Holistic Approach to Cancer Care

with Carl Olson, M.D., of Columbia St. Mary’s

Posted: March 1, 2004

When Dr. Carl Olson began working as a radiation oncologist at St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee in 1975, his commitment to acknowledging patients’ whole selves during treatment wasn’t a widely accepted notion.

Nearly 30 years later, the holistic approach to cancer care is an integral part of oncology treatment at Columbia St. Mary’s, where Dr. Olson serves as Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Department and Medical Director for Columbia St. Mary’s Cancer Program.

Carl Olson, M.D., Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Department and Medical Director for Columbia St. Mary’s Cancer Program "There needs to be a lot of attention to how we feel about ourselves, how we feel about people in our lives, how we feel about our families and about the world. In one way or another, all those set the stage for how we deal with illness."

In addition to conventional treatment modalities, acupuncture, psychological counseling, music therapy and pet therapy are part of the landscape at Columbia St. Mary’s Cancer Care Center.

The center’s nurses, dietitian and radiation therapists are ready and willing to offer a supportive ear and strong shoulder.

“Our dietitian is very focused on what we can do to maintain good nutrition when going through treatment, and teaches good eating habits, because that’s so important,” Dr. Olson said. “Our nurses are always there for support, as are the people who have the closest contact – our radiation therapists, who actually do the radiation treatments.”

The holistic concept, he said, isn’t a new one. What has changed, however, is that it is routine clinical practice at Columbia St. Mary’s. It is an integrated component of a normal day’s worth of medical care.

From the minute a new patient walks through the door, they’re seen not only as a cancer patient, but also as someone who has a full life in which cancer is, at that time, part of that life experience.

Mind, body and spirit
“One of my goals has always been to connect the mind, body and spirit,” Dr. Olson said.

Historically, treatment has focused extensively on the body, with doctors paying less attention to the emotional and spiritual aspects of their patients’ lives.

“When I talk of the spiritual side, I’m not talking about organized religion,” Dr. Olson said. “I’m talking about the inner self, that core of you that is there. The cancer is happening, but it isn’t necessarily happening to that part of you.”

As an illustration of what he meant, Dr. Olson cited an incident with his mother. When she turned 90, he asked her what it was like to be that old.

“I can’t do what I used to do when I was a kid who could run and jump and play,” she said, “but I still feel like that kid inside.”

It’s the inner self that Dr. Olson and his medical staff seek to connect with as they work with their patients.

“I can think of innumerable times when we were with some older person, and it was hard to relate to their not feeling well,” he said. “They’re tired of doctors and tired of the system, so at some level, you try to connect, and when you do make that connection, it’s like turning on a switch.”

Laughter and healing
Laughter, too, is an important part of cancer treatment at Columbia St. Mary’s. That isn’t, Dr. Olson emphasized, to imply that there is anything funny about the disease. It’s more to do with the old saw about laughter being the best medicine, or, as he put it, “a good belly laugh can be life-affirming.”

Early in his medical career, after a TV special capturing the best episodes of Candid Camera aired, Dr. Olson wrote to Allan Funt asking if he could buy a copy of the program to air in his waiting room. The reply, that the tape was unavailable for sale, was accompanied by a copy of the program and a note from Mr. Funt to keep it “on permanent loan.” The previously somber ambiance of the waiting room was transformed and howls of laughter were frequently heard.

While no one looks forward to being diagnosed with or treated for cancer, Dr. Olson and his staff have managed to create a setting in which patients nearing the end of treatment have been known to express regret.

“Very often patients say ‘I kind of hate to be leaving because I enjoy the care and support I’m getting on a daily basis.’”

In order for patients not to lose that connection, and to continue ensuring that their current and former patients are continuing to receive one important treatment – laughter – they and Columbia St. Mary’s Cancer Care staff got together in February for a Patient Appreciation Night…at Comedy Sportz.

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