Integrative Care at Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Carolyn Lammersfeld is Vice-President of Integrative Medicine at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Integrative medicine, specifically oncological medicine, combines your typical cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy and surgery, with complementary treatment, such as nutrition and acupuncture. The idea here is to not only rid the patient of cancer, but also give the patient an overall better quality of life. Patients separately from their oncologists often use these methods, and so the idea of integrative oncology is to work with patients to ensure the complementary treatments are done correctly. This also makes complementary treatments more accessible for those patients who are seeking such care.
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America, there is a specific team devoted to these complementary methods. This team works with the oncologists to assess the complementary needs of the patient, while also communicating with the patient to identify what the patient feels is needed. Working with the oncologist and the patient allows the team to put together the most relevant treatment program for the specific circumstances, tailoring the methods to the patient.
Nutrition is one of the most common areas of complementary therapy methods. This usually has to do with weight management; both weight loss and weight gain. Cancer patients often experience weight loss, either involuntarily or because of the difficulty of eating during treatment. The nutrition aspect here is intended to put together a plan for a malnourished patient, to ensure that the patient can get back on track after losing a large amount of weight from treatment. The other side of this coin is patients who have extra weight. Here, the dietitian’s work to make sure that the patient doesn’t gain weight during treatment, while also establishing healthy eating habits for the post-treatment period.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America is an organization, which seeks to reduce complications or setbacks in treatment of cancer. The idea here is to ensure that patients dealing with cancer may still live a full and complete life during and after treatment. This is largely done through integrative care, ensuring that patients get the correct dietary, mental, and spiritual nourishment, as well as the treatment needed to beat the cancer.
The key to Cancer Treatment Centers of America‘s method is a personalized treatment plan. The organization understands that each circumstance is different, as each patient is different. Cancer is not a typical disease, so it cannot be treated by entirely general methods. Cancer Treatment Centers of America uses advanced technology, clinical expertise, and a team approach to ensure that patients receive personalized care that will help him or her live a full life while undergoing treatment to rid them of cancer.
