TCM Physicians Clinic, Survivors Club:
Our surviving cancer patients have created a list of volunteers that are cancer survivors and willing to talk to you and provide free testimonials of their own treatment experience and how they have overcome the illness. Sometimes the best help comes from someone who's been there. Through our patient's network you can talk with a cancer survivor and also learn of other support programs available for you.
Facts about survivorship:
Information from the American Cancer Society, shows that there are now more than 13.7 million cancer survivors in the United States. That number is expected to grow to nearly 18 million by 2022.
Some survivors may live with cancer as a chronic disease requiring periodic treatments, while others may go into long-term remission, and some will even get complete remission (cured). Many will lead normal lives with very little or no symptoms. In fact, two-thirds of survivors report that cancer has not caused a significant long-term impact on their lives.
As many survivors have learned, however, recovery is not always the end of the struggle. Even years after successful treatment, cancer recurrence can be a possibility. For the most part, conventional cancer therapies cause serious side effects and can leave the patient with health issues that require long-time management and observation. Lastly, recovering from the social and emotional trauma of cancer can take longer than improving from treatment.
According to reliable information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, 64% of adults diagnosed with cancer today can expect to be alive in five years. The survival rates for children are even higher, ranging between 70% and 92%, with the 10-year survival rate at 75%. As more and more cancer patients survive the illness, doctors now face the challenge of helping survivors achieve a good quality of life after treatment has ended.
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Integrative Oncology through the stages of cancer survivorship:
While Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is professionally licensed and available in the United States, the fact is that many patients as well as doctors remain unaware of TCM or are not properly informed regarding how it can significantly improve the outcome of cancer treatments. There are several TCM herbal medicines with proven antitumor action that can be used along conventional therapies to fight cancer cells, and or to improve standard therapies. And clinically-based TCM therapies such as acupuncture and acupoint injection therapy have been shown to significantly reduce postoperative pain and nausea from chemotherapy. Acupuncture treatment has also been proven highly effective for xerostomia caused from radiation therapy to head and neck, and for neuropathy caused by chemotherapy.
When can I receive integrative cancer therapy?
Integrative cancer care with conventional medicine and TCM can be highly beneficial and it should be initiated as soon as possible.
While there are TCM herbal medicines that can be beneficial and even improve conventional therapies, some others can inter-act negatively with conventional drugs, including chemotherapy. Harmful herb-drug interactions may occur and must be recognized.
Unnecessary delay and interruption in receiving standard therapies are detrimental to the success af cancer treatment, and the lack of using beneficial complementary therapies can also be unfavorable to the overall outcome of the patient's care. When considering using alternative or integrative medicime, it is highly recommended to consult a licensed physician with knowledge on complementary therapies, especially before using any herbal remedy.
