A practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine quoted in Turner’s book stated “The inclusion of some type of insight practice into your own state is absolutely essential for people who are facing any type of illness. Because it’s only through this tangible feeling and understanding of what is the actual state that you are in—energetically and physically—that people can actually begin to say “Wow, I really have ignored my life for so long. I really have been trying to do too much. I really have been too controlling.”

Taking control often means encountering resistance from traditional medical practitioners particularly if there are other treatment modalities involved. Turner suggests that you become the lead decision maker. You gather as much information as you can on a subject and don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need. Learning to make use of the research databases and resources.

I’ve never been one to passively submit without first understanding how it will help. We have made use of the online support groups of fellow melanoma patients to sort out some questions about where to get a second opinion and how to negotiate the shift of care from Dana Farber to Duke. I expect to continue to be involved with these resources and as the choices I face become more complex, to educate myself as much as possible about the various alternatives.