I apologize for the lateness of the newsletter. Without making excuses, which we all have plenty of anyway, I will say that somehow the newsletter became a one-woman production. Although we may be extremely interesting, I do not want Charlene Pattillo, BSN, RN, OCN^®, and I to be the only contributors to the newsletter, which belongs to our membership. I will be attending Congress this year. At our SIG’s meeting, we will work on how we can make the newsletter a more cooperative endeavor. Assigning special editors and correspondents for different areas of interest is one way to help achieve our goal.

What could you contribute to the newsletter? Do you have an editorial relevant to complementary and integrative therapies (CIT)? Send a description of recently funded research. Describe your program of research and include a list of your publications or give a student an opportunity to submit a paper related to CIT. Let me know if you want to contribute.

Oncology Nurses Make Great Cancer Guides

CancerGuides^® (Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington, DC) offers training in integrative oncology for healthcare professionals and patient advocates. Knowledgeable advocates can work collaboratively with patients with cancer to help them make well-informed choices about complementary and conventional cancer care. "The prime focus of this training is safe, effective and satisfying integration of modalities according to the needs and choices of individual patients” (Center for Mind-Body Medicine, 2006). CancerGuides equips professionals and advocates to support people with cancer as they move through the challenges and side effects of treatment.

Course content includes

• Cutting-edge research and how to evaluate it
• Models of integrative oncology in comprehensive cancer centers and private practice
• Psychoneuroimmunology and the psychobiology of cancer
• Making mind-body medicine integral to cancer care
• Exercise, massage, and energy medicine
• Nutritional approaches to cancer
• Coping with conventional care and its side effects
• Integrating Chinese medicine into cancer care
• Becoming a cancer guide.

Faculty include a wide representation of integrative healthcare professionals and patient advocate guides, such as advanced practice nurses, family practice medical doctors, librarians, medical oncologists, medical writers, naturopathic physicians, nutritionists, psychiatrists, psychologists, radiologists, social workers, and cancer survivors. Oncology nurses who integrate conventional care with expertise in complementary and integrative therapies make ideal guides for patients with cancer and can assist them in making integrative care choices that provide qualitative and quantitative benefits. For more information, visit www.cmbm.org.

Reference

Cancer Guides Help Patients Find Their Paths to Healing

When I remember CancerGuides^® (Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington, DC) Professional Training, a few key phrases come to mind.

My clinical expertise is in critical care, AIDS care, and hospice and homecare administration. I went to the conference with a limited background in various aspects of cancer care, from diagnoses to pathogenesis and conventional treatment modalities. I am a cancer survivor, but I am not an expert in cancer diagnosis and therapy. I was diagnosed with chronic mylogenous leukemia two years ago and have created an integrated healing path for myself through targeted medication, acupuncture, supplements, massage, meditation, therapy, journal writing, dance, rest, and laughter. Some could say that I am a poster child for the success of the integrated care model. I was spared the trauma and drain of the typical trajectory of diagnosis, decision making, intervention, and recovery. I wanted to help others, so I enrolled in the conference, hoping it would serve as an educational springboard.

I learned a lot from the presentations and discussions and gained confidence about how to assist people with various diagnoses. Most importantly, I now have the skills to create a practice that includes the research and networking necessary to best serve patients with cancer. The skills also will be useful in teaching patients how to live healthy lifestyles and prevent major illness.

“I don’t know what is going to happen in your situation, but I do know that you have options. There is so much that you can do.” That quote is hopeful, and the training and tools are part of my healing basket. More than once since the conference, I have shared newfound knowledge with newly-diagnosed patients, who are grateful to know that they have options and support. Giving a sense of hope and empowerment is sometimes enough for patients to consider complementary and integrative therapies, mind-body-spirit work, and the possibility of complementary improved outcomes. I learned that there is so much good news and many simple, yet powerful interventions are available that most people just don’t know about.

Patients should know their full range of options when making treatment decisions so they can enjoy successful outcomes. As healthcare practitioners, we have so many avenues available to us to bring the integrated care model into the mainstream and to the bedside. We are and will continue to give life to integrated programs in the existing traditional models of practice through research, training, advocacy, publications, and direct patient care. For me, the course was one more step on the journey to educate myself, so I can assist and empower others.

The faculty and staff of CMBM continuously demonstrated that we share the philosophy of care best when we live it ourselves. To adequately inform and inspire patients to seek an integrated model of cancer care, we must embrace a model of holistic self care in our own lives. Some of our authority as advocates of complementary and integrative therapies comes from the experience of what self-care does for us. I left the conference inspired and prepared to better care for myself on all levels.

Gordon and the team treated everyone with enthusiasm, humility, and deep respect. Their attitude, along with the structure of the conference, created an environment so safe that we each had the opportunity to learn and grow on all levels—physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the CancerGuides program. I’m excited to develop programs in my community using the skills and information that I’ve gained, and I’m grateful to have a new network of professional friends to call on for support and celebration. Together, we can change the experience of cancer from one of fear, confusion, and devastation to one that is infused with the possibility for deep transformation and healthy living.

My favorite quote during the week came from Gordon. “While there is a problem to be solved, there is a mystery to be lived.”

CancerGuides^® Incorporates Complementary and Integrative Therapies in Cancer Care

My interest in incorporating complementary and integrative therapies (CIT) with conventional cancer care sent me from New Mexico to graduate school in New England, where I focused on complementary therapies and cancer research. A colleague from Yale and I attended “Comprehensive Cancer Care 2001: Integrating Complementary and Alternative Therapies” sponsored by the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. There we heard about CancerGuides^® (Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington, DC) training; I was intrigued. Although I wanted to attend the course the same year, I could not imagine doing it while I was in school. Last fall, as I moved into the final year of my postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington, the opportunity to take the training arose. Thanks to the generosity of Susan B. Komen for the Cure and the George Family Foundation scholarships, I was able to attend.

The weeklong program was held at a comfortable and modest resort hotel in Bloomingdale, IL, just west of Chicago. The resort featured a large atrium with an indoor stream running along artificial banks. Large trees and potted plants were interspersed with comfortable armchairs, sofas, and reading lamps. A bar called “the Cave” was literally under the running water. In my room, I had a comfortable bed and an agreeable roommate. I settled in contentedly for the week. Integrative care information would be coming our way via nurses, physicians, social workers, and lay cancer guides as we journeyed through the cancer trajectory from diagnosis, treatment, remission, recurrence, and the possibility of death.

This integrative care training offered ample opportunities for self-care; morning yoga was one possibility. We also could take advantage of the in-house spa. A special lunch prepared by Rebecca Katz, gourmet chef and author of One Bite at a Time, was a conference highlight. In addition, as a complement to the intensive, intellectual input, we each were assigned to a group with whom we met daily throughout the program. In the group sessions, we had an opportunity to process the events of the day through meditation, sharing, and artful expression. My experience can be best summarized by my small group experience.

The “C” word: We were instructed to write the word “cancer” in the middle of a piece of paper and add words or pictures that we associated with cancer. I wrote the word. Then I wrote nice words like transformation, movement, journey, and love. Next, I moved to words like loss, relinquishment, and sorrow and after to anger and rage. Where did they come from? Ah, the wounds of loss from the death of my mate two years ago from pancreatic cancer revealed that they were not yet healed. I found that the flower I wanted to draw in the middle of the “C” turned into a cluster of cancer cells, so I drew more and more all over the word—a few even dropped off to metastasize. The little adventure that I thought would make me better informed about integrative cancer care took me on a personal journey of healing. Of course this is what integrative holistic care is all about!

My own personal integrative care team: My drawing began with a flower in the center. We were supposed to imagine we had cancer and elaborate on the resources we would draw on for our care. I could not give myself cancer. I had already died from it once with my mate. I was able to spiral outward from the center listing the people, concepts, healthcare professionals, spiritual healers, and spiritual guides I would draw on. Not only were we learning the basics of becoming cancer guides, we were being guided out of any possibility of isolated indifference into recognition of our own vulnerable humanity.

Meeting my inner guide: With so much information—some of it conflicting—one needs to draw on a higher power to help with the sorting. In our small group, we were led in a meditation to meet our inner guide—mine was quite playful.

Imagining my death: Through a guided meditation, we were instructed to imagine our death, our age at the time of death, the people—living and nonliving—that would surround us, and how we felt about the whole thing. We all had very different experiences. For some, the immediacy of death was a wake-up call. For others, a new appreciation of life developed. I got in touch with the possibility of a very long life, of finding joy in living beyond my own personal grief and loss.

Living full out: My drawing featured a vibrant flower in the center surrounded by a new set of being and doing words: Qigong, singing, cat loving, friends, forgiveness, gifting, creativity, nurturing diet, relationships, hiking, colleagues, prayer, envisioning, etc. The flower was suspended above a triangle of support from the divine source with instructions for listening, asking “what is mine to do?” and living in the present. We concluded that day with a ritual of remembrance for those who have died, followed by a party and celebration of life.

Participate in the SIG

We received the results of the 2006 SIG Quality Improvement and Needs Assessment Survey. Overall, participation in the survey was much lower than in 2005. I understand the great competition for time and energy that all of us encounter and believe that accounts for the lack of participation. Those who participated were female, were older than 50, had 21 or more years in nursing, and had 11 or more years in oncology nursing. What a wealth of experience and knowledge we can share and what a great opportunity to seek means to encourage younger, less experienced nurses to become involved.

Our membership also requested educational opportunities. Specific areas of interest include yoga, massage, spiritual care, Reiki, aromatherapy, humor, and cognitive behavioral, music, art, and animal-assisted therapy. Members indicated expertise in Reiki, spiritual care, humor, aromatherapy, herbs, healing touch, massage, music therapy, and yoga. Members offered to reply to surveys, submit topics for Congress and Institutes of Learning, write articles for the newsletter, participate in work groups, submit feedback on the SIG’s strategic plan and help prepare a list of resources. Eighty-five percent of respondents indicated a preference for online education but few reported use of the Virtual Community. This also was true at the combined SIG leadership meeting in May. Other respondents are looking at ways to make the Virtual Community more accessible.  

•  Pamela Potter, APRN-BC, DNSc (potterpj@u.washington.edu), our newsletter editor, is delighted to work with you to share information in the SIG newsletter, published three times yearly.

• Mary Beth Revak, RN, OCN® (marybeth.revak@mjh.org), our Web administrator, welcomes your input.

•  Jody Owen, BSN, RN (joann.owen@med.va.gov) has coordinated the Rejuvenation Room at Congress for many years and plans to retire from the role after 2007. This is a wonderful opportunity for others to be mentored to continue the activity as well as to teach and learn about complementary therapies in a fun environment.

Attend an Upcoming Conference

Registration Is Open for the ONS 32nd Annual Congress
Everyone’s a winner at the ONS 32nd Annual Congress, to be held from April 24–27 in Las Vegas, NV. You can earn up to 20 contact hours at Congress, the number one conference for cancer nurses. Visit www.ons.org/meetings/Congress07/index.shtml.

Online Resources
American Holistic Nurses’ Association 27th Annual Conference
June 7–10, 2007
Lake Tahoe, CA
Wheels of Life: Celebrating Transitions

The conference will be held at the Granlibakken Conference Center and Lodge in Tahoe City, CA (www.Granlibakken.com). This is a place that will help you unwind, rediscover yourself, and connect with your surroundings. Put the date on your calendar now and plan to attend this fabulous experience celebrating your life's journey.

If we were to meet in an elevator, what would you tell me about yourself, your work in oncology, interests and research with complementary and integrative therapies, and your hopes and dreams for integrative cancer care? What kind of networking are you looking for? Write 300 words about yourself and give your SIG members an opportunity to get to know you. You’ll be glad you did!

Margaretta S. Page, MS, RN, primary author of the ONS Putting Evidence Into Practice (PEP) card on sleep-wake disturbances and its corresponding article in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, recounts her first-hand experience using the PEP resources. Click here for the article.

Check out the Oncology Nursing Forum (ONF) for interesting articles about complementary and integrative therapies.

• “Partner-Delivered Reflexology: Effects on Cancer Pain and Anxiety” by Nancy L.N. Stephenson, PhD, RN, CS, Melvin Swanson, PhD, JoAnn Dalton, EdD, RN, FAAN, Francis J. Keefe, PhD, and Martha Engelke, PhD, RN (ONF, Vol. 34, pp. 127–132)
• “A Pilot Study to Test the Effects of Art-Making Classes for Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer” by Sandra M. Walsh, RN, PhD, R. Sue Radcliffe, MA, Lynnette C. Castillo, BA, Adarsh M. Kumar, PhD, and Dawn M. Broschard, MS, EdD (ONF, Vol. 34, online exclusive)
• “Complementary and Alternative Medicine Modality Use and Beliefs Among African American Prostate Cancer Survivors” by Randy A. Jones, PhD, RN, Ann Gill Taylor, EdD, RN, FAAN, Cheryl Bourguignon, PhD, RN, Richard Steeves, PhD, FNP, FAAN, Gertrude Fraser, PhD, Marguerite Lippert, MD, Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, Holly Mathews, PhD, and Kerry Laing Kilbridge, MD, MSc (ONF, Vol. 34, pp. 359–364)

For access to the full-text versions of these and other ONF articles, visit the Publications area of the ONS Web site.

Membership Information

• Network with colleagues in an identified subspecialty area around the country.
• Contribute articles for your SIG's newsletter.
• Participate in discussions with other SIG members.
• Contribute to the future path of the SIG.
• Share your expertise.
• Support and/or mentor a colleague.
• Receive information about the latest advancements in treatments, clinical trials, etc.
• Participate in ONS leadership by running for SIG coordinator-elect or join SIG work groups.
• Acquire information with a click of a mouse at http://sig.vc.ons.org/, including
• Educational opportunities for your subspecialty
• Education material on practice
• Calls to action
• News impacting or affecting your specific SIG
• Newsletters
• Communiqués
• Meeting minutes.

Join a Virtual Community
A great way to stay connected to your SIG is to join its Virtual Community. It's easy to do so. All you will need to do is

• Log on to the ONS Web site (www.ons.org).
• Select "Membership" from the tabs above.
• Then, click on "Chapters, SIGs & Virtual Communities."
• Scroll down to "Special Interest Groups (SIG) Virtual Community" and click.
• Now, select "Find a SIG."
• Locate and click on the name of your SIG from the list of all ONS SIGs displayed.
• Once the front page of your SIG's Virtual Community appears on screen, select "New User" from the top left. (This allows you to create log-in credentials.)
• Type the required information into the text fields as prompted.
• Click "Join Group" (at the bottom right of the text fields) when done.

Special Notices

• If you already have log-in credentials generated from the ONS Web site, use this information instead of attempting to generate new information.
• If you created log-in credentials for the ONS Web site and wish to have different log-in information, you will not be able to use the same e-mail address to generate your new credentials. Instead, use an alternate e-mail address.

Subscribe to Your SIG's Virtual Community Discussion Forum
All members are encouraged to participate in their SIG's discussion forum. This area affords the opportunity for exchange of information between members and nonmembers on topics specific to all oncology subspecialties. Once you have your log-in credentials, you are ready to subscribe to your SIG's Virtual Community discussion forum. To do so,

• Select "Log In," located next to "New User," and enter your information.
• Next, click on the "Discussion" tab on the top right of the title bar.
• Now, select "Featured Discussion" from the left drop-down menu.
• Locate and select "Subscribe to Discussion" inside the "Featured Discussion" section.
• Go to "Subscription Options" and select "Options."
• When you have selected and entered all required criteria, you will receive a confirmation message.
• Click "Finish."
• You are now ready to begin participating in your SIG's discussion forum.

• First, log in. (This allows others to identify you and enables you to receive notification [via e-mail] each time a response or new topic is posted.)
• Click on "Discussion" from the top title bar.
• Select "Featured Discussion" from the left drop-down menu.
• Click on any posted topic to view contents and post responses.

Sign Up to Receive Your SIG's Virtual Community Announcements
As an added feature, members also are able to register to receive their SIG's announcements by e-mail.

• From your SIG's Virtual Community page, locate the "Sign Up Here to Receive Your SIG's Announcements" section. This appears above the posted announcements section.
• Select the "Click Here" feature, which will take you to a link to subscribe.
• Once the "For Announcement Subscription Only" page appears on screen, select how you wish to receive your announcements.
• As individual e-mails each time a new announcement is posted
• One e-mail per day comprised of all new daily announcements posted
• Opt-out, indicating that you will frequently browse your SIG's Virtual Community page for new postings
• Enter your e-mail address.
• Click on "Next Page."
• Because you have already joined your SIG's Virtual Community, you will receive a security prompt with your registered user name already listed. Enter your password at this prompt and click "Finish."
• This will bring up a listing of your SIG's posted announcements. Click on "My SIG's Page" to view all postings in their entirety or to conclude the registration process and begin browsing.

To view past newsletters, click here.

ONS Membership/Leadership Team Contact Information

Angie Stengel, MS, CAE, Director of Membership/Leadership
astengel@ons.org
412-859-6244

Diane Scheuring, MBA, Manager of Member Services
dscheuring@ons.org
412-859-6256

Carol DeMarco, Membership/Leadership Administrative Assistant
cdemarco@ons.org
412-859-6230

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) does not assume responsibility for the opinions expressed and information provided by authors or by Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Acceptance of advertising or corporate support does not indicate or imply endorsement of the company or its products by ONS or the SIG. Web sites listed in the SIG newsletters are provided for information only. Hosts are responsible for their own content and availability.

Oncology Nursing Society
125 Enterprise Dr.
Pittsburgh, PA 15275-1214
866-257-4ONS
412-859-6100
www.ons.org