Integrative Oncology uses the best evidence-based treatments (i.e. surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, acupuncture, massage, stress reduction, herbal/botanicals, etc.) with the following goals:
- Treating the cancer
- Preventing recurrence
- Reducing side effects and symptoms
Integrative Oncology encourages living a healthy lifestyle to help the body in its’ innate abilities to fight and prevent cancer. This can be accomplished by learning strategies to reduce stress, increasing physical activity and eating healthfully (“anti-cancer diet & nutrition.”)
Practicing these lifestyle changes leads to beneficial “anti-cancer” effects:
- Strengthening the immune system
- Decreasing inflammation throughout the body
- Reducing (free radical) oxidative damage to cells
- Decreasing hormonal stimulation of cancer cells
Treatments are selected using a customized approach for each person by taking into account various factors:
- Cancer type and stage
- Other medical conditions
- General health status
- Symptoms
- Safety and efficacy of the treatment
- Cost and availability of treatment
- Social support
- Etc…
Selecting the most appropriate therapies for an individual is not simple, as there are many factors to consider. Coordinating the various therapies so that all of your healthcare practitioners are communicating and knowing what you are doing/taking/planning can be time-consuming, complicated and confusing.
So, your cancer treatment is over. What can you do now to reduce your risks of cancer coming back? Schedule a consultation with an integrative oncologist to help you develop a plan that is individualized to you.
Consulting with an Integrative Oncologist may be helpful, as they understand the therapeutic options that are available and they know how to navigate this process. There are multiple Integrative Oncology Centers throughout the United States.
Visit the Integrative Oncology-Essentials website to learn more.
I developed the diagrams below to help explain to my patients the core principles of integrative oncology. They show the process of how healthy, normal cells transform into cancer cells. They demonstrate how lifestyle and behaviors can influence this process and can be used to decrease one’s risk of cancer development and progression. Importantly, these diagrams shows how cancer and its’ treatment can lead to the development and exacerbation of other medical problems (Did you know that most people with cancer don’t die of their cancer? In fact, the majority of the time they die from complications of treatment or from worsening of other medical problems.) Finally, these diagrams illustrate that one can reduce symptoms (from cancer or from the treatment) by using complementary therapies or through lifestyle/behavior changes.
I hope that these diagrams help you better understand the interconnectedness and complexity of cancer care and cancer prevention.
(Click the FIGURES to see in Full-Size)
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