IntegrativeTherapies

7 Ways Integrative Therapies Help Cancer Patients

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Research has shown that integrative therapies can help ease cancer-related symptoms and improve overall quality of life. These therapies range from individual treatments, such as acupuncture, massage, and Reiki, to group programs for movement, meditation, and creative arts. View the slideshow below to learn more about how integrative therapies can help cancer patients. Visit the … Read more

What Are the Best Yoga Poses for Breast Cancer Patients? [Infographic]

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Exercise and other integrative therapies, including yoga, can ease the  symptoms of breast cancer and its treatment, help patients feel better during treatment, and can be scaled to fit each patient’s unique needs and abilities. For patients who might experience lymphedema following surgery or radiation, yoga can help restore range of motion in the arms … Read more

Empowering Patients with Music

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Whether it’s creating a work of art, taking time to meditate, or chronicling their experience through a blog, cancer patients find many creative ways to cope with their diagnosis and treatment. In many cases, music can also help patients express their physical and emotional challenges, and a new mobile recording studio at Dana-Farber is bringing … Read more

Cancer Conversations Podcast – Episode #1: Integrative Therapies for Cancer

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While the medical treatments for cancer can help fight off deadly disease, these life-saving therapies can also cause physical and emotional side effects. For some patients, the use of integrative therapies can help ease or eliminate treatment-related symptoms. In this Cancer Conversations podcast episode – the first of the series – David Rosenthal, MD, former … Read more

How Cancer Patients Can Benefit from a Lifestyle of Mindfulness

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There are many ways to define mindfulness. In a recent talk given at Dana-Farber, ABC news correspondent Dan Harris said mindfulness is the “ability to know what’s happening in your head right now without getting carried away by it.” Patricia Arcari, PhD, RN, of Dana-Farber’s Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies, describes it as paying attention … Read more

Young Adults Share Their Cancer Journeys Through Photos

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When Jenn Jackson, a trained physician, was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma in 2011 and found out she could no longer practice medicine, the news was devastating. “Getting this cancer diagnosis changed the whole trajectory of my life,” says Jackson, who was diagnosed at 35, after completing 10 years of medical training. But, craving a greater sense … Read more

ABC’s Dan Harris Shares His Journey to Mindfulness

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Mindfulness meditation is a simple, effective technique for relieving stress and focusing on the present, whether you’re a current cancer patient, a longtime survivor, or even “a fidgety news man.” This was the message delivered by Dan Harris, correspondent and co-anchor for ABC’s “Nightline” and “Good Morning America Weekend,” during the keynote speech at the … Read more

How Integrative Therapies Can Help Lung Cancer Patients

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Any cancer diagnosis and treatment can take a physical and emotional toll on patient. For many lung cancer patients, post-operative pain and muscle tension, as well as breathing and sleeping issues, are common side effects. To help ease some of these symptoms, patients can seek out integrative therapies, which can be used in conjunction with standard … Read more

Survivor Uses Reiki and ‘Button Therapy’ to Help Others Facing Cancer

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As a girl, Paula Kaufman loved playing with the buttons that her grandmother, a seamstress, had in abundance. Later, while in treatment for stage III colorectal cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Kaufman – then a mother of three in her late 30s – gained strength from a jar of buttons her grandmother bequeathed to her. … Read more

Reiki and Qigong: How They Can Help Cancer Patients

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Cancer therapy can take a toll on one’s body and mind. Thankfully, there are a variety of integrative therapies that, together with traditional medicine, can help patients feel better during treatment. Through the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies, Dana-Farber offers therapies such as acupuncture, massage, meditation, yoga, and creative arts and music therapy, … Read more

Coping With Cancer Through Creative Expression

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A cancer diagnosis brings more than physical challenges. Patients and loved ones must also manage the emotional toll that can come with it. Storytelling, through word, pictures or other creative expression, can be an effective way to deal with these emotions and help with the healing process.

Some people look to painting or writing, while others may cope through dance, music, or a tattoo.

We want you to share your story with us. Whether it’s a piece of artwork, a blog post, or a small tattoo on your wrist – show us how you coped with a cancer diagnosis. Submit your images and stories to our “Coping with Cancer Through Creative Expression” gallery.

Here are a few patients who have found creative ways to cope with their diagnosis:

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Web Chat: How Integrative Therapies Can Benefit Cancer Patients

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Whether it’s yoga, meditation, massage, or nutrition counseling, integrative therapies can offer a wide range of benefits for patients.

David Rosenthal, MD
David Rosenthal, MD

“The whole concept of integrative therapies is about improving the overall quality of life for cancer patients,” says David Rosenthal, MD, medical director of Dana-Farber’s Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies. “Integrative and complementary therapies are helpful in all stages of diagnosis, from pre-cancer to survivorship.”

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