Patrick Dempsey, who stars on "Grey's Anatomy," lost his mother, Amanda Dempsey, to ovarian cancer in 2014. In 2008, inspired by his mother’s cancer journey — and determined to give back to the community where she was originally treated — Dempsey founded the Dempsey Center, a holistic care center in Maine.
“We don’t treat the disease,” Dempsey, 53, told SurvivorNet in a conversation about the Dempsey Center. “We treat the person. We treat the whole person, and the caregivers and the families.”
Read MoreThe Value of Pairing Complementary Medicine with Conventional Treatment
Complementing conventional medicine with holistic healing methods and supporting, whole-person care is called "integrative medicine," and many doctors believe in its benefits, given that the effects of the disease go beyond the physical impact of the cancer itself.
“Complementary medicine, I think, is very important,” Dempsey said. “For me, racing is the perfect example. You have the driver, you have the engineer, and then you have the mechanics and team, and you’ve gotta get around the circuit. And you better not wreck it.”
Dr. Brian Berman, the Director, Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland on The Difference Between Integrative Medicine and "Alternative Medicine"
As Dempsey explained, many oncologists are on-board with complementary medicine. They recognize that it can be really beneficial when used alongside the cancer treatment.
“Whatever an individual needs and a family needs, we try to customize it for them, while at the same time working with their doctors,” Dempsey said.
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