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Oncology, Chiropractic Care and Cancer Treatment Centers of America
By: Dr. Timothy Birdsal, N.D., FABNO
Fortunately as medicine continues
to progress, many conventional care providers and integrative care providers
are beginning to work together and seeing the benefits that each area of
medicine has to offer patients.
For chiropractors, their patients
are often driven to their practices by unresolved pain issues or loss of
physical function, both of which are usually relieved by correction of the
underlying causes in patients’ musculoskeletal systems. But sometimes these
aches and pains can be symptoms of an even more complex underlying condition
such as cancer. Since chiropractors are often the first choice for patients
seeking pain relief, the chiropractic doctor may very well be the first step in
diagnosing a patient with cancer. As time goes on, these doctors will also be
called upon to assist with patient side effects during active treatment and
lingering effects when the patient moves into remission.
Since chiropractors can play such
an important role in the diagnosis, active treatment and remission of oncology
patients, they must be aware of how they can effectively support their patients
throughout a cancer experience. The following list offers several concrete ways
for them to do so:
Diagnosis:
- Provide
good assessment and evaluation for patients, including appropriate tests
and imaging studies.
- Offer
appropriate referrals for further tests, biopsies, etc. when results from
initial chiropractic assessments call for a specialist in oncology.
Active
Treatment:
- Stay
abreast of the patient’s oncology care; know what treatments they are
receiving and how they are doing with those treatments.
- Be aware
of patient symptoms that could signal disease progression.
- Provide
disease-appropriate chiropractic care and pain management by employing
non-force techniques in areas at risk for metastatic spread.
Remission:
- Provide
supportive care for patients and enhance patient quality of life.
- Facilitate
improved function throughout the body.
- Restore
wellness to patients.
By following these steps,
chiropractors can help effectively bridge the gap between chiropractic care and
cancer treatment for their patients.
One cancer hospital network,
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), actively recognizes and combines
chiropractic care and other integrative approaches with conventional oncology interventions
to provide the best comprehensive cancer care for patients.
CTCA offers an integrative
approach to cancer treatment by treating the whole person, not just the
disease. The unique CTCA treatment model combines state-of-the-art conventional
medical treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery with
scientifically supported complementary therapies such as nutrition, mind-body medicine,
naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and chiropractic care to enhance patients’
quality of life. CTCA cancer experts deliver this care in a
patient-centered environment designed to meet the special, whole-person needs
of each cancer patient.
Richard J Stephenson founded CTCA
in 1988 in honor of his mother, who lost her battle with cancer. To keep his
mother's memory and spirit alive, Mr. Stephenson vowed to change the face of
cancer care. He selected a group of outstanding oncologists and challenged them
to find a way to deliver whole-person cancer treatment in a compassionate,
nurturing environment. Mr. Stephenson’s commitment to the Mother Standard®,
treating patients like he would want his mother treated, became the
organization's guiding principle.
Today, CTCA is a network of
cancer hospitals spread throughout the United States in Tulsa, Okla., suburban
Chicago, Philadelphia, Penn., and suburban Phoenix that focuses on bringing
hope and healing to patients across the country.
If you have a loved one or a
patient at your practice who has cancer and is interested in more information
about CTCA, please have them call 800-234-9113 to speak to a highly trained Oncology
Information Specialist (OIS), who will facilitate their specific medical,
financial and logistical questions. Chiropractors can also call this number to directly
refer a patient into the CTCA system. Simply identify yourself as a
chiropractor making a referral, and the CTCA OIS team will collect your
patient’s information to follow-up with him/her personally. Chiropractors
referring patients to CTCA will receive follow-up communication from the CTCA
chiropractor, including medical updates and recommendations for continuing
chiropractic treatment when they return home.
CTCA is proud to not only share a
philosophy of holistic healing with the chiropractic community but also to partner
with chiropractors in offering the benefits of chiropractic care to all the
patients that walk through the hospital doors.
----------------- About Timothy Birdsall, ND, FABNO -----------------
Dr. Timothy Birdsall is Vice
President of Integrative Medicine for Cancer Treatment Centers of America
(CTCA), where he has helped pioneer an innovative, interdisciplinary and
team-based approach to cancer care since 1998.
A well-known lecturer and
naturopathic physician, Dr. Birdsall is a sought-after presenter at medical
conferences worldwide. He earned a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from
Bastyr University in Seattle, where he also served on the faculty for five
years. He is also a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology.
In January 2008, U.S. Health and
Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt appointed Dr. Birdsall to serve a
four-year term on the National Advisory Council for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Birdsall's professional
achievements also include serving as Speaker of the House of Delegates and Vice
President of the AANP. In 2009, the AANP awarded Dr. Birdsall its Physician of
the Year award for his "longstanding leadership within the AANP; his
legislative, policy and research initiatives; and his visionary integration of
naturopathic medicine into health care." In addition, Dr. Birdsall
currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Oncology Academy of
Naturopathic Physicians and is Chair of the American Board of Naturopathic
Oncology.
Dr. Birdsall was the founding
editor-in-chief of Alternative Medicine
Review, the first peer-reviewed medical journal edited by naturopathic physicians
to be indexed on MEDLINE. He co-authored the book How To Prevent and Treat Cancer With Natural Medicine.
Currently, Dr. Birdsall serves on the Editorial Consultants Board for the
journal Integrative Cancer Therapies.
For his extensive experience in
the area of naturopathic medicine, Dr. Birdsall has been recognized in American Men and Women of Science, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering,
and Who's Who Registry of Global Business
Leaders.
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