The Integrative Palliative Podcast

It is our job to help our patients cope courageously. Whether they have cancer, dementia, age-related decline, ALS or other serious condition it will cause stress for their family that we can help to relieve. This week you'll get a sneak peak into the techniques that I have put into my book Coping Courageously: A Heart-Centered Guide for Navigating a Loved One's Illness Without Losing Yo...

My gift to you is permission. If you are holding on to ideas of how you're supposed to be and generating your own anxiety and stress, this episode is your answer. For holiday season 2023 I have 5 permissions and 3 invitations for you to help make this season the calm and happy one that you deserve. I'm glad that we're on the journey together. Delia Chiaramonte, MD www.integrativepal...

Do you use anchoring? Anchoring is a powerful tool that you can use to help manage stress even when you are out and about or in a meeting with a frustrating boss. Just like Pavlov's dogs salivated when the bell rang because they connected the bell with yummy meat, you can train your physiology to connect your sense of relaxation with any anchor that you choose. You can use this approach to ma...

Clinician grief: it's real, it's important and we need to talk about it. Have you heard of secondary grief? Grief shaming? In this important interview with hospice nurse and grief expert, Helen Bauer, we dive deeply into who experiences grief, how grief is so much more than sadness, and what we should all be doing to manage it. Learn more about Helen at www.theheartofhospice.com and list...

Too many patients and too little time. Most clinicians wish they had more time to spend with each patient and patients generally hate feeling rushed through their medical visits. How can you practice compassionate medical care when you have to rush from one patient to another? This week I discuss 8 tips for making a short visit seem longer so it is more satisfying for your patient and more satisfy...

Families are complicated. Holiday events, such as Thanksgiving, can bring out stressful feelings just as we're hoping for picture perfect family moments. This week's episode gives you 4 Truths and 4 Suggestions for staying happy and sane during family holiday moments. Use these suggestions for yourself and file them away to support your patients when they are feeling stressed about famil...

What's your Dosha?  What is a Dosha? Do you know which foods work best for your unique constitution? This week, Ayurveda expert Susan Weis-Bohlen shares her wisdom about Ayurveda and how you can use it to increase your health and wellbeing. You will learn if you are a Pitta, Vata or Kappa Dosha and which foods are particularly suited for you. You'll learn how Susan guides her clients to...

No one likes talking to patients about prognosis. It is uncomfortable and distressing for the clinician and the patient. Our discomfort and lack of training in how to manage these conversations with skill can increase out patients' suffering. Learn the 10 step process for expertly navigating these tough conversations. Share this episode with a colleague who cares for patients with serious ill...

People facing cancer are often interested in exploring an integrative approach to managing their care. Yes many conventional oncologists don't feel comfortable guiding their patients because they aren't sure what is safe and effective. This week, naturopathic doctor Kirsten West, ND, LAc, FABNO shares her wisdom about which naturopathic approaches are safe for patients getting cancer tre...

Becoming a Sage Physician (or clinician) requires you to care expertly for your patients and also care expertly for yourself. Expanding your toolbox, finding the root cause of your patients' concerns, learning to set and keep your boundaries and matching your life to your values are examples of how you can go from being a stressed out and disillusioned physician to becoming a Sage Physician, ...

David Lesondak is the Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Integrative Medicine. He has written bestselling books on the topic of fascia, such as Fascia: What is is and Why it Matters and Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications.  He also hosts a podcast: Body Talk with David Lesondak. This week is all about fascia. D...

Stress is a part of life. People are frustrating, you don't always get what you want, and life is filled with loss. We often can't control what happens, we can only control how we respond. But responding to stressful situations in a positive or neutral way (without descending into toxic positivity) can be tough. The approach of Positive Intelligence, designed by Shirzad Chamine and outli...

Mental fitness is the capacity to respond to life's challenges with a positive rather than negative mindset.  Improving your mental fitness can positively impact your performance, your relationships, and your well-being, and "Positive Intelligence" is a beautifully simple and effective way to get there. The method was designed by Shirzad Chamine and is outlined in his bestselling bo...

I saw this question online "Are you a martyr for medicine?" The question made so many people uncomfortable that I figured it was something we needed to think about. Here are the questions to ponder that we address in this week's episode: - How much are you sacrificing? - How much are you suffering? - What is your cause? - What can you do to bring things into balance? You'll sel...

Communicating about death and end of life topics can be scary. For both clinicians and family members who care for people with serious illness (like cancer and dementia) it can be tough to know how to raise issues related to mortality, end of life decisions, and beliefs about what happens after death. Lisa Pahl, LCSW co-created the Death Deck and the EOL Deck to help facilitate communication about...

What do you say if your patient comes in with a bag of supplements? What if they are on a bunch of medications but they don't tell you about all of the supplements that they take? What if you disagree with what they are doing? What if you don't know much about the complementary modalities that they are using? You may feel hesitant to talk to patients about their complimentary medicine us...

"I wish I could do that." This benign sounding sentence isn't really benign at all. It is passive and a bit pessimistic and it implies that you probably won't be doing that cool thing after all. "I will do that thing" has a totally different vibe. It is active and powerful and makes it more likely that you really will do that very cool thing. Maybe not today, but some...

Is it true that integrative palliative care isn't evidence supported? Definitely not. Is it true that all "natural" approaches are safe and effective. Also definitely not. Guided imagery and acupuncture are very safe, but there are times that they should be avoided. Knowing these details is crucial for practicing safe and effective integrative palliative care. The rational approach...

Being a physician or clinician can be tough. Some are leaving medicine. Some, tragically, even die by suicide. Having a job that makes you happy is key. Doctor Lara Hochman helps physicians find jobs that they love. Lara Hochman, MD is a Family Medicine physician and The Medical Matchmaker. She is an advocate for fellow physicians’ wellbeing amidst rising burnout and dissatisfaction. Her own exper...

For some people pets are family.  Losing a family member is heartbreaking and destabilizing, no matter how many feet they have. Why is it so hard when a pet dies and what can we do to help us cope? This week I share my own journey with losing a beloved pet and give guidance for how to handle the situation of euthanasia and grief with intention. I'm glad to be on the journey with you. Dr. C De...

Dr. Sherita Gaskins-Tillett is an Ob-Gyn, mother, wife, wellness enthusiast and leader of wellness retreats for professional women. She has also been a caregiver of a loved one with dementia so she knows the stress of caregiving from the inside. In this lighthearted and advice-filled interview Dr Gaskins-Tillett gives practical tips for supporting your own wellbeing. She addresses physician wellne...

Gabapentin is widely used, often for pain, but it is often not used skillfully.  This can result in patients getting inadequate symptom relief or stopping the drug unnecessarily because they mistakenly think that they can't tolerate it. Using gabapentin skillfully is worth learning! Listen and learn the 8 things that you should know about gabapentin. Your patients will be happier and you&apos...

Bill Zvarick, L.Ac is a true healer. In treating his patients he combines his skills in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Qi gong, Tui Na, and western massage to help people find their way back to wellbeing. He describes acupuncture as an elegant art and when you will listen you will feel his passion for his craft. Bill explains why he describes acupuncture as elegant, how we can increase our...

When cancer treatment is finished, people expect to feel happy. Some do, of course,  but many don't. Any serious illness can be scary, but finishing chemotherapy or radiation can leave people feeling unsettled because the close attention from the oncology team ends. And family and friends may expect the person to go back to "normal" but the patient may feel anything but normal. It i...

The hair loss associated with chemotherapy makes a hard time even harder. Patients may wonder: "Should I cut my hair short?" "Should I shave my head before chemo starts?" "Is there anything that I can do to prevent my hair from falling out?" This week's episode will answer those questions and more. Here's to happier patients and happier clinicians, Dr. C Del...