Herbal Nutrition.  Patients can tolerate chemotherapy treatments longer with fewer side effects through proper nutrition.  Nutrition is more than simply eating the suggested daily minimum requirements of the popular food pyramid.  Herbal nutrition includes traditional supplements, such as multi-vitamins, and herbal supplements like "bazhentang". Patients learn which supplements are appropriate, and which herbs have properties that are medically beneficial for their specific condition; the source for such supplements and herbs - whether in foods readily available,or in extracts and formulations available only through licensed TCM practitioners.  Your NCHOC practitioners will be able to discuss the latest science and recommendations in herbal nutrition.

Therapeutic Counseling.  Oncology patients often experience pain, anxiety and depression. This may lead to poor adherence to a treatment schedule reducing their quality of life and prolonging their recovery.  Psychotherapy services are designed to reduce the patient's stress, enhancing the patient's immune system, thereby reducing the rate of recurrence.

Education and Research.  An essential component of survivorship is education. Ongoing classes in diet, exercise, mindfulness and the latest in evidence-based medicine, are designed to enhance the collaboration between you and your practitioner. As Chinese medicine has 2500 years of documented clinical success, scientific proof of its mechanisms is a work in progress. NCHOC is in collaboration with both American and Chinese universities to conduct studies to identify the safety and efficacy of TCM, ongoing acupuncture trials for post-chemo fatigue management can be seen at: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=NCT00658034. 

Acupuncture. The ancient Chinese believe acupuncture needles redirect the flow of the life force, called Qi through the body’s 14 meridians, restoring the body’s natural balance and health. Western scientists believe that acupuncture needles stimulate the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain, or trigger the release of other natural chemicals in the body to reduce the symptoms associated with cancer surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Download a .pdf brochure here.