Years before The Wellness Principle existed, Dr. Munson’s mother (and Dr. Bianca’s future mother-in-law) was diagnosed with lung cancer.
With specialized acupuncture treatments, dietary changes, and therapeutic exercises provided by her son, she went from being disabled post-operatively to walking again, despite the doctor's prognosis. When Dr. Bianca joined their family, she was able to contribute gentle support with compassionate, integrative cancer care. A 3-month prognosis turned into 7 years, filled with quality of life and love.
Their story is personal, but hardly singular. Deeply motivated to fill a void in clinical literature, providing evidence-based explorations of how and why the science and wisdom of TCM methodologies like acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and moxibustion can complement Western approaches to cancer treatment, The Wellness Principle’s founders wrote Bridging the Gap: Integrative Oncology and the Practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Most appropriately it is dedicated to Dr. Munson’s mother, lovingly known as Mama Spice.
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All too often, acupuncturists and herbalists shy away from offering beneficial therapies to patients in active cancer treatment due simply to a lack of information. For TCM practitioners, Bridging the Gap serves as a clinical guide to safely and effectively integrating Chinese medicine into holistic cancer care, creating a framework to approach complex cases with skill, technique, and compassion.
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For Western clinicians, Bridging the Gap describes the scope of TCM and how it can be applied in collaborative medical models to improve outcomes, and offers the first in-depth exploration of the science behind why and how these techniques work within integrative oncology.
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We know that lack of clear information is too often a huge, and unnecessary, source of additional stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis. While clinical by design, Bridging the Gap offers cancer patients a clear picture of what to expect from Chinese medicine approaches, and–most importantly–how these treatments can help them heal.
Praise for Bridging the Gap
“Cancer is an increasingly common disease and one for which Chinese medicine is an important treatment option. Given that fact, it is a wonder there are so few well written books on the topic of integrative oncology. In this text, Drs. Di Giulio and Munson have offered Chinese medicine professionals a detailed examination of the topic, including the full range of Chinese medicine therapies and how they can be applied clinically. Chapters contain information on rarely discussed treatments and are illustrated in short case narratives. All together this book should be an essential reference for anyone treating cancer patients.”
— Henry McCann, DAOM, L.Ac., Dipl OM
Doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, professor at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine doctoral program and Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and author of, Pricking the Vessels: Bloodletting Therapy in Chinese Medicine.
“I worked over 30 years in medical oncology. Therefore, I saw many different modalities used in therapy. One of the hardest parts of my work was dealing with the nausea and fatigue that the treatments created. I found that by using acupuncture and acupressure during treatments allowed the patients more relief from their nausea/fatigue. It's a difficult time and these combined treatments allowed better quality of life to the patient. This book offers insight for all healthcare practitioners seeking supportive therapies during cancer treatment, and I highly recommend it.”
— Jill Hemingway, Oncology Nurse Practitioner