 The Providence Regional Cancer Partnership is one of the few cancer centers in the Puget Sound to provide patients with an integrative-medicine approach to healing. It offers the most advanced conventional medical treatments available alongside evidence-based complementary services.
About the Program
The Cancer Partnership’s integrative medicine program will offer patients a wide spectrum of evidence-based modalities to complement traditional cancer treatments. A brief description of the programs available to patients at the cancer partnership follows: Naturopathic Medicine
Mind Body Medicine
Nutrition
Acupuncture
Touch Therapies
Hands on Healing Program, Energy Medicine
Exercise
Complementary therapies can reduce symptoms experienced by cancer patients and lead to better care management. Benefits include:
Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine is a form of health care that focuses on the healing power of nature, treating the whole person, and prevention. A naturopath is a licensed health care provider who has gone through rigorous post-graduate training at an accredited school of naturopathic medicine. Treatment techniques vary and will include both modern and traditional methods. Emphasis is on restoring the patient’s mind, body, and spiritual balance.
If patients desire to work with a naturopath during the course of their cancer treatments, a naturopath will work together with the oncologist to customize treatment plans to relieve side effects from treatment by utilizing evidence-based modalities to help increase a patient’s physical well-being, strengthen the body and help to decrease side effects. The goal is to develop a combined program of care so patients are able to tolerate treatments and complete them.
Mind Body Medicine
This includes self-hypnosis, guided imagery, meditation, and pre-surgery hypnosis. These treatments work to relax and calm the cancer patient's body and mind.
Self-hypnosis Is the ability of a patient to go into a state of focused consciousness or deep relaxation.
Guided-imagery involves the use of the imagination to create sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or other sensations to create a relaxation state which has physical and psychological effects. It can relax the mind and body, decrease heart rate, and lower blood pressure.
Meditation is a relaxation technique that uses concentration and deep breathing to relax the body and calm the mind. Meditation has been reported to help cancer patients with sleep problems, disorders associated with tension, and chronic pain; it promotes wellness. It is also claimed to lower blood pressure. Pre-surgery hypnosis. A hypnotherapist will use guided relaxation, intense concentration and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness prior to surgery. The patient’s attention becomes so focused while in this state that anything going on around the person is ignored resulting in relieve from anxiety prior to surgery.
Nutrition is an important part of an integrative care program and includes food and nutritional supplements. Selecting the right food is essential to help support a patient’s immune system and fight against the cancer. During cancer treatments, the food a patient can eat will vary according to side effects. Proper food choices will also help patients cope with side effects, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chewing, and swallowing difficulties, and taste changes. Acupuncture is a form of medical therapy originating in China and based on a complex concept of energy flow in the body. Clinical studies have found it to be helpful in treating nausea caused by chemotherapy drugs and surgical anesthesia. Touch Therapies, Oncology Massage either involve massage, which manipulates skin and muscle tissues by rubbing, kneading, tapping with the hand or an instrument to relax muscles, or using the hands to guide a patient’s body energy flow which stimulates the body's own natural healing process. Following touch therapy, cancer patients report feeling more relaxed, and having increased energy, reduced pain, increased flexibility, better rest, and enhanced wellness.
Hands on Healing Program, Energy Medicine includes Reiki, therapeutic touch, and other energy modalities. This is a very gentle touch therapy to restore and balance energy. Exercise is an important part of taking care of the body to promote healing and well-being during and after cancer treatments. If patients can withstand exercise, it is strongly encouraged to help fight cancer-related fatigue. It also keeps muscles toned and strong which will help accelerate the patient’s long-term recovery process. The Cancer Partnership will offer the following programs: Yoga is a non-aerobic form of exercise that concentrates on movements and deep breathing. Yoga includes meditation and exercises to improve a patient’s flexibility and breathing, decrease stress, and maintain health.
Soaring Crane Qigong is an external form of Qigong that consists of mental visualizations (focus of energy flow) and gentle movements to open the channels of the body, through which the qi (energy) flows. This practice, if done properly, is said to clear any blocked channels where the energy flows and facilitate the flow and balance of qi in the body. Patients report lower blood pressure, increased flexibility, improved sleep, less pain, improved immune system function, and increased energy.
The Alexander Technique focuses on muscle control and body mechanics. The goal of the Alexander Technique is to correct body mechanics that lead to poor posture, body strain and tension. The technique teaches individuals how to move more efficiently and decrease unnecessary body tension. The improvement of posture and body movement can decrease energy expenditure; relieve muscle strain, aches and pains; and can increase relaxation.
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