People with cancer commonly experience a range of symptoms not only from their disease but from our treatments as well, such as nausea, vomiting, pain, distress, depression, fatigue and others. Conventional treatments do not always satisfactorily relieve these symptoms and some patients may not be able to tolerate their side effects. Therapies such as acupuncture, mind body skills training, massage, guided imagery, nutrition counseling, music therapy, aromatherapy and other similar treatments are known as "complementary therapies" and incorporating them into a cancer care setting is referred to as "integrative oncology."
An important distinction should be made between "complementary therapies" and "alternative therapies," which are unproven treatments typically promoted for use in place of conventional cancer treatment and may be harmful and detrimental to survival. We do not provide or support the use of alternative therapies during conventional chemotherapy, as many of these treatments have been shown to adversely interact with not only chemotherapy, but radiation therapy as well. At Cascade Surgical Oncology, we provide the best of complementary modalities with mainstream conventional care, maximizing health and enhancing well being.
Demonstrating the effectiveness of complementary care techniques is a study published in April 2007 out of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, which showed a nearly 50% reduction in the severity of chemotherapy-related symptoms and side effects when massage therapy was utilized immediately prior to treatment. This is important new information because we have always felt that these complimentary techniques have been helpful in promoting well being and reduction of side effects, but now we are seeing traditional research-based evidence of this. Currently we offer mind/body skills training, encourage massage, aromatherapy and acupuncture by referring to outside providers, as well as our core value of personalized care of the WHOLE PERSON: body, mind and spirit. We will be offering many additional complementary care techniques in our office when our new facility opens late in the fall of 2007.
