Healing the Whole Body

Healing and Body

Stedman's Medical Dictionary defines cancer as "any of various types of neoplasms, most of which invade surrounding tissues, may metastatize to several sites, and are likely to recur after attempted removal and to cause death of the patient unless adequately treated."

That's not very useful for cancer patients, which is why David Rakel, MD, and Lucille Marchand, MD, of UW Health's Integrative Medicine Center define it in a more broad and personal way.

For these two physicians, cancer is many things - a turning point, a strong motivator for change, a personal journey of exploration. And because it is so varied, treatment requires a multifaceted approach.

At a discussion Wednesday at UW Hospital and Clinics, Drs. Rakel and Marchand told an audience of health care providers, cancer specialists and cancer survivors that patients cope with cancer most effectively when they acknowledge and address the many internal and external influences that affect their health.

In "Life after Chemotherapy: Empowering Positive Action to Prevent a Recurrence," the pair said factors such as nutrition, stress, social support, spiritual connections and environment-born toxic exposure have profound consequences for patients undergoing chemotherapy or dealing with its aftermath. And adopting a recovery plan that involves personal empowerment and nourishment and recognizes the mind-body connection in all of us can lead to more positive outcomes.

"Our philosophy is to take care of the whole person. Cancer doesn't just happen to the body, it happens to the whole person," said Dr. Marchand. "When you're an active participant in your care, you usually do better."

The evolution of treatment

Early in its evolution, the medical profession tended toward a genetic understanding of disease, said Dr. Rakel. It viewed a health problem as the result of one isolated genetic mishap. While Dr. Rakel and Dr. Marchand agree this is sometimes the case, as with cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy, they believe a more expansive conception is needed.

For that they subscribe to an epigenetic approach, which takes into account variables such as environment, diet, anxiety, and a person's self-conception and state of mind. All of these factors, Dr. Rakel and Dr. Marchand insist, play a role in recovery. And, unlike the patient's genetic makeup, they can be controlled and used to benefit the healing process.

"What we're talking about are the things we can do to stack the deck in our favor," said Dr. Marchand. "Coping style is not something we're born with. It's something we can change."

Dr. Rakel and Dr. Marchand were quick to say their approach does not reject previous theories of cancer care. It simply builds upon them.

"We don't have any alternative medicine," Dr. Rakel said. "We just have good medicine."

Nourishment as a healing force

Dr. Rakel and Dr. Marchand point to nourishment as the key element in a patient's return to health. For most people that would mean the food they eat, and that is a vital component of an epigenetic treatment plan. Dr. Rakel and Dr. Marchand suggest a diet that incorporates nutrient-rich food like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and lean meats that haven't been subjected to pesticides, herbicides and antibiotics. When it comes to diet, think high fiber, low sugar and low saturated fat.

But nourishment involves more than organic green beans and flax seed. It has to do with how the patient interacts with the world and includes elements of the mind, body and spirit. Suggestions for enhancing this type of nourishment include:

• Movement: Activities such as Yoga, T'ai Chi and Qigong - all available at the Integrative Medicine Center - increase awareness, flexibility, balance and strength. But Dr. Marchand said exercise regimens should be catered to a person's tastes. "Exercise daily, and do what you love to do," she said.

• Identifying meaning: What gives life meaning? It's a brief but complicated question, and answers vary from person to person. But exploring it through any of a number of means of expression - music, art, writing, gardening - is a way of affirming one's self during recovery.

• Finding peace: Stress can promote cancer specifically and disease generally by decreasing immune system function and hampering favorable coping styles. Patients are best served by finding a way to remove themselves from the chaos of everyday life and relaxing. Spiritual and religious endeavors, Mindfulness-based stress reduction and massage are all viable avenues.

In the end, the most effective recovery path transforms the patient from a victim to an active participant. It's a distinctly individual process, and one that requires the patient to have the courage to find her or his own path to healing.

But it reminds the patient that there is always hope, and an almost limitless number of coping options. As Dr. Rakel and Dr. Marchand concluded, "The question is not so much who you are, but who you want to become."

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MADISON - Copyright 2005 University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority