CancerChoices

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Bolinas, CA
CancerChoices

An independent, science-backed resource helping you make informed choices in integrative cancer care.
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We offer balanced views of conventional, self, and complementary cancer care. We curate the best available evidence on complementary cancer therapies. And you will find inspiring stories of healing from those who have walked this path before you. We are a unique resource for you at any point in your cancer journey. CancerChoices is a program of Commonweal, a nonprofit institute in Bolinas, California.

09/03/2026

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness, share support, and help people find trustworthy information.

For anyone diagnosed with prostate cancer, it’s common to wonder: What can I do, in addition to my cancer treatments, to support healing and feel better?

Our Prostate Cancer: A Whole Person Approach guide explores evidence-based integrative approaches that may support people alongside standard medical care, including nutrition, lifestyle practices, chronic health issues, mind-body practices, supplements, and other complementary therapies.

The guide also includes practical information on key foods for prostate cancer, movement, stress support, sleep, metabolic health, and how to work with trained integrative oncology professionals.

Read the full guide here: https://cancerchoices.org/handbook/prostate-cancer/

09/01/2026

Brain fog can be one of the more frustrating parts of cancer treatment and recovery.

It can show up as forgetfulness, trouble focusing, difficulty finding words, or feeling like your mind just isn’t as clear as it used to be. And while there isn’t always a quick fix, there are supportive ways to care for your brain health.

In our webinar recording, Feeding the Mind: Nutrition and Lifestyle for Cancer-Related Brain Fog, Erin Pellegrin, RD, LDN, Senior Director of Culinary Nutrition and Education at Unite for HER, shares practical nutrition and lifestyle strategies that may help support cognitive health during and after cancer treatment.

She takes a whole-person approach, looking at the role of sleep, movement, blood sugar balance, stress, and everyday nourishment.

Watch the replay for simple, supportive tools you can bring into daily life.

Watch here: https://cancerchoices.org/feeding-the-mind-nutrition-and-lifestyle-for-cancer-related-brain-fog-webinar/

08/29/2026

We are deeply grateful for the life and legacy of Rachel Naomi Remen, MD.

Rachel was a beloved part of the community, and her wisdom helped shape the way so many of us understand healing, illness, service, listening, and love.

In a beautiful reflection, CancerChoices’ Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS, shares how Rachel’s writings and teachings changed the course of her own life — from first hearing Rachel speak about “wounded healers,” to reading Kitchen Table Wisdom, to finding her way into decades of work with Smith Center for Healing and the Arts and Commonweal.

Laura’s letter is a tribute to Rachel’s lasting influence on so many lives — and to the way her teachings continue to remind us what it means to care, to heal, to serve, and to love better.

Read Laura’s full reflection here: https://cancerchoices.org/in-memoriam-rachel-naomi-remen/

With deep gratitude to Rachel. 🤎

08/26/2026

Cancer-related pain can affect so much more than the place where it hurts. It can wear you down, disrupt sleep, increase distress, and make everything feel harder.

But pain should not be something you have to simply endure.

Our Cancer-related Pain: A Whole Person Approach guide explains common causes and types of pain, why it’s important to tell your care team what you’re experiencing, and which evidence-informed practices and therapies may help support pain management.

The guide includes approaches such as acupuncture, acupressure, guided imagery, relaxation, massage, music therapy, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, psychosocial support, and other therapies to discuss with your care team.

Swipe through for a few key reminders, and read the full guide here: https://cancerchoices.org/side-effect/pain/

08/23/2026

When someone you love is facing cancer, it can be hard to know what to say — or how to show up. What Matters Now: 7 Healing Letters to a Friend with Cancer was written for those moments.

Written by Commonweal founder and CancerChoices co-founder Michael Lerner, these letters were born from more than 40 years of listening, learning, and sitting with people facing cancer through the Commonweal Cancer Help Program.

The book offers companionship, wisdom, and practical reflections on healing, love, meaning, and what matters most. It is not a medical guide. It is a deeply human one — something to read, keep close, or share with someone who may need to feel less alone. 💛

Read for free, and download the PDF from Issuu: https://issuu.com/commonwealbolinas/docs/what_matters_now_7_healing_letters_to_a_friend_wi

Purchase a hardcopy in store or online from Point Reyes Books: https://ptreyesbooks.com/product/what-matters-now-healing-letters-friend-cancer

08/20/2026

Yoga can be a gentle way to reconnect with your body during or after cancer treatment.

Through breathing, movement, relaxation, and mindfulness, yoga may help support both physical and emotional well-being — and it can often be adapted to meet you where you are.

Join us for Yoga and Cancer Care: Research, Practice, and Everyday Tools for Well-Being with Smitha Mallaiah, PhD(c), C-IAYT, yoga researcher and clinical yoga therapist in the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

This free webinar will explore the research behind yoga in cancer care and offer simple tools you can bring into everyday life. Participants will also be guided through a gentle practice.

Wednesday, September 16
11 AM PT / 2 PM ET

Register here:
https://cancerchoices.org/community/events/free-webinar-yoga-and-cancer-care/

08/18/2026

An article looks at what people with cancer and cancer survivors should know about creatine, including why timing matters.

For people in active treatment, supplements like creatine should always be discussed with the oncology team, especially because some treatments can affect kidney function and creatine may influence lab markers such as creatinine.

For some survivors who have completed treatment, creatine may be worth asking about as part of a broader plan that includes strength training, nutrition, and supportive care.

As always, supplements are not one-size-fits-all. The safest place to start is a conversation with your care team.

Read more: https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/creatine-and-cancer-do-they-mix/

08/15/2026

Last chance to register for our free webinar, Nutrition for Brain Health.

Brain fog during or after cancer treatment can be frustrating — especially when it affects memory, focus, or mental clarity in everyday life.

Join Erin Pellegrin, RD, LDN, Senior Director of Culinary Nutrition and Education at , for a practical conversation about nutrition and lifestyle strategies that may help support brain health during and after treatment.

Wednesday, August 19
11 AM PT / 2 PM ET

Register here: https://cancerchoices.org/community/events/free-webinar-nutrition-for-brain-health/

08/12/2026

Whole-person cancer care asks us to look beyond diagnosis and treatment alone — to the physical, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, and supportive care needs of each person.

We’re glad to share that CancerChoices’ Laura Pole, MSN, RN, OCNS, will serve on the faculty for the American Cancer Society’s Whole Person Cancer Care ECHO program.

This free program is designed for multidisciplinary oncology care team members who want to strengthen comprehensive, patient-centered cancer care through expert-led learning, case-based discussion, and evidence-based supportive care strategies.

The program runs from August 2026 through January 2027 and offers no-cost CME and nursing Continuing Education Units.

Learn more and register here: https://echo.cancer.org/program/whole-person-care-echo/

08/10/2026

Many people with cancer are looking for support with symptoms like pain, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, depression, and stress — but access to integrative oncology services is often limited by cost.

A new study from offers an encouraging look at what may be possible when integrative oncology is built into routine cancer care and supported, in part, through insurance.

The program provided services such as acupuncture, massage, and other supportive therapies for people with cancer. Patients reported meaningful improvements in several symptoms, and satisfaction with the program was high.

This is the kind of progress we’re glad to see — integrative care becoming easier for people to access, and used in a way that supports them through conventional cancer treatment.

Read more: https://news.uhhospitals.org/news-releases/articles/2026/07/integrative-oncology-program-improves-patients-symptoms

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Bolinas, CA

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http://www.CancerChoices.org/, https://cancerchoices.org/community/sign-up/

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