Dear Friend
Women with breast cancer use integrative therapies more often than any other group of people with cancer.
But despite the widespread use of integrative breast cancer therapies, informed guidance in integrating conventional and complementary breast cancer care is difficult if not impossible to find.
This summary of science-informed integrative breast cancer care is designed to provide that informed guidance.
Dear Friend
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.
Let’s be clear: integrative cancer care means skillful choices in both conventional and complementary cancer therapies.
The very first step is deciding what your goals are. Your goals will guide you in choosing both conventional and complementary therapies. No matter what conventional therapies you choose, our 7 Healing Practices can be beneficial in many ways—physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. They are the foundation to strengthen you for rigorous conventional therapies, reduce side effects, build health and help reduce the risk of recurrence.
Beyond the 7 Healing Practices you will find many specific integrative therapies to explore. Don’t let the number of choices deter you. We’ve arranged them in an easy order to consider, starting with those with the greatest evidence of effectiveness. Also, don’t overlook our special category of Off-label, Overlooked or Novel Cancer Approaches (we call them ONCAs). They have a lot to offer even if lifestyle changes seem too hard at this point.
I’ve known quite a few 20-year survivors of metastatic breast cancer—and I have known hundreds of women who have far outlived a metastatic prognosis.
We hope to help you live as well as you can for as long as you can with the optimal combination of conventional and complementary therapies. We hope to help you find a way to integrate the therapies that serve you best. That is how the best integrative oncologists do it—and we wish the best for you. Take it slow. Start with the simple things, like our seven healing practices, and move slowly toward the more complex decisions.
Don’t try to take all this in one bite. Take small bites, and come back as you are ready for more.
We do this for you. We hold you in our thoughts and prayers,
Michael Lerner
Michael Lerner is co-founder of Commonweal and co-founder of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, Healing Circles, The New School at Commonweal, and CancerChoices. He has led more than 200 Commonweal Cancer Help Program retreats to date. His book Choices In Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer was the first book on integrative cancer care to be well received by prominent medical journals as well as by the patient and integrative cancer care community.
Michael Lerner
Michael Lerner is co-founder of Commonweal and co-founder of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, Healing Circles, The New School at Commonweal, and CancerChoices. He has led more than 200 Commonweal Cancer Help Program retreats to date. His book Choices In Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer was the first book on integrative cancer care to be well received by prominent medical journals as well as by the patient and integrative cancer care community.
Using this handbook
This handbook provides a wealth of information about integrative medical care for people with breast cancer. We suggest that you use it much as you might use a map or travel guide on a long road trip. Refer to it again and again, looking at the parts that apply to where you are right now on your journey. This handbook is divided into sections for each phase of cancer.
Focus on what you need—on a journey, this might be a restaurant, a rest stop, or a hotel at different times throughout your day. For a person with breast cancer using this handbook, you may want to look specifically at managing side effects and symptoms, or at improving surgery outcomes, or at finding a health professional to guide you, or any of several other helpful sections related to different time points. Put yourself first as you skim through this, pausing to read those sections that you are drawn to and that apply to where you are now.
The list of top practices and therapies, like a trip packing list, is a good summary of the self-care practices and complementaryin cancer care, complementary care involves the use of therapies intended to enhance or add to standard conventional treatments; examples include supplements, mind-body approaches such as yoga or psychosocial therapy, and acupuncture therapies that you’ll want to consider packing for your journey.
We encourage you to share this handbook with those who are helping you in your cancer experience and who may be interested: your caregivers, your medical team, your family, and friends.
If you are in crisis now, we recommend that you first take the time to address your feelings of crisis and distress. Come back to this handbook when you can focus your attention here.
Breast cancer at a glance
For a growing number of people with breast cancer, conventional cancer treatment is effective or even curative, especially with early-stage cancer. These websites are a starting place for information on conventional therapies related to breast cancer.
Throughout your cancer experience, you may turn your attention to boosting your health and resilience and also creating a body that is less supportive of cancer.
Integrating self carelifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress with the best of evidence-based conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy treatment and complementaryin cancer care, complementary care involves the use of therapies intended to enhance or add to standard conventional treatments; examples include supplements, mind-body approaches such as yoga or psychosocial therapy, and acupuncture therapies is a good idea. Several self-care practices and complementary therapies are linked to improved survival and lower risk of recurrence. Many can also help manage side effects and symptoms and improve your overall health and wellness. You can continue many of these practices and therapies all throughout your cancer experience.
Before starting cancer treatment, you can build your resilience and get yourself into your best shape. During cancer treatment, adding these practices and therapies may be a sensible way to bolster the effects of conventional treatment and improve your tolerance to the side effects so you can complete your treatments.
After you complete treatment, your doctor will set up a monitoring plan. This is a great time to evaluate any practices, lifestyle choices, and complementary therapies you’ve been using or that you want to start. See what fits into your overall wellness plan.
You can be active in your wellness and cancer outcomes. The 7 Healing Practices and healthy lifestyle choices will help you get in your best possible shape before starting treatment and carry you through treatment and beyond.
Some complementary therapies used appropriately can also build your resilience and wellness. Some supplements and natural products may interact with conventional cancer treatments, so we strongly recommend expert management.
Learn about different approaches to medical care, such as integrative oncology, naturopathic oncology, traditional medicine, or functional medicine, and how to find practitioners.
Top practices and therapies at each phase of the cancer experience
These therapies have at least modest evidence for the medical benefits listed. We add to this list as we complete new reviews of practices and therapies.
Top practices and therapies while preparing for cancer treatment
Top practices and therapies for improving cancer outcomes during treatment
More practices and therapies are available to help with side effects of cancer treatment. See During breast cancer treatment ›
Top practices and therapies for reducing risk of recurrence
Self-care practices
Complementary therapies
Top practices and therapies for improving cancer outcomes and body terrain at any time during your cancer experience
Your body terrain is the whole environment in which your cancer grows and includes specific terrain factors that can impact cancer growth and development.
Self-care practices
More practices and therapies are available to help with symptoms from cancer or treatment. See At any time during your breast cancer experience ›
Top practices and therapies for reducing your risk of breast cancer
Self-care practices
Complementary therapies
Non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ›, noting cautions
Helpful links
