DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE has announced the opening of the new Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living.
Increasing data have indicated that integrative therapies can help alleviate the side effects of cancer therapy. The Zakim Center, as it is commonly referred to, helps patients to maintain the best possible quality of life during and after cancer treatment. Services that are offered include acupuncture, massage, meditation and mindfulness, expressive arts therapies, integrative medicine and nutrition consultations, and movement and other exercise programs.
State-of-the-Art Center
Jennifer Ligibel, MD
THE OPENING OF THE NEW, state-of-the-art Zakim Center marks the first time that the Zakim Center will be housed in a specially designed facility within the Institute. This dedicated space will allow Dana-Farber to meet the increasingly large patient interest in integrative services while expanding healthy living initiatives. It features five treatment rooms for acupuncture and massage, a consultation room for integrative medicine and nutrition services, a mind body studio for yoga and group movement class, and an exercise training studio. Patients using the Zakim Center often report reductions in cancer-related pain, less fatigue and nausea, and overall better quality of life.
“The Zakim Center was truly innovative when it was created, and it continues to be today. This dedicated new space will allow us to create an environment focused on healing and expand our services to a greater proportion of our patients,” said Jennifer Ligibel, MD, Director of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living. “Additionally, the new center will allow us to expand our focus on healthy living. Over the past few years, mounting evidence has demonstrated that healthy nutrition and physical activity not only help patients become stronger and more resilient during therapy but are also linked to better outcomes—lower rates of cancer recurrence and mortality—in individuals with many forms of cancer.” ■
