survivors

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patient is between 18 and 65 years of age

2. Patient has a rounded Brief Fatigue Inventory score of 4 or greater

3. Patient is in a stable clinical condition

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Severe anemia (hemoglobin level less than 9 g/dL, hematocrit level less than 30,
decline in hemoglobin of 2 g/dL in the previous month, or active treatment for
anemia)

2. Karnofsky Performance Status below 70

3. Acupuncture treatment in the previous 6 months

4. Fatigue before cancer diagnosis

5. Patient is mentally incapacitated or unfit to provide informed consent or participate
in an interview

6. Patient has the potential for serious bleeding due to inherited diseases such as
hemophilia

7. Patient is taking medications that are either fatigue-inducing or have sedating
properties

8. Patient is unavailable by telephone