For more than 30 years, this international non-profit has been dedicated to providing support, education and hope to those impacted by cancer. Orlando Health provides this program for everyone affected by cancer in the Central Florida area.

The goal of the Cancer Support Community perfectly complements that of Orlando Health: to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community. The program addresses the social and emotional health of patients of any age along the cancer continuum, including at diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, long-term survivorship, end-of-life and bereavement to ensure no one has to face cancer alone.

The Cancer Support Community offers a network of personalized services and education at no charge to all affected by cancer.

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Genetics plays a major role in 5-10 percent of all cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute. The Cancer Genetics Center at Orlando Health Cancer Institute is dedicated to helping you and your family learn about your potential risk for a hereditary form of cancer, with possible genetic testing, so that you can make informed decisions about managing your health.

We provide genetic counseling to help individuals determine their risk for inheriting mutations that may cause certain types of hereditary cancer and to take steps to manage those risks.

Click here for more information on our Cancer Genetics Center

We believe that conventional western medicine is the best approach to combat cancer and other diseases, and that adding services that treat the whole person can enhance healing and well-being. The Integrative Medicine program engages patients and their families to become active participants in improving their physical, emotional and social health.

At Orlando Health, research-supported evidence based complementary approaches to symptom and distress management are available to patients who would like new approaches to their health management or who have already benefitted from them in the past.

Some of the supplemental therapies and practices we offer include:

• Acupuncture: Practitioners stimulate specific points on the body — most often by inserting thin needles through the skin.

• Oncology massage therapy: This practice includes many different techniques to manually manipulate the soft tissues of the body.

• Meditation: Most meditation techniques, such as mindfulness meditation or transcendental meditation, involve ways in which a person learns to focus attention.

• Relaxation techniques: Breathing exercises, guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation are designed to enhance the body's natural relaxation response.

• Tai chi and qi gong: These traditional Chinese medicine practices combine specific movements or postures, coordinated breathing and mental focus.

• Yoga: Used for health purposes, certain types of yoga typically combine physical postures or movement, breathing techniques and meditation.

• Hypnotherapy: This type of therapy is used to reprogram the subconscious mind, which can be useful for behavior modification and controlling emotions.

In addition, the Orlando Health Cancer Institute offers activities that allow the patient to take a break from the daily pace of life in a soothing space. High Tea in the British tradition is served in elegant bone china cups each week. Another European custom is the labyrinth on the 4th floor of the Charles Lewis Pavilion that is modeled after the one at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France. The labyrinth is an ancient healing tool used as a walking meditation or embodied prayer.

If you would like more information, or a complete list of services please contact the Integrative Medicine Department at (321) 841-5056 or email [email protected].

Patients and their families of Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Orlando Health Cancer Institute have access to the Medical Center Radiology Group (MCRG) Patient & Family Learning Center. This media center offers visitors print and multimedia resources focusing on:

• Disease-specific information

• Symptom management

• Psychosocial support

• Coping with a cancer diagnosis

For many cancer patients, finding facts about their disease and treatment options can be a stress reliever. Information gives a sense of control over their situation and equips them with the knowledge to ask appropriate questions. Patients then can coordinate with their healthcare team to make informed treatment decisions. Health-information materials, as well as popular paperbacks for leisure reading, can be checked out.

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A cancer diagnosis can be an overwhelming experience. That’s why, for complex cancer cases, Orlando Health Cancer Institute provides patients with a personal nurse navigator who stays with them through their entire cancer journey.

Our nurse navigators help guide patients by working to assist with entry into the cancer care system and identifying any barriers that may exist. They establish and maintain communication between patients, families, physicians and the healthcare system.

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The licensed registered dietitians at the Cancer Institute work with your care team to support your nutrition needs before, during and after treatment. Services provided include:

• Personalized meal planning
• Education on how to eat healthy for cancer prevention
• Instruction on how to use vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements in cancer care
• Management of side effects related to cancer treatment
• Temporary tube feeding for nutritional support during treatment
• Follow-up care for continued healthy living after treatment

The Patient and Family Counseling Department provides educational programs, support groups, and counseling to assist our patients and families in their journey through illness. All of our counselors are state licensed and masters-prepared with many years’ experience in providing support and counseling to our patients and their families from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond.

Click here for more information on our Patient and Family Counseling.