The 2nd Annual Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Conference for Cancer Advocates, January 8-10, 2009 West Palm Beach Florida, Sponsored by The Annie Appleseed Project Report by Kathleen Livingston, Breast Cancer Survivor and Advocate I did not know what to expect at this conference, as I know that CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) is not supported by the “big guns” i.e. Pharma. I attend a number of conventional conferences such as SABCS and ASCO and they are fancy affairs, as most of the pharmaceutical companies are in attendance and they have the resources to ensure the conference experience is optimal. I thought this conference may be a “shoestring experience”. However, I was wrong about that! The event was held at an elegant hotel with good conference facilities, close to the West Palm Beach airport. A real plus was the food. It was mostly organic and the type of food I usually eat. Many speakers talked about the disease/diet connection and this conference “walked the talk”. I am still a breast cancer patient, currently on treatment. I do a lot of research on both conventional and CAM treatments. CAM helps me manage the side effects from conventional treatment. It was wonderful and highly reinforcing to hear many of the prominent researchers in CAM talk about the modalities I use. Many people admire rock and movie stars. l admire “healers” who use CAM, to help patients such as myself heal. Diversity is a good word to describe this conference. There were many different types of attendees: patients, nurses, doctors, scientists, social workers, advocates, exhibitors and family members and friends supporting patients. As well, the different topics, speakers and exhibits were also of a diverse nature. There was a lot of cross- networking happening. Everyone came with an agenda and since there was so much evidenced based information available, there were a lot of “aha” moments. It is impossible to review all the speakers, so I will highlight a few concepts “that spoke to me”. Dr. Keith Block stated that CAM helps patients sustain their chemotherapy regiments. Research has also shown that patients who complete their treatments in a timely manner have a better survival rate. Penny Block, PhD pointed out that patients who actively engage in their treatment also increase their survival. I will take this one step further and point out that if a patient also mentors other patients and advocates for improved breast cancer treatments/research, one is even more actively engaged in one’s treatment and this also helps one deal with the anger of breast cancer and may even again, increase survival. Alicia Sirkin discussed using Bach Flower Remedies to manage anxiety and the stress of cancer. The rescue remedy is helpful for long term patients and white chestnut is good for sleep disorders. I have used some of these remedies in the past, but I will reassess their usefulness in my regime based on her recommendations. Susan Silberstein PhD, discussed the diet connection i.e. following a low fat, plant based diet. I have been following many of her recommendations even though it is not easy, especially when travelling. This type of diet makes me feel better and have more energy. One detail she reminded me of was that olive oil can go rancid easily, so it is a good idea to leave it in the refrigerator. As well, for patients who are HER-2 positive, the use of olive oil can reduce HER-2 neu expression and enhance the effectiveness of Herceptin. Ralph Moss PhD, gave us a great overview of cancer clinics around the world. I was particularly interested in the hyperthermia clinics, as that is a possible treatment for my type of cancer. Lynne Farrow a volunteer with Breast Cancer Choices presented a perspective on iodine and breast cancer. Her organization in conjunction with 3 holistic doctors, believes breast cancer and thyroid disease go hand in hand. Iodine is necessary for an efficient thyroid and breast. In the 1970’s, iodine was removed from enriched bread and bromide was added to many products we use. Bromide is an anti-iodine compound and since the 1970’s both breast cancer and thyroid disease have increased. Carol Zaryicki reviewed her CAM favorites. She mentioned lymphedema, which is every breast cancer patient’s nightmare. To minimize it, she suggested using a combination of castor and almond oil on that area. Lastly, I would like to mention the “giveaway bag”. It contained many useful products and information. Even the bag itself was environmentally friendly, as it did not have that new, heavy plastic smell. I particularly appreciated the calendar from Breast Cancer Options from New York which made recommendations to change behavior, to minimize breast cancer risk. This was an informative, life changing, fun conference and I recommend it highly! Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.