Treat the Whole You -- Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual

You know as I personally discovered, it's not always enough to simply treat the disease itself when you're fighting cancer. We often overlook our complete physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being in the healing process. And that's why the idea of treating the whole you is so important in the cutting edge of cancer.

When Sheila Cox had finished treatments for her breast cancer, she tried to run full force back into her life. But instead, she stumbled.

I had three surgeries. I thought I was healed, and I thought I was ready to go. And I wasn't. I felt physically, emotionally, and spiritually devastated by it all.

There's this feeling that, OK, you've had your surgery. You got a good prognosis. So, [CLAPS], done. That's just not the case, is it?

That's when you felt really alone.

How do we let the people know that the journey continues even after the treatment? A different type of journey continues.

And that's actually really where the real recovery and healing begins. Whenever I was depressed, the way out of depression for mean was through movement. And that was lost to me. I wasn't acquainted with my new body. I was holding myself in a strange way and wasn't breathing properly. And I was fearful. And I had never been fearful in my life.

And for you to use that phrase like that, that it was lost, how did you find it again?

This is how she found it again. Across the country, cancer treatment programs are increasingly using innovative treatments such as this fitness class at the Bendheim Integrative Medicine Center in New York City.

Our dream and our goal is to make integrative medicine part of the standard cancer cure.

As you can see here, integrative medicine is a more holistic approach to cancer treatment. These patients, many still fighting cancer, some even stage four, are participating in movement therapies, acupuncture, massage, and meditation.

Bring the mind back to the present moment.

There's even music therapy, known to have a tremendous soothing effect in hospital settings. Small miracles are happening every day, even for those diagnosed as terminal, who say they are actually feeling stronger.

Stronger isn't a strong enough word.

I'm in the best shape I've ever been in my life. I'm having the most fun in my life.

One reason, instead of just depending on chemo, radiation, or surgery to treat the cancer, integrative medicine focuses on the well-being of the whole patient in a new way, something I discovered on my own cancer journey, after the treatments I received for breast cancer led to a rare blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome. It was integrative therapies like yoga that helped me not only recover physically but spiritually and mentally, as did one of my oncologists, Dr. Sergio Giralt my guiding light.

I remember being hospitalized for 30 days, and the different therapies that you had come in-- the music therapy.

(SINGING) Oh to the glory.

I will never forget her coming in, and I remember singing before I left. And people all wonder, how can that be a part of the process of healing?

All these integrative strategies that we have -- acupuncture, yoga -- are you exploring the ability of an individual to heal themselves. You sang and you felt better. And when we feel better, there are chemicals behind this. And it generates a downstream effect on the immune system, on your ability to recover.

I have been waiting 174 days to say this. Good Morning America.

I was given a sense of hope and energy that helped me re-enter my life.

Open.

There's a very palpable vitality, a life force given back to cancer patients taking part in integrative therapies.

Two years ago, this week, I really was in a wheelchair. Watch this baby.

All right, Elly!

There's no doubt that integrative medicine has helped the patients here.

Your confidence has returned.

It has.

Yeah. I look at -- you are beautiful. You absolutely -- I mean, the light that is coming through your eyes and the way that you hold yourself. I don't know about you, I'm not crazy about the word survivor.

Oh, I'm not -- I hate that word. I hate that word.

I like the way we are thriving. And I say we. We are thrivers.

I would add to the thriver, I feel like I'm a warrior.

A warrior ready to fearlessly test the waters of her life once again.