Integrative Medicine Enhances Quality of Life for Patients (Post 2 of 2)

Lorraine Gordon is a patient advocate for people with melanoma. Her family established the Roger A. Gordon Melanoma Research Fund in 2007 following her husband's diagnosis of stage 4 melanoma.  The Gordon family works in conjunction with Penn's Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) to increase melanoma awareness and secure research funding. In the second of two posts, she talks about the recent ACC-sponsored Focus On Integrative Medicine and Wellness Conference.

In my first post, I talked about how patients with cancer and cancer survivors are using integrative therapies to improve their quality of life during cancer treatment.  This time I want to share with you the message of two guest speakers, Daniel Gottlieb, PhD, and Michael Baime, MD.

Dr. Gottlieb was in a near fatal automobile accident in 1979, which left him paralyzed from the chest down.  A noted author, columnist, and radio host, his greatest gift to his audience is the understanding that all humans long for human contact, compassion and understanding. While he has not had cancer, he has been through this medical journey. He is a survivor, and all of us attending the program were inspired, motivated and moved by his presentation.

Michael Baime, MD, speaking at
the Focus On: Integrative Medicine and
Wellness Conference

“That nowhere place, where things come out of nowhere, it’s everywhere,” Dr. Gottlieb said.  "People with cancer feel different, isolated. Others look at you differently, you feel alone. There is a difference between the mind and the body: A disconnect between who you were and who you are now. Let go! Learn to tolerate your own vulnerability. You feel as vulnerable as you are."

Michael Baime, MD, is clinical associate professor of medicine at Penn and director of the Penn Program for Mindfulness.  A nationally recognized expert in stress management, he has created a variety of programs for patients in all stages of treatment and recovery for Penn's Abramson Cancer Center.

Dr. Baime shared his own experiences with mindfulness and its role in dealing with his own vision problems.
“You are totally alive, NOW,” he said. "You may wonder how you can be OK. You say, 'I had cancer: I’m always looking over my shoulder.' Let go! We have to celebrate what we have NOW. We don’t have to hope, because we have this moment of NOW. Do something about making the most for yourself. Believe it is possible. Take a chance.

"Mindfulness brings all of your awareness into the present moment," Dr. Baime said. "You can’t wait for the right moment or worry about tomorrow. You are present in the present moment. Letting go has to be conscious and mindfulness is the key to your survival."

Penn's Integrative Medicine and Wellness Program educates and empowers patients to actively manage symptoms and side effects of conventional cancer treatments (such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue and joint pain) in order to maximize the benefits of conventional treatments while maintaining desirable quality of life. Integrative therapies and complementary and alternative medicine are not a replacement for conventional cancer treatment.

Visit the Abramson Cancer Center website for more information about Integrative Medicine and Wellness and to view the podcasts of the 2011 Focus On Integrative Medicine and Wellness conference.