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For more than 12 million U.S. cancer survivors, accepting a 'new normal' is easier said than done. Cancer survivor Dr. Julie Silver started a national...
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Hello welcome to -- dog I'm Dr.
Manny.
For more than twelve million cancer survivors in the US accepting -- new normal is easier said than done.
My guest today is -- to Julie silver she is a cancer survivor herself.
And it's starting in national cancer rehabilitation program to help patients continue to heal.
After the treatment is over.
Thank you for coming I think this is that it I think is a very important because more and more every day we have people beating cancer.
Of course we're diagnosing a lot of more -- today because the technology is getting better so rehab makes sex so.
What is -- -- rehab with each.
The easiest way to think about it is to think about stroke rehab OK you know if you if someone has a stroke he would never tell them we'll just go home and figure it out on Iran right -- home accepting -- -- -- They'd be sent to a rehab doctor let me -- -- -- -- chance they would be sent to physical therapy occupational therapy speech language pathology.
I'm so there's a lot of medical treatment that they be offered to help them he hill walked me through some of the steps that you would -- So.
Part of my work -- -- -- -- -- very new and exciting very cutting edge which is called for rehabilitation.
Okay that's when someone's diagnosed.
And before they even start treatment but we want to do is get them physically and emotionally as strong as possible.
To get through that treatment whatever that is whether there cured in -- living with cancer whatever we want to help them to get as as physically and emotionally strong as possible he -- That's a window of time when they aren't they're devastated right there -- there in limbo.
And any Paris.
Picked them up and say are these are the things that really make a difference is that the things that are gonna really help you do get them -- -- if -- lung cancer you would do some pulmonary.
I'm.
Rehabilitation right so you breathing exercises exam are expanding your you know would the we know there's a technical term but basically you know bring him back Felix this city of the lungs and things like that.
Exactly and -- addition -- -- it's about setting up rehabilitation is that it may actually open up some options for cancer survivors in terms of treatment.
Let's say a lung cancer survivor wasn't a surgical candidate because of breathing problems tonight doing the -- have part might actually open up some options for that per -- But -- the goal really is to get them as physically and emotionally strung as possible to get them ready for treatment so that's that's the pre happen.
-- have is during or after treatment on dip in some cancer survivors are never off treatment so it's during or after treatment.
So it was solid -- I'll give you scenario.
Breast cancer survivor.
-- little bit breast cancer patient and gets a mastectomy.
Or lumpectomy gets chemo have to words plan now achieve feels weak.
For many months to come right right.
Maybe a little muscle waste pitch.
So they would come to you and you would institute a program to say no we've got to go back to exercise we got to build muscles so that's one aspect of it right yeah.
It's money spent an exercise is one part of the but we'd also be thinking about things like OK that patient might have chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy that Iraq that the of their -- Pena -- the pain.
So he might wanna treated with medications or we might want to run some tests -- or are we might wanna recommend some other -- -- exercise is not a synonym for rehab right part of that right to tool it's a tool right tool in the rehab tool -- Right -- what comes out of that it's a person now that realizes how important physical fitness is sprang both physical and emotional brain.
So I guess -- trying to achieve a little bit of that through the can't the specializing in cancer patient.
It's exactly and in fact one of the things that that's been really studied recently is this idea of distress and cancer survivors.
And -- number one reason for distress is disability right and they had a hand in hand the more you help someone physically the more the better they do it emotionally.
Right.
And question everybody's gonna ask this insurance cover it yes that's okay Gooden is insurance covers that they should be coming I think this I guess will be push more and more.
From the big cancer institute's right so part of my work was really too.
-- developed the star program which is survivorship training and rehabilitation and the star program.
Is a model for cancer rehab that a lot of the big cancer centers have adopted but also community hospitals have adopted.
So -- it that cancer survivors.
Have a ways to get access to these services by people who are strained right -- to treat them for their rehab.
And -- against you use your own personal experience as a cancer survivor yourself to say -- This is something that I should have had or -- I wish it was available back then Friday exactly.
What do you see the future of rehab medicine -- -- -- be to be.
I think it's huge the research shows that between 65 and 90% of cancer survivors should be referred for cancer rehab.
And most aren't right and so I think the future is we've got -- get those patients from the oncology department to the rehab department.
Or bring the rehab department into the oncology -- some of these patients get care.
All right well I love the idea I think this is -- and I think patients should do really.
Learn more about it because.
I think this is a part of the healing process and they really can get you back on your feet.
And you know pitch you know get you to the next step which is it.
Putting cancer altogether away and looking at the bright future that everybody has what can people get more information.
They can go to oncology rehab partners dot com.
Where they can just Google the star program and -- find Google cancer in the star program and I'll find all kinds of information about it are.
I will thank you so much for coming here and -- -- We'll get there will get an -- may be in them if you Marshall now just to see how.
Some of the data goes I'm sure that you're going to be collecting some data really showing us the effectiveness of the program like this.
Yeah absolutely we've actually done two statewide initiatives one in Rhode Island and one in Massachusetts to bring the star program to every survivor geographically in that state.
-- itself very exciting.
All right thank you very much thank you.
I did you have any questions you can email me here at fox I've got to many of -- not come until next time I'm -- them.
