PORTLAND, Ore. — Whether it’s you or someone you love, it’s hard to find a life that has not been touched by cancer. The impact is more than physical. It takes an emotional and mental toll. For many cancer patients, treatment goes beyond traditional medicine.
On Saturday, patients, family members, and caregivers learned about fighting cancer from all angles at the first-ever Integrative Oncology Conference at OHSU’s Robertson Life Sciences Building in Portland.
The free conference introduced attendees to integrated therapies that work in tandem with standard cancer treatment methods like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to help ease side effects, enhance coping strategies, and support patients holistically.
Leanne Hogie from Hood River is battling breast cancer. She finished chemotherapy last month and will begin radiation Monday. In her fight against the disease, she is using integrated therapies alongside traditional cancer treatment to knock out cancer.
“I wanted to do whatever I could to support my body through this because the traditional treatments are harsh, and they have a lot of side effects,” Hogie said. “And whatever I could do to help support myself through less damaging, less harmful treatments, I wanted to do.”
She joined dozens of others Saturday at the conference, sponsored by the Knight Cancer Institute’s Patient and Family Support Service.
Patients and their caregivers got a hands-on lesson in acupuncture, massage, mindfulness exercises, naturopathic medicine, yoga, writing groups and more.
Susan Hedlund is the director of patient and family support services at the Knight Cancer Institute.
“We don't want people to just survive. We want people to thrive. And the integrative medicine adds to that possibility,” Hedlund said.
There is evidence that integrated treatments help when added to traditional cancer treatments, Hedlund said. It gives patients the ability to take control of certain aspects of their physical and mental health that cancer can often seem to take away.
“It’s a way of taking control back. It’s also a way of promoting healing," Hedlund said.
Hogie says she's experienced noticeable benefits to integrated therapies, such as a specific diet using probiotics, and acupuncture.
“I had the most amazing response to an acupuncture treatment that I've ever had. I went in with swollen fingers and within an hour it was 90% relieved,” Hogie said.
Not only did Saturday’s conference give patients tools to improve their cancer treatment and mental well-being, but also for caregivers and family members struggling with the diagnosis as well.
“Of course, nobody wants to get cancer and cancer is an exceedingly stressful process for the person who is receiving care, but also their loved ones and it changes everything,” Hedlund said.
Like many attendees Saturday, Hogie brought along a loved one, her husband. Together, they are ready to put more tools in their cancer-fighting toolbox. Because, yes, cancer is scary, but the battle is better fought with the strength of others.
“You never know how other people are going to react, especially when you lose your hair. So, people look at you as a chemo or a cancer patient,” Hogie said. “And some people are really good at just being upfront and still your friends. But, other people are very afraid of what cancer means and they shy away. I would just encourage people to not be afraid. To still be there for people.”
For more support services and integrated care from the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, click here.