Sunara Sotelo, DAOM – Acupuncturist

“I am part of a team that genuinely cares about treating people well and helping them through their fight against cancer,” says acupuncturist Sunara Sotelo. “We are a team that always strives to provide the best care possible.”

She adds, “We all work together for the betterment of the patients. There is communication between departments, a sharing of ideas and respect for one another. Every day I am reminded of this by the patients I treat.”

Sotelo strives to minimize cancer patients’ pain and help them enjoy a better quality of life. The acupuncture treatment she provides can offset side effects from chemotherapy, radiation treatment, hormone or targeted therapies and surgery. Among the many symptoms and side effects acupuncture addresses are: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, loss of appetite, edema, myalgia, arthralgia, migraines and peripheral neuropathy.

Sotelo notes, “In helping reduce or alleviate these side effects, patients’ quality of life can be greatly enhanced.”

Sotelo is nationally certified and designated as a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She earned a doctorate degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine (specializing in oncology and advanced pain management) from Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. She completed a master's degree in traditional Oriental medicine at Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in Santa Monica, California, and a bachelor’s degree at Antioch University Los Angeles.

Sotelo has been published in the American Acupuncturist. She is an active member of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the Society for Integrative Oncology, the Association of Integrative Oncology and Chinese Medicine, and the Society for Acupuncture Research.

Prior to becoming a staff member at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Tulsa, Oklahoma in September 2011, Sotelo practiced acupuncture in Seattle, Washington and completed an externship at Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of TCM and Chengdu Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine in China. Sotelo became a member of our integrated team of cancer care providers at our Seattle clinic in April 2012.

Sotelo says, “When I walk through the hospital’s front doors in the morning, I know I am entering a place of healing and hope. I have an opportunity at CTCA to introduce patients to the benefits of acupuncture while receiving conventional cancer treatment. Not many acupuncturists have a career that allows them, on a daily basis, to work in an integrative environment helping people living with cancer. CTCA is one of the only hospitals I am aware of that truly implements integrative medicine, and I consider myself very blessed to be a part of this team.”