How to Integrate Your Choices In Cancer Care - CancerChoices



Dear Friend

Integrating your conventional, complementary and self-care therapies is often challenging.

With conventional treatments, be clear about your goals and what to expect.

With self care, the 7 Lifestyle Practices are a powerful approach to self-healing that cost little or nothing.

With complementary care, the choices are numerous. We recommend working with experienced and credentialed practitioners.

Keep reading

Dear Friend

Our deeply researched reviews of complementary therapies can help.

Some people achieve lasting complete remissions from advanced cancer using an integrative approach. This is well documented by our colleague Kelly Turner in her book and ongoing Radical Remission Project.

Cancer survival curves show that many patients live far longer than the median survival. Complementary therapies and self-care practices are often prominent in longer-term survival. Radical remissions are simply the endpoint of the extended survival curves.

While radical remissions are rare, life beyond median survival isn’t rare at all. By definition, half of all cancer patients survive beyond the median survival point. It makes perfect sense that 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.

We’ve known hundreds of people in the Commonweal Cancer Help Program who lived lives worth living for far longer than their physicians expected.

Wishing you well,

Michael Lerner Co-Founder
Michael Lerner Co-Founder

Introduction

Combining the best of conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, 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, and self carelifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress when you have been diagnosed with cancer can make a difference in your health and quality of life.  

The number of integrativein cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan cancer centers and providers is growing. You will find differences between one integrative center and another, and between one integrative treatment team and another. The term “integrative” doesn’t always indicate use of the same therapies or approaches.

While you may be able to find an integrative cancer center that offers all that you are looking for, you may also need to build your own team to design a personalized integrative approach. We offer a variety of resources to help inform your choices in cancer care.

Resources to help you make key choices in cancer care

Within this handbook

Other handbooks

Community

Helpful links

CanHeal ›

This integrative cancer care toolkit was developed to help those recently diagnosed feel less overwhelmed, learn about approaches to support their treatment and overall well-being, and gain access to useful resources.

Dancing with Cancer and How I Learned to Lead ›

Our colleague and volunteer guide Lindsay McDonell shares her story and insights on surviving and thriving with cancer.

The Radical Remission Project ›

A community of patients, friends and family, health professionals, and Radical Remission survivors—when someone heals against all odds

Keep reading about how to integrate your choices

Authors

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS

Senior Clinical Consultant
View profile

Laura Pole is senior clinical consultant for CancerChoices. Laura is an oncology clinical nurse specialist who has been providing integrative oncology clinical care, navigation, consultation, and education services for over 40 years. She is the co-creator and co-coordinator of the Integrative Oncology Navigation Training at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC. Laura also manages the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv for Smith Center/Commonweal. In her role as a palliative care educator and consultant, Laura has served as statewide Respecting Choices Faculty for the Virginia POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) Collaborative as well as provided statewide professional education on palliative and end-of-life care for the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care.

For CancerChoices, Laura curates content and research, networks with clinical and organizational partners, brings awareness and education of integrative oncology at professional and patient conferences and programs, and translates research into information relevant to the patient experience as well as clinical practice.

Laura sees her work with CancerChoices as a perfect alignment of all her passions, knowledge and skills in integrative oncology care. She is honored to serve you.

Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS Senior Clinical Consultant

Nancy Hepp, MS

Lead Researcher
View profile

Ms. Hepp is a researcher and communicator who has been writing and editing educational content on varied health topics for more than 20 years. She serves as lead researcher and writer for CancerChoices and also served as the first program manager. Her graduate work in research and cognitive psychology, her master’s degree in instructional design, and her certificate in web design have all guided her in writing and presenting information for a wide variety of audiences and uses. Nancy’s service as faculty development coordinator in the Department of Family Medicine at Wright State University also provided experience in medical research, plus insights into medical education and medical care from the professional’s perspective.

Nancy Hepp, MS Lead Researcher

Miki Scheidel

Co-Founder and Creative Director
View profile

Miki Scheidel is Co-founder and creative director of CancerChoices. She led the effort to transform Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies, the prior version of CancerChoices, to its current form. Miki and her family were deeply affected by her father’s transformative experience with integrative approaches to metastatic kidney cancer. That experience inspires her work as president of the Scheidel Foundation and as volunteer staff at CancerChoices. She previously worked with the US Agency for International Development and Family Health International among other roles. She received her graduate degree in international development from Georgetown University, a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Gettysburg College.

Miki Scheidel Co-Founder and Creative Director

Reviewers of selected sections

Santosh Rao, MD

Medical oncologist and CancerChoices advisor
View profile

Dr. Rao is a medical oncologist, the medical director of integrative oncology at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health, and director of medical oncology for genitourinary cancer at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. He is the 2022-23 president-elect of the Society for Integrative Oncology. Dr. Rao is also the host of the podcast Integrative Oncology Talk, with support from the Society for Integrative Oncology.

After graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School and completing a residency program in internal medicine at the University of California San Diego, Dr. Rao completed a fellowship in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona and later obtained a board certification in integrative medicine through the American Board of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Rao has trained in Ayurveda and Healing Touch. He also attended the Leadership Program in Integrative Medicine at Duke University. His research interests include genitourinary oncology, sleep, and integrative medicine implementation and program development.

Santosh Rao, MD Medical oncologist and CancerChoices advisor

Erin Price, MSW, LICSW, OSW-C

Director of Young Adult and Psychosocial Support Programs, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts
View profile

Erin Price, MSW, LICSW, OSW-C, was driven to help others facing cancer shortly after her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2010 at the age of 27. Erin currently serves as the Young Adult and Psychosocial Support Programs Director at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC, where she manages various programs and serves as a therapist and integrative patient navigator. Her areas of expertise include cancer survivorship, adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer, and integrative cancer care. She is also a graduate of the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Project LEAD scientific research advocacy training, an experienced grant reviewer for the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, and a member of the Georgetown Breast Cancer Advocates. She has presented at several national conferences and been published in peer-reviewed journals. In 2021, she was recognized as a 40 Under 40 Rising Star and Emerging Leader in Cancer.

Erin Price, MSW, LICSW, OSW-C Director of Young Adult and Psychosocial Support Programs, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

Christine Mineart, MPH

CancerChoices Director
View profile

Christine has a dynamic background in the life sciences, public health, and program operations. Her career began at the lab bench with a Gates Foundation-funded HIV Vaccine research group, which led her to graduate studies in public health epidemiology at UC Berkeley. Her research experience spans clinical epidemiology research to evaluating the impacts of community nutrition programs in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and Oakland. Most recently she has worked in executive operations for a seed-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco. Personally, Christine is passionate about holistic health and wellness. She is a clinical herbalist and Reiki master, and she has been practicing yoga for 15+ years. She brings a breadth of experiences to her work leading the CancerChoices program.

Christine Mineart, MPH CancerChoices Director

Last update: October 31, 2024

Last full resource review: August 2021

CancerChoices provides information about integrative in cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan cancer care. We review 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 and self-care lifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress practices to help patients and professionals explore and integrate the best combination of conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy and complementary therapies and practices for each person.

Our staff have no financial conflicts of interest to declare. We receive no funds from any manufacturers or retailers gaining financial profit by promoting or discouraging therapies mentioned on this site.