A woman from New York City decided to have her surgery for breast cancer at Magee so that, during her recovery, she could be closer to family in Pittsburgh. During the course of her treatments following surgery, she attended weekly sessions at Magee’s Holistic Cancer Center, where she learned stress reduction techniques, had a massage, and talked with other women who have cancer. She returned to her New York home, and months later, when she was ready to have reconstructive surgery, she elected to have the second surgery at Magee because she remembered how much the holistic classes helped her.
AT RIGHT: Under the warming glow of a heat lamp, Dr. Judy Balk places a needle in one of the body’s most effective pressure points as part of acupunture therapy for Gerry Barrett of Pittsburgh’s Swisshelm Park neighborhood. The holistic approach has been effective in relieving fatigue during Ms. Barrett’s current round of radiation therapy in her breast cancer treatment regimen.
“It’s obvious we’re meeting a huge need,” says Judith Balk, MD, assistant professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, who conducts free Tuesday classes that introduce people with cancer to a variety of complementary medicine techniques, from yoga and guided imagery, to nutrition counseling and relaxation techniques.
“These classes are my favorite part of the week,” says Dr. Balk. “The Center offers women a toolbox of helpful skills at a time when they feel overwhelmed or are battling through the side effects of treatment. We’re not a support group, but women in class can say what they need to say among people who understand.”
Besides helping cancer patients, Dr. Balk uses complementary medicine and holistic health approaches to assist people with a variety of health problems and has seen physicians and consumers not only accept alternative techniques, but ask for them. Complementary medicine had always intrigued Dr. Balk in her medical school days. Once she had an opportunity to study the techniques through a National Institutes of Health training grant at Magee, she was sold on their value to patients.
“Acupuncture has become the busiest part of my practice,” she notes. It’s been used successfully to relieve side effects of chemotherapy, to ease orthopaedic or chronic pain, to calm symptoms of menopause, and even to improve pregnancy rate for invitro fertilization.
“Sure it’s easier to give someone a prescription than to perform acupuncture, and sometimes medication is the best course. But sometimes a pill doesn’t work, or the person can’t tolerate it,” Dr. Balk explains. “That’s when it’s time to bring in other options. Holistic health practices do not replace well-studied treatment, but are combined with standard care to give the patient the best possible outcome.”
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