1. spring2014
24 Hour Cancer Support Line (08) 9384 3544 www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Vol. 30 No.3
of supporting and empowering people with
cancer, their families and the community
3. 3Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
INTRODUCTION
CancerSupportWAisaWesternAustraliancancerwellnessorganisation
directlysupportingpeoplethrougheverystageofeverytypeofcancer.
For almost 30 years, Cancer Support WA has helped and supported
thousands of Western Australians with cancer to achieve wellness and
healing. Cancer Support WA is a pioneer of the“wellness approach”to
cancer which integrates wellbeing therapies such as nutrition, exercise
and meditation with medical treatment.
remember,healing
isalwayspossible...
Information
• Library & Resource Centre
• Meeting the Challenge Handbook
• Cancer Care Packs
• Wellness News magazine
• Moss Reports
• Referral Network
Wellness
• Taking Charge of Cancer Seminar
• 1 Day Cancer Wellness Workshop
• 5 Week Wellness Courses
• Guest Speaker Program
• Inspired Living Series
• Regular Classes and Sessions
• Reiki Clinic
• Retreats
Support
• Support Groups
– Cancer Wellness Support Group
– Grief & Loss Support Group
– Women’s Healing Circle
• Counselling
• Home and Hospital visits
• Reiki and Meditation Outreach Program
• Mentoring & buddy program
• 24 hour cancer support phone line
• Financial counselling
• Advance care planning
Community
• Annual Concert & Events
• Healthy Habits Week
• You Are Beautiful Exhibition
• Adventure Travel Program
Cancer in its acute stages can require intensive
medical focus and care. When medical treatment
ends you may be left wondering ‘what now?’ and
feeling quite alone.
At Cancer Support WA we are here to help you. We
know it’s what you do for yourself that matters most
now and we are here to support you to manage
cancer, implement change and help you restore
your wellbeing, peace of mind and health.
Our courses and programs provide you with the
tools to bring about meaningful change. After just
a few weeks of yoga, meditation, optimum nutrition
and high quality emotional support you start to feel
better.
Beyond this, you’ll notice the more you commit to
a new wellness lifestyle, the more you benefit. This
results in three things: you start to take charge of
your own journey, you discover the power to bring
about change is within you, and seeing the positive
effects of change gives you renewed hope.
And hope itself is healing.
what’s on
atCancerSupportWA
Cancer Support WA’s 2014 Program is
available in print format. You can also
download it instantly from our website at
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
or phone our 24 hour Cancer Support
Phone Line (08) 9384 3544 to have a copy
posted to you.
Cover Art: On Reflection by Kate Bedell. Painting – Water Colour On
BockingfordPaper,2008.KateBedellisanaccomplishedIrishartistwho
haspaintedinwatercoloursforover30years.Inherartiststatement,Kate
says“I first became attracted to watercolour 30 years ago on a painting
holiday in Cornwall. I loved the immediacy and fluidity of the medium.
It seemed to capture the essence of my subjects in an other-worldly
way. Enchantedbythepossibilitiesofcreatinganew,dream-likereality,
I developed my style with an emphasis on colour and texture, telling a
story within the painting.”www.katebedell.com
4. 4 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
news & information
Cancer Support WA membership information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cancer Support WA returns home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Rare cancer recoveries could be key to wider treatment. . . . . . 7
Total darkness at night a factor in success of breast
cancer therapy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Tumours might grow faster at night. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 9
Chronotherapy: a step towards a personalised
cancer treatment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Wellness festival and conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
inspirations
3 steps to uplifting the health of those around you. . . . . . . . . . . 31
25 life changing lessons from Eckhart Tolle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
mind-body
healing
Messages of cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Quantum depth healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Meditation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
The 5 minute meditation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
The art of living and dying . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 52
inspirations
integrative therapies
nutrition & recipes
mind-body healing
inspiring personal stories
lifestyle & environment
current news & information
contents...about
About Wellness News
Wellness News magazine is the quarterly print
magazineofCancerSupportWA.WellnessNews
is unique in that it is an extremely positive,
uplifting, intelligent and beautiful publication
focusing on wellness, healing and natural and
complementary approaches to managing
cancer.
Wellness News is designed to offer hope and
life-enhancing wellness strategies for people
who have cancer or may be seriously ill, and
a broad spectrum of information for people
interested in maintaining good health.
Wellness News articles are commissioned
or sourced from well regarded journals,
publicationsandwebsitesandaredividedinto
sevenkeyareasincluding:mind-bodyhealing;
integrative therapies; nutrition and recipes;
personal stories; lifestyle and environment;
current news & information; inspirations.
Cancer Support WA encourages a holistic and
integrative approach to cancer care which
includes a balance of medical treatment,
complementarytherapies,optimumnutrition,
emotional and stress management, and
lifestyle changes.
ThearticlespublishedinWellnessNewsaddress
theseareasofwellbeing,andarenotintended
as medical advice.We recommend that before
you embark on any non-medical treatment
optionsyouconsultwithyourprimarymedical
care givers.
personal
stories
I’m giving up my‘fight’with cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Healing and transformation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Learning to grieve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
6. 6 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Cancer SupportWA membership tiers
Our powerful, informative 1 Day Cancer Wellness Workshop is the first big step on your cancer
wellness journey. The workshop is suitable for anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer
and their partners or carers looking for balanced, holistic information on how best to meet the
challenges of cancer and integrate wellness strategies, nutrition and natural healthcare into a
cancer wellness plan to get your life on track.
1st Friday of each month at Cancer Support WA. 9.30am-4.30pm.
Book online: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Meeting the Challenge
1 Day Cancer Wellness Workshop
FREE for
members
Standard membership
is $5* per month
$30 payable 6 monthly or $60 payable annually
What you get
A place on Cancer Support WA’s Meeting the
Challenge 1 Day Seminar (value $100)
Access to these support services at no charge:
• counselling (value $50 per session)
• home and hospital visits (value $75 per session)
• phone counselling
• Free 1 year subscription to the quarterly
Wellness News print magazine (value $40)
Cancer Support WA Library Card for borrowing
1000’s of books and resources from our library.
New titles monthly. Online/postal borrowing is
available for members from our website (4 week
loans).
15% discount on all Cancer Support WA
programmed activities and services
10% discount on all Cancer Support WA’s
Wellness Shop products including juicers
Access to the full series of The Moss Reports
Wellness Club Membership
is $30 per month
$30 payable monthly or $360 annually
What you get
ALL THE BENEFITS OF STANDARD MEMBERSHIP
PLUS...
Free attendance at all Cancer Support WA weekly
classes (taichi, reiki, qigong, yoga, meditation – value
$10 per session)
Free attendance at Cancer Support WA’s courses**
• 5 week Journey to Wellness Course (value $150)
• 5 week Healing Foods for Cancer Course (value $150)
• 5 week Yoga Healing Course (value $80)
• 5 week Introduction to Meditation Course (value $80)
• 5 week Create a Healthy Home Course (value $150)
• 12 week Gawler Foundation Cancer Healing &
Wellbeing Course (value $400)
additional 10% discount on all Cancer Support WA
wellness program and services not included in the
Services Package (ie 25% total discount)
additional 10% discount on all Cancer Support WA
Wellness Shop products including juicers (ie 20% total
discount)
Monthly Wellness Coaching (phone or in person)
* Free counselling sessions are limited to 1 free session per week, fee payable for additional sessions
** Free attendance at courses is limited to 1 free course at any one time
join online www.cancersupportwa.org.au, in person or phone (08) 9384 3544
7. 7Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
in the news...
Cancer SupportWA
returns home to
Wanslea House
We have recently returned home
to‘Wanslea House’after two years
of work to the Wanslea site and a
6 month temporary relocation to
another building on the site.
During this time our majestic,
heritagebuildingwaspainstakingly
restoredbytheNationalTrustwith
funding from Lotterywest.
The newly redeveloped campus
is now to be known as the Cancer
Wellness Centre and is home to
Cancer SupportWA, Breast Cancer
CareWA, melanomaWA and Brady
Cancer Support Foundation.
TheCancerWellnessCentreCampus
willbeofficiallyopenedbytheState
Premier, the Hon. Colin Barnett
MLA on the 14th November.
Cancer Support WA’s CEO Mandy
BeckerKnoxwasrecentlyfeatured
ontheChannel9TodayShowwith
TimMacMillantotalkaboutthenew
Cancer Wellness Centre Campus
and Cancer Support WA’s 30 year
celebration.Ifyoumissedityoucan
watch it at the Cancer SupportWA
facebook page.
For years, they have been among modern medicine’s most arresting fables: a 54-year-
oldwomanseeshertumoursmeltawayinaclinicaltrial,butnooneelsewiththesame
lethalthyroidcancerresponds.Anelderlymanwithadvancedbladdercancerenrolsin
a safety study of two therapies and is the one person to see his cancer vanish. A drug
flops in a clinical trial, but works for a 73-year-old woman with bladder cancer who is
still alive five years later.
Physicians have traditionally viewed the rare cancer patients who bounce back from
near-certaindeathasinspiringanecdotes,notscience.ButastudypublishedbyaBoston
teamWednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights a radical shift in
thinking:researchersareharnessingapowerfularsenalofbiomedicaltoolstounlockthe
secrets of individual“exceptional responders.”
“If we can figure this out in one patient, maybe we can understand how to do this in
morepatients,”saidDr.NikhilWagle,abreastoncologistatDana-FarberCancerInstitute
and a leader of the new study.“And maybe, ultimately, we can understand how to do
this in all patients.”
Overthepasttwoyears,atrickleofcaseshavemadeitclearthatsuchinvestigationscan
explain why a particular patient responded and also point to new research ideas and
treatmentsforothers.Lastmonth,theNationalCancerInstitutelaunchedanationwide
searchforexceptionalrespondersaspartofapilotstudythatwilluseDNAsequencing
andothertoolstounderstandwhythetherapiesworked.Thoseresultswillbecompiled
inacentraldatabase,withthehopetheinsightscouldguidethedesignofnewclinical
trials and personalised treatments.
Dr. David Solit, director of the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Centre for Molecular
Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in NewYork, first used genome
sequencing two years ago to study why a woman with bladder cancer had an
extraordinary response to the drug everolimus.
Solit pointed out that throughout history, physicians have studied extreme cases of
disease in order to gain fundamental insights that help broad group of patients.What
isnewistheavailabilityofcheap,sophisticatedmoleculartoolsthatallowscientiststo
learn from individual patients whose disease takes an unexpected trajectory.
“Youshouldneverletoneofthesenotgetanalysed...becauseit’samissedopportunity
to find a subpopulation of patients who might benefit from a treatment,”Solit said.
An early example that this was possible in cancer unfolded a decade ago, at the dawn
of therapies targeted to the specific genes that drive cancer.
Inlungcancertrials,asubsetofpatientsrespondedtoadrugcalledgefitinib,butothers
did not. Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital and other institutions began to
examine the gene that was the target of that drug and found that some people with a
particularmutationhadcancersthatwerevulnerabletothedrug–layingthebasisfor
a genetic test that could determine which patients should receive the therapy.
“Thewholemind-setincancerisdifferentthanfiveto10yearsago,”saidDr.LeciaSequist,
a medical oncologist.“So now when you see this unexpected, above the curve, super-
response to any kind of treatment, now the mind-set is let’s investigate and try to find
why that is.” F
From: www.bostonglobe.com, 8th October 2014.
Rare cancer recoveries could
be key to wider treatment
NEWS&INFORMATION
8. 8 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Total darkness at night key to
success of breast cancer therapy
Exposuretolightatnight,whichshutsoffnighttimeproductionofthehormonemelatonin,
rendersbreastcancercompletelyresistanttotamoxifen,awidelyusedbreastcancerdrug,
saysa newstudy byTulaneUniversitySchoolofMedicinecancerresearchers.Thestudy,
“CircadianandMelatoninDisruptionbyExposuretoLightatNightDrivesIntrinsicResistance
toTamoxifenTherapy in Breast Cancer,”published in the journal CancerResearch, is the
first to show that melatonin is vital to the success of tamoxifen in treating breast cancer.
Principalinvestigatorsandco-leadersofTulane’sCircadianCancerBiologyGroup,StevenHill
andDavidBlask,alongwithteammembersRobertDauchyandShulinXiang,investigated
theroleofmelatoninontheeffectivenessoftamoxifenincombatinghumanbreastcancer
cells implanted in rats.
“In the first phase of the study, we kept animals in a daily light/dark cycle of 12 hours of
lightfollowedby12hoursoftotaldarkness(melatoniniselevatedduringthedarkphase)
forseveralweeks,”saysHill.“Inthesecondstudy,weexposedthemtothesamedailylight/
darkcycle;however,duringthe12hourdarkphase,animalswereexposedtoextremely
dim light at night (melatonin levels are suppressed), roughly equivalent to faint light
coming under a door.”
Melatonin by itself delayed the formation of tumours and significantly slowed their
growth but tamoxifen caused a dramatic regression of tumours in animals with either
highnighttimelevelsofmelatoninduringcompletedarknessorthosereceivingmelatonin
supplementation during dim light at night exposure.
These findings have potentially enormous implications for women being treated with
tamoxifen and also regularly exposed to light at night due to sleep problems, working
night shifts or exposed to light from computer and TV screens.
“Highmelatoninlevelsatnightputbreastcancercellsto‘sleep’byturningoffkeygrowth
mechanisms. These cells are vulnerable to tamoxifen. But when the lights are on and
melatonin is suppressed, breast cancer cells‘wake up’and ignore tamoxifen,”Blask says.
Thestudycouldmakelightatnightanewandseriousriskfactorfordevelopingresistance
totamoxifenandotheranticancerdrugsandmaketheuseofmelatoninincombination
withtamoxifen,administeredattheoptimaltimeofdayornight,standardtreatmentfor
breast cancer patients. F
From:ScienceDaily,25July2014.www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140725080408.
htm.BasedonmaterialsprovidedbyTulaneUniversity.Theoriginalarticlewaswrittenby
Arthur Nead.
Exposure to light at night,
which shuts off nighttime
production of the hormone
melatonin, renders breast
cancer completely resistant to
tamoxifen,awidelyusedbreast
cancer drug, says a new study.
Melatonin by itself delayed
the formation of tumours
and significantly slowed their
growth, researchers report,
but tamoxifen caused a
dramaticregressionoftumours
in animals with either high
nighttime levels of melatonin
during complete darkness
or those receiving melatonin
supplementation during dim
light at night exposure.
9. 9Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
InasurprisefindingthatwasrecentlypublishedinNatureCommunications,
researchers showed that nighttime is when cancer grows and spreads in
thebody.Theirfindingssuggestthatadministeringcertaintreatmentsin
time with the body’s day-night cycle could boost their efficiency.
Thisfindingaroseoutofaninvestigationintotherelationshipsbetweendifferentreceptors
in the cell – a complex network that we still do not completely understand.The receptors
– protein molecules on the cell’s surface or within cells – take in biochemical messages
secretedbyothercellsandpassthemonintothecell’sinterior.Thescientists,ledbyDr.Mattia
Lauriola,apostdoctoralfellowintheresearchgroupofProf.YosefYardenoftheWeizmann
Institute’sBiologicalRegulationDepartment,workingtogetherwithProf.EytanDomanyof
thePhysicsofComplexSystemsDepartment,focusedontwoparticularreceptors.Thefirst,
the epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR, promotes the growth and migration of cells,
includingcancercells.Thesecondbindstoasteroidhormonecalledaglucocorticoid(GC).
Glucocorticoidsplayaroleinmaintainingthebody’senergylevelsduringtheday,aswellas
themetabolicexchangeofmaterials.Itisoftencalledthestresshormonebecauseitslevels
rise in stressful situations, rapidly bringing the body to a state of full alert.
With multiple receptors, the cell receives all sorts of messages at once, and some of these
messagescantakeprecedenceoverothers.Intheexperiment,LauriolaandYardenfound
that cell migration – the activity promoted by the EGF receptor – is suppressed when the
GC receptor is bound to its steroid messenger.
Sincethesteroidlevelspeakduringwakinghoursanddropoffduringsleep,thescientists
askedhowthismightaffectthesecondreceptor–EGFR.Checkingthelevelsofthisactivity
inmice,theyfoundthattherewasasignificantdifference:Thisreceptorismuchmoreactive
during sleep and quiescent during waking hours.
Howrelevantarethesefindingsforcancers,particularlythosewhichusetheEGFreceptors
togrowandspread?Tofindout,thescientistsgaveLapatinib–oneofthenewgeneration
of cancer drugs – to mouse models of cancer. This drug, used to treat breast cancer, is
designed to inhibit EGFR, and thus to prevent the growth and migration of the cancer
cells. In the experiment, they gave the mice the drug at different times of day.The results
revealedsignificantdifferencesbetweenthesizesoftumoursinthedifferentgroupsofmice,
depending on whether they had been given the drug during sleep or waking hours.The
experimentalfindingssuggestthatitisindeedtheriseandfallinthelevelsoftheGCsteroids
over the course of 24 hours that hinder or enable the growth of the cancer.
The conclusion, say the scientists, is that it could be more efficient to administer certain
anticancer drugs at night.
“It seems to be an issue of timing,”saysYarden.“Cancer treatments are often administered
in the daytime, just when the patient’s body is suppressing the spread of the cancer on its
own. What we propose is not a new treatment, but rather a new treatment schedule for
some of the current drugs. F
From:ScienceDaily,6October2014.www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141006094612.
htm. Based on materials provided by Weizmann Institute of Science.
Tumours might grow
faster at night
A hormone that keeps
us alert also suppresses
the spread of cancer,
researchers have
discovered.The study
suggests, therefore, that
nighttime is the right time
for cancer to grow and
spread in the body, and
that administering certain
treatments in time with
the body’s day-night cycle
couldboosttheirefficiency.
NEWS&INFORMATION
10. 10 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
INTHENEWSThe Cancer Care Pack is a valuable
resource for people in WA diagnosed with
cancer.Thanks to generous donations
received from our supporters, the Cancer
Care Pack valued at more than $200 is
available for anyone newly diagnosed.
Each Cancer Care Pack contains:
• Beautiful plain dyed 100% silk scarf to
wear during the period of hair loss or to
simply bring colour and comfort.
• Book: Living Simply with Cancer by Ross
Taylor. An invaluable resource written by
an author who beat a diagnosis of terminal
melanoma.
• Meeting the Challenge Cancer Wellness
Handbook for People Diagnosed with
Cancer.
• Relaxation and Meditation CD by Cathy
Brown. An aid to help restore peace and
wellbeing.
• Gift Voucher to attend 1 Day Cancer
Wellness Workshop for People Newly
Diagnosed.
• 2 Wellness News magazines.
•CancerSupportWAProgram&Information.
If you or a family member or friend
have been diagnosed with cancer
recently, please get in touch to receive
a Cancer Care Pack. Call our 24 hour
Cancer Support Phone Line on (08)
9384 3544 to order a pack now.
FREE for anyone
newly diagnosed
the cancer
care pack
Cancerchronotherapyconsistsinadministeringtreatmentatanoptimaltime.Because
thebodyisgovernedbyprecisebiologicalrhythms,theefficacyofanti-cancerdrugs
can be doubled and their toxicity reduced five-fold depending on the exact timing
oftheiradministration.However,importantdifferencesinbiorhythmsexistbetween
individuals, which chronotherapy has not been able to take into account until now.
AninternationalstudyconductedonmiceandcoordinatedbyresearchersfromInserm,
CNRSandUniversitParis-Sudhaspavedthewaytowardspersonalisedchronotherapy
treatments.InanarticlepublishedinthejournalCancerResearch,theteamhasshown
that the timing of optimal tolerance to irinotecan, a widely used anti-cancer drug,
varies by 8 hours depending on the sex and genetic background of mice.They then
developed a mathematical model that makes it possible to predict, for each animal,
the optimal timing for administering the drug.They now hope to test this model on
other drugs used in chemotherapy.
The body's metabolism follows a 24 hour rhythm, driven by the circadian clock.
Consequently, at certain precise times of the day or night, a given drug may prove to
bemoretoxictocancercellsandlessaggressivetohealthycells.Cancerchronotherapy,
discovered some twenty years ago by Francis Lévi, seeks to improve the efficacy of
chemotherapytreatments.Hisresearchhasshownthatthisefficacycanbedoubled,
dependingonthetimeatwhichtheyareadministered.Furthermore,itispreciselyat
this optimal time that the drugs prove to be five times less toxic to the body.
However, research points to the need for personalising chronotherapy. Indeed,
biorhythmscanchangefromonepersontothenext.Forexample,althoughtheoptimal
timingisthesamefor50%ofpatients,theremaining50%areeitheraheadoforbehind
this time.The team headed by Lévi wanted to elucidate the factors that affect these
differences in biorhythms.
Todothis,theresearchersstudiedthetoxicityofirinotecan,ananti-cancerdrugwidely
usedinthetreatmentofcancerofthecolonandpancreas,asafunctionofthetiming
ofitsadministrationinfourstrainsofmaleandfemalemice.Forthefirsttime,theywere
abletoobservethatthetimeofbesttolerancetotreatmentvariedbyuptoeighthours
fromonegroupofrodentstothenext,dependingontheirsexandgeneticbackground.
Theresearchersthenworkedondevelopingamethodabletopredictthisoptimaldrug
timing independently of sex and genetic background.To do this, they measured the
expression of 27 genes in the liver and colon over 24 hours and then analysed these
measurements using a methodology derived from systems biology. In this way, the
researchers were able to construct and validate a mathematical model to precisely
predict the timing at which irinotecan is less toxic to the body using the expression
curveoftwogenes,knownasRev-erbandBmal1,whichregulatethemetabolismand
proliferation of cells.
The researchers are now aiming to validate this model on other drugs used in
chemotherapy. In addition to gene expression, they would also like to find other
physiological parameters related to the biological clock that could help predict the
optimal timing of treatments for each patient.This work should make it possible to
enhancetheefficacyandtoleranceofsuchtreatmentsaswellasconsiderablyimprove
the quality of life of patients. F
From: ScienceDaily, 21 Nov 2013. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/
11/131121103836.htm. Based on materials provided by Le Centre national de la
recherche scientifique (CNRS).
Chronotherapy: a step
towards personalised
cancer treatment
11. 11Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWSBook online or by phone www.cancersupportwa.org.au | (08) 9384 3544
Our 5 speakers will all present at
WA’s inaugral Wellness Conference
on the 15th Nov. Following the
conference we invite you to a
concert and Indian dinner featuring
guest performers Raje Deva, Scott
Mitchell and Christine Morrison.
Book: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Christine MorrisonPetrea KingProf. Avni Sali the Ven. Ajahn Brahm Prof. Rob Newton
wellnessfestival & conference
November 2014
Be inspired by 5 leaders from the fields of integrative medicine, cancer wellness,
spirituality and healing during a program which includes events and activities for
health professionals, people with cancer and the community.
Beyond Medicine Seminar • Pathways to Wellness Conference • Farmer’s Market
Sacred Sounds Concert and Dinner• Healthy Living Fair & Open Day • 5 Day Retreat
BOOKINGS
NOW OPEN
Cancer Support WA is proud to present
Friday 14 Nov 9am-12pm
Beyond Medicine Seminar
Friday 14th Nov 1pm
Cancer Wellness Centre Opening
Saturday 15th Nov 8.15am-5pm
Pathways to Wellness Conference
Saturday 15th Nov 5.30pm-8pm
Concert & Dinner
Sunday 16th Nov 9am-1pm
Farmer’s Market and Fair
Sunday 16th Nov 9am-1pm
Cancer Wellness Centre Open Day
Monday 17th-Friday 22nd Nov
5 Day Retreat with Petrea King
A 5 day fully catered non-residential
retreat at our brand new conference
hall. This retreat is a rare opportunity
to learn and be guided by a leading
authority on the wellness approach
to cancer management and recovery
Petrea King is known worldwide for
her books and the cancer healing
program she founded at the Quest
for Life Centre in NSW. She is also
qualified as a naturopath, herbalist,
clinical hypnotherapist, yoga and
meditation teacher.
Book: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
12. 12 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
By Dr. Joel E Brame
importanceofseekingthecauseofillnessrather
than just managing symptoms; b) emotions are
at the core of most chronic illnesses; c) cancer
is a process.The last principle means that the
tumourisnotthecancer;canceristhelong-term
underlying process (including DNA damage,
hormone imbalances, and environmental
carcinogen exposures) that culminates in the
tumour. If you are in agreement with these
principles, you will find the following messages
to be powerful guideposts indeed.
Holistic cancer specialists that reside in distant
countriessuchasSwitzerland,Canada,andChina,
with different educational backgrounds, all seem
to say the same thing: an individualised holistic
support program for each person improves
long-term cancer survival. From my perspective,
supportive cancer programs must address the
unique messages sent by cancer. Therefore, this
article will discuss three common messages of
cancer. Before this discussion, one must trust
in three underlying principles of health. a) the
According to Marshall McLuhan,“the medium is the
message.”If so, then what is cancer trying to say? One
of the fundamental principles of natural health is that
thebodyisnevertryingtoharmus,althoughwemight
interpretillnessassuch.Instead,itisjusttryingtosend
us messages in whatever way will get our attention.
13. 13Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
The third message warns the patient of underlying damaging
processes that lead to cancer. Cancer thrives within a body
that is oxygen – and nutrient-deprived, and full of sugar,
inflammatory reactions, and altered immunity. In a recent Las
Vegas conference, an American nutritionist lectured on his
experiences with cancer. He said that if he were to summarise
all his knowledge and experience of cancer into one facet, it
would be this: Cancer is an opportunistic illness that grows
amidst a toxic body environment. In other words, cancer gives
a message that the body is toxic and improperly regulated. It
says, “For the last time, clean yourself up!”
These three messages of cancer act as undeniable guides.
One should take the time to discover them. How? Perhaps sit
quietly and still, then ask the cancer what it may be saying. If
the answer does not come easily, daily or weekly journaling
can help – try writing using the non-dominant hand to move
beyond the mind and into the heart. For those artistically-
inclined, drawing the scenario on paper sometimes brings
out additional insights. For faster results, work with a holistic
practitioner who can help you uncover the hidden messages. F
The first message of cancer involves nutrition. A naturopath
in China has seen that an improvement in nutrition habits is
critical to cancer survivorship. These improvements include
ramping up intake of nutritious whole foods and reducing
intake of synthetic, processed foods. Regardless of the cancer
treatment chosen (conventional or alternative), long-term
nutritional changes are part of this message of cancer. In this
case, the body screams, “I need real fuel and I need it now,
otherwise I can’t do my job of keeping you protected from
renegade cancer cells anymore.”
A medical doctor in Mexico pointed out that good quality
nutrition during and after treatment really makes a difference.
People with cancer need to choose foods that are easy to absorb,
alkalising and energising. Why?
Forty percent of cancer-related deaths actually come from
malnutrition (called “cachexia”). Cancer cells gobble up
nutrients faster than body cells, especially sugar. By choosing
foods that preferentially feed normal cells, one is heeding the
nutritional message of cancer.
BothillustrationsbyCatherineCampbell
The psychology. According to physicians and psychologists
in Canada, Switzerland, and USA, cancer bears a message on
the emotional and spiritual realm. To see cancer only on the
physical realm is to miss a tremendous opportunity for growth
and possibly survival. One physician in Vancouver, Canada has
seen patients go into remission by “heeding the message” of
love and forgiveness that cancer often presents.
A Swiss medical doctor who sees hundreds of cancer patients
each week at his clinic applies anthroposophical and Chinese
medicine, along with his other conventional and natural
approaches. Because he takes a holistic approach, he sees
that cancer messages frequently involve a disturbance in the
person’s core identity. The individual’s mission or purpose is
taken away or disrupted, such as the young mother losing a
child, or the woman sacrificing her own ambitions to serve
her husband’s desires.
Not every person who has an experience like this develops
cancer, but many cancer patients have had a disruptive
experience one or two years before the cancer diagnosis. The
cancer may have emerged to bring their attention to resolving
and healing the emotional and spiritual component of the
experience. Once they work through this process, and they
“hear the message” of the cancer, the cancer is no longer
“needed” – remission can occur more freely and permanently.
Dr. Joel E. Brame is an expert on energy, wellness, and
nutrition. He is a Professor of anatomy & physiology with 12
yearsexperienceindeliveringpresentationsandbooks/articles
which help others overcome fatigue, revitalise their body,
enrich their spirit, and transform their lives.
MIND-BODYHEALING
14. 14 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
It was well pointed out twenty-five hundred
years ago in the words ascribed by Plato to
Socrates: “So neither ought you to attempt
to cure the body without the soul; and this is
the reason why the cure of many diseases is
unknown to the physicians of Hellas, because
they are ignorant of the whole.” Thus,
medical practice of today gives comparatively
little consideration to this total view of the
patient.The medical office functions much
By Evarts G. Loomis, MD
as the factory service department for most
electric repairs. While that role is important,
it is not until someone turns on the power
that the motor becomes functional. The
following discussion is an attempt to observe
the role of medicine yesterday, today, and
as it might become tomorrow. Included are
some contingent experiences of healing in
whichtheroleofSpiritseemstohaveplayeda
dominant role.
15. 15Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
The historical place of the spirit in medicine
The prevalent model of ancient times saw the human being as an integral part of
the universe. Chinese medicine, the Ayurvedic system of India and the medicine
of our Native Americans viewed the phenomena that make up health and disease
as related to the universe as a whole. They considered the life of human beings
to be inseparably linked to every other form of life, whether animals, birds, trees,
plants or even the less perceptible forms of material things. In these civilisations,
physician and priest were one and the same. In the centuries that followed there
was an increasing separation between the two, and the cosmic tie between human
beings and the universe they inhabit was gradually lost to sight. Evidences of the
dichotomy were to be seen as far back as the second century AD when the master
physician, Galen, through his animal dissections, drew many incorrect conclusions
concerning the nature of his patients’problems. By the sixteenth century, Copernicus
had begun to unravel the mysteries of the solar system and Vesalius had made
accurate dissections of the human body. Thus, the focus of scientific study became
more and more intent on the parts, while the dynamics that controlled and operated
these parts, whether in the human or universal form, were relatively lost to sight.
Morgagni and Vircho carried the study of the human body in health and disease
still further with the birth of the science of pathology. From that time, some one
hundred and thirty years ago, till the present, the search for pathological changes in
human tissues has been the basic pursuit of the modern physician. Further studies
by Pasteur and Flexner brought to light the role of bacteria and viruses in disease
states, and formulated the questionable concept that these agents attacking from
outside were largely responsible for much of present-day illness. The patient was
seen as having little responsibility for these attacks. The role of the physician was
to mount a counterattack upon the invading agents. Thus, antibiotics and antitoxins
came upon the scene, along with various forms of chemotherapy. However, there is
little doubt that the former have been of inestimable benefit to mankind.
The late Welsh surgeon, Griffith Evans, postulated that “the human protein molecule
is sensitive to waves of thought and that there is nothing to mar the rhythm of
resonance that was meant to be.” Whole molecules, he claimed, are both saturated
and healthy. Breaches in the orbits of molecules spell disorder and disease.
In the early nineteen hundreds, with the advent of the Flexner report, it was claimed
that the empirical (experimental) approach to medical studies was unscientific and
should be banned from medical school curricula. In its place a rational analytical
approach was instituted, while any acknowledgement that the patient had a part in
the illness was flatly denied, as was the use of natural remedies or modalities that
had been felt to support the person’s own healing tendencies. Such forms of therapy
were automatically (usually without any investigation) branded as quackery, and
might even be grounds for the loss of a physician’s license.
In this setting, the role of the patient in illness was relatively lost and the disease
became the entire focus of attention. From the above statements, it should not be
assumed that this was a death knoll for such types of practice, though it definitely
set research in the natural field of healing back for more than half a century.
Cries in the wilderness
The prevalent direction of medicine leading up to its current practice has been briefly
outlined. It must not, however, be assumed that while the light of Spirit flickered,
it went out. In the sixteenth century a remarkable Swiss physician-philosopher,
Paracelsus, had much to say about an “Ens Natural” or healing force and its relation
to health. Two hundred years later Samuel Hahemann appeared on the German scene
and founded the science of homeopathic medicine, now a worldwide practice. He
Each of us is here to discover our true
Self…that essentially we are spiritual
beings who have taken manifestation in
physical form…that we‘re not human
beings that have occasional spiritual
experiences…that we’re spiritual beings
that have occasional human experiences.
~ Deepak Chopra, MD
MIND-BODYHEALING
16. 16 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
believed that a “vital source” could strengthen his patients. This was brought about by the
use of attenuated remedies derived from the mineral, plant and animal kingdom. In that
state, they appeared to him to return to their life-giving essences.
This was followed by Freud’s research into the relation of subconscious activities to the
state of health. Further probing of the recesses of the human mind by Jung revealed once
again the significance of dreams and through the understanding of archetypal symbols,
brought a realisation of the oneness of all life.
Seeing as he did the evolution of the human spirit as essential to true health, psychiatrist
Roberto Assagioli pioneered new field of psychosynthesis. In his own words:
“Psychosynthesis should not be looked upon as a single psychological doctrine or
procedure. It is a dramatic conception of the psychic life which portrays as a constant
interplay and conflict between the many different and contrasting forces and a unifying
Centre which tends to control, harmonize and use them creatively. Psychosynthesis is a
combination of several methods of inner action, aiming first at development of personality,
then at the harmonious coordination and unification with the self.
These processes may be called respectively personal and spiritual psychosynthesis. The
isolated individual doesn’t exist. Every person has intimate relation with other persons,
which make all interdependent. Moreover each and all are included in and are part of
the super-individual reality.”
The loss of the person
In the century past, the image of the country doctor always on call and ready to venture
out in his horse-drawn buggy for many a mile was a familiar one. The patient was usually
greeted by name and there would be time to share in a very personal way the events that
might relate to the onset of the illness. This personal touch is by no means prevalent in the
medical practice of today, where the sick one must be brought to a busy emergency room
(usually entailing a long wait) or to the doctor’s office to be seen by a nurse or a physician’s
assistant, with only a very brief exchange with the doctor. Today, X-rays, sonograms,
electrocardiograms and CAT scans, important as they are, have largely taken the place of
the inquiring look of the physician: the palpating touch of sensitive fingers, the attentive
ears in search of adventitious sounds through the stethoscope, followed by an informative
evaluation of the problem at hand.
Is it not a real question whether the advantages of the institutional approach can ever offset
the sacrifice of the relationship between a really caring and concerned physician and the
patient?All too often the methodical, instrumental search ends with the conclusion that there
is nothing that can be done for the patient, or a suggestion that some new chemotherapy
of no really proven worth be tried out. The toxic side effects of the medication may even
increase the person’s suffering.
It is not unusual today to hear in the hospital halls such remarks as: “What was the serum
potassium on that cardiac case in room 25?” or “Say Bill, was that Henry I saw out with
that appendectomy we operated on two weeks ago?” This is indeed the era of the specialist,
frequently with keyhole vision, functioning purely as a technician. Body parts are neatly
stored for appropriate replacement, and lives are being saved that formerly would have
been lost. For this we are indeed thankful. The physician as technician is triumphant, but
where is his person?
Life as a battlefield
The divisions within the human heart are great. The apostle Paul aptly described the struggle
between human sense desires and the higher self: “For I do not know what I do; and I do
not do the thing which I want, but I do the thing I hate. That is exactly what I do.”
For any degree of comprehension of
illness, there must be a reasonable
understanding of the nature
of health. Much as a source of
electricity is needed to operate a
motor, there must be a source of
radiant energy to spark a human
being.This has already been referred
to as a“vital force.”...the degree
of“charge”in a human being is as
apparent in his actions and the
atmosphere surrounding him as is
the spark given off by a well-charged
battery.The relative presence or
absence of this force could be
considered as a criterion of the state
of health.
17. 17Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
The Baghavad Gita pictures a literal battlefield where the
warrior Arjuna finds himself between two armies and is
counseled by his Higher Self, Krishna. All cultures seem to
have had such hidden battle sagas.The ancient Greeks produced
the Ilia; out of the Near East came the Bible, its Old Testament
filled with such struggles that should not be interpreted merely
in the literal sense. Laurens Van der Post in his “Venture Into
The Interior” describes the human dilemma. One evening on
safari in Africa, as the coolies danced all night around the fire,
Van der Post noted:
“The coolie lights his fire, is happy at once and dances all night.
We could, but will not, as we are split. We have too much light
and as we are split. We have too much light and not enough
understanding of our darkness and fear. He would go anywhere
for half our love. There is no problem. The problem is ours,
our divided hearts.”
The study of dreams is a continuing commentary on this
personal struggle, a symbolic battle between the forces of god
and evil as experienced in daily life. The latter is frequently
represented by threatening animals or persons and the former
by a guarding angelic force in the form of a wise old man, a
matriarchal mother figure or some angelic being. Is not the
success or failure in this struggle an all-important factor in
determining health?
The nature of illness
Obviously, for any degree of comprehension of illness, there
must be a reasonable understanding of the nature of health.
Much as a source of electricity is needed to operate a motor,
there must be a source of radiant energy to spark a human being.
This has already been referred to as a “vital force.” Up to the
present time this is still not recognised in the conventional
disease-oriented medical practice. The degree of “charge” in
a human being is as apparent in his actions and the atmosphere
surrounding him as is the spark given off by a well-charged
battery. The relative presence or absence of this force could be
considered as a criterion of the state of health.
The major religions have in many instances seen this vital force
as light and related it to God, the Creator:
Genesis: “And God said: ‘Let there be Light’ and there was
Light.”
St. John: “The life was in him, and life is the Light of man.”
Emerald Tablets of Thoth (American Indian): “From chaos and
angels of night, saw I Light spring from order, and heard the
voice of Light…saw Light give forth life.”
Out of this light energy come the tiny particles or wave
forms that give a sense of reality to the physical world; the
mesons, photons, etc., the precursors of the more stable atoms
constituting the physical body and its recorder of consciousness,
the brain. The late Yale chemist and author, Donald Andrews,
describes Light as having an eternal verity and as operative
within the human spirit. He further asks, “Is not true healing
the rediscovery of this Light, and the taking it into our being?”
The following questions naturally arise: How does one promote
the flow of this life-giving force? How does the human find
resonance with the Divine?And lastly, how does one turn away
from the resistance factors of illness? Much of the rest of this
discussion will relate to these three vital points.
Most significant in the new Holistic Health movement is the
emphasis on the physician’s turning over the responsibility of
the healing to the patient and merely acting as a guide during
the process.
History tends to show that the healer is within the person,
and if there is no interference and a true dedication, the body
and mind tend to heal themselves. Possibly, the centuries-old
method of fasting may be the best initial procedure for many
illnesses, its purpose being a clearing of the resistances to the
natural healing process.
In the Meadowlark experience, where several thousand fasts
have been conducted, personal symptoms of illness seem to
fade into the background and disappear. These then tend to be
replaced by a feeling of a new freshness in the body, a clarity
of mind and spiritual insights.
To further improve the environment of the individual, the field
of medical ecology has recently come into focus. The need of
this approach was well stated one hundred and thirty years ago
by chief Seattle of Dunwanish Tribe in a letter to President
Franklin Pierce: “Continue to contaminate your bed and you
will one night suffocate in your own waste. When the buffalo
are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret corners
of the forest heavy with sweat of many men, and the view of
the ripe hills blotted out by talking wires, where is the thicket?
Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone…”
Today the truth of this prediction is all too evident in the
multiple sources of contamination of our environment which
has remained in its natural state. There is still time to effect
the change, but unless there is an escalation of attention to the
problems of contamination through radiation, the chemical
pollution of air, water, soil, food, and mind (the latter through
the negativity of the media), the future of the human race is
by no means promising.
MIND-BODYHEALING
18. 18 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
The discovery of the person
As recounted by Assagioli, there are two significant steps in
any depth healing; first, the discovery of the personal self, and
second, an awareness of the spiritual self. The earth is covered
with myriad forms of life, each species (with one exception,
the human being), having a distinctive behaviour pattern. It is
hardly likely that anyone would mistake the reactions of a lion
with those of a lamb. Each human being exhibits characteristics
and abilities, either latent or expressed, that are entirely unique.
Jesus pictured this in his parable of the talents.
The great human problem is that for the most part, these talents
lie buried. In the words of Emerson: “The common experience
is that man fits himself as well as he can to the customary
details of that work or trade he falls into…Then he is a part of
the machine, the man is lost.”
Self-discovery means coming to terms with one’s own reality
and no longer having the need of being an actor on the stage
playing many parts, donning many costumes, but seldom
speaking one’s own words. Life needs to turn from the all-too-
prevalent concept of anti-death to PRO-LIFE. As one Peace
Corps worker put it, “I can no longer work effectively in the
barriada ‘helping people’ until I work with myself to reach a
higher level of awareness and self-conciousness”. Changing
anxiety into faith and fear into trust is part of the process. If
love of one’s own person does not include love of the body, the
message is not likely to get very far. Many today are virtually
at war with their bodies because they are too fat, hips are too
prominent, skin too rough or muscles not sufficiently developed.
Then there are many suppressed emotions from unsuccessful
marriages, poor grades in school, unpublished papers, loss
of jobs and buried feelings of anger, rejection and grief.
Recognising and dealing with these heavy emotions is
an essential part of the healing process. If not coped with
adequately, they are likely to become the seeds of future illness.
Florence C. had to develop cancer before she discovered her
lack of love for those whose beliefs differed from her own.
It was because of the experience of cancer surgery and the
unconditional love from the nurses who cared for her that she
left the hospital eagerly anticipating the opportunity of turning
her life around. Frank D., a car salesman, was fighting deep
depression and disappointment.While spending a few moments
in the chapel, a verse came to him about his inner war that, as
he said, was consuming his whole being. In the midst of this
state, the words, accompanied by a great experience of light,
revealed to him that his unseen enemy was the non-loving part
of his own self. He further came to the realisation that a deep
sense of harmony was in the air and all about him; he had only
to recognise it.
Thus, as a newborn’s sense of confidence begins to replace
the fears of yesterday, the salesman discovers buried sources
of creativity, the depressed menopausal woman once again
finds her place at the piano, the retired banker discovers the
joy of raising funds for crippled children. So it goes. Always,
the inner Self, the true person, has to be recognised before real
healing can be initiated.
From Illness to Self Realisation
The well-known psychiatrist and Bible student, Paul Tournier,
talks of the self and the loss of the self. He points out that
the psychologist bids the client to express anger, while Jesus
suggests turning the other cheek. Tournier then goes on to point
out the compatibility of these two seemingly irreconcilable
statements. To those who had not made the discovery of their
own uniqueness, Jesus became the servant who washed their
feet. To others, such as the rich man, he became the master
who bid him leave all and follow Him. Only as we discover
personal significance to life and experience the great power of
love can we give meaningfully to others.At first, the giving up
of self may seem too great a sacrifice. However, the rewards
are far greater than anticipated. It is like the river running out
into the sea. Who can say where they meet? As the river loses
its particular identity, it takes on a far greater one that makes
the loss seem naught. Here are a few examples of the new
awareness that can take place during a fast:
Dollie: after a painful period of hospitalisation, went through a
group fast. She noted her pain had subsided, and that she was
eating things she previously would not have dared touch. One
day as she was sitting under the spreading arms of a pepper
tree, the following words came to her: “I have the armour of
my dreams. Though hot and dusty be the way. Dear body, I
hear the splash of cooling streams I can feel the salty kiss of
spray. All pitiless the sun may beat. Yet coolest shade by spirit
knows. My mind escapes the scorching heat. Where many a
monarch forest grows.”
John: emerging from a long-standing depression, one sleepless
night heard the following words: “In many glorious nights, I
have walked the sky alone, And marvelled at the beauty, The
ecstasy I saw and Heard and felt.”
Charlotte: during the healing of her colitis, wrote of her chapel
experience: “The words came to me, ‘I AM HE and I AM
PRAYER’. Time was when I would have thought these words
blasphemous, but not now. God uniting with me, creates the
Inner Christ, an embodiment of prayer or a sustained man-God
relationship.”
Geri: had been in six accidents in a span of six years and was
in a suicidal state of mind. She went through a therapeutic
fast to cleanse her body and mind of the effects of the many
medications she had been given during her hospitalisations.As
a part of the experience she kept a personal journal, and asked
nightly for guidance through dreams. One night she dreamed
she saw herself looking down on her body as it was stretched
out on a bed. She was surrounded by four monks, and their
words of a poem came to her, the last lines of which read:
“The room burst with radiant light, My heart filled with joy,
19. 19Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
My body arose as a child so bright, Like a mystical toy.’Your
awareness has come from a night filled with storm, You don’t
have to die to be reborn.”
In such moments that which was unclear takes on clarity; the
troubled mind discovers a sense of peace; the scientist finds
his answer; the composer hears the new composition; and life
begins to have a new sense of meaning. These experiences may
be heralded by a great inrush of light, or an indescribable sense
of peace. While this may be of brief duration at first, it can come
to be an under girding of the very fabric of daily life. In the
words of Thomas Kelley, “There is a way of ordering our mental
life on more than one level at once. At one level we may be
thinking, discussing, seeing, calculating, meeting the demands
of external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes at a more
profound level, we may also be in prayer and adoration, song
and worship and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings.”
Summary and overview
From the above discussion, it can be seen that the art of medicine
has been largely replaced by a laboratory science. The personal
touch has been lost for the most part.Any idea that human beings
are part of a vast network of Life itself have faded far into the
background.The current role of the physician has been relegated
to the diagnosis and treatment of independent disease states.
Having attached the appropriate labels, it is then his
responsibility to prescribe the indicated drugs or to perform the
needed surgery. In the case of the psychiatrist, the emotional
problems of the patient are to be audited in a detached manner.
Any relationship of physician to patient is generally considered
of little importance as far as the outcome of treatment is
concerned.
Finally, in order to be truly effective, the primary thrust
of medicine in the days ahead must be directed less toward the
static concepts of present-day physical orientation, and more
toward a dynamic view of a living human being. True health
implies a goal for one’s life, and a driving ambition to reach it. F
Regardedas“theFatherofHolisticMedicine,”EvartsG.Loomis,
MD, was an internationally known homeopathic physician,
surgeon,author,lecturer,andvisionary.Afterservingasadog-
sleddoctorwiththeGrenfellMissioninNewfoundland,UNRR
inAlgeriaandtheFriendsAmbulanceUnitinChina,hefounded
Meadowlark, America’s first holistic medical retreat.
Evartsdiedin2003notlongafterbeing honouredattheAHMA’s
25th anniversary conference as a Holistic Medicine Pioneer.
Evarts’ wisdom and knowledge is timeless and continues
to influence holistic practitioners around the globe. Holistic
practitioners,authorsofbooksonholisticmodalities,andthose
whohavebenefitedfromholistictreatmentareallindebtedto
Evarts’unwavering pioneering spirit, his vision of holism, and
hisabilitytosynthesiseitintoaworkingmodel.Perhapsmost
important of all, he has lived the model that he created.
MIND-BODYHEALING
when my voice is silenced in death,
my song will speak in your living heart
Why! Who makes much of a miracle?
As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses
toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach, just in the
edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love – or sleep in the bed
at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with my mother,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive,
of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds – or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sun-down –
or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite, delicate, thin curve of the new moon
in spring;
Or whether I go among those I like best, and that like
me best – mechanics, boatmen, farmers,
Or among the savans – or to the soiree – or to the
opera,
Or stand a long while looking at the movements of
machinery,
Or behold children at their sports,
Or the admirable sight of the perfect old man, or the
perfect old woman,
Or the sick in hospitals, or the dead carried to burial,
Or my own eyes and figure in the glass;
These, with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring – yet each distinct, and in its place.
To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread
with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same;
Every spear of grass – the frames, limbs, organs,
of men and women,
and all that concerns them,
All these to me are unspeakably perfect miracles.
To me the sea is a continual miracle;
The fishes that swim – the rocks –
the motion of the waves – the ships,
with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?
Walter Whitman (1819 – 1892)
American poet, essayist, journalist and humanist.
20. 20 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
As if confronting a potentially fatal disease were not daunting
enough, many cancer patients also have to contend with a
host of debilitating side effects induced by chemotherapy and
radiation treatment. These range from fatigue and hair loss to
life-threatening pneumonia and emboli or a crippling wasting
of lean muscle mass.
Today, however, more cancer care specialists are recognising the
value of integrative programs that incorporate specialised diets,
health-promoting herbs and nutrients, and mind-body therapies
to increase the efficacy of conventional cancer treatment while
limiting its harmful side effects.1,2
At the forefront of this emerging model of integrative cancer
care is Dr. Keith Block, who has long maintained that nutrients
and phytochemicals provide critical support for cancer patients.
At the Block Centre for Integrative Cancer Treatment, patients
benefit from customised treatment regimens designed to boost
immunity, mitigate side effects, help prevent the loss of muscle
mass (cachexia), maximize the efficacy of chemotherapy, and
stop the spread of cancer.
In this article, we describe how Dr. Block’s book Life Over
Cancer and approach to integrative cancer care are providing
patients with a “survivor’s edge” by enhancing quality of life,
reducing toxicity, and improving patient outcomes.
Unique, Individualised Cancer Care
Located in Evanston, Illinois, the Block Centre for Integrative
Cancer Treatment was founded in 1980 by Drs. Keith and
Penny Block. This research-based treatment Centre combines
the best of conventional cancer treatment modalities with
complementary non-drug therapies such as personalised
nutritional supplementation, customised exercise, therapeutic
diet, massage, and training in yoga, meditation, and mind-
body stress care. The Centre seeks to provide comprehensive,
integrative cancer care through individualised treatment
regimens aimed at restoring the biological integrity of the
patient and forming the foundation of a long-lasting recovery.
The Block Centre’s approach to cancer care begins with a
detailed patient assessment, including biochemical, molecular
and gene-based profiles and clinical evaluations of nutritional
By Christie C. Yerby, NDWhen it comes to a truly holistic, integrative and
personalised model of care for cancer, The Block
Centre in Illnois, US is a global leader. There is not
yetafacilityinAustraliawhichoffersacomparable
individualised treatment program integrating
specialised diets, nutritional medicine, mind-body
therapies,tehrapeuticpsychologicalandemotional
support with health-promoting medical cancer
treatment. Australians with cancer have access
to world class medical cancer treatment facilities,
but for the 85% of cancer patients who choose to
include some form of complentary or nutritional
therapythisisnotcurrentlyincludedaspartoftheir
primary cancer treatment mangement plan.The
approachofTheBlockCentreandotherintegrative
cancer Centre’s around the world charts a new
future for the management of cancer.
21. 21Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
INTEGRATIVETHERAPIES
and physical status, quality of life, and well-being. These data are used
to create an individualised care plan that emphasises patient involvement
and includes a customised nutritional regimen, with therapeutic physical,
psychological, and emotional interventions. Since each patient’s biology is
continually changing, treatment options are constantly reviewed and revised
based on the most current diagnostic and medical data. This means that every
component of care is individualised to match a patient’s unique biology,
disease and treatment specifics, and personal and family needs.
“We provide detailed education for each patient, including a strong biological
understanding of their comprehensive clinical treatment plan and hands-on
training,” Dr. Block tells Life Extension. “It’s not enough to simply prescribe
– patients need to be trained and equipped to carry out a therapeutic regimen.
We believe patients must be active participants in their care – that is, they
must ‘own’ it.”
Cancer Rehabilitation Program
According to Dr. Block, “We won’t start chemotherapy with a patient who
is not fit enough to withstand and benefit from the treatment. Otherwise,
it is unfair to the patient and gives the cancer a decided advantage. The
disease already has a head start, so cancer patients must be physically,
psychologically, and nutritionally strengthened to be able to take it on.”
This rehabilitation program, which is tailored to each patient and is monitored
throughout treatment, is regularly modified according to the patient’s changing
condition, and continues until full recovery. Patients on conventional
chemotherapy often suffer from post-treatment symptoms such as fatigue,
“chemo brain” (changes in memory and attention following chemotherapy),
physical weakness, and depression.The Block Centre’s rehabilitation program
enables patients to better tolerate chemotherapy, and to regain and rebuild their
resilience. Conventional treatments can lead to a burden of toxic metabolites.
On entering the blood, these complexes can trigger inflammatory cascades
resulting in increased mutation and thus more aggressive cancer cells. This
can lead to treatment resistance and a greater potential for progression and
recurrence. Detoxification strategies are a critical aspect of addressing these
metabolites and the rehabilitative process.
Chronotherapy: Maximising the Efficacy of Chemo
When chemotherapy is required, doctors at the Block Centre use a unique
method of drug delivery called chronomodulated chemotherapy, also known
as chronotherapy, which seeks to coordinate the body’s biological rhythms
with the application of chemotherapy. Every drug has an optimal time of
application when it is least toxic and most effective.
The Block Centre is the first US medical clinic to use a portable, computerised,
FDA-approved pump to administer chronotherapy. Unlike conventionally
infused chemotherapy, this chronomodulated method provides a coordinated
rhythm of dosing based on “timing.” Infusion of the chemotherapy drug
resembles a perfectly symmetrical wave, called a sine wave curve: it starts
slowly and ratchets up, hour by hour, slowly increasing to the middle point of
the cycle, where it peaks and infuses most of the drug, and then slowly ratchets
back down. The timing of the drug is based on several important factors
related to the medication’s characteristics, the patient’s circadian rhythms,
and the nature of the cancer. This coordination of biological rhythms creates
a better “kill rate” for the cancer, with less toxicity to healthy cells. Patients
are able to wear this small portable pump in a fanny pack around their waist,
allowing them to be active during treatment and maintain routine activities.3-5
• Conventional cancer care Centre’s on
chemotherapy and radiation, causing many
disabling side effects, ranging from fatigue
and nausea to muscle wasting.
• An integrative approach to cancer care
uses lifestyle modification, nutrition and
supplementation, therapeutic movement,
and mind-body interventions to maximise
the efficacy and minimise the side effects of
treatment. As growing evidence supports
the validity of integrative approaches,
more cancer specialists are embracing this
treatment strategy.
• The Block Centre combines conventional
oncology modalities with complementary
strategies to help their patients successfully
conquercancerandachievelifelongwellness.
• Chronotherapy is a novel application of
chemotherapy that coordinates drug
treatmentwiththebody’sbiologicalrhythms.
By administering chemotherapy at certain
times according to the characteristics of
the medication, the patient, and the cancer,
greater effects and lower toxicity may be
achieved.
• Dr. Block has developed a three-part model
including a core nutraceutical program to
address the broad needs of cancer patients.
Thefirstcomponentincludeslifestyle,fitness,
mind-spirit,andasolidnutritionalfoundation.
Asecondcomponenttargetsthecancerand
supports the environment the cancer cells
residein,oftenreferredtoasthebiochemical
or microenvironment. A third component
helpspatientsoptimisetheirtreatmentwhile
enhancing quality of life before, during, and
after surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy
treatment.
22. 22 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Patients who undergo these advanced chemotherapy treatments in the context
of a full integrative medical program often report only mild or negligible side
effects. This is highly significant, since as many as a third of all cancer patients
abandon chemotherapy before its completion due to their inability to tolerate
its physical side effects and the associated psychological stress.
In fact, published research confirms that chronotherapy is associated with
improved outcomes, including reduced toxicity and improved survival. A
review of patients with metastatic colon cancer found that chronomodulated
chemotherapy halved toxicity and doubled treatment response.6
Another review
found that in patients with advanced metastatic ovarian cancer, optimal timing
of chemotherapy quadrupled five-year survival rates, in addition to reducing
toxic side effects by 50%.7
Dr. Block says that chronotherapy has enabled patients who were unable to
tolerate conventional chemotherapy to use the same chemotherapy drug they
previously stopped and to complete chemotherapy treatment. Chronotherapy has
also benefited patients whose cancers were previously inoperable, by reducing
the size of their tumours enough to make surgery possible. Over 40 major centres
in Europe are currently participating in collaborative research using this method
of chemotherapy administration.
Establishing Optimal Health Through Nutrition
Dr. Block believes that it is as critical to establish optimal health through
integrative and nutritional interventions, especially in treating advanced cancer,
as it is to eradicate the disease itself.
“We focus on developing a path to recovery through a comprehensive and
integrative program of treatment and care,” he notes. “We view illness as a
turning point, a wake-up call for reclaiming your health and transforming your
life.”
For over two decades, Dr. Block and his research team have been investigating
the effect of nutritional interventions on various cancers among different
patient populations. These findings have been incorporated in the Center’s
nutritional program, which emphasises nutrients such as fish oil rich in
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate, the principal
polyphenol in green tea), selenium, glycine, silymarin (a flavonoid in milk
thistle),1,2 and DIM (diindolylmethane, an indole found in cruciferous
vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower).
In addressing difficult-to-treat oncology issues, particularly for patients with
advanced cancer, Dr. Block will adopt more aggressive nutritional and medical
strategies, “leaving no stone unturned” for cancer management. Besides
improving stamina and vitality, Dr. Block’s program now targets malignancy
by inhibiting angiogenesis, inducing programmed cell death, blocking cellular
growth, and boosting immune function.
Building a Nutritional Foundation
The Block Center’s core nutraceutical program for cancer management has three
components: first, laying a foundation of nutritional support; second, targeting
the biochemical environment the disease resides in; and third, addressing the
molecular pattern of the disease, along with the coupling of nutraceuticals
with treatments in order to improve response while reducing toxicity. The
first part focuses on meeting the patient’s basic nutritional needs. Nutritional
programs are personalised through testing, and implemented with the goal of
restoring stamina and vitality. The Block program recommends a diet rich in
Chronobiology is the science of biological
rhythms in living organisms. In humans, it is
the study of cycles that govern our“biological
clock.”These include the daily sleep-wake
cycle, monthly menstrual cycle, and other
biorhythms that control the production of
certain hormones and the workings of the
immunesystem.These“clocks”areresetbythe
cues of light and dark.
Chronotherapy is the coordination of our
biological rhythms with medical treatment.
The time of day when medication is given,
and sometimes the dose of the medication,
is determined by patients’biological rhythms,
ideally both increasing the medication’s
effectiveness and minimising its undesirable
side effects. In cancer treatment, timing
the administration of chemotherapy drugs
with the patient’s biological rhythms is
called chronomodulated chemotherapy, or
chronotherapy.
23. 23Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
INTEGRATIVETHERAPIES
antioxidants and whole plant-based supplements that reflect
the full spectrum of nutrients found in food. Dr. Block believes
that combinations of antioxidants have more potent anticancer
effects than individual nutrients.8-10
Building a Nutritional Foundation
A diet low in saturated fats and high in fiber, complex
carbohydrates, fruits, cruciferous vegetables, omega-3 fatty
acids, and plant-based sources of protein helps form this
foundation. This nutritional strategy targets the patient’s
internal terrain, creating an environment inhospitable to further
disease. This is intended to help curtail inflammation, reduce
free-radical damage, minimise platelet activation (which can
lead to dangerous blood clotting), manage blood sugar surges,
and reduce serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-
1 (which stimulates cell multiplication and inhibits cell death).
Integrated into the core Block nutrition plan are additional
micronutrients, macronutrients, and phytochemicals that
more fully and quickly improve general resistance. For many
cancer patients, these may include vitamin B12, selenium,
beta-carotene, zinc, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin D, gamma
tocopherol, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, chromium,
lycopene, and lutein. Dr. Block also uses a Chinese botanical
adaptogenic formula to increase the body’s resistance to
stress, help patients overcome fatigue and malaise induced by
chemotherapy and radiation, and improve vitality.
Unlike conventional cancer management, the Block Center’s
foundational program targets one of the most serious
consequences of the disease, known as cancer cachexia. This
is a type of malnutrition associated with appetite suppression,
muscle wasting, weight loss, and weakness. Dr. Block quotes
research indicating that 20-30% of cancer patients actually die
from complications of malnutrition, rather than from cancer
itself. In addition, he says, 80% of cancer patients suffer from
some form of clinical malnutrition, yet many oncologists still
consider proper nutrition an “incidental” rather than a crucial
factor in the battle against cancer.
Diets that are high in EPA-rich fish oil may help cancer patients
suffering from cachexia to gain weight and improve their
nutritional status.11
EPA may also counter cancer cachexia
through its anti-inflammatory effects and its ability to displace
arachidonic acid, a pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid,
from cell membranes.12
Reducing intake of foods containing
arachidonic acid, such as red meat, egg yolks, poultry, and dairy
products, can also help shift the body’s biochemistry away from
a pro-inflammatory environment.Ahigh intake of L-glutamine
can likewise have a beneficial muscle-sparing effect to help
prevent cancer cachexia.13-15
TargetingtheDiseaseandItsMicroenvironment
The second part of the program targets the disease itself
by blocking angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels that
feed tumours), slowing cancer growth, facilitating apoptosis
(programmed cancer cell death), and preventing tumour
metastasis (cancer spread) throughout the body. Some of
these biomarkers include a unique set of biochemical tests
that include inflammatory, coagulation, and oxidative labs, and
others that zero in on dysglycemia and stress maladaption. Dr.
Block uses specific phytochemicals and nutrients to address
this aspect of cancer treatment. “Plant medicines have multiple
potential uses – they are pleiotrophs – and produce many
effects that enable them to hit more than one target at a time,”
he explains.
Based on extensive research, Dr. Block and his associates have
pioneered what they call multifocal angiostatic therapy. By
combining selected nutritional agents to inhibit angiogenesis,
it may be possible to cut off the vascular supply needed to
fuel tumour growth. Examples of compounds that Block and
his team are evaluating include fish oil, EGCG from green
tea, selenium, glycine, silymarin, DIM (diindolylmethane),
soy, genistein (a soy-derived phytoestrogen), and quercetin
(a bioflavonoid derived from fruits and vegetables). His focus
includes using multi-targeted, multi-ingredient formulations to
help support various needs cancer patients face and increasing
bioavailability through nanoparticle supplementation.
Supplements That Complement Cancer
Chemotherapy
Another important component of cancer management is
slowing growth and blocking metastasis, the process by
which cancer spreads from where it first arose as a primary
tumour to secondary locations in the body. According to Dr.
Block, a number of phytonutrients and botanical agents may
accomplish this.16-18
For example, in animal studies, modified
citrus pectin fights cancer by inhibiting primary tumour growth
and suppressing cancer metastasis.16,17
Modified citrus pectin
may hold promise for men whose prostate cancer has failed to
respond fully to conventional treatments. Until recently, doctors
routinely measured levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA),
a marker of prostate cancer or disease. Rising levels of PSA
24. 24 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
have been used to measure disease progression.Administering
modified citrus pectin to these men increases their PSA
doubling time, indicating a slowing of disease progression.18
In addition to fighting angiogenesis, EGCG from green tea has
anti-metastatic properties that may block the spread of tumours.
Studies suggest that EGCG may work in part by blocking the
activity of matrix metalloproteinase enzymes. When over-
expressed, these enzymes promote tumour angiogenesis and
metastasis.19,20
Other nutrients that may help prevent metastasis
are silibinin,21
a flavonoid derived from milk thistle, and
bromelain,22
an enzyme fraction derived from pineapple.
By decreasing levels of immune system white blood cells,
conventional cancer treatment often leaves patients vulnerable
to infections. Thus, boosting the body’s immune defenses
and surveillance in order to prevent infection is an important
component in this part of Dr. Block’s program.
Natural killer cells in the immune system are crucial to effective
immune defense. Their essential functions include killing virus-
infected cells of the body, and seeking and destroying cancer
cells. The nutrients selenium, beta-carotene, and zinc increase
circulating levels of natural killer cells and boost their cancer-
killing activity.23-27
Dr. Block also recommends beta-glucans,
probiotics, and glutamine for supporting immune health in
cancer patients.
Improving Quality of Life
The Block Centre seeks to strengthen a cancer patient’s health
before, during, and after chemotherapy. Implementing a
comprehensive, individualised program that includes dietary
and nutritional support, physical exercise, and mind-body
stress-reduction techniques can help cancer patients minimise
the complications of their disease and the side effects associated
with conventional cancer treatment. Because patients often
feel abandoned following the completion of chemotherapy,
the Block program continues even after a patient returns home
once active treatment is completed. One goal is to improve
patients’ odds against the potential of disease recurrence.
This continuity, extending beyond treatment, not only helps
avoid the “disconnect from care” often seen in conventional
cancer treatment, but also reduces the chances of ongoing
complications from the disease.
Conclusion
Dr. Block’s comprehensive approach is informed by first-hand
personal experience with the challenges of fighting cancer and
its complications.As a teenager, he witnessed his grandmother’s
struggle with breast cancer. As her body wasted, her doctors
did nothing to halt her physical decline – not nutritionally,
physically, or even medically. She eventually succumbed to the
disease. Witnessing his grandmother’s experience engendered a
deeper insight into the courage, strength, and unrelenting fight
needed to endure and survive cancer.
“It is no longer a question of whether genuine integrative
treatment helps patients, but rather why all cancer patients are
not given a more meaningful approach to help combat their
cancer,” he says. “Since every surgeon would rather have a
patient who is more nutritionally, emotionally, and physically
fit, why shouldn’t every physician treating cancer feel the
same way?”
For more information, please visit the Block Centre website
www.blockmd.com. Article from: Life Extension magazine,
www.lef.org. Life over Cancer by Dr. Keith Block is available
in Cancer Support WA’s library and Wellness Shop.
References
1. Med Hypotheses. 2003 Jul;61(1):1-15.
2. Integr Cancer Ther. 2005 Dec;4(4):301-14.
3. Dev Cell. 2006 May;10(5):539-40.
4. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2006 Jun;126(6):415-22.
5. Chronobiol Int. 2002 Jan;19(1):1-19.
6. Pathol Biol (Paris). 1996 Sep;44(7):631-44.
7. Chronobiol Int. 2002 Jan;19(1):237-51.
8. Free Radic Biol Med. 1995 May;18(5):949-53.
9. Free Radic Res. 1995 Feb;22(2):177-86.
10. Nutr Cancer. 1996;26(1):11-9.
11. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2005;9(Suppl 2):S39-50.
12. Lipids. 2003 Apr;38(4):343-52.
13. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2000 May;24(3):133.
14. Clin Nutr. 2005 Jun;24(3):442-54.
15. Nutrition. 2001 Sep;17(9):766-8.
16. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2002 Dec 18;94(24):1854-62.
17. Altern Med Rev. 2000 Dec;5(6):573-5.
18. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2003;6(4):301-4.
19. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2000 Mar 16;1478(1):51-60.
20. Cancer. 2001 Feb 15;91(4):822-32.
21. Mol Carcinog. 2004 Jul;40(3):143-9.
22. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1988;114(5):507-8.
23. Biol Trace Elem Res. 1994 Apr;41(1-2):115-27.
24. Integr Med. 2000 Mar 21;2(2):85-92.
25. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996 Nov;64(5):772-7.
26. J Lab Clin Med. 1985 Jan;105(1):19-22.
27. Mol Cell Biochem. 1998 Nov;188(1-2):63-9.
25. 25Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
INTEGRATIVETHERAPIES
AccordingtoDr.Block,selectednutritionalsupplementscanimprovechemotherapy
treatment by enabling the patient to tolerate the full drug dose, decreasing or
eliminating drug side effects, and reducing the need to interrupt treatment
schedules.These variables greatly influence the efficacy of chemotherapy.
AnongoingfocusofclinicalresearchattheBlockCentreisdeterminingwhetherit
ispossibleto“re-challenge”patientsbyusingthesametreatmentregimeninwhich
theirdrugspreviouslyfailedthem,inthehopesofgettinganimprovedresponse.
Positiveresultshavebeenseenwiththefollowingnutrientsandphytochemicals:
Milk thistle is mostly known for its protective effects against chemical toxicity,
but it can also prevent the loss of glutathione, which is fairly common in cancer
patients.
Gingerhasdetoxificationpotentialaswellassignificantanti-inflammatoryeffects.
Itinhibitsboththecyclooxygenaseandlipoxygenaseinflammatorypathways,and
is very effective in reducing nausea and vomiting.
Lipoicacidmaycounterneuropathy,ariskforpatientsusingthechemotherapy
drug paclitaxel (Taxol®).
Coenzyme Q10 is recommended for patients using the chemotherapy drugs
doxorubicin(Adriamycin®,Doxil®)andtrastuzumab(Herceptin®),tocounteractthe
risk of cardiomyopathy.
FuZhengformulas(aChineseadaptogen)mayhelppatientsimprovevitalityand
overcomethefatigueandmalaiseassociatedwithchemotherapyandradiation
therapy.
Proteinandaminoacidsupportformulashavebeenhelpfulinreducingmuscle
loss, and in maintaining immune and biological functioning.
Other supplements that Dr. Block believes may enhance cancer treatment are:
GlutamineWhenusedinconjunctionwithchemotherapy,glutaminemayreduce
somesideeffectsoftreatment,includingmouthsores,neuropathy,anddiarrhea.
In addition, glutamine may increase tumour sensitivity to chemotherapy.
Fish oil may play an important role in cancer treatment through its ability to
helpsuppressinflammation.Additionally,“fishoilmayhelpreducetheresistance
thatcancercellsoftendevelopfromcontinuedexposuretochemotherapy,”says
Dr. Block.“Some studies have shown that breast cancer patients who respond
favourablytochemotherapyhavehigherlevelsofomega-3sthanthosewhodo
not respond.”
Green tea is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Green tea
consumptionhasbeenassociatedwithareducedoccurrenceofearly-stagebreast
cancerandadiminishedriskoflymphnodemetastases.Greenteamayalsohelp
tumoursfromestablishingtheirownbloodsupplyandpreventtheprogressionof
apre-cancerousprostateglandcondition.Itappearsthatonewouldneedtodrink
at least three to five cups a day to derive these benefits.
TheBlockCentretestspatientstodeterminetheiruniquenutritional,biological,
and medical needs, and only after implementing a healthy diet does the Centre
initiate an individualised supplement program. F
“The value of nutritional agents in
clinical use is without question,”says
Dr. Block.“The problem that can arise
concerns the context in which they’re
used. We have repeatedly seen people
on poor diets respond less favourably
to supplements.This suggests that a
poor diet can sabotage a supplement
program, and that many people have
the mistaken belief that as long as
they’re taking supplements, they can
go ahead and continue to eat foods
that would actually tend to promote
degenerativedisease.Scientificevidence
strongly supports the benefit of a
healthy diet as the foundation for a
supplement program.”
26. 26 Cancer Support WA www.cancersupportwa.org.au
It’s caring, it’s cost-effective, respectful and it works, which is why integrative medicine is the
future of health care. Kelly McGonigal explores this emerging field of medicine.
In 1998, Jeffrey Brantley, MD, was knocking on colleagues’ doors, trying to raise the
visibility of a new project. He had just launched a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
program at Duke University Health System, the beginnings of what would become
Duke Integrative Medicine. He laughs when he tells the story of the reception he got
from some physicians. One prominent gastroenterologist eagerly agreed with Brantley
about the importance of the mind–body connection, and described the role of stress in
many of the cases he saw every day. “Let me show you something,” he told Brantley,
pulling a book on holistic healing out of a filing cabinet. “I have to hide this book,
because if my colleagues saw it, they’d think I was crazy.”
More than a decade later, fewer physicians feel the need to hide in the mind–body closet,
and more medical centers around the country are embracing a holistic approach. Last
year, more than six hundred health care professionals packed a standing-room only
Summit on Integrative Medicine, held at the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
The first of its kind, the summit brought together a range of experts to explore the practice
of integrative medicine, its scientific basis, and its economic and policy implications.
To many, integrative medicine has become the one bright spot in a struggling health
care system. It promises to control costs, prevent or reverse many chronic conditions,
improve quality of life, and even return the idea of “health” to what is better described
as a disease care system. But integrative medicine faces many challenges. Some
conventional Western health care providers criticise integrative medicine for bringing
what they view as unsupported and unscientific therapies into an evidence-based field.
Others worry that its comprehensive approach to health and healing, while ideal, is too
expensive to implement on a large scale. But the leaders in this emerging field are ready
to tackle those challenges and prove that the U.S. is ready for a new kind of medicine.
What is Integrative Medicine Integrating?
The words “integrative medicine” may bring to mind holistic approaches such as
acupuncture, massage therapy, and stress reduction. Although these can be important
parts of an integrative approach, the field does more than merely integrate alternative
and conventional medicine.
The Consortium of Academic
Health Centres for Integrative
Medicine defines integrative
medicine as“the practice of
medicine that reaffirms the
importance of the relationship
between practitioner and
patient, focuses on the
whole person, is informed by
evidence, and makes use of
all appropriate therapeutic
approaches, health care
professionals, and disciplines
to achieve optimal health and
healing.”
27. 27Spring 2014 WELLNESS NEWS
INTEGRATIVETHERAPIES
The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine defines
integrative medicine as “the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of
the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is
informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, health
care professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.” Key to this
definition is integrative medicine’s embrace of any therapy that supports health and
healing, regardless of its origins. Treatment for cancer, for instance, might include
everything from surgery and chemotherapy to diet, spiritual counseling, and yoga.
Integrative medicine also strives to integrate every aspect of the health care system,
from self-care and primary care to urgent care and hospital care. This requires a level
of communication and cooperation rare in modern health care. Integrative medicine
also acknowledges the many resources a patient has outside of the medical system,
including the body’s innate capacity for healing, the support of family and friends,
cultural or religious beliefs, and the ability to find meaning within illness and suffering.
Finally, integrative medicine reflects a return to a core value of medicine – the power
of the therapeutic relationship. This is easily overlooked in the modern, technology-
driven culture of health care, but in integrative medicine, the time spent and the trust
built between caregiver and patient is considered the foundation of effective health care.
Health Is More Than the Absence of Disease
Health, says Christiane Northrup, MD, is a vibrant thriving that includes pleasure, joy,
and meaning. It is not simply the absence of disease.
Northrup is a leading advocate for women’s health and the winner of the 2010
Integrative Health Care VisionaryAward. Part of Northrup’s vision is a world in which
every individual recognises his or her own capacity to create health. “True health care,”
she says, “is often not found in hospitals – that is disease care,” she says. “They have
a role, but your role in your own health is far more potent than hospitals, doctors, and
insurance companies.”
Northrup says that even what medicine calls “health promotion” is usually just disease
screening. “At a health fair, you can have your blood pressure taken, your cholesterol
measured, and get a mammogram.” These tests can detect a problem, but they do
little to create health, and by spending so much time and energy searching for what
is wrong with the body, we miss opportunities to care for the body, mind, and spirit.
Northrup recommends broadening our view of health care to include the things that
create health and joy on a daily basis, whether it’s dancing the tango, reading a good
book, or spending fifteen minutes a day in natural sunlight. “Begin to think about your
health care as a program that you are in control of,” she says. “It includes your thoughts
and beliefs and the people you spend time with. It includes turning off the news and
getting massages regularly. Just being present with another human, being present in
the moment, ramps up your circuitry of health.”
Moreover, Northrup says, true health care is possible even in the presence of pain,
grief, or illness. Illness can provide the catalyst for learning how to be with yourself
in a compassionate way, and focus your attention and energy on what matters most.
“When you move toward that which is most fulfilling, pleasurable, and life-enhancing,
healing follows, regardless of what your physical health is like in that moment.”
A New Kind of Medical Practice
“What if a visit to the doctor left you feeling replenished, rejuvenated, and motivated
to make changes in your life? What if you belonged to a health care practice that
understood every aspect of your well-being – physical, emotional, and spiritual?”
True health care is possible
even in the presence of pain,
grief, or illness. Illness can
providethecatalystforlearning
how to be with yourself in a
compassionate way, and focus
your attention and energy on
what matters most.
