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Integrative Oncology with Ayurveda and Culinary Medicine

This workshop explores the integration of Ayurvedic principles into oncology care, focusing on the culinary applications of Ayurvedic herbs and spices. With a growing body of scientific evidence supporting the role of diet and gut microbiome in cancer symptom management, this session will provide both theoretical insights and practical applications. Participants will engage in hands-on learning and discussions on how Ayurvedic dietary principles, including the pharmacological properties of herbs and spices, can support personalized symptom management, improve nutritional intake, and enhance quality of life (QoL) for patients undergoing and recovering from cancer treatment.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the foundational principles of Ayurveda, while introducing the diagnostic perspective and its clinical applications in culinary medicine.
  2. Assess evidence-informed impacts of Ayurvedic herbs, spices, and food combinations on inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut microbiota.
  3. Tips on integrating Ayurvedic culinary practices into oncology care to support symptom management and improve patient outcomes.

Target Audience:

Everyone interested in Ayurveda and its applications in integrative oncology.

Facilitators:

Dr. Shraddha Ravani integrates extensive experience in cancer biology research with Ayurveda and integrative oncology. Her work bridges modern science with traditional healing, focusing on whole-system strategies for better patient well-being and outcomes. She is a Co-Chair of the Ayurveda Special Interest Group, Society for Integrative Oncology. Dr. Ravani has co-authored peer-reviewed publications and presented her work at national and international conferences. With a strong commitment to advancing evidence-based research, Dr. Ravani brings together traditional wisdom and modern biology to enhance personalized well-being.

 

 

Dr. Santhosshi Narayanan is a Clinical Associate Professor of integrative medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, USA. She co-chairs the Global committee and is a board member of the Society of Integrative Oncology. Dr. Narayanan co-founded and serve as the associate director of the MD Anderson Onco-hospitalist fellowship program in 2015. In 2018, she transitioned to the integrative medicine center, focusing on incorporating diet, exercise, and mind-body approaches into cancer treatment plans. A co-author of several peer-reviewed publications, she presents her work internationally and is dedicated to advancing Integrative Oncology through clinical practice, research, and education.

 

 

Krupali Desai holds an MD in Ayurvedic Medicine from India and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Thomas Jefferson University. She is passionate about advancing integrative approaches such as Ayurveda and Yoga within evidence-based cancer care. She was part of the Integrative Medicine research team at the University of Pennsylvania, where her work focused on exploring the use of yoga among cancer patients. Currently, she serves as a Project Coordinator and Ayurveda Project Lead at the Integrative Medicine Services, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this role, she leads initiatives to design, implement, and evaluate Ayurveda-based education programs for people with cancer.

 

Herbert Newton, MD, FAAN, is a Neuro-Oncologist and Medical Director of the Neuro-Oncology Program at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. He earned his medical degree from SUNY Buffalo and completed neurology training at the University of Michigan, followed by a Neuro-Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Newton founded the Division of Neuro-Oncology at The Ohio State University, where he became a Full Professor and Esther Dardinger Endowed Chair. His interests include chemotherapy, molecular therapeutics, and clinical trials. He has authored over 220 scientific publications and co-edited 12 books. Previously, he led the Neuro-Oncology Center at Advent Health Cancer Institute.

 

 

Dr. Arnold currently serves on the National Ayurveda Medical Association (NAMA) Board of Directors and on the NAMA Research Committee as Co chair. She also serves as a Special Volunteer with the NIH-National Cancer Institute, Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCI-OCCAM) focusing on projects in Ayurveda related to cancer.

She has 40+ years of cancer research experience in cell biology, cancer prevention and mechanisms of tissue microenvironmental regulation of cancer cells. Dr. Arnold received her PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in Ayurveda from Maharishi International University (MIU). She is interested in promoting education and research in Ayurveda and increasing evidence-based preclinical and clinical research relating to cancer mechanisms and care. Dr Arnold has published 2 book chapters and over 35 peer-reviewed manuscripts including a comprehensive 2-part review on “Integrating ayurvedic medicine into cancer research programs”.

Eran Ben-Arye has an MD degree from the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Prof. Ben-Arye is on the faculty of the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, The Technion, and since 2022 serves as the Chairman, Department of family Medicine, in the Faculty of Medicine. Prof. Ben-Arye is the founder and director of the Integrative Oncology Program at Lin, Carmel, and Zebulun Medical Centers, Haifa, Israel. He has been the chairperson of the Israel Society for Complementary Medicine of the Israel Medical Association. He is the Primary Researcher of the Middle East Research Group in Integrative Oncology (MERGIO) within the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC) and is an elected member of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Board of Trustees and serves as the SIO Regional Ambassador to Europe and the Middle-East. His research interests include integrative and complementary medicine, family medicine, integrative oncology, medical education, doctor-patient communication, evidence-based medicine and research, and traditional and cross-cultural medicine. He has authored and co-authored 217 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals published in Pubmed/Medline and 9 chapters in oncology textbooks concerning integrative oncology, doctor-patient communication, sociology and nutrition. Prof. Ben-Arye has constructed and co-conducted more than 20 clinical studies in the area of complementary and integrative medicine, including five randomized controlled studies. He is assigned as Associate Editor for Integrative Oncology in the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care and as an Integrative Medicine section editor in Current Psychiatry Reports.