Integrative Medicine Opens at The Regional Cancer Center

Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center are pleased to announce the addition of the Integrative Medicine Program at The Regional Cancer Center.
Integrative Medicine allows patients to learn about therapies that can complement their current medical treatments. This may include diet, herbals, supplements, acupuncture, stress reduction and relaxation techniques.
For patient Sarah Breen, Integrative Medicine was the right choice. Breen’s husband, Vincent, saw information about the program on television. Sarah contacted The Regional Cancer Center and was eager for a consultation. She suffered from severe, persistent back pain that made standing, walking, or even lying down painful, and it was worsening. “I was willing to try anything,” she said.
Sarah’s initial appointment with the program’s physician, Dr. Kevin Mathews, surprised her. “The first visit I thought was just for questions and answers,” she said. “I didn’t expect any treatment, but there I was, on the table.” Dr. Mathews administered acupuncture, and also recommended herbals and aquatic therapy. After a few weeks, they began to notice a difference. “We would see that she was a little more mobile,” he said. “She noticed improvement, and her husband really noticed a lot of improvement.”
This type of success is exactly what the program hopes for, said Mary Kate Schuster, RN, OCN, and cancer program director. “And the exciting thing is that it’s not just for cancer patients,” she added. “It’s for any patient who’s interested in enhancing their health and wellness, facing any illness, or facing cancer.”
Integrative medicine is the use of evidence-based complementary therapies and what some people would call “alternative” therapies as part of mainstream treatment, Dr. Mathews said. Those undergoing cancer treatment and cancer survivors are frequent users of complementary therapies; which may help with nutrition, pain, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and chemotherapy-related nausea. Things such as guided imagery, acupuncture, massage, herbals, osteopathic and chiropractic manual therapies as well as hypnosis are recommended based on a patient’s condition. Some of these services are offered on-site, and others are provided by a network of complementary providers.
Sarah said that the treatments helped her. This pleases Dr. Mathews. “What we are looking at with integrative medicine is not only the cure, but the healing process, and recognizing the body’s innate capacity to heal itself,” he said. “Healing can take place at any point in any illness on all levels – body, mind, and spirit.”
For more information about The Integrative Medicine Program at The Regional Cancer Center, please call (315) 624-5390. Office Hours by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Faxton Campus of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, 1676 Sunset Avenue, Utica, New York.