If you’ve ever pricked yourself with a needle, your first thought was probably some variation of the word ‘Ouch!’

While being on the receiving end of a needle isn't usually considered the most pleasant experience, a procedure called acupuncture uses tiny needles to create health benefits.

Wondering how? Acupuncturist Marie Eclache was once right there with you. As a teen, acupuncture and herbal medicine helped her kick a sinus infection that even three rounds of antibiotics couldn’t clear up. Not only that, but they benefited her skin, helped with her migraines and left her feeling better overall.

“It made no sense to me how it could possibly work, so I made the decision I was going to find out one day,” she recalls.

Over the course of eight years of schooling, she did just that, first earning her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and, later, a degree in acupuncture and Eastern medicine.

Today, she is an NCCAOM board-certified acupuncturist in MD Anderson's Integrative Medicine Center, where she uses acupuncture to help patients manage cancer symptoms and side effects from cancer treatment.

We spoke with Eclache to learn more about acupuncture’s role in cancer care.