If you need radiation for breast cancer ask your radiation oncologist, before starting treatment, if they can treat you with a technique that may be able to significantly lower the amount of radiation dose to your lung and/or heart. This technique is ... [Read More]
Conventional Treatments
In this section, you will learn about various conventional cancer therapies, pharmaceutical drugs, procedures and tests that are either innovative or merely interesting topics that Dr. Lawenda wants to share with patients.
Toxic Produce, Light Therapy, Ketogenic Diet And More
The 2016 "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen" Lists Are Out EWG's "Dirty Dozen" for the first time rates strawberries as the #1 most toxic produce item. They are contaminated by pesticides linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental damage, ... [Read More]
Electric Field Treatment For Brain Tumors
A novel, electric field treatment (called tumor treating fields or TTF) for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumors, increases survival without any serious side effects. I'm a big fan of this therapy. The device is called "Optune," by ... [Read More]
Why You Need An Integrative Oncologist
Whether you just were diagnosed with cancer, currently undergoing treatment or are in remission you want to make sure you are doing everything you can do to make your body less conducive to cancer growth or recurrence. If cancer was a simple ... [Read More]
Alternative Medicine Gurus Are Misleading Cancer Patients
If you have been searching for information about treating cancer "naturally," I'm sure you've read articles, blog posts and watched videos and documentaries that make the following claims: Pharmaceutical companies already have the cure for cancer ... [Read More]
Vaginal Pain After Breast Cancer Treatable With Liquid Lidocaine
Vaginal pain during intercourse ("dyspareunia") is not uncommon among breast cancer survivors who are taking medications to block or lower estrogen. This is believed to be due to the thinning of the vaginal tissues when estrogen levels are low. A ... [Read More]
Cancer Outcome Statistics Don’t Apply To You
When reporting cancer outcome statistics, the most common thing you are told by oncologists are 5-year outcome data (i.e. survival, recurrence, etc.) But those results do NOT apply to you. They only apply to a population of patients. Dr. ... [Read More]
Should You Get A Second Opinion In Your Cancer Care?
Obtaining a second opinion on your care is your right as a patient. Never feel guilty about asking for one. All physicians have had patients either come to them for a second opinion or have had patients obtain one elsewhere. If this upsets your ... [Read More]
Cancer Requires Personalized Treatment
Most of us in oncology like to say that we practice “personalized” medicine. What we mean by this is that we take into account many patient and cancer-specific variables when we formulate our treatment recommendations. These include such things ... [Read More]
Angelina Jolie Pitt Effect Highlights BRCA Mutation Testing and Preventative Surgery Options
Angelina Jolie came out publicly, in a 2013 New York Times Op-Ed article, explaining that she chose to undergo preventative bilateral mastectomies to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer after finding out she carried a BRCA gene mutation. ... [Read More]
Take A Deep Breath In And Hold: A 20 second technique reduces radiation to the heart and lungs during breast radiation
If you need radiation for breast cancer ask your radiation oncologist, before starting treatment, if they can treat you with a technique that may be able to significantly lower the amount of radiation dose to your lung and/or heart. This technique is ... [Read More]
Do You Have Prostate Cancer?
Listen up men. There is a great new tool now available to help you better understand your risk of having prostate cancer. Check out this simple to use risk calculator, created by the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. It takes only a few ... [Read More]
Light exposure at night increases breast cancer growth and inhibits Tamoxifen
Light exposure at night suppresses the brain's release of melatonin, a potent natural antioxidant and anticancer hormone. Previous studies have shown that even dim light exposure suppresses the release of melatonin. (Read my article on light exposure ... [Read More]
Increased Risk Of Metabolic Syndrome In Adult Survivors Of Childhood Cancer
A new St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study reports that Pediatric cancer survivors have a significantly higher risk (32%) of developing metabolic syndrome as adults. Metabolic syndrome (also known as insulin resistance syndrome, ... [Read More]
Dr Brian Lawenda’s Breast Cancer Talk (Video)
Watch Dr. Brian Lawenda’s talk on a breast cancer. He discusses a variety of related topics, such as: Reducing your risk of developing breast cancer Introduction to the role of integrative oncology in breast cancer care Breast cancer ... [Read More]
Dr Brian Lawenda’s Lung Cancer Talk (Video)
Watch Dr. Brian Lawenda's talk on a lung cancer. He discusses a variety of related topics, such as: Reducing your risk of developing lung cancer Introduction to the role of integrative oncology in lung cancer care Lung cancer ... [Read More]
Dr Brian Lawenda’s Prostate Cancer Talk (Video)
Dr. Brian Lawenda reviews the basics of prostate cancer, covering such topics as: Discussion about prostate cancer risk factors and the use of integrative oncology to reduce these risks and hopefully improve cancer outcomes after a ... [Read More]
Dr Lawenda Discusses Cancer Screening and Risks (Listen)
Learn about some of the most common cancer screening recommendations and cancer risk factors in Dr. Brian Lawenda's, June 2014, 17-minute, interview on the Alan Stock Show (KDWN, AM 720). As always you'll also hear his plug on the importance of ... [Read More]
Dr Lawenda Discusses Integrative Oncology (Listen)
Learn about Dr. Lawenda's integrative oncology practice. During this 60-minute interview he discusses how he combines state of the art cancer treatments, complementary therapies and anticancer lifestyle changes. Radio interview on the Healthy ... [Read More]
Heart Injury After Cancer Treatment: Why Longterm Follow-Up Is Essential
Dangerous cardiovascular complications are becoming increasingly evident in cancer patients and survivors. Older radiation therapy techniques and numerous cancer drugs can injury the heart and coronary arteries, leading to serious medical conditions ... [Read More]
Common Antidepressant Drug May Promote Breast Cancer
A new study from the City of Hope has found that the commonly prescribed antidepressant drug PAXIL (paroxitene) may promote breast cancer growth. This finding is concerning since about 25% of U.S. women in the 40's and 50's are prescribed ... [Read More]
Optimize Your Body And Mind Before Surgery
Is there an upcoming surgery in your future? If so, get your body and mind ready with these recommendations to help you heal more more quickly, have less pain and decrease your risk of surgery-related complications. Preparing Your MIND: Did you ... [Read More]
Lowering Cholesterol May Reduce Breast Cancer Growth
Breast cancer is sneaky. A new study discovers a trick that breast cancers use to get around some of our best drugs. If you know about this trick you'll be able to take action to put a stop to it. The Background: Two-thirds of all breast cancers ... [Read More]
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Reduces Chronic Radiation Side Effects: Proctitis, Cystitis, Necrosis
If you are having persistent side effects (i.e. proctitis, cystitis) lasting months to years after radiation therapy to the pelvis, a new study reports a 76-89% improvement in these symptoms using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). How Does HBOT ... [Read More]
A Simple Way To Potentially Reduce Cancer Recurrence: Use A Local Anesthetic
In a new study, the authors found that the addition of a local anesthetic to general anesthesia during breast cancer surgery reduced breast cancer recurrences and death by greater than 60%!! Not surprisingly, this also reduced postoperative pain. ... [Read More]
Higher Risk Of Developing Another Cancer After Your First Diagnosis
If your body grew one cancer it has a higher risk of developing another one in the future. A new study reports that breast cancer survivors have a 29-96% increased risk of developing a second cancer in the future. It's never too late to ... [Read More]
Anti-Inflammatory Medications May Increase Survival In Cancer Patients
Why is it important to reduce inflammation? If you are a frequent reader of our IOE blog you already know how important it is to keep inflammation in your body down as much as possible after a cancer diagnosis. In particular it is the longstanding, ... [Read More]
Adrenal Exhaustion and Cancer: Is This Real?
Medical school teaches nothing about adrenal exhaustion (also known as adrenal fatigue). Most conventionally trained physicians believe this not to be a real medical diagnosis. Instead, it is simply felt to be only in the mind of the patient with no ... [Read More]
Can I Reduce The Risk Of My Cancer Growing Or Coming Back?
Literally, hundreds of patients have asked me: 'What can I do to help reduce my risk of cancer coming back or growing?' If you currently have cancer or if you are cancer survivor you likely are confused about what works and what doesn't. This ... [Read More]
What Integrative Oncology Is And Is Not
http://youtu.be/cx5VuAMaW6k What Is Integrative Oncology? Before I get into clarifying what integrative oncology is NOT, let’s first make sure all of our newer readers know what it IS. Integrative oncology is the use of evidence-informed ... [Read More]