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Valerie Fund Patients Get Relief Without Medication
Our patients derive their strength from different places during their illness. Nine-and-a-half year-old Grace was diagnosed with a germ cell brain tumor in early May and she is in the very early stages of this difficult journey. The Valerie Fund is committed to customizing care based on the unique needs and circumstances of each patient and their family. While Grace's protocol will pump an arsenal of powerful medicine into her body, she has also gained a new ally to ease the effects of the drugs.
Mariella Silva, a mind-body-spirit specialist joined the team at Newark Beth Israel in early 2018. Grace completed her first round of chemotherapy there and soon after had a session with Silva that included meditation, massage and aromatherapy. Aubrey, Grace's mother could definitely see the benefits. She credits Mariella's expertise as significant. "It has helped us all reduce stress and given us methods to facilitate peace when we are worried."
Since The Valerie Fund was founded in 1976, much has been learned about uniting the best of conventional medicine with more holistic approaches. Our response has been to increase support of Integrative Medicine's range of natural, non-invasive interventions and to encourage a relationship between the patient and wellness practitioner. Acupuncturists and massage therapists treat patients at several centers. Their focus is on the profound ways the body's innate healing response can be facilitated by treating the whole person, not just the disease.
Another patient of Silva's illustrates the extraordinary difference Integrative Medicine can have on quality of life. Diagnosed with osteosarcoma of her right femur at age 16, Iman, now 18, had a tough time after surgery and chemotherapy. She was unable to put pressure on her right foot and had to use crutches. Along with physical therapy, Iman has been receiving weekly massages on an outpatient basis. She is now able to walk without assistance and her pain continues to decrease.
The family is thrilled with the effectiveness of the therapy sessions since the patient's pain was at times unmanageable even with pain medication. Her sister said, "Mariella is a very positive person and takes time to listen and understand the situation. Since surgery my sister had been experiencing severe neuropathic pain and swelling. The therapy sessions have given her comfort and improved her living standard. I cannot thank Silva enough for the role she has been playing to help my sister."
Silva has seen a decrease in pain and increased general well-being after patients receive non-traditional care including massage, reiki, aromatherapy, meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and relaxation techniques. Some patients ask to learn meditation and practice it at home. Grace's mother reports that even when away from The Valerie Fund Center, her daughter is using one of the breathing techniques regularly to calm herself when she is in pain.
Integrative Medical practitioners can select from an array of healing therapies, often derived from ancient cultures. Grace received a massage with stress-reducing aromatherapy and immediately felt more calm and peaceful. The brave little girl reports, "Mariella helped take my mind off of what was going on. I smelled nice scents, did breathing exercises to help me handle pain or being scared and I even got a head and foot massage. She helped me feel better and it is something I look forward to doing again. Thank you, Mariella!"