Insights

MAY 12, 2009

Optimizing Wellness from Cancer Diagnosis through Survivorship: A Discussion with an Oncologist and Integrative Medicine Physician

John Barstis, MD & Mary Hardy, MD

Cancers have increasing cure rate, long term survival and many individual live with it more as a chronic disease or as an illness with episodic experiences. The treatments, while advancing with fewer toxicities, still often leave patients feeling less well than they once did. Oncology is concerned about these longer term effects and looking for ways to help improve wellness. Integrative medicine approaches show some promise in both preventing side effects and reducing their impact as well has minimizing them across the life cycle. In this presentation, Dr. Barstis, an oncologist presents traditional Western medicine approaches to reduction of symptoms and stresses the importance of using an integrated model. Dr. Hardy, an internist by training and a long time practitioner of integrative medicine discuss how complementary approaches such as nutrition, exercise and supplements can be useful throughout the continuum of cancer care from pre-surgery to post treatment.

John Barstis, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and is a board certified medical oncologist. Dr. Barstis specializes in breast cancer, but sees and treats all kinds of cancer at all phases of the disease. He sees patients in the UCLA Community Practices of Santa Monica and Santa Clarita, and is active in teaching and research on the Westwood campus. He is the Medical Director of the UCLA Cancer Center in Santa Clarita, and the Principal Investigator for UCLA of the Southwest Oncology Group, a national cooperative research group. Dr. Barstis is dedicated to helping patients live with the best quality of life throughout the cancer experience.

Mary L. Hardy, MD, is an Associate Diplomate physician at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the Medical Director of the Simms/Mann –UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology and board certified in internal medicine. She is an integrative medicine physician who educates patients and family members about complementary medicine choices, nutrition and dietary supplements. She was the Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Dietary Supplement Research in Botanicals and the founding Medical Director of the Cedars-Sinai Integrative Medicine Program. Her clinical practice for more than 17 years has focused on integrating the best of western conventional medicine with appropriate complementary therapies for a wide variety of patients, including cancer patients. She has a special interest in botanical medicine and has trained with scientists and herbalists all over the world including China, Peru, Kenya and South Africa