Local Acupuncturist Provides Free Care for Cancer Patients

For Marcie Falco, helping people has always come naturally. 

From her early work with disturbed kids to deciding to pursue a career as an acupuncture physician, plus the countless hours she devotes to the Rotary Club, Big Sisters program and other causes, selflessness is part of what makes her who she is. 

So when she started treating cancer patients through her downtown Safety Harbor office, she thought of yet another way she could give back.

“I have a number of patients who are being treated for cancer, three or four who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and I treat them pro bono,” Falco said.

“Nausea, anxiety, pain, fatigue, these are all associated with chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, and they are easily treated with acupuncture,’ she added.

The native New Yorker and University of Florida grad worked with emotionally disturbed adolescents for a dozen years before switching gears and attending the Florida Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1996. 

After getting her three-year degree, she opened her practice in 1999, where she uses acupuncture, herbology and dietary guidance to treat a variety of conditions, including stress, acute pain, trauma and inflammation. 

And in the years since she started, Falco says she has seen her methods of treatment become more widely accepted by the public as well as members of the medical community. 

“I don’t like to call it alternative medicine, it’s more complimentary medicine,” she admitted. “It’s a natural way to heal the body.” 

“It works well with traditional medicines – I work with MDs all the time,” she added. “The main thing to do is what’s best to optimize the patient’s health.”

That attitude is what led her to help her cancer patients free of charge. 

Knowing that some of the common side effects of cancer treatments are also treatable through acupuncture, Falco started working with the patients for free in order to help alleviate their painful pre and post-treatment conditions.

Falco says she is not looking for anything in return for her generosity; it all comes with the territory of being a medical professional dedicated to helping others.

“I love assisting people who are navigating through tough times,” she said. “I’m really committed to doing that. It’s my way of giving back.”

Marcie S. Falco, Acupuncture Physician

Address: 801 2nd Street N., Suite C

Phone: 727-216-3246

Website: marciefalco.com