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CancerLynx - we prowl the net
May 7, 2001

How Cancer Supportive Care Took to the Internet... and Vice Versa
Alexandra Andrews, Cancer Supportive Care Webmaster and David Bradley


The 20th century crusade to conquer cancer has brought many new advances in technology, research methods along with new therapies, but for all of this progress, there are still times when a great deal more care is needed than a doctor can provide during an examination or a consultation.

Anticipated or not, the side-effects of many treatments can be overwhelming. It is common for patients to become depressed and dehumanized as they grapple with family stress, unfamiliar limitations, and six-syllable drug names. Such anxieties and fears, combined with fear of a fatal outcome, may from time to time bring the patient wide awake in the middle of the night, racked with pain or simple emotional discomfort. Although medications exist to alleviate such symptoms, they can be, shall we say, limited in effectiveness...

A patient with a good support system of family and friends may call someone, even wake them up, to voice their distress, or other concerns; but to rely on this course of action, has its limitations. Cancer sufferers may eventually come to feel that they are over-burdening their nearest and dearest. Subjects may arise which require specialised knowledge, or are, perhaps, a little too embarrassing to discuss with one's maiden uncle.

At such times, the Internet can be a friend of the best kind, ready to offer information and counsel, tailored to the unique needs and interests of the seeker.

www.cancersupportivecare.com was created in May of 1999 as the next logical step in the pioneering work of Ernest Rosenbaum, MD, Isadora Rosenbaum, MA, and the Stanford Complementary Medicine Clinic under the direction of David Spiegel, MD. Based on the premise that patients benefit from comprehensive information about every aspect of their disease, this website features continually updated information on a myriad of topics, including psychology, exercise, nutrition, pain control, and sleep disturbances...

Moreover, this website has pioneered web accessibility. Anyone, including the blind, those with low vision problems, physical disabilities, world location or type of computer, can access our information. Those who want to read the material in the old-fashioned way, can print our pages straight from the web by simply clicking on the Print button. Beyond this, we offer a point of access to the greater forum of the Internet itself, where the most difficult questions may be asked, answered, or simply shared with others who deal with the same or similar problems.

The following is a list of some of our best-known therapeutic programs:

  1. "Psychosocial Program" by David Spiegel, MD; Andrew Freinkel, MD; Pat Fobair, LCSW; Andrew Kneier, PhD; Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD; Isadora R. Rosenbaum, MA; Susan Weisberg, LCSW
  2. "Nutrition" by Bernadette Festa, RD, MS; Pat Kearney, RD; Ernest H Rosenbaum, MD
  3. "Exercise, Massage, Activities of Daily Living and Tai Chi Programs" by Kathleen Dzubur, MS; Francine Manuel, RPT; Gary Abrams, MD; Lee Erman, NCTMB; Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD
  4. "Fatigue Reduction and Management" by Ernest H Rosenbaum, MD; Barbara F. Piper, RN., OCN, DNSc.; Patricia Kramer, RN, MSN, AOCN; Kathleen Dzubur, MS: Marilyn Dodd, RN, PhD; RoseAnn Kurshner, RN, BSN, MEd; Francine Manuel, RPT
  5. "Anemia" by Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD
  6. "Pain Management" by Wendy Robbins, MD; Robert W. Allen, MD
  7. "Sleep Disorders and Management" by David Claman, MD
  8. "Sexuality, Intimacy and Communication" by Jean Bullard, RN, MS; David G. Bullard, PhD; Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD; Isadora R. Rosenbaum, MA
  9. "Lymphedema" by John P. Cooke, MD, PhD; Gary Abrams, MD
  10. "Diversions--Creativity for Coping; Quality of Life" by Cynthia Perlis, BA; Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD; Isadora R. Rosenbaum, MA
  11. "Spirituality and Chaplaincy" by Andrew Kneier, PhD; Jeffrey Silberman, DMin; Andrew Freinkel, MD; Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD; David Spiegel, MD
  12. "Planning for `End of Life' Care" by Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD; Isadora R Rosenbaum, MA; Debra Marks, PhD; Sabrina Selim, BA; Thomas Addison, MD; Joanna Beam, JD; Meryl Brod, PhD; David Clayman, MD; Alan J. Coleman, MD; Malin Dollinger, MD; Michael Glover; Nancy Lambert, RN, BSN; Almo Petterle; Patricia Sparacino, RN, MS; Jeffrey Silberman, Dmin; Kenneth A Woeber, MD
  13. "Issues On Drugs Used In Oncology" by Robert J Ignoffo, PharmD; Jean Longtin, PharmD; Sharon Mitchell, PharmD Candidate; Sharya Vaughn Bourdet, PSIV; Julie Schwenka, PharmIV, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California School of Pharmacy
  14. "Second Opinions" by Ernest H Rosenbaum, MD; Richard and Annette Bloch; Malin Dollinger, MD (Dr Dollinger also has a website focused on this subject, called The Cancer Answer - www.thecanceranswer.org)
  15. "The Web Tutorial" by Alexandra Andrews; Teddy Andrews; Annamarie Baldessari; David Bradley; Bob Gill; Larry Hengl; Michael McMillan
  16. "Frequently Asked Questions" by Margaret Hawn, RN; Pat Fobair, LCSW, MPH; Bernadette Festa, MS, RD; Cancer Supportive Care Staff at the Complementary Medicine Clinic at Stanford
  17. "Cancer Risk Assessment" by Patricia T. Kelly, Ph.D.

"The Cancer Supportive Care Program Implementation Guide" by Ernest H. Rosenbaum MD; Isadora R. Rosenbaum, MA; David Spiegel, MD; Holly V. Gautier, RN, BSN is available on the website.

Although this is our second anniversay, marked by ASCO 2001, hundreds of thousands of webpages have been accessed for cancer information to an average of 3000 persons per week, in over 50 countries.

Visit our website http://www.cancersupportivecare.com


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