Science Based & Patient Driven
Cancer Counseling and Support
One-on-one individualized Cancer Counseling is at the heart of what we do! We would be happy to provide you telephone counseling about your cancer concern. Please call Dr. Shayne on her direct line at (610) 234-0671 to schedule an appointment with her.
We at BeatCancer.Org work on a donation and membership basis, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Often patients, their family members or friends do make a contribution, but many are without financial means. Regardless of whether a patient donates, we have never turned anyone away for inability to pay.
BeatCancer.org is a resource center, not a treatment center. Our unique counseling, coaching and referral service provides individualized telephone-based guidance to patients and caregivers nationwide to help enhance nutritional, psychological and immune status, prevent recurrence, reduce suffering, minimize treatment side effects, improve quality of life, and increase the odds for long-term survival. We serve English-speaking adults anywhere in the world through education, coaching, counseling, resources, referrals, and support.
Our Patient Services Program, implemented by a well-trained and knowledgeable staff, offers to the individuals we serve many opportunities to attain high quality of life and sustained wellness. Through personalized guidance, BeatCancer.org counselors provide patients the tools to make informed decisions and to understand, evaluate, and access additional therapeutic options. We support self-sufficiency and patient empowerment through individualized and innovative science-based resources in preventive, holistic, integrative, complementary and alternative medicine.
When I share my story, people say, “gosh, you’re a miracle!” They can’t believe that I move so well on the tennis court (after two hip replacements) and feel so well (after three bouts of metastatic cervical cancer) and stay high-energy through the day. BeatCancer.org helped me through this life-threatening illness. Dr. Susan Silberstein showed me options: If I chose radiation, how would I cope with the side effects? What nutritional, emotional and lifestyle changes could make a difference? I listened. Best of all, she gave me hope. I’m cancer-free now. (11 years) Bambi Dudley Consultants Arts Management BDudley@consultantsartsmgt.com
Cancer Counseling with an Individualized Approach:
Although the information we provide is science-based, it is patient-driven. Our counseling sessions are highly personalized and individualized for each patient. We focus on practical and manageable ways clients can make rapid, positive changes in their lives while paying special attention to their physical, financial, geographic and logistical limitations, as well as their belief systems. Patient participation is key, but trying to make a potentially life-changing decision can be overwhelming. BeatCancer.org specializes in helping patients to negotiate the maze of therapeutic options. We assist clients with resources and referrals specializing in clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, psychoneuro-immunology, and other immune-boosting approaches. We help to filter the complexity of informational resources for our clients, creating simple, easy to follow guides for recovery and prevention of recurrence. Thousands of cancer patients have benefited from the integrative lifestyle coaching provided by our counselors. Integrative lifestyle counseling helps clients design a holistic “game plan” to address multiple facets of their lives through various lifestyle approaches. Its purpose is to complement and enhance any medical choices a client may make. This approach can aid in the prevention and control of illness through help with diet, stress management, exercise, detoxification, and other factors. It may include referrals to a wide variety of healthcare practitioners to serve an individual’s special needs. Consultations may be scheduled in person, but most are by telephone. To arrange for a consultation with any of the Center’s counselors, call (610) 234-0671
Your organization is incredible and I have my greatly improved health to offer as evidence. Dr. Shayne is such an amazing person and has enlightened me about every aspect of health and well-being. I have subscribed to each recommendation she has made and already see the benefits of her great advice. I am certain for the first time in 6 years that recovery is within my reach. Thank you, thank you, thank you Dr. Shayne and BeatCancer.org!!! Keep up the great work! Teresa
Don’t Forget to Return the Favor!
For more than 35 years, we at BeatCancer.org have provided expert one-on-one, individualized nutritional, immunological, and psychological guidance to nearly 30,000 clients facing cancer — all on a donation basis – as often as is needed. Our average patient costs us more than $2000, yet we, receive no government funding and get no insurance reimbursement. We work on a donation and membership basis, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Often patients, their family members or friends do make a contribution, but many are without financial means. Regardless of whether a patient donates, we have never turned anyone away for inability to pay. If you have found our counseling to be helpful, we would like to ask that you consider making a gift to support our cause. As a donation-based organization, we rely on the generosity of our patients and the general public to provide the much-needed funding to continue our important work. A gift of any amount would be much appreciated and can be made on our Donate Page. We hope you will seriously consider how you can help us help others in their cancer success!
I first called you after relapsing from a bone marrow transplant for lymphoma…I asked if you could refer me to someone. You did. Since then I have learned a lot about food and nutrition, and…its impact on our health… My prior doctor told me that if I was extremely lucky I might go another 16 months. Well it is now 20 months and I feel great. I am leaving tomorrow to take my second snow skiing trip this season. –MR
Problem Statement – Why is Cancer Counseling Important?:
Over 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer annually. Despite an annual cost of billions of dollars for cancer research and treatment, more than 500,000 Americans lose their lives to cancer every year.[1] Hundreds of thousands more experience disease recurrence. As reported in the National Cancer Institute’s SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results) Incidence Report, it is estimated that 1,638,910 men and women will be diagnosed with cancer in 2012, and 577,190 men and women will die of cancer in 2012.[2] Data collected by the American Cancer Society shows that cancer of any kind is the second leading killer of Americans behind only heart diseases.[3] In addition to the problems of high cancer incidence and high cancer mortality, there are significant challenges experienced by cancer survivors. Over 19 million Americans are living with cancer[4], but not all are living well.
The National Cancer Institute lists the following common chemotherapy side effects[5]: Anemia, appetite changes, bleeding problems, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, hair loss, infection, memory changes, mouth and throat changes, nausea and vomiting, nerve changes, pain, sexual and fertility changes, skin and nail changes, swelling (fluid retention), and urination changes. The American Cancer Society lists the following common side effects of radiation[6]: Fatigue, skin problems, hair loss, blood count changes, and eating problems. Radiation can damage normal cells, and sometimes this damage can have long-term effects. For instance, radiation to the chest area may affect the lungs or heart. Radiation to the abdomen or pelvis can lead to bladder, bowel, or sexual problems in some people. Radiation in certain areas can also lead to fluid build-up and swelling (lymphedema), particularly common after breast irradiation. Of additional concern to patients treated for cancer is the risk of recurrence or risk for another cancer. The recurrence rate for breast cancer, for example, is between 10% and 20%, according to the American Cancer Society. In a new report from the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology, researchers reviewed the cases of more than two million cancer survivors and concluded that those treated for cancer have a 14% higher risk of developing a subsequent new malignancy than would be expected in the general population.[7] One of the most pressing issues faced by cancer patients is quality of life, or lack thereof. Millions of U.S. cancer survivors have a lower-than-normal quality of life, according to a study published in the Oct. 30, 2012 issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The investigators found that 25 percent of cancer survivors had lower than normal physical-health-related quality of life, and 10 percent had lower than normal mental-health-related quality of life. In all, about 3.3 million U.S. cancer survivors have a below-average physical quality of life, and nearly 1.4 million have a below-average mental quality of life, the researchers estimated.[8] The American Cancer Society Behavioral Research Center has concluded that quality of life is an important outcome in assessing the long term impact of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.[9] According to researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, a therapy program focused on improving quality of life can help people being treated for advanced cancer.[10] Optimal diet and nutritional supplementation have been proven to have a beneficial effect on cancer patients experiencing compromised immune function and poor quality of life. Researchers have found over 20 times increased lifespan among cancer patients supported by proper nutrition.[11]
For all of the above-stated reasons, cancer patients often look for holistic, integrative, complementary and alternative approaches (CAM) to improve quality of life and disease outcome. In fact, approximately 83 percent of persons with cancer use at least one complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modality.[12] However, most patients, confused or overwhelmed by the nearly 13 million resources for alternative cancer therapy available on the internet (www.Google.com), turn for support to cancer coaches or consultants to help them navigate their choices. The typical charge for such services may be hundreds of dollars, unattainable for many patients. This valuable guidance is available to every patient. Patients undergoing treatment for cancer often suffer from compromised immune function, low blood cell counts, lack of appetite, poor energy, weight loss, digestive disturbances, pain, anxiety and depression. Other patients are not candidates for, have failed on, or refuse conventional oncologic treatment. In either case, patients seeking to enhance their ability to heal are often hampered by physical, geographic, and financial limitations. Our unique model of telephone counseling makes our potentially life-saving assistance accessible to all. Our experience providing individualized guidance for nearly 30,000 patients has been shown to impact significantly our patients’ quality of life, risk for recurrence, and survival.
Goals and Objectives in Cancer Counseling:
The Center for Advancement in Cancer Education is committed to providing expert one-on-one, individualized nutritional, immunological, and psychological guidance to our clients facing cancer. The goals of BeatCancer.Org are simple. As a counseling service for the vast population of individuals dealing with the negative impacts of cancer, we continue to work to make patients more successful than they might otherwise be without our help. We help further the health and wellness opportunities of our participants by providing access to valuable educational and consultative services, services which are not available directly through their limited or non-existent health insurance. Our unique counseling and support service for diagnosed patients and those who would prevent recurrence helps to decrease mortality, increase the disease-free interval, and improve quality of life. Our organization emphasizes support for individuals struggling with their cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as tools for preventing recurrence. As a nonprofit that has specialized in cancer control through diet and lifestyle education for over three decades, BeatCancer.Org has tremendous expertise in delivering educational services focusing on nutritional guidance and disease protection. By providing patient support services that address the individual’s particular needs, we hope to ease some of the burdens of cancer and to help individuals achieve wellness with as little physical and emotional stress as possible. Recognizing the importance of adequate nutrition and lifestyle education, BeatCancer.Org works to address the multiple problems of access, instruction, and resources for individuals fighting cancer. Although modern oncologic treatment methods have increased survival for a host of cancer patients, it is the vision of BeatCancer.Org to provide to these and other patients the tools to understand, evaluate, and access additional therapeutic options that can further improve disease outcome. Our counseling, information and referral service provides individualized telephone guidance to patients and caregivers nationwide to help enhance nutritional, psychological and immune status, prevent recurrence, minimize treatment side effects, improve quality of life, and optimize survival.
Cancer Counseling: What to expect next
Our organization’s key staff has a history of success as consulting and counseling experts for adults dealing with cancer. Our counselors provide individualized guidance, coaching, and resources for diet and lifestyle modification to help improve disease outcomes and prevent recurrence. Our services also provide referrals for immune-enhancing programs. Additionally, BeatCancer.Org helps clients develop creative ways to manage the side effects of conventional cancer treatments. We at BeatCancer.Org take a highly personalized approach to our service. Although the information we provide is science-based, it is patient-driven. Our service is provided mostly through telephone counseling which allows us to reach a national audience one person at a time. Clients initially reach the organization through email correspondence or telephone contact. This initiates the intake process and a thorough explanation of our consultation services. During this process, our skilled and experienced counselors establish the needs of each patient. We collect background information including the type of cancer, previous treatments, and the most pressing issues of the patient. We schedule telephone and in-person appointments to help clients explore holistic, complementary and alternative treatment options. These sessions help guide patients to practical and manageable solutions while paying special consideration to their logistical, financial, and geographic limitations, as well as their belief systems. Furthermore, we help to filter the complexity of informational resources for our clients, creating simple, easy to follow guides for recovery and prevention of recurrence. We work to provide the highest quality and most targeted information to each individual. The Center for Advancement in Cancer Education believes that by empowering individuals with cancer to take charge of their health and wellness, many will be able to lead more productive lives and avoid much of the emotional, physical, and financial trauma often experienced by cancer patients and their families. Ultimately, the implementation of the organization’s mission, goals, objectives, and methodology could dramatically improve the prospects of the individuals we reach and the communities in which they live.
To schedule a consultation with any of the Center’s counselors, call Toll Free: 1-888-551-2223 or Dr. Shayne Direct Line: (610) 234-0671
References:
[1] https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/ 1975_2009_pops09/results_single/ sect_01_table.01.pdf
[2] American Cancer Society’s 2010 Presentation of Cancer Statistics
[3] https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/all.html
[4] US Mortality Data 2007, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010
[5] Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2010, table 5
[6] http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/chemo-side-effects.
[7]http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/radiation/understandingradiationtherapyaguideforpatientsandfamilies/understanding-radiation-therapy-common-side-effects
[8] New Malignancies Among Cancer Survivors: SEER Cancer Registries, 1973-2000
[9] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_130814.html
[10] http://www.cancer.org/research/researchprogramsfunding/behavioralresearchcenter/whatthebehavioralresearchcenterdoes/quality-of-life
[11] Fri Sep 14, 2012 2:48pm EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/14/us-cancer-idUSBRE88D1ED20120914
[12] Hoffer and Pauling. J. Orthomolecular Medicine Vol 5, no 3, p143, 1990
[13] Richardson MA, Mâsse LC, Nanny K, Sanders C. Discrepant views of oncologists and cancer patients on complementary/alternative medicine. Support Care Cancer. 2004 Nov12(11):797-804.PMID: 15378417