Terry Thompson’s Blog

Last night, I read one of the saddest news stories ever.  A forty-year-old man and his thirty-nine-year-old wife, his high school sweetheart, live in Wisconsin.  They have a teen-age daughter and a younger son.  The man lost his job with a manufacturing firm that paid him well.  Shortly after his job loss, his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  Fortunately, his severance agreement continued his health insurance for a few months, so her treatments were covered.  About the time the insurance ran out, her treatments were complete, and she was declared in remission.  However, a few months later, the cancer had metastasized into other organs, and she was back into treatment, this time with even more aggressiveness.

The husband had not yet found a new job in spite of hundreds of resume submissions and dozens of interviews.  Of course, his supplemented health insurance had expired, and private insurance was absolutely unaffordable.  Her medical bills were looming, as she worked part-time as a waitress.  Their financial obligations were becoming unmanageable.  Out of desperation, he met with an Army recruiter.  Yes, the Army is now taking new recruits through age 42. 

Their survival plan was for the husband to leave the family for a four year tour in the Army.  The wife’s treatments would be covered by the military health care system.  It was the only way out.  The two children would have to take on all the household responsibilities, since mom would be too ill to do much of anything.  Currently, the husband is on an Army post hundreds of miles from his family, the wife is taking debilitating chemotherapy treatments alone, and the children are taking care of their mother while becoming adults before their time.  This is about the worst situation I can imagine for a family.

This is a story that tears the heart out.  But, there are similar stories everywhere–right now.  Cancer is an awful, devastating attack on human kind.  It deserves every opposing assault we can launch at it.  The dilemma is that we have been fighting it for decades with limited success.  And, we will continue to have limited success as long as we don’t do anything significantly different.  It’s time for a new strategy.  Even if we don’t know what to do, let’s do something different.  Conventional treatment alone is not working.

Quite often I get the question, “Where are the integrative oncologists around here?”  The answer is that it depends on where you live.  Unfortunately, unless you live near a large medical school, you will probably have trouble finding one.  Prominent medical schools at universities like University of California San Francisco, Harvard, Stanford, Duke, and University of Colorado have centers for integrative medicine.  Of the top 20 medical school in the U.S., 14 have such centers.  Most of these have cancer departments which offer or provide referrals for integrative therapies.  A few non-educational related integrative cancer providers such as Cancer Centers of America are also available to the public.  Beyond these, obtaining integrative therapies usually involves considerable travel for the patient.

 If I wanted integrative care, I would have to drive over 5 hours each way for every treatment.  That would require an overnight stay each time.  A major aspect of my pursuit to expand integrative oncology is to convince oncologists across America to reinvent their whole approach to cancer therapy by learning and practicing complementary therapies.  It would be a whole new concept for them.  But, when the concept has been proven time and again to be effective in increasing survivability, reducing side effects, and cutting costs, why are traditional oncologists not being captured by its potential?  The answer is that it is a significant change, a major workload, might reduce revenues, and is currently easy to ignore. 

My book, this blog, and the efforts of many other integrative medicine proponents will continue aggressively to make the new strategy for the war on cancer difficult for any oncologist to ignore.  Your help and support is needed.   

Occasionally, my posts have referenced the book that I have been writing and researching for over the past couple of years.  As you would assume, it is about integrative oncology and is titled, A New Strategy for the War on Cancer.  It is written for the general public, although it will be informative for medical professionals as well.  Integrative oncology is certainly out of the mainstream of cancer treatment options, but it is gaining much attention and acceptance within the realm of oncology practice.  The problem is that very few people outside of the medical profession are familiar with it.  My book is my hope of remedying that vacuum of knowledge.

Complementary therapies prescribed by integrative oncologists and emphases on the whole person of the cancer victim is still a foreign concept to most people.  Many have heard of alternative cancer treatments that conjures up thoughts of clinics outside the U.S. borders and even quackery.  However, very few realize that there are legitimate, proven natural therapies that enhance the conventional treatments and that are practiced by experienced integrative oncologists in America.  Unfortunately, what most people don’t know is probably the ultimate answer to defeating this dreadful disease.  We must get the word out and appeal for support from the grass roots of this country, because the medical and pharmaceutical industries are not going to. 

Morgan James Publishing, in New York, has accepted my manuscript proposal.  I will be meeting with them in two weeks to work out the details.  It will probably be April or May of next year before the book is actually published and in the outlets.  Meanwhile, please continue to frequent this blog for news from the integrative oncology world and updates on the book.  Plan to get one of the first copies.  You will find it very informative and intriguing.

Today, just some closing thoughts on the experiences of Maria Claudia White that I have been chronicling over the past several posts.  Maria Claudia’s complementary therapies, as reported by Erin Quinn in Natural Solutions magazine, would not have happened without the personal involvement and guidance of her integrative oncologist. 

Maria Claudia is a physician.  Yet she knew little about integrative medicine and hardly anything about complementary therapies for cancer patients.  She was actually surprised by her oncologist’s recommendations for natural therapies by specialists in addition to her chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.  The oncologist would treat her with the traditional conventional therapies, but she would see at least five other medical professionals for complementary therapies.  As a doctor, she had never considered therapies such as mind-body interaction, special diet and nutrition protocols, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and biofeedback.  Although skeptical at first, she now credits these complementary therapies as essential contributors to her present classification as a cancer survivor. 

The holistic approach to cancer treatment by her integrative oncologist is still rare in America today.  By and large, cancer patients receive treatments that attempt to kill the tumor or eradicate the cancer cells from the blood or skeletal system.  Oncologists don’t typically treat the patient; they treat the disease.  Yet, it is the patient that ultimately has to overcome the disease.  Chemotherapy and radiation helps, but so does attention to the whole body, psyche, and environment.

Maria Claudia testifies that she is living proof that cancer patients need conventional medicine and complementary therapies to beat the disease.  This is the new strategy for winning the war on cancer.     

Maria Claudia White is an enlightening case study of integrative oncology.  I continue to report on her experiences as a cancer patient as told by Erin Quinn in Natural Solutions magazine.

During her conventional treatments, Maria Claudia had several sessions with a biofeedback practitioner at the University of North Carolina Biofeedback Clinic.  Biofeedback monitors physiological activities through systematic measurements of muscle tension, heart rate, skin conductivity, body temperature, breathing rate, etc.  With the use of high-technology sensors, patients participate in certain exercises while viewing the results of their body’s reactions in real time.  They learn to recognize what the body is doing in response to various conditions and to control its functions to a great degree.  This is especially helpful to cancer patients as they learn how to modulate or reduce pain, anxiety, muscle tension, and gastrointestinal issues.  The goal is to make the body work as efficiently as possible with as little interference in the treatment process and as much support of the healing process as possible.  Both aggressive physical exercise and serious relaxation have very positive effects on the brain and its ability to manage the body.  Effective biofeedback is essential to balancing exercise and rest.

Maria Claudia believes that biofeedback was key to her stress management during treatment.  She even changed the way she breathed.  Her posture improved which allowed her body to perform with less restriction.  When fighting cancer, the body must have every advantage in the battle.  Chemotherapy and radiation only works as well as it is accepted and supported by the body.  Maria Claudia credits biofeedback training as the principal ingredient in her preparation and reception of the many challenges of cancer treatment.

Most oncologists prescribe no therapies to complement the conventional.  Few know enough about it to even discuss it.  The war on cancer will remain in a quagmire until integrative oncology becomes the norm rather than the exception.  Don’t accept an oncologist that won’t complement your treatment with customized natural therapies to enhance the conventional protocols.

The saga continues of Maria Claudia White as told by Erin Quinn in her article for Natural Solutions magazine.  Maria Claudia was receiving chemotherapy and radiation for her breast cancer along with several complementary therapies recommended by her integrative oncologist.  While meeting regularly with a mind-body therapist and a hypnotherapist, she began acupuncture treatments at the Integrative Health Center of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Acupuncture involves inserting tiny needles into specific areas of the body to boost blood flow and energize nerve centers to help relieve particular symptoms.  Two symptoms that acupuncture has proven especially successful in controlling are stress and anxiety, both of which are barriers to coping with cancer treatment.  Acupuncture improves overall well-being, relieves pain associated with cancer or surgery, and reduces the side effects of chemotherapy, such as hot flashes and nausea.

Maria Claudia took ten sessions of acupuncture treatments over the course of three months.  She credits the acupuncture preparation for her chemotherapy to be one of the main reasons that she was able to handle the treatment with little anxiety.  She believes her blessing of having almost no nausea associated with the chemotherapy was because her body was better prepared for it through the acupuncutre specifically designed to bolster physical resistance to the side effects. 

With less stress, less nausea, and more energy, the body is much more accepting of and prepared for the attacks of conventional cancer therapies.  The conventional therapies are made more effective, less damaging, and hopefully shorter in duration.  The result is a better, faster healing process.  Integrative oncology with a myriad of complementary therapies is by far the best option for cancer treatment.  Everyone should learn more about this new strategy for winning the war on cancer before the need arises.

I continue the series of posts on the integrative cancer therapy experiences of Maria Claudia White as reported by Erin Quinn in Natural Solutions magazine.  Maria Claudia’s oncologist recommended hypnotherapy from a PhD in hypnosis practicing at Duke University Medical Center’s Integrative Medicine clinic.  She had five appointments over a two month period which included two surgeries. 

The sessions were an hour each, and each were recorded for Maria Claudia to use later including during the surgeries.  Listening to repetitive suggestions about pain relief or heart rate stability during the surgeries resulted in much less anxiety and stress and a greater feeling of being in control.  After the surgeries, she took fewer pain medications than normal and had less bruising around the incision.  Her energy remained high, and she never lost her appetite.  The results surprised her surgeons.

One of the surgeries was considered very serious and involved going through the ribs, collapsing a lung, and removing a tumor behind the lung.  A cardiac team was in the room just in case.  A long, painful healing process was expected.  Maria Claudia took no pain medication after being released from the hospital and completely recovered in record time.  Her breast lumpectomy later required no pain medication at all.  Previous surgeries without hypnotherapy had been accompanied by extreme pain, long recoveries, nausea, and extended loss of energy.

Hypnotherapy is a relatively new concept in cancer surgery.  Integrative oncologists who stay abreast of the latest complementary therapies for their patients often recommend it and other therapies that reduce pain, shorten healing time, require less medication, and cut the overall expense of the surgery.  Without these added stresses and artificialities, the patient’s own natural cancer fighting system is at maximum effectiveness and conventional therapies are enhanced. 

My current series of posts has been about cancer patient Maria Claudia White and her experiences with integrative therapies.  The information is taken from an article in Natural Solutions magazine by Erin Quinn.

Maria was already holding to a disciplined, low-glycemic diet when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  High sugar and processed foods invite inflammation and promote growth of cancer cells.  A low-glycemic diet of fresh, natural foods including lots of vegetables provide powerful antioxidants and immune enhancers which do not make for a good environment for cancer cells.  Although she was eating healthy, Maria’s dietitian tweaked her menus to add specific cancer-fighting foods including brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes.  Green tea was also assigned as a daily routine.

Supplements were added to the nutrition plan including Co-Q10 for the heart; milk thistle to detox the liver; Melatonin to promote rest, inhibit cancer cell growth, and reduce toxicity from radiation therapy; L-carintine to protect the body from chemotherapy; Vitamin D and mushrooms to boost immunity; Vitamins E and C to protect healthy cells; and Flax-seeds to decrease inflammation.

Maria was able to keep a good appetite through the chemotherapy and radiation and ate good balanced meals, something essential to beating cancer.  This nutritional program with the continuous coaching of a registered dietitian was an important part of her overall therapy along with the mind-body therapy discussed in the previous post.  Both complementary therapies were very instrumental in the success of Maria Claudia’s whole treatment program.  Integrative oncologists are insistent that their patients receive all of the complementary therapies that they need to fight the disease.