What to Do If You Get a Cancer Diagnosis

When you or someone you love is diagnosed with cancer, you may feel like the world just tilted on its axis. It is normal to feel this way, says integrative cancer-care expert Nalini Chilkov, LAc, OMD — cancer is a serious and scary prospect. Yet no matter how dire the report, you do have time to catch your breath and get your questions answered so that you can make informed decisions.

Integrative cancer experts offer this advice to help you prepare for the journey.

1) Take time to make a plan.

A cancer diagnosis is completely unsettling, and your first impulse may be to act quickly. That’s a good instinct — but acting quickly is different from acting immediately.

“When people are first diagnosed, the oncologist often says, ‘OK, we’ll start chemo next week, then we’ll do surgery, then more chemo, then some radiation, then we’ll do hormonal therapy,’” says Chilkov. “And the patient’s supposed to be ready for all that next week.” That’s a lot for many of us.

And while some cancers are aggressive, most develop slowly over time; they don’t appear in the body overnight. In these cases, treatment doesn’t have to start overnight either.

“Cancer is not an emergency — [your] hair isn’t on fire,” she notes. “There’s time to get a second or third opinion, to organize what needs to be organized, to get childcare covered, to be well prepared for the challenging treatments ahead.”

Taking a little extra time is also good for your mental health. “People can integrate what has just happened to them and get ready to do something difficult,” she adds.2

2) Get multiple opinions.

Finding the right care team is important. “A second and third opinion is always helpful,” says functional-medicine physician Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD. This can be especially valuable if you live in an area without a reputable cancer-treatment center.

Even if you have good local resources, there’s value in getting additional perspectives. Oncology is practiced differently at different hospitals across the United States and in other parts of the world. And the best specialist for your specific diagnosis may be located elsewhere.

“You may not end up getting treatment [at a different cancer center], but they may introduce you to new options or reinforce what your local oncologist is recommending,” adds Boham.

And now there’s telemedicine. Many cancer experts, including integrative practitioners, are available for virtual consultations, so you need travel no farther than your laptop.

3) Think “both/and.”

Integrative cancer care can be powerfully supportive, but even its practitioners don’t view it as a replacement for chemotherapy, radiation, or immuno­therapy. “Most natural therapies don’t actually reduce tumor burden, and that’s the first job in any treatment protocol,” says Chilkov.

The best way to think about an integrative approach to cancer may be as a complement to tumor-reduction protocols. Cancer nutrition consultant Jeanne Wallace, PhD, CNC, describes her work this way: “It’s about how we can assess the terrain and match you up with the self-care strategies that are best for you.”