CancerChoices Blog

Exploring the question, “what matters now” may help us find what most needs healing in our lives. This exploration leads to deeper questions on how we wish to live after a life changing diagnosis.

In this CancerChoices webinar, CancerChoices co-founder and TNS host Michael Lerner and Janie Brown, RN, MSN, MA, offer a conversation inspired by Janie’s work at the Callanish Society—a grassroots non-profit organization in Vancouver, BC, for people living with, and dying from, cancer.

In this CancerChoices webinar, CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, and TNS host Michael Lerner offer a conversation on the launch of the CancerChoices website. Donald is an integrative oncologist and one of the nation’s foremost integrative cancer care authorities.

Laura Freire, BSN, RN, OCN, HNB-BC, HTCP, CCAP, HSMI, Oncology Outpatient Center Staff Nurse, discusses how she learned about various complementary therapies and serves as an educator and point person for them at her oncology care center. Laura is joined by Laura Pole, MSN, RN, ONCS, senior clinical consultant at CancerChoices.

CancerChoices advisor Brian Bouch, MD, discusses the importance of considering environmental toxicity in the development of disease and how functional medicine approaches this issue.

CancerChoices Lead Researcher Nancy Hepp discusses how optimal vitamin D levels may help reduce cancer risk, improve cancer outcomes, and manage side effects of treatment. She also discusses how to maintain optimal blood levels of vitamin D.

CancerChoices advisor Wayne B. Jonas, MD, discusses how integrative, whole-person care can change the journey of a person with cancer in terms of treatments and monitoring, emotional impacts, and quality of life.

Thomas Smith, MD, Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Palliative Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses how he evaluates cancer pain and treats it with pharmaceuticals including acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), gabapentin, venlafaxine, pregabalin, nortriptyline, and opioids.

Janie Brown, RN, MSN, MA, co-founder and executive director of the Callanish Society, explores the nature of the healing that arises among people communing together in retreat.

CancerChoices senior clinical consultant Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, demonstrates how to make a carob banana smoothie in her own kitchen. This treat is rich in antioxidants, fiber, protein, and fat and also has a low glycemic index.

CancerChoices advisor Brian Bouch, MD, explains how the microbiome and the presence of certain bacteria in the gut influence the response to certain chemotherapies.

CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, discusses the need for caution when using cannabis, especially concentrated, full-extract cannabis oil, due to its effect on liver function.

CancerChoices advisor Keith Block, MD, discusses a case series investigating the impacts of integrative care on men with advanced metastatic prostate cancer receiving care at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment.

CancerChoices advisor Dwight McKee, MD, and CancerChoices co-founder Michael Lerner “unpack” the lifestyle practice of social support, which includes finding meaning and experiencing various kinds of love.

CancerChoices advisor Wayne B. Jonas, MD, discusses how people with cancer and the professionals caring for them can use intuition and thoughtful communication to respond to uncertainty without fear.

CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, shares the ways in which he helps his patients with cancer decrease stress and increase a sense of control, including lifestyle practices and social support.

Janie Brown, co-founder and executive director of the Callanish Society, discusses the profound healing that can occur when we listen to each other with full openness and attention.

CancerChoices advisor Mark Renneker, MD, discusses how going through cancer often transforms people’s lives and priorities.

CancerChoices advisor Dwight McKee, MD, explains the vital importance of patient advocates who themselves have walked the cancer road.

CancerChoices advisor Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, demonstrates a breathing technique to help lower anxiety.

Thomas Smith, MD, Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Palliative Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses the importance of asking patients and their families about how they are coping and listening with attention and compassion.

CancerChoices advisor Brian Bouch, MD, provides an overview of therapies for various types of breast cancer, including supplements that may help.

CancerChoices advisor Brian Bouch, MD, provides an overview of different therapies for prostate cancer, including supplements that may help.

CancerChoices advisor Mark Renneker, MD, explains what he does as a medical advocate.

Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, senior clinical consultant at CancerChoices, provides an overview of sharing love and support, one of the 7 Lifestyle Practices.

Thomas Smith, MD, Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Palliative Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses the role of meditation in supporting patients living with cancer pain.

CancerChoices advisor Keith Block, MD, discusses the importance of optimizing body terrain in order to make the body less hospitable to cancer, using blood coagulation as an example.

Stephanie Hoopes, RN, BSN, OCN, ONN-CG, Nurse Navigator at the Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship in Greenville, SC, discusses how oncology nurses can support cancer patients through careful use of aromatherapy.

Cranberries pack antioxidants, vitamin C, and prebiotic fiber for immune and gut health. This recipe blends cranberries, apples, oranges, and Grade B maple syrup—bringing festive flavors to holiday meals without added sugars or preservatives.

CancerChoices advisor Brian Bouch, MD, discusses options for boosting immunity before chemotherapy as well as supporting recovery after. He also explains how chemotherapy drugs work.

Janie Brown, co-founder and executive director of the Callanish Society, and Michael Lerner, co-founder of CancerChoices, discuss the role of ritual in healing. Janie also shares her thoughts on the role of art in healing.

CancerChoices advisor Dwight McKee, MD, discusses the lifestyle practices that can help to prevent recurrence, with commentary from CancerChoices co-founder Michael Lerner.

Lindsay McDonell, a cancer coach, author, and CancerChoices volunteer guide, speaks about ways to manage anxiety as a person living with cancer.

CancerChoices Senior Clinical Consultant Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, describes body terrain and the tumor environment and how they influence cancer growth, development, and spread.

CancerChoices advisor Keith Block, MD, discusses the benefits of chronomodulated chemotherapy and how it is administered at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment.

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS, senior clinical consultant for CancerChoices, sings “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Thomas Smith, MD, Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Palliative Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses the importance of screening for anxiety and depression in people experiencing cancer pain and how to help patients manage these conditions.

CancerChoices advisor Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, describes the purpose and process of generous listening and how it impacts the person speaking.

Janie Brown, RN, MSN, MA, co-founder and executive director of the Callanish Society, discusses her experience building relationships with retreat participants and the power of learning to love strangers, including learning how to grieve.

CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, discusses the difference between CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) and integrative medicine.

Navigating nutrition during cancer treatment can be overwhelming. Taylor Scialo shares her expertise on the role of nutrition in cancer care, the differences between dietitians and nutritionists, and the complexities of conducting meaningful nutrition research.

CancerChoices advisor Dean Ornish, MD, discusses how the power of relationship and connection can be harnessed to nurture healing.

CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, discusses why people with cancer—in fact, everyone—should aim to eat organically grown produce.

Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, senior clinical consultant at CancerChoices, shares an overview of creating a healing environment, one of the 7 Lifestyle Practices.

Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, senior clinical consultant at CancerChoices, provides an overview of sleeping well, one of the 7 Lifestyle Practices.

Lindsay McDonell, a cancer coach, author, and CancerChoices volunteer guide, speaks about the critical role nurses play in helping people with cancer manage fear and find empowerment.

CancerChoices senior clinical consultant Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, discusses the effects of stress on the body and how to manage stress.

CancerChoices advisor Brian Bouch, MD, and CancerChoices co-founder Michael Lerner discuss the healing power of love in its various manifestations.

Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, senior clinical consultant at CancerChoices, offers the research on moving more for cancer patients and demonstrates some simple exercises.

CancerChoices advisor Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, demonstrates a breathing technique to help lower anxiety.

CancerChoices advisor Keith Block, MD, discusses how the avoidance of conventional therapies in cancer care reduces survival. He also explains the key characteristics of integrative cancer care.

CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, highlights research and professional guidelines regarding the benefits of exercise for cancer care and prevention.

Janie Brown, co-founder and executive director of the Callanish Society, and Michael Lerner, co-founder of CancerChoices, discuss the goal to meet people where they are when offering guidance.

CancerChoices advisor BJ Miller, MD, discusses what palliative care and its philosophy offer to us as we cope with the challenges of the COVID pandemic.

Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, senior clinical consultant at CancerChoices, shares an overview of eating well, one of the 7 Lifestyle Practices.

CancerChoices advisor Wayne B. Jonas, MD, discusses our options in responding to cancer: by waging a war against it, or by focusing on healing.

CancerChoices advisor Mark Renneker, MD, discusses the importance of considering more than one interpretation of pathology reports used to diagnose what may or may not be cancer.

CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, and CancerChoices co-founder Michael Lerner discuss two rules of thumb for cancer care: avoiding hasty decisions and verifying the pathology report.

CancerChoices advisor Keith Block, MD, discusses a published study investigating the impacts of integrative care on women with advanced metastatic breast cancer receiving care at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment.

CancerChoices advisor Dean Ornish, MD, describes lifestyle medicine and the research behind its effectiveness in nurturing healing.

CancerChoices advisor Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, discusses the difference between fixing and helping when responding to illness.

Try this delicious apple, pear, and blueberry crisp recipe from CancerChoices’ Senior Clinical Consultant, health-supportive chef, and culinary translator, Laura Pole, for a tasty way to enjoy apples this season.

Should I ever have cancer, I would ask my functional medicine doctor to help me figure out if I had imbalances that could drive cancer processes.

In this insightful podcast, Dr. Jen Green, a naturopathic doctor specializing in oncology, provides a wealth of information about integrative oncology and how it can complement conventional cancer care.

Integrative gynecologic oncologist Dr. Diljeet Singh and Christine Mineart, program director of CancerChoices, discuss health insurance challenges, cancer and exercise research, navigating integrative cancer care, and tips for finding moments of mindfulness.

One of the Cancer Help Program alums, Myra Eastman, offered to share her experience and her beautiful artwork—inspired by our work together.

Fully attending to your patient while assessing their pain can powerfully activate belief: a story for health professionals.

The first episode is a conversation between Michael Lerner, Co-Founder of CancerChoices, and Christine Mineart, Program Director. They discuss the legacy of CancerChoices, resources offered by CancerChoices, the healing power of love, and what the future holds for CancerChoices.

I am delighted to introduce myself to all of you as the new program director for CancerChoices. 

We all differ in the types of support that we need and in how much we wish to share with others about our experiences. But we all benefit from being held in empathy, compassion, and connection—and our bodies often show us. 

What might you do when your oncologist doesn’t support your desire to incorporate complementary therapies and self-care practices into your care plan?

We want to help you or someone you care for to live as well as possible for as long as possible. The way we do all of this is to help you or someone you care for understand both the strengths and weaknesses of all three modalities—conventional, self-care and complementary approaches.

Dance as a healing practice is an important throughline in the performance, as it was during my treatment and recovery.

The holidays carried a unique weight when my husband was in the thick of cancer treatments. Reflecting on that challenging time, I recall simple stress-relief techniques that saw me through.

The intentional, coordinated use of complementary therapies and lifestyle practices alongside conventional cancer treatments is called integrative oncology.

Suz Mondello, a friend of Commonweal and alumna of the Cancer Help Program, speaks with CancerChoices staff Michael Lerner about her four-year journey with cancer.

Chef and oncology nurse Laura Pole hones in on what nourishes her, knowing that food is only one nourishment she needs.

Sometimes we wander through the cemetery and look at the gravestones of our many friends there as well as the old stones.

How do we live with our own mortality? How do we encounter the reality that we must die? Michael Lerner explores these and other questions.

Suz Mondello, a friend of Commonweal and alumna of the Cancer Help Program, speaks with CancerChoices staff Nancy Hepp and Laura Pole about her four-year journey with cancer.

Healing into life and awareness of our mortality are not opposites. They are two sides of the same coin.

Hundreds of people, especially Cancer Help Program alumni, have told me similar stories of friends and family who have appeared to them as they died, or were about to die, or after they died.

Dealing with something as difficult as cancer, partnerships can easily unravel. Or, if we can manage it, we weave new connections as we call on inner and outer resources previously unknown.

Suz Mondello, a friend of Commonweal and alumna of the Cancer Help Program, speaks with CancerChoices staff Nancy Hepp and Laura Pole about her four-year journey with cancer.

Suz Mondello, a friend of Commonweal and alumna of the Cancer Help Program, speaks with CancerChoices staff Nancy Hepp and Laura Pole about her four-year journey with cancer.

It isn’t selfish at all for you to acknowledge your own pain, suffering, and stress, and do whatever you can to bring nourishment, peace, and joy into your own lives as a priority and on a regular basis.

Cell therapies like CAR-T are an extraordinary new class of drugs that have the potential to successfully treat cancer.

When mom took me to her doctor, I was barely able to breathe. I looked at my lungs on the X-ray—one was white and the other black. Shortly after, I was surrounded by doctors and nurses, family and relatives. I had no idea what was happening.

Prostate cancer is a prime example in which an integrative approach may be incorporated not only for reducing the risk of primary prostate cancer, but in treating and reducing risk of progression or recurrence.

Integrative breast cancer care has a remarkable amount to offer you. It can add to your treatment, help with side effects, benefit your quality of life, help you get well again, and reduce your risk of recurrence. Psychologically and spiritually, it can have transformative effects.

The creative expression in this painting and poetry journey supported me in approaching the original trauma of my cancer detection, diagnosis, treatment, recuperation, and life afterwards.

In Choices In Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer, Michael Lerner describes both healing and curing cancer, suggesting how they differ and how they relate to each other. This post draws from the second chapter of his book.

There are three big areas that we can base our lives on: the past, the present, and the anticipation of the future. I focus on the now. It’s the only thing I can do.

I opened the email with my monthly blood lab results. My tumor markers doubled from 33 to 70 in a month. So much for stable.

Did you know that being active in your wellness by building practices and habits can improve your outcomes with conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy?

How can you tell the sites with supportable claims from those that are less trustworthy?

Interpreting study results involves assessing the trade-offs between highly controlled situations and relevance to real life, then using the evidence that makes the most sense in the situation.

RCTs are not always the best approach to get definitive answers to clinical questions.

We view the use of science-informed, low-risk, affordable therapies as a reasonable option for patients. Stronger evidence of benefit is needed for therapies that are risky, expensive, or otherwise burdensome.

Evidence that a therapy “works” runs a whole range from unreliable to trustworthy. In this post, we consider the design of research studies.

We received the highest rating among the sites evaluated for quality and trustworthiness of information on cancer complementary therapies.

Evidence so far shows a lower risk of many types of cancer among people with mid-range blood vitamin D levels compared to low levels. However, if your blood level is already in the middle range, taking vitamin D supplements might not bring much benefit regarding cancer risk.

We’re here to make it easy for you to do better with your conventional treatments with self care + complementary care that are supported by good science.

What is the true meaning of healing? Healing is movement toward wholeness.

Conventional cancer treatments offer the only proven cures for cancer. They may also extend and improve life when cures are not possible.

Here are some important rules of thumb for getting these powerful—yet also often difficult—cancer treatments right.

The secret to self care is simply caring about yourself. Let it be real. Do what makes you feel better.

These 7 Lifestyle Practices are all things you can do for yourself. They cost little or nothing. They are the heart of self care.

The answer to “what matters now” with cancer can be your best guide to how to live, what treatments to undertake, and what treatments to decline or discontinue.

Eating Well is one of our top-rated practices for improving cancer outcomes. Both conventional and integrative oncology professionals recommend Eating Well as part of cancer control.

The science on exercise and cancer is the strongest of any of the lifestyle therapies.

Reducing stress is vital to healing. So is finding skillful ways to cope with stresses you can’t remove.

There’s a lot you can do to improve sleep. It’s one of the most powerful and important healing practices.

Creating a sense of healing or sacred space in your corner or a room of your own depends deeply on what you find healing.

Love heals. That is the simplest way to put it. Friends help us heal. Kindness heals. Kindness, they say, is love with its work boots on.

Choices in complementary cancer care goes beyond conventional care. Complementary care offers therapies and practices that “complement” conventional therapies.

People who wisely choose their conventional and complementary therapies and who practice self care are likely to live better and longer than those who don’t. 

The special power of Healing Circles and the Commonweal Cancer Help Program is that we can do this together, in a circle of equally dedicated participants and staff, and without any distractions from the outside world.

Anton explained he realized after sleeping so well the night before, that he had not had a full night’s sleep since moving to New York.

Now that she’s completed her chemotherapy, she wants to explore healing practices and therapies that will help keep the cancer from recurring.

Letting people in to help was the greatest gift of grace we gave and received.

Harold learned to grow and examine what was needed for healing beyond just his cancer during treatment. This is an opportunity to exercise hope and understand that love is the answer.

The very challenging first step is the private admission and acceptance that you need help.

My new life was about to begin, but I didn’t know that yet. 

With scientific research, we get a little closer to the facts with each new discovery.

Studies show that I’m not alone in needing others to help me through cancer.

BCCT/CancerChoices asked integrative oncology navigator and breast cancer survivor Lindsay McDonell to explain chemosensitivity testing for fellow cancer survivors.

You can take actions that may improve your immune response to vaccination.

The collaboration represents the deepening fusion of conventional and integrative oncology.

I’m so grateful for all the love and support I have experienced on this healing journey.

I am honing in on what nourishes me, knowing that food is only one nourishment I need.

Reframing a bill of rights for caregivers into a list of needs opens a place for conversations of collaboration, trust, and empowerment.

I was too happily innocent about the cancer world and said two now-remarkable things … “Thank goodness … it is not appendicitis! What is stage 5?”

Most of all, they stress how important it is to adopt healthy patterns of eating and moving.

Three years ago, at age 45, I found a lump in my breast that would mark the end of my life as I knew it.

Consider an integrative approach to reduce the risk that your cancer will progress.

In a very real way, imagery is like the Rosetta Stone of body/mind/spirit communication.

It was only when I was diagnosed in 2015 with stage 3 breast cancer that I realised how little I actually knew, and how ill-prepared many patients are to face the hurdles in front of them.

If you have HPV-positive head and neck cancer, it would make sense to stop using cannabis.

I started visualizing my role in my cancer treatment as a gardener of my body.

Herb defied all odds to shape his life, his career, and later his journey with metastatic kidney cancer.

Addressing risk factors collectively as individuals, families, and communities, and also through public policy will have the greatest benefits.

Google has changed its algorithm for searches, which changes the way Google ranks websites.

I will continue to treat my body and my spirit with ayahuasca, and work to teach others to respect it.

Recognize that though you can’t stop the passage of time, you can influence your health as you age.

Timing is basically about bringing us back to the natural rhythms of life.

Janet Spitzer, MD, recounts her journey with breast cancer in a series of videos.

Janet Spitzer, MD, recounts her journey with breast cancer in a series of videos.

Janet Spitzer, MD, recounts her journey with breast cancer in a series of videos.

As humans we strive for certainty every day, every hour, yet now I must learn how to be with uncertainty, every day.

Five years into living with recurrence, I’m more focused on asking ‘What’s the next thing?’ and researching therapies put before me to figure out if they are likely to help me.

Through the sadness and fear something happened. I realized I wanted to live.

It never occurred to me that cannabis could have therapeutic value.

We prefer to make recommendations supported by published literature.

The exploration revolves around finding peace and purpose in a life that has been touched but not defined or limited (yet) by cancer.

The 7 Lifestyle Practices are so fundamental to overall good health that you’ll benefit from adopting them even if cancer weren’t your main concern.

Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum.

ASCO’s endorsement shows how far integrative oncology has come.

A comprehensive course with everything you’ll need to know about food and cancer.

Complementary therapies can help in so many important ways both as you prepare for surgery for breast cancer or any other type of cancer and during your recuperation after surgery.

When I got diagnosed with a second breast cancer earlier this year, I turned instinctively to acupuncture.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago, we were catapulted from being professionals into the role of patient and caregiver.

The words suddenly shifted their meaning and he realized that they were addressed to him personally.

My entry into the club that no one wants to be a member of came 19 years ago when I had breast cancer—for the first time.

I used to be a total skeptic when it came to intuition.

Cancer survivors discuss waiting for cancer test results, how to cope with unfavorable results, living with uncertainty, and mindset.

No one ever expected I would do this well and be alive and thriving this many years postdiagnosis.

Lindsay McDonell has come to believe that chemosensitivity testing is one of the most important tests to have done.