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Introduction

The purpose of this site is to create a local, easy to use guide to integrative oncology that can serve oncologists as well as patients. This site is by no means extensive, but rather includes the most important therapies and evidence found for the use of CAM in oncology care. The therapies discussed in this web site are those with some peer-reviewed controlled clinical data found by a MEDLINE search. Chinese and Ayurvedic cancer therapies have a long history and there is a growing research database (e.g., TCMLARS). Our website is limited in that we include citations from MEDLINE only.

Many sites have extensive databases of herbal products and other therapies. The intention of this site has been not to overlap that wealth of information, but rather to offer an easy to use resource where patients and doctors alike could get information of what works, and where to find qualified therapists trained in oncology care in our geographic area.

We see the future of IO as one of oncologists and CAM providers working together, in a truly collaborative manner, side by side. We realize there are many differences of opinion in our field and that opinions are in continuous evolution.

At this time the authors of this web site believe that there are no currently fully validated alternative cancer therapies that can be substituted for conventional oncology treatment. However, there is ongoing promising clinical research for several truly alternative cancer therapies that are still in the experimental stages.

The main benefit of complementary and integrative medicine is to help with side effects of standard therapy and, as secondary prevention after patients have completed primary cancer treatment.

Once you and your patient have decided upon a course of primary treatment this web site will help you and your patient learn about complementary and integrative therapies that may help reduce side effects and improve benefits of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

This web site can help you and your patient to understand the therapies used by specialists in naturopathic and Chinese medical oncology. You may find some trusted referrals below:

Resource List

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Disclaimer

The information provided on this web site is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to substitute as a professional service or as medical advice for specific patients. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health problem, you should consult a health care provider.

The University of Washington and Bastyr University expressly disclaim any representation or warranty express or implied concerning the accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose of the information. Persons accessing this information assume full responsibility for the use of the information and understand and agree that UW and Bastyr are not responsible or liable for any claim, loss or damage arising from the use of the information. Reference to specific products, processes, or services do not constitute or imply recommendation or endorsement by the UW or Bastyr.

Our philosophy

It has been said that medicine is as much a science as it is an art. This may be particularly true in Oncology, which demands as much knowledge of the advancements as it does of how to combine different approaches - not only to achieve a cure but also to make the patient as comfortable as possible, decrease the high anxiety produced by the diagnosis and manage the intense side effects of typical oncology treatments.

Integrative oncology is a blooming field that involves using the best of all therapies (western medical approaches as well as complementary medicine approaches) to support the patient's journey through cancer. In most cases, integrative oncology involves offering an array of possible therapies and recommending them. At some institutions, therapies may be offered 'in house.' Most of these scenarios, however, do not include a connection between the oncologist and CAM providers. They still remain two separate entities, knowing of each other but rarely interacting or exchanging notes. For some patients, this has been enough and an acceptable situation. For others, yet, there is a call for a type of integration that goes beyond the referral and even the offering of such therapies under one roof. Such patients expect that oncologists and CAM providers interact with each other and exchange notes. Such integration would provide a safer deliver of care, where possible negative interactions between therapies could be identified before they even happen.

In this context, integration may be more than just adding things. It may require a new vision - a vision in which services are offered in a truly connected manner, where the patient is at the core, and providers actively communicate with each other on regular basis and make joint decisions involving the team and the patient.

Healing is much more than curing. Patient's current interest in CAM as stated by published surveys shows that people want medicine not just to cure but to promote healing. The concept of healing derives from the word 'wholeness' - and if we are to facilitate healing through medicine, then we need to create a collaborative system among western and CAM providers that truly embodies that sense of 'wholeness' that patients are searching for.

We also need to attend to the characteristics of our medical system. It may be that a system that embodies such 'wholeness' may not be feasible to develop at large cancer centers. Perhaps the complexity of current oncology services will demand a different type of facility that could allow for high tech medicine as well as CAM to be delivered together by professionals who are truly working together along with the patient at every step of the journey.

Perhaps 50 years from now there will be no more divisions between western medicine and CAM - just one medicine, a medicine that not only cures but also promotes healing. No more CAM providers - just physicians who use the best of both worlds...