​Traditional Oncology and Hematology

The doctors leading the Centro Oncológio Integral de Puerto Rico, Dr. Madeleine García Soberal and Dr. Yelitza Ruiz Candelaria, are both sub-specialists trained in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Clinical Oncology.  They provide all their patients with innovative medical counsel and the latest in cancer and hematologic treatments available in Puerto Rico.

 

Doctors García Soberal and Ruiz Candelaria are the only oncologists in Puerto Rico combining chemotherapy treatments with scientifically-proven complementary disciplines to help cancer patients have a speedier and more comfortable recovery.

 

It’s of the utmost importance in cancer integrative treatments that the base traditional oncological portion is well-designed from the onset. The science behind the combination of treatments – traditional and complementary – lies in making sure the traditional portion is robust enough so the complementary treatments can reinforce and increase its cure potential.  When a cancer treatment is not optimal, even if we add complementary treatments, the end results might not be as expected.

 

​Infusion Therapies

Because chemotherapy, and other medication therapies administered via IV, play such an important role in the Integrative Oncology Treatment Plans Dr. García Soberal and Dr. Ruiz Candelaria recommend, the Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico has its own Infusion and Chemotherapy Center.

 

The infusion and chemotherapy treatments are administered using the highest and most innovative standards by highly skilled and trained personnel, specializing in cancer patients. Our integrative oncologists directly supervise all chemotherapy and infusion treatments.

 

The facilities of the Chemotherapy and Infusion Center are very cozy, while maintaining an environment of mush respect and empathy for all our patients.

 

​Oncologic Homeopathy

Homeopathy has been practiced for over 2 centuries and its premise is an that illness is not a collection of symptoms, but rather a disturbance in the vital energy of the individual.  Homeopathy seeks to stimulate the natural capacity of the human body to get better and heal itself.

 

Oncologic Homeopathy is used together  as an ally to traditional cancer treatments, focusing on the underlining causes of the illness that needs to be tended to avoid recurrences.

 

The advantage of becoming a Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico patient is that our doctors, Dr. Madeleine García Soberal and Dr. Yelitza Ruiz Candelaria, are trained in both Traditional Oncology and in Oncologic Homeopathy. They both design integrative oncologic treatment plans combining both disciplines to treat the existing cancer – provoking reactions at the immunological level, minimizing side-effects, improving the response to the chemotherapy treatment and reducing recurrence episodes.

 

Even though homeopathic medications are natural, they’re still regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Some are plant-based, others are mineral-based.  During their consultation, Dr. García Soberal and Dr. Ruiz Candelaria will offer the appropriate combination of traditional and homeopathic medications to provide the optimal treatment– specific to the cancer, personality, body composition and lifestyle of each cancer patient.

 

Many of these homeopathic medications that our integrative oncologists prescribe, developed specifically for the treatment of cancer, are available at our offices.

 

​Ayurvedic Medicine

Ayurvedic Medicine is a medicine system from ancient India which dates from 5,000 years ago.  Ayurvedic Medicine combines diverse disciplines such as yoga, meditation, massages and relaxation techniques to help cancer patients.  As a governing principle, Ayurvedic Medicine seeks to restore the individual’s balance between body, mind and spirit, to increase the patient’s energy and well-being, reducing stress and preventing diseases.

 

 Our integrative oncologists, Dr. Madeleine García Soberal and Dr. Yelitza Ruiz Candelaria, besides being clinical oncologists, they’re also trained in Ayurvedic Medicine and they are fully versed on how to best combine this ancient discipline with traditional cancer treatments.  Their knowledge in both these areas of medicine benefit our patients greatly by avoiding adverse reactions and to provoke a much better response to the recommended cancer treatment.

 

At the Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico, all Ayurvedic Medicine treatments recommended are in combination with traditional chemotherapy and infusion treatments.  We do not recommend Ayurvedic Medicine in substitution or in place of traditional treatments.  The combination of both treatment therapies is scientifically-proven to help battling and minimizing the uncomfortable side-effects of traditional cancer treatments.

 

Ayurvedic Medicine is considered safe and without any side-effects for cancer patients by the Society of Integrative Oncology and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the two leading integrative cancer organizations in the world.

 

​Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique originated in China consisting in the insertion of one or more needles in specific points across the body to balance the vital energy of the patient.

 

There is scientific evidence on how acupuncture has benefited cancer patients in:

 

• Reducing the toxic effects of Traditional Treatments – It’s no secret that chemotherapy is toxic, and chemotherapy drugs can’t distinguish between cancer and non-cancerous cells.  So at the same time that it helps, it also causes a lot of damage. Acupuncture helps to minimize the toxicity of traditional cancer treatments.
• Pain Management – Cancer itself is a painful disease and traditional treatments also cause patients a lot of pain, swelling and inflammation.  Acupuncture has helped cancer patients to naturally manage the pain they suffer and also to reduce the dosage of pain medications they need.
• Nausea and Vomiting – Acupuncture is proven to reduce the frequency and intensity of the vomiting and nausea caused by chemo treatments.
• Throat Dryness and Neck Discomfort – Radiation treatments around the head and neck areas cause a lot of dryness of the mouth due to a reduction in saliva production.  Acupuncture helps patients to improve their swallowing function, eat and drink more normally, protect their dental and gum health and to reduce the chances of infections, pain and mouth inflammation.
• Hot Flashes in Women with Breast Cancer – Acupuncture is scientifically-proven to reduce the frequency and intensity of the hot flashes breast cancer patients experience when undergoing hormonal treatments.
• Sleep – Cancer patients suffer from insomnia and changes in their sleep patterns due to anxiety, stress and the depression they feel after receiving a cancer diagnosis.  Acupuncture helps them fall asleep faster and to sleep more profoundly, which is key for recovery.
• Quality of Life – The combination of all these aforementioned benefits provide the cancer patient with an improved quality of life overall and accelerates the cancer recovery process.

 

Acupuncture treatments are administered in our Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico offices by highly skilled health professionals, specialized in treating cancer patients.  You can read to the testimony of our patients on how adding acupuncture to their integrative oncology treatment plan has benefited them.

 

​Nutrition

Nutrition is a very important element in cancer treatment.  The body is working overtime to battle the cancer and repairing the healthy cells affected by the secondary effects of chemotherapy and/or radiation.

 

Eating right before, during and after treatments helps the cancer patient feel better and stronger.

 

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When you live with cancer, the illness itself and the treatments used can alter the patient’s appetite and the types of foods and nutrients tolerated.  Making sure the cancer patient has a healthy diet while undergoing treatment helps in:

 

• Feeling better, with more energy and pep
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Better tolerate the side-effects of traditional treatments
• Minimizing the risk of infections
• Faster recovery

 

To consider the solution to any nutritional issue in cancer patients is easily resolved by simply taking a vitamin/mineral supplement is a mistake.  Many natural vitamin supplements could interfere with the way your body metabolizes chemo and it actually could be counterproductive.

 

That’s why the Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico includes nutritional consultations as part of most Integrative Oncologic Treatment Plans.  Teaching our patients on how to have a balanced diet, maximizing the use of fresh foods and ingredients.

 

​Yoga

Yoga is one of the disciplines within Ayurvedic Medicine, originating in India.  It combines physical postures, breathing and meditation techniques, providing all who practice it a sense of quiet, relaxation and general well-being.

 

Yoga means union – between body, mind and spirit.  And Hatha Yoga is the modality most studied on cancer patients.  Its asanas, or physical postures, are designed to align and relax the muscles for the energy to flow freely and for harmony to manifest in all aspects of the individual.

 

The main reason why cancer patients practice yoga is because it makes them feel good.  Yoga exercises provide cancer patients with a natural way to:

 

• Reduce the fatigue caused by chemo and radiotherapy
• Improve sleeping patterns
• Reducing the frequency and intensity of vomiting and nausea caused by chemo
• Reducing anxiety, depression and stress
• Improving the quality of life and providing a positive outlook

 

Performing hatha yoga exercises pose no risks to cancer patients, but it’s important to practice them under the guidance of a trained authorized instructor.  At the Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico we have established an alliance with the Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand, who have over 35 years of experience teaching yoga techniques in Puerto Rico.  Their hatha yoga instructors have taught yoga to a wide variety of patients, including cancer patients.

 

Patients with bone tumors, lymphedema or glaucoma need to take special care when performing hatha yoga exercises.  Our integrative oncologists will provide the necessary indications to the hatha yoga instructors so all cancer patients can benefit from the thousand year old yoga practice.

 

Hatha Yoga sessions are between 60-90 minute ling and are given in an area within the Hospital San Pablo campus.  We selected this area to have a more comfortable and ample space to execute the yoga exercises.  The final relaxation is a very important part of the yoga session because its helps the body assimilate the benefits of the exercises just performed.

 

​Counseling

At the Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico we believe in the value of individual, couple and family therapy to facilitate stress and anxiety management in cancer patients, especially right after receiving the initial diagnosis news.

 

These therapies promote a safe and positive environment for patients, and members of their support system, to cope and assimilate better the news of a cancer diagnosis.

 

​Therapeutic Massage

Therapeutic Massages help to improve the side effects caused by conventional cancer treatments, like chemo and radiotherapy, and improve the quality of life and well-being in cancer patients.  Massaging has an analgesic, sedative and relaxing effect.

 

Physically, therapeutic massages help to reduce fatigue, pain, nausea, stress, anxiety and depression.  Also, it helps to restore healthy sleep patterns, to reduce scarring, with mental clarity and mobility.

 

Most patients at the Centro Oncológico Integral de Puerto Rico can benefit from light massaging, which is usually well tolerated by cancer patients, regardless of their cancer stage.  There are special considerations with patients with bone lesions, but these indications are managed directly by our integrative oncologists with the massage therapist professional.

 

Our massage therapists are specially trained to work with cancer patients.  The massages are safe for all cancer patients and they will not make the cancer spread to other parts of the body.

 

Many cancer patients have expressed how therapeutic massages help them improve their quality of life – making them feel whole again, helping them to relax, to feel more positive about their body and helping them restore a sense of hope.

 

 

​Art Therapy

Creativity heals.  Creativity helps people express their hidden emotions, to reduce stress, fear and anxiety.  Many cancer patients use art therapies to manage the secondary emotional and psychological effects of receiving the news of a cancer diagnosis.

 

An analysis from the National Institute of Health published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that artistic therapies significantly reduce anxiety, depression and pain while improving the self-esteem and quality of life among the cancer patients who practiced them consistently.

 

The art therapy sessions at our Center help our integrative oncologists identify the root cause of many feelings of anger, fear and sadness that affect many cancer patients and which influence their recovery process.  These sessions help our patients take control of their negative emotions and to transform them into feelings of positivism and hope.

 

 

​Support Group

The most notable advantage of support groups is helping the patient realize there are other people in very similar situations as themselves.  Knowing that other people are undergoing very similar experiences is an important revelation and provides a great sense of relief.

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Support groups help patients identify and learn new ways to deal with their new reality of being a cancer patient.  And even if it’s difficult to open up and talk about one’s problems and feelings in front of a group of strangers, the fact they are all having a very similar life experience, makes it easier and more comforting as time goes by.

 

RENUEVA – the name of our support group – is an acronym in Spanish meaning Meeting and Educating New Lifestyles and Activities.  The group teaches cancer patients techniques to improve the quality of their lives and to start seeing cancer as a learning experience in their lives.

 

We want for all patients who participate in RENUEVA to gather a better understanding of their condition and to have an active role in managing their illness and, most importantly, their recovery.