A Decade of Holistic Healing

Mason was a 10-year-old cancer patient with an excellent prognosis for recovery and remission. But the side effects from his treatments, like nausea, pain and muscle soreness, were challenging.

In late 2023, Mason was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, the third most common cancer in children. But there was good news: his cancer was treatable, with a 100% cure rate. He would need to undergo four rounds of chemotherapy, followed by four rounds of radiation therapy. His family took managing Mason’s treatment step-by-step, with help from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Integrative Health (IH) Program, a novel approach to patient care that uses the whole-person health model. Tonia D. Kulp, MS, C-IAYT, and Jacqui Bauers, LMT, supported the family throughout the entire journey.

A Team Approach to Cancer Treatment

Mason often felt scared or sad when it was time for his outpatient chemotherapy at CHOP’s infusion clinic. Treatments like yoga, reiki, meditation and acupuncture gave him something to look forward to, in addition to helping ease the side effects from the infusions. The one-on-one sessions also made him feel more empowered during treatment.

Kulp says, “Mason truly embraced the practices he was offered throughout his cancer journey. He verbalized that on clinic days when he received integrative care, he slept better at night, felt more at ease, and was better able to manage the pain and nausea. His distress levels were lower when he could access that space of regulation.”  

Mason’s mother, Danielle, could also see positive changes in Mason. He advocated for himself, asking for the services he knew worked best for him on treatment days. Mason was aware of his body and would show Danielle the pressure points on his feet to help relieve nausea. He often used the mindfulness exercises he learned from Kulp at home. With encouragement from the IH team, he stayed active, even playing basketball throughout his entire treatment.

The Power of Staying Positive

“We learned the importance and the power of staying positive,” says Danielle. “It’s not just about treating the illness or the symptoms, but the holistic care the program provided. The team at CHOP helped us learn to live in the present. Our entire family has new perspective through Mason’s survivorship.”

Mason is now in remission. Over the summer he excitedly attended camp, went to the pool and hung out with family and friends.

Treating the Whole Child

Kulp says, “Whole person, or holistic, care is vital during the cancer journey and beyond. Integrative therapies provide supportive care that enhances wellness and healing, alleviates side effects, and allows patients and families to feel more in control, promoting a sense of resiliency and empowerment.”

As the Integrative Health Program celebrates its 10th anniversary, it continues to work with providers across CHOP to treat not only cancer, but a variety of illnesses, and to give children the best possible care.

Integrated Intervention for a Complicated Diagnosis

Seventeen-year-old Diana came to CHOP with nausea, abdominal pain, migraines and light-headedness — and she had lost 23 pounds. Diana was admitted to CHOP’s Gastroenterology (GI) Program for a full evaluation and later diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency, a food intake disorder and generalized anxiety.

When Diana’s GI provider first referred her to IH for help managing her symptoms, Diana’s family was unsure — but they stayed open-minded. The IH Program’s Medical Director, Maria Mascarenhas, MBBS, and Lisa Squires, RN, BSN, CCRN-K, HNB-BC, supported Diana’s treatment throughout her hospital stay with yoga for abdominal discomfort, acupressure seeds to help decrease her perceptions of pain and nausea, hypnosis and nutrition services. And they continued to look for the root causes of her symptoms and behavior.

Squires recalls, “IH interventions would not have been helpful if we did not treat Diana’s organic cause of disease. While there was a physiological reason for her symptoms, she needed to support her mind-body connection to help shape healthful behaviors moving forward. The hypnosis sessions helped her to know she was strong and capable of being healthy again and to be able to imagine herself running marathons as she had in the past."

Thinking Outside the Box

Now, at 18, Diana has gained significant healthy weight, run a marathon, attended her prom, earned her cosmetology license and graduated high school. She most appreciates that CHOP staff was "willing to try different things if I thought that something wasn't working or if I just didn't like what we were doing. I’m thankful to them for helping me.”

Diana’s parents, Ben and Jennifer, are grateful too. “Sometimes you need to think outside the box, and that's what they do. Diana’s IH sessions gave her something to look forward to and helped her cope with daily testing and blood draws. CHOP gave us our daughter back.”

Ten Years of Impactful Collaboration

Dr. Mascarenhas reflects on the program’s 10-year anniversary, saying, “There is great potential for integrative health services to help patients at CHOP. It has been so rewarding to see what we have been able to achieve over the past decade. Taking care of patients like Mason and Diana shows us how powerful the collaboration between the medical team and the integrative health team can be.”