Support & Resources
CIM Services
The Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) team is a division of the Cancer and Blood Center. Meeting with the CIM team is optional in your treatment. Our team of professionals can work with you to treat you as a whole person, mind, body and spirit. The team is made up of a physician, oncology nurse, dietician, acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, massage therapists, and social worker. Our team is delighted to serve you and excited that many of our patients want to partner with us in treatment and care. The CIM team is supported by Dr. Behairy and the rest of the Cancer and Blood Center staff. The goal of the CIM team is to assess your quality of life, and work with you to improve it if your needs are not being met. All of our CIM team members work to provide a comfortable environment in which patients and their families feel welcome to discuss additions to cancer treatment and overall wellness, and make an informed decision regarding treatment.
When meeting with the CIM team, it is important to have a history and physical form either on file at the Cancer and Blood Center, or with you at the time of your appointment. Our team looks at your past medical information to make sure our therapies are not conflicting with any medication you may be taking. The use of some common supplements can potentially harm a patient during treatment. It is important to list all supplements and doses, and bring the list to all CIM appointments because two common vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, have been known to conflict with certain treatments. Studies also show that St. John’s Wort may not mix well with various types of prescription drugs. The CIM team is happy to discuss any supplements, vitamins, or minerals with you in a non-judgmental atmosphere. The CIM team stresses that any treatment they recommend to you as patients are also treatments they would recommend to their own family members and loved ones.
When you are referred to the CIM team, you will be given the choice to set up an appointment to introduce you to the world of Complementary and Integrative Therapies. We remind you that each treatment plan is unique to each individual we serve. If you have any questions regarding your personal treatment plan with the CIM team, please contact CIM physician Dr. Susan Henry (231-757-1260).
Acupuncture
Acupuncture uses extremely fine, sterile needles at specific points on the body to improve health and treat disease without side effects. Acupuncture is rapidly being accepted as effective complementary medicine in the United States, and has been successfully used by millions of Americans to treat pain and disease. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be helpful to moderate side effects of radiation and chemotherapy, and improve your quality of life. Treatment is easier to administer if you can wear pants that slide easily above the knee. Most acupuncture treatments are performed with the receiver fully clothed, although at times you may need to disrobe. A sheet and blankets are provided to cover you if necessary. Your first acupuncture visit will last one and a half to two hours with actual acupuncture treatment lasting forty-five minutes. Following visits will last from one hour and fifteen minutes to one and a half hours. Most conditions require a series of follow-up appointments. Both private and group acupuncture treatments are available. For private acupuncture treatments, you will need to be comfortable lying on your back, side or stomach for a forty-five minute period. For group acupuncture treatments, you will be seated in a recliner. The acupuncturist is very thorough in educating patients about acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and you are encouraged to ask questions at any time.
You do not need to be currently undergoing cancer treatment to benefit from Chinese Herbal Medicine or Acupuncture. Even if you are in remission, the CIM team would be happy to speak with you to determine if you will benefit from Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Please call 231-757-1260 to set up a CIM consultation. Caregivers also benefit from acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Chinese Medicine helps to relieve stress, manage emotions, and prevent and treat fatigue or burnout.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbs may be used alone or in conjunction with acupuncture. Chinese herbs are usually prescribed in customized formulas to address the needs of each individual. Margaret Batzer, who holds her masters degree in both Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, will prescribe herbs to minimize any potential side effects, as well as avoid any possible interactions with prescription drugs. The cost of herbs is in addition to the cost of your visit to the Cancer and Blood Center. Please be prepared to pay for the herbs at the time of your appointment.
You do not need to be currently undergoing cancer treatment to benefit from Chinese Herbal Medicine or Acupuncture. Even if you are in remission, the CIM team would be happy to speak with you to determine if you will benefit from Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Please call 231-757-1260 to set up a CIM consultation. Caregivers also benefit from Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Chinese Medicine helps to relieve stress, manage emotions, and prevent and treat fatigue or burnout.
Guided Imagery
Guided Imagery is a way to extend and deepen the meditation/ relaxation response. It can be defined as a “directed daydreaming”. Guided Imagery involves imagining, through all the senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch.) The body doesn’t discriminate between images one purposefully creates and those that are “real”. There fore, the body responds to the imagined images as if they are actual events.
Guided imagery can be used to imagine a “successful surgery or treatment outcome”, “ to reduce pain” , to “induce sleep”, and for many other outcomes. Guided imagery can be done with audio tapes, in a group setting, or with the guidance of a trained person. Selection of the best method is a very individual choice. Most of all, guided imagery can give one a sense of being in control, and this can make you feel better over all.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is provided by certified massage therapists Molly Wolfe and Colleen Avedisian. Massage therapy is known to improve circulation, mood and temperament, lymphatic flow, digestion, and sinus and bronchial infections. It boosts the immune system, improves flexibility and range of motion, decreases blood pressure and stress levels, releases muscle spasm and tension, decreases muscle neuropathy (nerve pain and damage), anxiety and depression and many other conditions. When receiving massage therapy, you will be lying on a massage table for approximately thirty-five minutes or one hour depending on the length of your appointment. You will be able to undress in complete privacy, and you will never be exposed during the course of your massage. Pillows and warmed blankets are provided. If lying on your back or stomach is painful for you, there are alternatives to discuss with your Massage Therapist. We will be happy to accommodate you. Please call the CIM desk for an appointment with one of our Massage Therapists. (231)-757-1260.
Nutrition
Good nutrition improves a patient’s cancer recovery rate, and increases tolerance of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Our registered dietitian, Tanya Lesinski, is able to work with you to maximize nutrition during times when loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea or constipation can upset normal habits. Supportive nutritional counseling given by our dietitian will help you manage weight, prevent undesirable weight loss, and promote your dietary needs. Providing advanced nutritional support is also a specialty of our dietitian when feeding by mouth is not an option. The spectrum of nutrition services offered includes post-treatment weight management, and healthy lifestyle management for cancer prevention. Our registered dietitian and the CIM team will work with you to help improve your overall wellness, at your pace with your approval.
Reiki
Reiki is a technique that aids the body in releasing stress and tension by creating deep relaxation. Because of this, Reiki promotes healing and health. Reiki restores energy balance and vitality by relieving the physical and emotional effects of unreleased stress. It gently and effectively opens blocked meridians and chakras, and clears the energy bodies, leaving one feeling relaxed and at peace. Reiki can accelerate healing, assist the body in cleansing toxins, and balance the flow of subtle energy by releasing blockages. Reiki treats the body, emotions, mind and spirit as a whole. Reiki is a simple, natural, and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement for everyone. During a treatment, the client remains fully clothed. Reiki is an effective alternative or complement to massage therapy, and supports any medical, or supplemental healing methods a client may use.
Relaxation/ Meditation
Once you hear the diagnosis of cancer, your life suddenly changes. Along with symptoms of the cancer or treatments, you may experience emotions such as anxiety, anger, depression, or fear. You may also experience physical symptoms such as nausea, pain, or difficulty sleeping. Meditation may help you relieve the symptoms that come from the stress of a cancer diagnosis.
How does meditation work? When faced with stress, the body prepares itself for “fight or flight.” The blood pressure goes up, breathing rate increases, muscles tense, and the immune system is suppressed. As you breath deeply with meditation, the body slows down. The heart rate slows, blood pressure lowers, muscles relax and the brain releases soothing hormones such as serotonin. For many people, the result is improvement in their symptoms as well as an improved sense of well-being.
Meditation is a practice that is thousands of years old and has its roots in the major religions of the world. But, you don’t have to be religious to practice meditation. What’s more important is to have an open mind. Despite its benefits, meditation is not always easy. Many people find that there mind is “racing” and they feel more restless when they first begin mediation. But if you stick with it and practice it regularly, it becomes easier.
Yoga
Yoga is a Sansrkit term meaning “union of body, mind, and spirit.” It is an ancient Indian philosophy, beginning almost 5,000 years ago. Yoga is one branch of the philosophy with the goal of “personal enlightenment”. Hatha Yoga involves asanas (poses or postures) that are designed to strengthen the body and open the energy channels. Breathwork is a very important part of Yoga. The focus on the breath allows for improved energy and mental clarity.
Potential benefits of yoga include strengthening, improved flexibility, improved balance, better sleep, less anxiety, less nausea and an overall improved sense of well-being. There are different types of yoga. Some classes focus more on breath and gentle movements. Others such as Ashtanga Yoga, focus on aerobic jumpings and sequencing of poses. Restorative Yoga uses props such as pillow, blankets, straps, and blocks to allow you to experience the pose without muscle tension. Restorative poses are wonderful for people going through cancer treatment…they add to your energy rather than deplete it.
If you are attending a Yoga class for the first time, speak to the teacher ahead of time to determine the type of class and if it is appropriate for your specific physical condition. During class, listen to your body. Do not push if you are experiencing pain or discomfort. Stop if you become out of breath, light headed or dizzy. Take care of yourself. Ask the teacher if there are modifications in the poses that would be helpful for you. Yoga can also be done in the chair or on the bed. Video tapes are a good way to practice Yoga at home. You can feel benefits by practicing Yoga even just once per week!
Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Complementary and alternative medicine, commonly referred to as CAM, is the most commonly used phrase to describe medical therapies practiced outside conventional Western medicine. CAM contains a variety of healing philosophies and medical practices that are not currently accepted or used by conventional medicine.
Complementary medicine consists of medical therapies that are most often used to supplement conventional medical treatments. Because these treatments are utilized in addition to conventional therapies, they usually focus on promoting wellness, managing symptoms, or stimulating the immune system. Most CAM therapies can be used as a complement to conventional medicine. A benefit of complementary therapies is that patients can use well-researched conventional treatments against cancer, while utilizing complementary medicine to reduce stress, enhance their immune system and/or affect cancer on a different level (e.g., energetically). The vast majority of CAM practitioners and cancer patients who utilize CAM therapies use complementary medicine as a means of integrating the best of both types of medicine.
One problem with combining conventional and complementary medicine is the lack of research. Combining certain types of complementary medicine that promote wellness, like guided visualization or yoga, with conventional treatments such as chemotherapy are unlikely to create adverse reactions. However, the same may not be true for herbs or other biologically-based substances that can be used as complementary medicine. For example, some herbs or supplements are contraindicated (not indicated for use) with specific chemotherapeutic agents, because they interfere with the ability of the chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. On the other hand, research has indicated that certain complementary medicine agents may reduce side effects of conventional treatment and may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Complementary medicine may offer many benefits to cancer patients, but the potential for harmful reactions necessitates careful supervision of its use.
In contrast to complementary medicine, alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Alternative medicine attempts to treat disease specifically, without the use of any conventional therapies. Therapies commonly used as complementary medicine are considered alternative medicine when used in place of conventional treatment. For minor health issues, alternative medicine is generally not dangerous. However, most practitioners of conventional medicine, and many who practice complementary medicine, are uncomfortable with the exclusivity of alternative medicine and its failure to utilize treatments that are known to benefit certain diseases. In such instances, alternative therapies may delay conventional treatment and result in serious illness, complications or death. Many patients who turn to alternative medicine do so after conventional medicine has nothing more to offer or because they believe the risks of conventional treatment outweigh the risks of the alternative therapy they are investigating. In some instances, a very negative experience with conventional medicine has left a patient in search of alternative forms of medicine.
Conventional medicine is often referred to as Western or mainstream medicine, and is technically known as allopathic medicine. It is the medical system practiced by MDs (medical doctors). Examples of conventional cancer treatment include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and biologic therapies.
CAM and Conventional Medicine
Integrative Medicine focuses on combining conventional medicine with CAM to create a comprehensive approach to healing. Integrative medicine maintains that for the whole person to heal, any number of different therapeutic approaches may need to be employed. Integrative medicine also promotes evidence-based research as a means of determining which CAM therapies are reliable, effective and safe. Because it can take many years for a CAM therapy to obtain the evidence necessary for inclusion in conventional medicine, integrative medicine facilitates these in-between years when promising therapies are undergoing research and patients are using them anyway. The goal of integrative medicine is to create a unified medicine in support of whole, healthy people.
CAM Therapies and Cancer
There are several common threads shared by the diverse therapies classified as CAM. CAM is generally considered holistic, looking at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components that make up a whole person. The purpose of most CAM is to heal the entire person, not just the disease, which is often considered only a symptom of a more fundamental imbalance. CAM therapies that may be used specifically to eradicate disease, such as herbs or supplements, are often used in combination with other CAM therapies to create a lifestyle that promotes wellness rather than one that focuses solely on recovering from ill health. Most CAM therapies have undergone very little research and have limited scientific evidence of their effectiveness. Most CAM is very individualized, with a specific therapy regimen tailored to the unique health issues of the individual. CAM also requires that patients be actively involved in their healing, promoting patient education and involvement beyond what is common in conventional medicine. This also generates a different patient-practitioner relationship than is common in mainstream medicine. In the CAM ideal, patient and practitioner engage in dialogue regarding treatment options and form a partnership dedicated to restoring and maintaining health and wellness. Patients may use CAM therapies in the following ways:
Treat Cancer: CAM may be used to directly treat cancer. Some therapies that directly treat cancer are used in addition to conventional treatments (complementary medicine), whereas others are employed instead of conventional treatments (alternative medicine).
Manage Symptoms: CAM may be used to manage symptoms. The symptoms may be due to cancer or from side effects of treatment. In helping manage symptoms, CAM may help improve quality of life.
Promote Wellness: Most CAM promotes wellness, which is more than the absence of disease. Wellness is the optimal overall health of an individual, including physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects. Many different activities promote wellness, from exercising to eating a healthy meal to attending a support group. Many CAM practitioners argue that promoting wellness stimulates the body to heal itself.
Types of CAM
Alternative Medical Systems: Alternative medical systems involve complete systems of theory and practice that have evolved independent of and often prior to the conventional medical approach. Such systems include traditional systems of medicine practiced by indigenous people worldwide for thousands of years. Some of these well-known alternative medical systems are Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture and Ayurveda. Other alternative medical systems have developed more recently, such as homeopathy and naturopathy.
Biologic/Orthomolecular Therapies: Biologic/orthomolecular therapies are therapies that seek to correct imbalance on a molecular level. They may attempt to do so by using high concentrations of specific chemicals, similar to the use of drugs in conventional medicine, or by influencing metabolism or the immune system. These therapies usually consist of substances derived from non-plant biologic (e.g., minerals), organic (from living organisms) or pharmacologic (substances used in conventional drugs) materials. Examples include vitamins or minerals, isolated active compounds of plants or herbs, shark cartilage and vaccines.
Energy Therapies: Energy therapies are divided into two categories, those that originate from within the body (biofields) and those that are generated by sources outside of the body (external energy sources).
Biofield therapies are based on the theory that energy fields are generated within, and emanate from, the body and that disruption of a biofield results in disease. In some therapies, an individual performs certain postures to affect their biofields (e.g., Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Yoga). Some therapies attempt to manipulate biofields through touching the body (as in acupressure), while others move the practitioner’s hands through the biofield without touching the patient’s body to clear energetic imbalances (e.g., Reiki, Therapeutic Touch). Biofields may also be affected by substances such as flower remedies or crystals and stones, which may interact with the biofield to restore energetic harmony/balance. Very little research exists on biofields and conventional medicine has yet to verify their existence.
External energy sources include pulsed electrical fields, magnetic fields, radiowaves and direct or alternating current fields which may be used to treat cancer or manage symptoms, such as pain. Therapies using external energy sources are sometimes referred to as bioelectromagnetic-based therapies.
Herbal/Plant Therapies: Herbs are plants that do not have woody stems and usually die back at the end of each growing season. Their historical use as medicine and as culinary seasonings arises from their aromatic properties. As defined here, herbal/plant therapies include therapies using the whole plant or the parts of a plant valued for medicinal purposes. It also contains therapies that have maximized the optimal ratios of a whole product (i.e., the most effective ratio of the main constituents within an herb or plant). In contrast, isolated components of herbs or plants that are used alone are categorized under biologic/orthomolecular therapies.
Manipulative and Body-Based Methods: This category includes methods that are based on manipulation of bone, soft tissues or organs by a practitioner or by the patient. It is based upon the theory that restoring skeletal, neuromuscular, soft tissue or organs to their correct location within the body harmonizes the entire system. Practitioners of these methods may believe that a disturbance in one part of the body creates disruptions that can manifest as disease or pain elsewhere in the body. Chiropractors, osteopaths and massage therapists are examples of practitioners employing these methods.
Mind-Body Interventions: Mind-body interventions are designed to utilize the mind’s ability to affect bodily symptoms and function. Many mind-body interventions have been extensively studied, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy and patient education. As a result of such research, these therapies have been adopted by conventional medicine and are no longer considered CAM therapies. However, there are numerous other therapies utilizing mind-body interventions that remain to be studied. Examples of such therapies include meditation, dance, music, art therapy, guided imagery and biofeedback.
Nutrition and Special Diets: The food we eat provides our bodies with nutrients necessary for cellular replication, repair and maintenance. Proponents of nutrition therapy or special diets maintain that certain types of food or specific combinations of food can prevent illness and facilitate recovery from disease. In addition, many non-Western cultural traditions do not distinguish between medicine and food, considering food as medicine. Special diets include macrobiotics, Gerson and vegetarianism.
