Transforming cancer care through integrative medicine
Seattle’s hub for holistic cancer treatment services and cutting edge oncology research
Orion is a Seattle-based multi-dimensional consortium of healing providers who work together in a tranquil healing and wellness center. By providing cutting-edge, evidence-based integrative care for those touched by cancer, we transform cancer care, expand the science, and complete the cure.
Across cultures, traditions, religions, and history, the circle universally represents totality, wholeness, the Self, timelessness, life cycles, and even deity. Since Orion’s genesis, we have described our organization as a Circle of Care and our work as “completing the circle of cancer care.”
Dr. Bonnie A. McGregor, our Founder, always says, “This is the best time in history to receive a cancer diagnosis.” That is because the likelihood of survivorship is higher than ever. Unfortunately, the same treatments which increase chances of survivorship diminish quality of life or introduce new barriers to physical and mental wellness. That is why integrative interventions which mitigate the impact of conventional treatment are essential to healing for cancer survivors.
It is also why Dr. Bonnie A. McGregor created Orion Center for Integrative Medicine, bringing together the best practitioners in the Pacific Northwest to create a Circle of Care for cancer survivors seeking healing.
Dr. McGregor shares, “When I thought about being a psychologist, I did not want to practice without having other types of providers working with me because I knew that multi-faceted care was better. That is why we set up Orion the way we did, because we wanted to be able to provide a complete circle of support around cancer patients. I love having really quality providers for my clients.”
The Current Cancer Care Landscape
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severe and painful physical side effects of functional treatments
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emotional and psychological fatigue including loneliness during treatment and a fear of the disease returning after treatment
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stressful and disorienting re-entry into life after treatments
The Potential of Integrative Medicine
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side effects like pain and nausea are reduced
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effectiveness of oncology treatment increases
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peace and optimism increase
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survival chances are higher with improved immune function
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emotional and physical recovery time after treatment is shorter
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the transition to a “normal” life is smoother
Research Findings for Alternative Therapies
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Acupuncture can help manage treatment-related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients.
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Massage therapy may help relieve symptoms such as pain, nausea, and lymphedema.
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Mindfulness-based stress reduction, a type of meditation training, can help cancer patients relieve anxiety, stress, fatigue, and general mood and sleep disturbances, thus improving their overall quality of life.
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Yoga may help improve anxiety, depression, and distress in people with cancer. It may also help lessen fatigue in breast cancer patients and survivors.
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Psychosocial intervention among breast cancer patients can reduce the risk of death by as much as 56 percent, as well as improve mood and cancer-relevant biological outcomes.
Our Work at Orion
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Patients, survivors, and their families will receive integrative medical care before, during, and after cancer treatment by a constellation of integrative cancer care providers all in one location.
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In partnership with our region’s foremost cancer centers, we will lead the cutting-edge research needed to revolutionize cancer care for everyone. It is part of our region’s DNA to explore, innovate, and improve — and our work is at the heart of that culture. Through ground-breaking research and collaboration, we can transform the cancer experience.
Therapies offered at Orion
Psychotherapy
Cancer and treatment can be an emotionally distressing experience. Psychotherapy helps patients process the trauma of cancer treatment and manage stressors associated with healing and reintegration. Interventions may include behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness meditation, guided imagery, and other mind-body practices.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine, wherein thin needles are inserted through the skin at specific acupressure points on the body. Acupuncture is shown to help improve several conditions associated with cancer treatment including nausea and vomiting, bodily pain, peripheral neuropathies, hot flashes, dry mouth, fatigue, and stress management.
Oncology Massage
An oncology massage is a customized experience designed to ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Healing touch, deep imagery therapy, and cranial sacral massage techniques help reduce nausea, anxiety, and pain for patients.
Oncology Nutrition
Although cancer and cancer treatments may impact appetite, maintaining good nutrition is essential to reducing fatigue and improving quality of life. By sustaining energy and maintaining weight and muscle mass, patients will recover more quickly after treatment is complete.
Energy Medicine/Reiki Healing
Reiki is a form of healing Energy Medicine with Japanese origins, which promotes relaxation and stress reduction by addressing the receiver’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing needs. Reiki is especially impactful for patients rehabilitating from surgery and cancer therapy by reducing the side effects of cancer treatments.
Reflexology
Working along the same meridians and pressure points which acupuncturists access, reflexology involves application of pressure to feet and hands in order to stimulate healing of internal organs and other bodily systems. Benefits include pain reduction, stress relief, relaxation, and improved sleep among other physical and psychological effects.
To schedule an appointment, please contact any of our service providers directly.
For questions on which services are most suited to your needs, submit an inquiry!
Health SMART
Health SMART (Stress Management And Relaxation Training) is an empirically-supported eleven-week virtual workshop series for cancer survivors, wherein participants learn essential techniques in stress management, coping, relaxation methods, and mindfulness, in a supportive and healing community of other cancer survivors.
If you are a cancer survivor who would like to learn how to cope more successfully with stress and manage fear of recurrence more effectively, then this workshop is for you!
Inquire Today
Mission
Transforming Cancer Care with Integrative Medicine
Vision
Advancing Cancer Care Standards Through Integrative Medicine Research
Values
Collaboration, Integrity, Scientific Excellence, Compassionate Care, Wellness
Completing the Circle of Cancer Care
The Orion Center for Integrative Medicine emerged as a response to the contemporary Western healthcare system’s approach to cancer treatment.
Despite research demonstrating the benefits of integrative medicine interventions, these therapies have yet to be integrated into standard cancer care practices. While pharmaceutical companies have the resources to take basic biological research findings from the lab bench to the bedside – by conducting large scale clinical trials and marketing new drugs – there is no similar pipeline to get integrative medicine research findings to the clinic. As a result, most physicians and patients remain unaware of research supporting integrative medicine, and do not benefit from these therapies.
The Orion Center for Integrative Medicine seeks to fill this knowledge and care gap by providing cancer survivors with a catalogue of clinical therapies while simultaneously conducting research to add to the growing body of evidence for their effectiveness and thus pave the way for making these therapies the standard of cancer care.
ACCEPTS VIRTUAL CLIENTS
Bonnie A. McGregor PhD
Founder and Director
[email protected]
https://www.orionskywellness.org/
6522 Fremont Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98103
Phone: 206-525-0414
Fax: 206-260-7175
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