The Integrative Palliative Podcast
Episodes
Self-Forgiveness - The Antidote to Shame
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Caregivers put so much energy into caregiving yet they still struggle with self-criticism and feeling like their best isn't good enough.Every car...
How to Talk to Your Doctor So They Don't Blow You Off
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It is hard to be a doctor and it is hard to be a patient (or a family member of a patient). Everyone in the healthcare system is frustrated.Both patie...
What to do When You're Having an Especially Bad Day
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you just have an especially bad day. If you are a caregiver who cares for a mom, dad, or spouse with a serious illness like cancer, Alzheime...
Visiting Your Aging Parents Over the Holidays: What to Watch For and When to Worry
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you visit your ill or aging parents over the holidays, you might be in for a surprise. Maybe your mom seems confused or your dad is having troubl...
10 Ways to Get the Best Hospice Care for Your Loved One
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some people have wonderful experiences with hospice, and other people say the experience was terrible. What's the difference?If your loved one is...
A Meditation to Make Peace With Grief
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grief is tough. It is so very hard when a loved one dies. Whether it is expected because of serious illness or a total shock, grief is painful. And a...
The Mindful Approach to Grief
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Facing a serious loss after a loved one has died is just so tough. Without meaning to we can compound the stress of it all by how we approach our grie...
The Responsible One, The Favorite, and The Ghost: How Childhood Roles Shape Caregiving
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Caregiving doesn't just happen in the current moment - it brings old family roles that we've been playing out since childhood back to life. ...
Writing a Meaningful Letter to a Loved One
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When someone is nearing the end of life, the idea of leaving behind a “goodbye” or legacy letter can feel meaningful, but also overwhelming. What ...
How to Receive Love: A Powerful Interview with Michael L Smith
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all need this episode. Whether you're a family caregiver, caring for an ill or aging loved one, or you're a busy clinician who cares for ...
Caring for Yourself as You Care for Your Aging Parent
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Caring for a parent who is aging or who has dementia, debility, or serious illness such as cancer can be absolutely exhausting. It can feel like you&...
When Your Parent Won't Accept Your Help: 20 Ways to Make it Better
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If your parent has cancer, dementia, serious illness, or is just declining because they're getting older, you may feel the urge to help them as t...
Grieving is Not a Competition
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are so many kinds of grieving. You may be grieving the death of a loved one, a pet, a breast, a job, or you may be experiencing anticipatory gri...
Caring for an Aging Parent with Siblings Who Are Driving You Crazy
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Caring for an aging parent is hard in the best of circumstances. Whether your parent has cancer, Alzheimer's disease, another form of dementia, o...
Zoom Funerals: How to Make a Powerful and Meaningful Service Without Leaving Your House
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zoom memorials or celebrations of life get a bad rap. They may be seen as a second class way to honor a loved one - far less meaningful than a standar...
Beyond the Urn: Creative Things to Do with Your Loved One's Ashes
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After the death of a loved one, it can be difficult to know what to do with their ashes. In this episode of The Integrative Palliative Podcast we expl...
The Power of Permission When Times are Tough
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When a loved one is sick and caregiving gets exhausting, it can be powerful to have someone give you permission to take a break.Should you need their ...
Three Words That Help Reduce Distress in Difficult Times
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When someone you love is is ill or had died, life feels hard. Yet sometimes we add to our distress by judging how we are feeling or behaving. We feel...
Fragments and Light: An Exploration of Traumatic Grief
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this deeply personal and powerful episode, Dr. Delia Chiaramonte shares her experience of traumatic loss of both her father and her father-in-law. ...
A Call for Medical Aid in Dying: A Tale of Autonomy and Desperation
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Not having access to Medical Aid in Dying can drastically increase suffering for dying people and their families.This week I'll share a deeply pe...
Bearing Witness to Grief: A Powerful Way to Support Someone Who is Grieving
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's been an interesting experience for me to experience the loss of my dad and both feel my own grief and also observe it with the lens of a pal...
Anticipatory Grief: A View From the Inside
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grief isn't only an issue after a person dies. Anticipatory grief shows up long before a person has passed away. Families facing dementia, ALS, c...
Advance Directive Dos and Don'ts: Key Advice for Your Patients, Your Family and Yourself
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone should have an advanced directive. Full stop. You, your parents, your partner, your adult kids - everyone.Most people know that having an adv...
What is Holding You Back? Five Steps for Finally Doing What You've Been Avoiding
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What have you been avoiding? Is there a courageous conversation you should be having? A boundary you should be setting? A household task that needs to...
Palliative Care Updates with Dr. Janet Abrahm
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Janet Abrahm is a Fellow of the American Academy of Physicians, Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and a Fellow of...
The Physician Entrepreneur: An Inspiring Interview with Dr. Una
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Physicians are expert learners, yet many have the feeling that they can't be entrepreneurs. This week, Nneka Unachukwu, MD (affectionately known ...
How to Start the Conversation: 5 Tips for Initiating Talks About End-of-Life Wishes
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Talking about advance directives, goals of care, and end-or-life wishes can be scary. Even if the conversation doesn't scare you, finding the rig...
From Cold Showers to Going Flat: Katie Duke's Empowering View of Breast Cancer From the Inside
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Katie Joy Duke (@katiejoyduke) shares her wisdom as a woman and life coach who experienced treatment for stage IV breast cancer. She ...
The Tyranny of Expectations
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We create much of our own suffering, and I suggest that we all cut that out! Life sends us enough stress and challenge - why would we add to our suffe...
Avoiding Regret: 4 Key Steps
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the serious illness space, regret is rampant. Caregivers often regret what they did or didn't do when caring for their loved one with cancer,...
Advance Directives & Emergency Medicine: Wisdom From the Front Lines with Dr. Dan Morhaim
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Emergency Medicine physicians face life and death situations as part of their normal work day. They train for that! But what about when an ailing pers...
Managing the Holidays When Someone Important is Missing
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Holidays can be joyful times that bring you together with the people that you love. But what if someone is missing? Maybe your loved one has died, or...
Coping When Faced with Deeply Upsetting Circumstances
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've just had a big election and many people have strong feelings about the result. Some people are happy about the outcome, and others are feel...
The Basics of Gender Affirming Care: A Primer for Physicians and Clinicians
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can you define cisgender? Transgender? Intersex? Gender non-conforming?Do you know the difference between sex and gender? Have you heard of a 'de...
Supporting Blind Patients: From 'Pity Party' to 'Propel Party' with Sarah Freeman Smith
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Freeman Smith is a blind inspirational speaker and author, former HR/recruiting leader and disability advocate. She went blind in midlife and in...
Eco-Friendly End-of-Life Options: Green Burials and Beyond
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many patients are embalmed or cremated after death, but this isn't the only option. Embalming and cremation have a negative impact on the environ...
White Coat Crossroads: An Interview with Physician Career Coach Heather Fork, MD
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many physicians, and other clinicians, are wiped out and burned out. They may wonder if they should stay in medicine, or if there is another path that...
Handling Angry Patients Without Losing Your Cool
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes patients or family members express their stress with anger. And when the anger is directed your way you may get defensive or annoyed and it ...
Emotional Needs of the Dying: Four Key Concepts to Discuss with Your Patients
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Don't be afraid to talk about dying.We don't learn to talk about dying and so many people are afraid because they don't know what to sa...
Mental Status Change in Hospice Patients: What to Do and Not to Do
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mental status changes in hospice patients are extremely common. Yet are they always due to disease progression?If a patient suddenly gets confused or ...
When Patients with Cancer Pain Won't Take Opioids: 30 Reasons Why and What to Do About It
24 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Your patient is in terrible pain from cancer and you have the tools to relieve it. Yet they won't take the oxycontin or morphine that you prescri...
Ketamine: What It Is, Who Should Use It, And How the Palliative Population is Different
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ketamine is in the news right now because Matthew Perry died from improper use of ketamine and his physicians just got arrested for making that possib...
Dealing with Uncertainty in Health and Life: 4 Dos and 4 Don'ts
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a soup of uncertainty and so do our patients and clients. Caring for patients with serious illnesses such as cancer or Alzheimers dementia ...
LovingKindness Meditation: An Experiential Episode to Feed Your Soul
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The LovingKindness, or Metta, meditation (not a typo - that's how it is spelled) is one of my favorite meditations. It offers kindness and healin...
Leave Your Heirs the Gift of Organization: How Adam Zuckerman's "Buried in Work" Simplifies Estate & End-of Life Planning
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leave your heirs the gift of organization. Estate planning is crucial but many people put it off because they aren't sure how to proceed.Adam Z...
Dealing with Challenging Patients: The Power of Empathy Plus Boundaries
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've all had challenging patient or client interactions. It can be hard to know how to handle them and it can make us feel lousy or even derail ...
The Less Stress Doc: An Interview with Dr. Gary Sprouse
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Gary Sprouse is the Less Stress Doc. He is a family physician with expertise in stress management and he's the author of Highway to Your Happ...
Caring for a Challenging Loved One: 3 Questions and 3 Truths
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Caring for a loved one who is aging or ill is hard. It is especially hard if you've had a challenging relationship with them. If you had a diffic...
A Rational Approach to Chiropractic Care: Guidance from Brian Morrison, DC
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chiropractic care is widely misunderstood by the medical community. In this interesting interview, chiropractor Brian Morrison clues us in to how we g...
Your Internal Judge Makes Practicing Medicine (and Everything Else) Harder
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our internal judge has us judging ourselves, other people, and our circumstances. This makes practicing palliative care (and any patient care) harder ...
The Power of Mind-Body Medicine: An Interview with James Gordon MD, Founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Gordon is a world-recognized authority and pioneer in mind-body medicine, and he is the founder and executive director of The Center for Mind-Body ...
Moral Distress, Moral Injury, and Humanity in Healthcare
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Moral distress and moral injury are common in healthcare, yet few physicians, nurses or other clinicians talk about it on a regular basis.Stuffing the...
Don't Blame The Victim: 4 Myths of Clinician Self-Care
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The term self-care has a bad rap lately. It can seem like healthcare organizations use terms like "self-care" and "resilience" to ...
How to Handle it When Your Patient is Crying
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many clinicians, especially physicians, don't learn in school what to do when a patient is crying. When we don't know what to do we feel unc...
Joyful Palliative Care
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is Joyful Palliative Care possible? Palliative care clinicians are often kind and highly empathetic people, but uncontrolled caring can lead to compas...
2024 International Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health: 8 Key Takeaways
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 Integrative Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health was held recently in Cleveland and there were so many wonderful sessions. I attended ...
Using Negotiation Skills to Communicate Effectively with Patients
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Effective doctor-patient communication is crucial for effective patient care. Yet effective communication is challenging when visits are time pressure...
The Power of the Healthcare Provider Gaze: An Interview with Dignity Expert Harvey Chochinov MD, PhD
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Harvey Chochinov, MD, PhD is an esteemed clinician and researcher in the field of palliative care. He shares his research on dignity, dignity therapy ...
Integrative Health Coaching and Education: A Discussion with Michelle Pearce, Phd
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Pearce, PhD is a psychotherapist, coach and integrative health educator who is passionate about guiding people to well-being.She shares her i...
Dementia: 7 Ways to Connect When Language Is No Longer Accessible
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dementia is hard on families.It is hard to watch a loved one decline, hard to provide personal care, and hard to lose the connection with the person t...
Integrative Nutrition Coaching: An Interview with Joel Edman
23 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Behavior change is hard. Integrative nutrition and wellbeing coaches are an important part of a healthcare team.Joel Edman, DSc, FACN is an integrati...
A Surprising Cause of Pain in a Patient with Cancer: A Case Discussion
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As clinicians it is crucial that we are aware of our blinders. Sometimes the obvious cause of pain isn't the actual cause of pain and we need to...
How to Stay Sane in the Presence of Suffering - 6 Key Steps
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It is painful to watch other people suffer, whether they are your patients or your loved ones. They may suffer with illnesses, such as cancer or demen...
Acceptance is Badass - A Reading From Coping Courageously
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week I share the story of one of my patients and the woman he loved. Nick was a man in his 20s with an advanced cancer and caring for him touched...
BreathNote: A Powerful Tool for Using Your Breath to Improve Wellbeing
24 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Breath is powerful. We carry it with us, it keeps us alive, and it can either increase our stress or reduce it.Slow breathing is a secret weapon for r...
Look for Wonder... And Then Create It
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is wonder in unexpected places.When you look for it you will find it, and when you find it life feels just a bit lighter. From an Uber ride tha...
Remote Neurofeedback: A Conversation with Francesco Amico and Alvaro Villegas
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Neurofeedback is a brain-based treatment that is effective and safe. It can be used to manage ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, Parkinson’s disea...
The Clinicians Guide to Guided Imagery
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guided imagery is a powerful tool to use with your patients who have generalized anxiety or are just feeling anxious about getting chemotherapy or hav...
All About Yoga Therapy: An Interview With Yoga Therapist Kelly Bethel
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know the different between yoga and yoga therapy?Which one is better for people getting treatment for cancer? How about people with neurologic ...
Stop "Shoulding" on People
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Family members "should" on patients.Patients "should" on themselves.And we "should" on patients too.This week I share ei...
The Power of Acceptance
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Acceptance is powerful. Many people mistakenly think that acceptance is giving up. They see it as the opposite of fighting. I see it differently. Ins...
I Donated My Kidney to a Stranger: A Fascinating Interview with Chaya Lasson, RN
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It is challenging enough to imagine lending a stranger your car or giving them a large sum of money. Yet, some kind souls donate their precious, livin...
How to Help Your Patients Cope Courageously
28 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is our job to help our patients cope courageously. Whether they have cancer, dementia, age-related decline, ALS or other serious condition it will ...
My Gift to You: Permission
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My gift to you is permission.If you are holding on to ideas of how you're supposed to be and generating your own anxiety and stress, this episode...
Anchoring - A Powerful Tool to Support Wellbeing for You and Your Patients
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you use anchoring? Anchoring is a powerful tool that you can use to help manage stress even when you are out and about or in a meeting with a frust...
Clinician Grief: It's Real, It's Important and We Need to Talk About it. An Interview with Grief Expert Helen Bauer.
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clinician grief: it's real, it's important and we need to talk about it. Have you heard of secondary grief? Grief shaming?In this important ...
When There Isn't Enough Time: 8 Tips for Practicing Compassionate Medicine in a High Patient Volume Environment
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Too many patients and too little time.Most clinicians wish they had more time to spend with each patient and patients generally hate feeling rushed th...
When Family is Fraught
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Families are complicated.Holiday events, such as Thanksgiving, can bring out stressful feelings just as we're hoping for picture perfect family m...
The Beauty of Ayurveda: An Interview with Susan Weis-Bohlen
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's your Dosha? What is a Dosha? Do you know which foods work best for your unique constitution?This week, Ayurveda expert Susan Weis-Bohlen...
Talking to Patients About Prognosis
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
No one likes talking to patients about prognosis. It is uncomfortable and distressing for the clinician and the patient.Our discomfort and lack of tra...
Integrative Oncology: An Interview with Dr. Kirsten West
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
People facing cancer are often interested in exploring an integrative approach to managing their care. Yes many conventional oncologists don't fe...
Becoming a Sage Physician: The 8 Key Steps
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Becoming a Sage Physician (or clinician) requires you to care expertly for your patients and also care expertly for yourself.Expanding your toolbox, f...
Fascia Facts: Learn From Fascia Expert David Lesondak
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David Lesondak is the Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Integrative ...
Responding to Stress with a Positive Mindset: The Power of Positive Intelligence
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stress is a part of life.People are frustrating, you don't always get what you want, and life is filled with loss. We often can't control wh...
Building Mental Fitness (Part 1): An Insightful Interview with Expert Positive Intelligence Coach Bill Carmody
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mental fitness is the capacity to respond to life's challenges with a positive rather than negative mindset. Improving your mental fitness can ...
Are You A Martyr For Medicine?
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I saw this question online "Are you a martyr for medicine?"The question made so many people uncomfortable that I figured it was something we...
Using The Death Deck to Facilitate Communication: An Interview with Co-Creator Lisa Pahl, LCSW
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Communicating about death and end of life topics can be scary. For both clinicians and family members who care for people with serious illness (like c...
Talking to Patients About Their Complementary Medicine Use - 8 Key Tips
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do you say if your patient comes in with a bag of supplements? What if they are on a bunch of medications but they don't tell you about all ...
From "I Wish" to "I Will"
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"I wish I could do that."This benign sounding sentence isn't really benign at all. It is passive and a bit pessimistic and it implies t...
But What About the Evidence? How to Approach Evidence-Informed Integrative Palliative Care
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it true that integrative palliative care isn't evidence supported? Definitely not.Is it true that all "natural" approaches are safe ...
Finding The Job You Love: An Interview with Medical Matchmaker, Dr. Lara Hochman
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Being a physician or clinician can be tough. Some are leaving medicine. Some, tragically, even die by suicide. Having a job that makes you happy is ke...
When A Beloved Pet Dies
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For some people pets are family. Losing a family member is heartbreaking and destabilizing, no matter how many feet they have.Why is it so hard when ...
Caring For You While You're Caring for Someone Else: An inspirational interview with Dr. Sherita Gaskins-Tillett
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Sherita Gaskins-Tillett is an Ob-Gyn, mother, wife, wellness enthusiast and leader of wellness retreats for professional women. She has also been ...
Gabapentin: 8 Tips for Using It Well
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gabapentin is widely used, often for pain, but it is often not used skillfully. This can result in patients getting inadequate symptom relief or stop...
Elegant Acupuncture: An Enlightened Interview with Acupuncturist William Zvarick, L.Ac.
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Zvarick, L.Ac is a true healer. In treating his patients he combines his skills in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Qi gong, Tui Na, and wes...
When Cancer Treatment is Over: A Surprisingly Stressful Time
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When cancer treatment is finished, people expect to feel happy. Some do, of course, but many don't.Any serious illness can be scary, but finish...
Chemotherapy Related Hair Loss: How To Counsel Your Patients
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hair loss associated with chemotherapy makes a hard time even harder.Patients may wonder:"Should I cut my hair short?""Should I sha...
Cuddle Therapy: A Healing Option That You Might Not Have Tried
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Loneliness is rampant and so many of us are starved for touch.Cuddle therapy is an interesting treatment modality that provides platonic touch by trai...
5 Strategies for Mastering Tough Conversations
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Talking about tough stuff like serious illness, advancing illness or end of life issues can be stressful.This week you'll hear 5 very practical a...
How to be Happy in a Stressful Job: An Interview with Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Tamara Beckford
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Battling stress and preventing burnout is an active process. If you have a stressful job, like being an Emergency Medicine physician in a pandemic, ac...