Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (ALTENS) or Pilocarpine in Treating Early Dry Mouth in Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Diagnosis of head and neck cancer * No clinical evidence of disease recurrence by ear, nose, and throat exam with a nasopharyngeal scope, if indicated, 8 weeks prior to registration * Completed radiotherapy (i.e., standard or intensity-modulated radiotherapy) with or without chemotherapy ≥ 3 months and up to 2 years prior to study entry * Grade 1-2 radiotherapy-induced xerostomia according to the NCI Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Effects (CTCAE) v.3.0 and the dry mouth/salivary gland xerostomia scale * Must have evidence of residual salivary function with unstimulated (basal) whole salivary production ≥ 0.1 ml/min after having refrained from eating or drinking oral fluid for 2 hours * No patients with normal saliva production (i.e., no salivary gland changes or no xerostomia) * No history of serious adverse events after prior treatment with and discontinuation of pilocarpine * No chronic lymphocytic leukemia PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * See Disease Characteristics * Zubrod performance status of 0-2 * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No other invasive malignancy except non-melanomatous skin cancer or cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for at least 3 years (e.g., carcinoma in situ of the breast, oral cavity, or cervix) * No concurrent contraindications to pilocarpine (e.g., uncontrolled asthma, miosis, or hypersensitivity) * No severe, active co-mor…