Complementary Care Provides Resources to Care for the Whole Patient
Research shows that complementary therapeutic methods can be extremely effective for decreasing anxiety and stress, and improving fatigue and physical functioning for individuals undergoing cancer treatment. These services have special benefits for cancer patients, who are already experiencing both physical and emotional issues during their treatment. As part of their care plan, physicians may refer patients to Cancer Navigators’ for participation in a new complementary care program.
The program provides the following complementary services at no cost to the patient, with the specific service tailored to the patient’s individual symptoms:
- Massage*
- Yoga
- Acupressure
- Meditation
- Music therapy
*Only the first massage is covered at no-cost for all patients.
These evidence-based treatments are one of the many ways that Cancer Navigators works in concert with the medical team to care for the whole patient.
Dr. Matthew Mumber is a radiation oncologist at the Harbin Clinic Cancer Center and a member of the Cancer Navigators board of directors. He has helped to write guidelines published earlier this year in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute about the use of complementary therapies during cancer treatment. “The therapies help patients to tolerate general side effects of conventional treatments better and likely be more compliant; therefore, they may do better in the long run,” said Dr. Mumber.
Dr. Mumber continued, “Cancer Navigators has been a leader in implementing complementary and supportive therapy, and this program expands the many services it already offers to patients during their continuum of care.”