At SVCCC, we believe that aligning your spiritual and emotional needs with your medical treatment can help improve your outcome and quality of life. The Complementary Therapies Program embodies this philosophy, offering therapies that help heal the whole person—mind, body and spirit. Our experienced professionals will help you access therapies such as yoga, massage, acupuncture, Reiki, therapeutic touch and Qi Gong. These are not alternative treatments to your medical care; rather, they are therapies used in combination with traditional myeloma treatments to provide you with a well-rounded approach to care.

Q&A with the Manager of the Complementary Therapies Program, Ooi-Thye Chong, RN, MPH.

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Q: How do you work with patients and the myeloma team?

A: I work with our patients in many ways, one of which is providing them with individualized consults. The aim of the consult is to develop a plan of complementary therapies that is based on their needs, health status and interests. I also help them to safely integrate these therapies into their conventional myeloma treatments by working closely with the myeloma team.

Q: What happens during the initial consultation with myeloma patients?

A: During the initial consultation, patients identify their most pressing health issues and needs (other than those being addressed by biomedicine). Talking about what is troubling them and being listened to can help them process issues such as anxiety, fear, anger or pain. It also helps them to experience their illness in a more positive way. The initial consult is a golden opportunity for myeloma patients to ask questions about complementary therapies.

Once the patient's needs are identified, I develop a plan of complementary therapies. For example, if a patient is experiencing pain and anxiety, I may suggest acupuncture and some form of stress reduction like Reiki or yogic breathing.

Q: In your experience, does any one therapy stand out as being particularly helpful for myeloma patients?

A: A lot of times it's a matter of the patient's preference—what resonates with them. Yoga is excellent. And I definitely encourage a more "restorative" yoga for myeloma patients, particularly for those who have issues with their bones. The most important and beneficial element of yoga is learning how to breathe and how to use the breath to become relaxed and centered. Breathing is a great form of meditation; it soothes the mind and calms the body. This skill is invaluable in the face of stress and uncertainty.

Acupuncture has proven to be very helpful in relieving pain. It can also have a calming effect. Reiki is another excellent therapy for myeloma patients because it's so non-invasive. Reiki is a subtle vibrational therapy that is facilitated with a light touch. When a Reiki practitioner places his or her hands on the patient, the hands are like tuning forks that realign the patient's energy and put the body back into harmony.

Q: What do you do when patients tell you they are taking herbal or vitamin supplements?

A: There are many critical issues surrounding the use of supplements, including safety, efficacy, and herb-drug and herb-disease interactions. Many of our patients are unaware of them. That's why it's so important to discuss these topics with our patients. My advice to them is guided by scientific data and/or clinical experience. It's also important that patients have this open dialogue about supplement use with their myeloma physician and nurse.