Welcome!!!

Welcome to the Integrative Therapies Program of Columbia University’s (ITPCU) blog!  Our program uses complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to support cancer patients and their families throughout the journey of diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, and survivorship.  CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be a part of conventional medicine (nccam.nih.gov).  Integrative medicine combines mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high quality scientific evidence of safety and efficacy.  ITPCU focuses on a triad of research, patient care, and education to impact the integrative oncology field. 

While the ITPCU has been a leader in integrative oncology for almost 15 years, our blog is quite new.  We hope to reach out to the adults and children afflicted with cancer, CAM communities, and health professionals with our thoughts on integrative medicine, treatment of cancer-related side effects and the role of CAM in managing these side effects, and perspectives on emerging CAM research.  

 Some of the things we’ll highlight include:

1.   Basic information and theory behind common CAM treatments

2.   Tips from our expert acupuncturists, massage therapists, exercise physiologists, and nutritionists on how to control treatment-related symptoms.   

3.   Summaries of the latest CAM research with a focus on how research can be applied to patient care

4.   Testimonials, stories, and reflections on the patients we treat and how they impact our care

5.   A unique view of CAM practice at an academic medical center”

6.   First-hand  accounts and descriptions of certain CAM treatments from a staff and clinician perspectives

7.   and who knows what else…

As a brief introduction, I am a medical student at Alpert Medical School of Brown University who is currently taking leave as a Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow at Columbia’s Pediatric Oncology Department.  Over the year, I hope to provide the perspective of a developing physician who is being exposed to CAM for the first time.  Since I am early in my training, I hope to provide an open but critical mind on the various treatments that CAM encompasses.   Please read, digest, comment, and critique my thoughts as all I want is a good discussion!