Health

Breast cancer experts discuss integrative treatment options at Riverhead seminar

By Nicole Wagner

The panel included naturopath Dr. Stephenie Pisacano, Stony Brook Cancer Center’s Dr. Allison Stopeck, Maryann Fragola of New York Cancer & Blood, acupuncturist and herbalist Dr. Michelle Iona, retired surgical oncologist Dr. Lisa Sclafani, Paula Montagna of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and Meredith Cammarata of MSK Cancer Center. (Courtesy North Fork Breast Health Coalition)

Breast cancer patients no longer have to choose between conventional treatment and complementary therapies, a panel of medical experts told North Fork residents Friday at the second annual integrative care seminar in Riverhead.

The North Fork Breast Health Coalition’s event drew 90 people to the Hotel Indigo, where physicians and medical professionals from Memorial Sloan-Kettering, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone and Stony Brook Cancer Center  discussed blending conventional and holistic approaches.

Panel moderator Dr. Lisa Sclafani reads audience questions to the breast cancer care panel, which included a social worker, surgeons, oncologists, naturopathic doctors, an acupuncturist, a nutritionist and a nurse practitioner.  (Courtesy North Fork Breast Health Coalition)

In New York, more than 17,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, according to the New York State Health Department. Nearly 4,500 die from the disease. The department estimates that one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.

The panel featured discussions on how natural health care practitioners use acupuncture, nutrition and herbs, meditation, reiki and yoga to complement traditional cancer treatments. The experts were also available for one-on-one discussions.

Dr. Marilyn LoPresti led the audience through a Tai Chi session. (Courtesy North Fork Breast Health Coalition)

“By coming and learning about these different therapies and learning which things might help … to get that knowledge of what is available and what might help is going to give [patients] more power,” Dr. Lisa Sclafani, a 35-year specialist in surgical oncology with a special focus on breast surgery and breast cancer, told The Suffolk Times before the event.

Dr. Marilyn LoPresti, founder of North Fork Bodies in Motion, led a Tai Chi session. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has noted that Tai Chi can help increase balance, reduce fatigue, help with pain, improve stamina, improve sleep, reduce inflammation and boost immune response to the shingles vaccine and virus.

NFBHC is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that supports local breast cancer patients with programs like the Helping Hand grants and the Stage IV Support Fund. Led by president Melanie McEvoy Zuhoski, the coalition was founded in 1998 by Ann Cotton-DeGrasse and the late Antonio DeGrasse with the help of the Riverhead Rotary Club. 

The panel included naturopath Dr. Stephenie Pisacano, Stony Brook Cancer Center’s Dr. Allison Stopeck, Maryann Fragola of New York Cancer & Blood, acupuncturist and herbalist Dr. Michelle Iona, retired surgical oncologist Dr. Lisa Sclafani, Paula Montagna of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and Meredith Cammarata of MSK Cancer Center. (Courtesy North Fork Breast Health Coalition)

The group provides free services including gentle yoga, massage therapy, reflexology, acupuncture, reiki and “Strength for Life” exercise to breast cancer patients and survivors. They also have access to the Rita Duva Boutique through the coalition, which offers wigs, scarves, hats and prosthetics. The group also funds Stage IV research through select laboratories. 

To learn more about the coalition and its upcoming events, visit northforkbreasthealth.org.

Related Content