Breast Cancer Supportive Therapies
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, your care team includes complementary medicine practitioners, such as dietitians, naturopathic practitioners, mind-body therapists, and physical therapists. All valuable members of your team, they help to:
- Keep you strong and nutritionally fortified throughout breast cancer treatment
- Reduce the side effects of your conventional treatment(s)
- Increase your sense of well-being and self-esteem
We take an aggressive, proactive approach to helping you manage pain. At CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, you’ll work with an experienced, licensed pain-management clinician who will evaluate you throughout your care to ensure you are comfortable and receiving the pain relief you need.
Your CTCA dietitian is a vital member of your breast cancer team. He or she will work with you to establish a nutritional plan to help you decrease consumption of saturated fats and increase consumption of fiber, vegetables, carotenoids, citrus, fish, eggs, legumes, flax, green tea, low-fat yogurt, and cold-pressed organic oils.
At CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, naturopathic practitioners function primarily as consultants to your oncologist. They make safe, evidence-based recommendations for natural therapies (e.g., vitamins, minerals, herbal medicines) to help improve your quality of life during and after conventional treatment for breast cancer. These therapies can strengthen your immune system, boost your energy level and reduce side effects associated with treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Physical and occupational therapists are also members of your care team at CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. These trained and licensed professionals help you to build strength and endurance, and reduce stress and anxiety. One concern they address for breast cancer patients who undergo a mastectomy is lymphedema. Our physical therapists teach you how to proactively manage lymphedema by using drainage techniques, such as lymphedema stretching exercises and manual lymph drainage. They’ll also work with your dietitian to develop a plan to help you prevent weight gain, something many post menopausal women experience. Significant research has shown that weight gain can contribute to cancer recurrence. Therefore, helping you to avoid it is essential.
CTCA mind-body therapists offer you and your family emotional and psychological support throughout your cancer journey. This can be critical to your well-being as you may experience some emotional or psychiatric issues when facing a breast cancer diagnosis. Oftentimes, women who are fighting cancer struggle with changes in their appearance and self-image, such as losing part or all of one or both breasts, losing hair during treatment and having a lack of intimacy. These concerns may also affect their relationship with a spouse or partner. Our mind-body therapists are here to listen. They offer individual, group and family counseling sessions; encourage you in support groups; and educate you on how to apply stress management techniques, such as guided imagery and relaxation training to help you cope with cancer and treatment.
Many of our patients find strength, courage and hope in their faith. If desired, the spiritual support team will work with you and your family to get to know you and support all aspects of your faith throughout your cancer treatment and recovery. Every day, our spiritual support team helps people like you to build a bridge from despair to hope.
Ready to learn more about the complementary/supportive therapies we offer at CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center? Call 1-800-615-3055 or chat online now with one of our knowledgeable Oncology Information Specialists.