In the recovery or remission phase we must continue to consider all of these areas involved with cancer behavior and continue to modify them in order to reduce cancer risk. For example, a woman on Tamoxi- fen in this phase of treatment would do well to further reduce her cancer and disease risk by addressing all of these areas through her diet, sleep patterns, correct and targeted use of supplements specific to her situation, as well as her stress and activity level. Help with achieving a health body weight is also critical. In the recovery and rebalancing phase patients are sometimes prescribed drugs such as Tamoxifen with the goal of reducing cancer recurrence, but effectiveness as we have already noted can be affected by health behaviors which integrative care can help with. We encourage mindfulness of these influences by following the pa- tient closely in the first 2-3 years post- treatment and improving their health as well as appropriate use of any test- ing to better assess the biologic terrain of a person, which can influence cancer recurrence and overall health. Labs and visits to assess and coun- sel the patient, are often helpful in knowing what needs to be addressed to achieve the best anti-cancer terrain possible. Examples of labs include in- flammatory markers, blood sugar and insulin levels, Copper and Vitamin D levels. It is also important to under- stand the uniqueness of any particular type of cancer, a rather large catch-all term for what is really many different disease types each occurring within a unique individual human being with
a unique internal terrain which can be worked with and modified when necessary to improve outcomes.
Colleen Tetzlaff, DNP, FNP-C, AOCNP is the owner of Integrative Therapies for Prevention, Cancer and Chronic Disease operating at the Integrative Health Center of Maine in Portland, Maine. She has been practicing as a nurse practitioner since 1997 and in private practice since 2010. She specializes in integrative cancer care, prevention-oriented primary care and chronic disease management using a functional medicine and integrative approach to care. Learn more about her practice at
www.integrativethera-
piesmaine.com or by calling 207-699- 3838. See ad on page 14.
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