- Cancer CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogNo one ever wants to hear the words, “You have cancer.” Ever. It is, unfortunately, a reality that many people will face at some point in their lifetime. A cancer diagnosis is scary and comes with many uncertainties. Since you need as much support as possible, more and more doctors and patients are embracing integrative oncology. Think of it as using your mind, body, and soul to cope with symptoms and side effects. What is Integrative Oncology? Integrative oncology is a field of cancer care that combines conventional cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy with evidence-based complementary therapies to address the physical, emotional and psychological needs of cancer patients to enhance their overall well-being. Doctors and patients recognize that these treatments go beyond medical interventions and consider the complete needs of the patient. It incorporates a wide range of complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, massage, mind-body techniques (for example: meditation, yoga, and guided imagery), nutritional counseling, and herbal and nutritional supplements. What Are the Benefits? The benefits of integrative oncology include: Management of cancer-related symptoms and treatment of side effects such as pain, fatigue, nausea, nerve pain/numbness and anxiety.By effectively managing these symptoms, patients can possibly tolerate conventional treatments better, allowing them to complete their treatment schedules as planned. Complementary therapies can help improve a patient’s quality of life during and after treatment. Supporting the immune system and overall well-being.Nutritional counseling focuses on strengthening the body’s natural defenses and improving overall health. This may involve herbal supplements, exercise programs, stress reduction techniques, and other strategies to support the immune system and promote well-being. Empowering the patient.Integrative oncology underscores patient-centered care and encourages active participation in the treatment process. Patients are provided with information, education and tools to make informed decisions about their care and take an active role in managing their health. Who Is It For? Integrative oncology is a good fit for those who value a wide-ranging approach to cancer care since it focuses on the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of each patient—recognizing the importance of addressing the whole person, not just the disease. Integrative oncology may be a good fit for cancer patients who: Desire to actively participate in their cancer treatment: Integrative oncology emphasizes the patient and healthcare providers making decisions together, as a team. Experience treatment-related side effects: Complementary therapies integrated into oncology care can help manage the side effects of conventional cancer treatments. For example, acupuncture may lessen nausea and pain caused by chemotherapy, naturopathic doctors may help relieve numbness/pain and digestive symptoms, and mind-body techniques like meditation or yoga can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Complete active treatment and wish to focus on living a healthy lifestyle: Integrative oncology can help with lifestyle changes, nutritional support, and stress management to enhance long-term health and well-being. In Conclusion A growing number of cancer patients are tapping into the benefits of integrative oncology, with nearly 80 percent using some form of complementary therapies. Integrative oncology is patient-centered and evidence-based, with a goal of maximizing cancer patients’ physical and emotional ability to undergo cancer treatments and improving quality of life. Ask your healthcare provider if integrative medicine might benefit your cancer journey. Authors Young Joo Lee, MD, is the medical director for Breast and Integrative Oncology at Luminis Health. Dr. Lee is passionate about providing the most effective cancer therapies with minimal toxicity. She is a strong supporter of integrating the wisdom of other traditional healing practices into modern medicine.
- Community, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe year was 1997 when Edward Zebovitz, DDS, first learned about the crucial need for medical and dental care in developing regions of the world such as the Philippines, Caribbean, East Africa, and Bangladesh. “A colleague of my father’s was doing mission trips, and I knew I had to get involved,” says the oral and maxillofacial surgeon with a practice based in Bowie. The non-profit organization Surgeons for Smiles was born. Seventeen years later, Dr. Zebovitz and his team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and support staff have completed their 34th mission trip. This time they went to Sorsogon, a province on the island of Luzon in the Philippines where genetic facial deformities like cleft lip and cleft palate are common. The team performed 50 cleft lip and palate surgeries on children in just five days. “The conditions are horrible,” Dr. Zebovitz says of the places he travels. “People’s basic needs, like shelter and food, aren’t always met. It is very sad to see.” They rely on donations to fund the missions. Whatever is not donated, Dr. Zebovitz personally finances. This spring, Dr. Zebovitz, who is married to OB-GYN Coryse Brathwaite, MD, and has four children ages 18, 20, 21, and 22, will go on another trip. This time, they will go to East Africa. “I hope to one day retire to Surgeons for Smiles,” says Dr. Zebovitz, with a smile.
- Community, Pediatrics, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen local pediatrician, Dr. Steve Brown, was young, he dreamed of being a doctor working on a boat. The first part of his dream defined his career as a pediatrician, and last year, he realized the second part while he served as a volunteer at The Lake Clinic, Cambodia. The clinic brings doctors, medical supplies and other services to seven floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Many of the houses in these villages are either floating structures or built on stilts over the water, and the area is so remote that the only way to bring a clinic to the people is by boat. Dr. Brown had been consulting with clinics (including one in Cuba) over the internet for a year or so, helping them to assess more difficult illnesses or conditions. “I’ll get pictures of dermatological conditions, or something that transmits in a photograph,” he says, “and it’s easy for me to get a specialist to take a look at it.” After helping patients online, Dr. Brown had an opportunity to spend a month at the clinic where he experienced first-hand the extreme needs of people in such a remote location. “We traveled three to four hours to reach people who couldn’t even seek medical care if they wanted to,” he says. “Families are living off of $2 per day and it cost $40 to $50 worth of fuel just to get us there.” He says the most rewarding aspect of the work is the appreciation shown by the people they were helping. “The people are just so grateful that you’re there helping them and it gives you a warm feeling inside to be able to do that.” Dr. Brown also volunteers for Project Angkor, a humanitarian mission that sets up free temporary clinics in remote areas to treat patients and help train Cambodian medical students. Cambodia has a special draw for Dr. Brown, but volunteerism has characterized his career both near and far. As a member of the Maryland Physician Emergency Volunteer Corps, he worked with the Red Cross after hurricane Katrina to see people in Maryland who had been displaced from homes and needed medical care. “This kind of work is definitely what I went into medicine for,” he says. “I wanted to be able to help people who need the help.”
- Community, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogEducating surgeons has been a life-long endeavor for AAMC’s Chair of the Department of Surgery Adrian Park, MD. So when he discovered an organization that focuses on teaching surgeons in Africa, he knew he’d found his calling. Having spent his middle school and high school years in Africa, Dr. Park has a fondness for the continent and a deep appreciation for the challenges of establishing quality surgical care in some of the world’s poorest and most remote locations. As a member of the Pan African Association of Christian Surgeons (PAACS), Dr. Park has spent more than 15 years helping to develop high-quality, rigorous surgical residency programs to train African surgeons in more than a half dozen countries. “Our surgical residency training programs are five year programs, with all of the validations and certifications that train African surgeons with standards that we’d expect back here,” Dr. Park says. Often, when young African men and women come to the West to train, they either stay or they return to the capital city in their home country which serves only a select population. This leaves the more remote areas of Africa without adequate surgical care. The residency programs Dr. Park is helping to build are training Africans in Africa where they will be able to serve their countrymen who need them most. As the current president of PAACS, Dr. Park says the most inspiring moments have been those spent with the African doctors he trains. “Some of them have had to literally take their families across countries, through jungles and civil wars at risk of life and limb to get this training. By the time they come to us, they’ve been through so much. English may be their fourth or fifth language. Imagine learning medicine in your fourth or fifth language,” remarks Dr. Park. Dr. Park says they’ve established 11 programs in countries such as Gabon, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Niger. They plan to graduate more than 20 surgeons a year by 2025 or 2030. That’s a large number since some sub-Saharan countries currently have fewer than 20 general surgeons in total. Dr. Park says that his experience with PAACS has been the ultimate expression of the “teaching a man to fish” parable. “Developing these training programs has a sustainable effect on the access to and the delivery of quality surgical care in the most remote and underserved parts of Africa,”Dr. Park says.
- Community, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogJessie Paltell, RN, Becca Burnett, BSN, RN, and Steve Roy, patient care technician, recently returned from Uganda, where they volunteered their time as medical professionals with a church group. The village where we pitched our tents for the work week was in the Kole District of Northern Uganda. During our time there, we provided medical services and distributed eye glasses, mosquito nets, soccer balls, and other necessities such as Bibles, clothing, hand-knitted hats, sunglasses, toothbrushes, tennis shoes, bicycles and a huge water filtration system to be used by the families in the surrounding villages. Our medical clinic was nothing fancy—far from any medical facilities or clinics we have around here. We used two rooms in the old school building to set up our triage, clinic, and pharmacy areas. Our triage and clinic “stations” were school desks positioned throughout the rooms. Our pharmacy was set up out of cardboard boxes and plastic trunks, with plastic bags for distribution of medications. Every day, families lined up, hundreds at a time, to wait in line to be seen. By some miracle, we were able to treat 3,039 people over four days. We were able to bandage wounds, drain infected cysts, diagnose skin rashes, provide medications for malaria, worms, pain, viruses, and STDs, treat burn victims, and so much more. Every night we played soccer with the kids in the surrounding villages using soccer balls we brought with us to hand out to them. The toys they were accustomed to included empty water bottles for sword fighting and rocks for soccer and kickball-type games. Seeing their faces light up when we handed them soccer balls was a once-in-a-lifetime experience – that was true joy! We were able to make a difference while we were in Uganda. We healed those who were sick, bandaged wounds, provided necessary medications. But furthermore, we were able to experience the amazing places and build relationships with the beautiful people of Uganda, Africa.
How can we help?
Common Searches
Common Searches
Log in with MyChart
Access personalized site features & view your health records.
Learn more about MyChartDon’t have a MyChart account?
Your Account
View your Dashboard
Messages
Find Care
Schedule Appointment
My Care Team
My Record
Appointments
Medications
Log in with MyChart
Access personalized site features & view your health records.
Learn more about MyChartDon’t have a MyChart account?