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18A D PHYSICIAN r. Brian Lawenda loves gadgets. But he's also not afraid to use some old tried and true methods to battle cancer too. As Las Vegas' first Harvard-trained radiation oncologist, Lawenda loves to talk up the huge technological advances in his field and how they have dramatically bettered treatment outcomes. "I'm a tech geek. I love the high-tech aspect of what I do. Radiation oncology mirrors my personality that way," he said. Radiation oncology has gone from treating a lot of areas of the body in hopes of covering all a patient's cancer that has manifested over time to a much more targeted approach today. One tool, Varian Medical Systems' Rapidarc technology, allows Lawenda to literally "sculpt" a radiation beam three-dimensionally around a tumor and not damage healthy neighboring tissue. This technology, which also delivers the radiation at a higher intensity, has also shrank the length of treatments from weeks to days, a win-win for patient outcomes and even the bottom line. But Lawenda also serves his patients and community in another unique way with his Web page: integrativeoncology-essentials.com. It puts to practice research he conducted while completing his residency at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School. During his residency, Lawenda was surprised by the number of doctors who were still convinced that diet, exercise and nutrition were not major factors in cancer prevention and treatment. So Lawenda did his own research on the role of nutrition in cancer and kept track of his own patients who took supplements, reduced stress and/or prioritized exercise as preventative measures during treatment regimens. "I love the cutting edge science in oncology. But I'm a people person, and it's not just about dealing with science and machines," he said. "If we were to live a healthy lifestyle we could eliminate almost 80 percent of all cancers and probably fix the entire healthcare budget." On the Web page Lawenda promotes what is being more commonly referred to in cancer prevention circles as the anti-inflammatory diet, which favors fruits and vegetables over meats and starches. That said, Lawenda isn't convinced a vegan diet (no meat or dairy) is necessary either. It's a suggestion popularized recently for cancer patients. "Saying 'don't eat meat' is an oversimplification. If you eat grass-fed Dr. Brian Lawenda Radiation Oncologist and Clinical Director 21st Century Oncology INNOVATION F Dr. Joseph Nicola Founder Complete Injury Management 20130415_VI01_I.indd 18 or Dr. Joesph Nicola, patients come first – and an innovative business model can help them get more of the personal attention they deserve. "In private practice, you live on an island," he explained. "And getting a message out to a whole community can be very difficult for a number of reasons." He's seen other clinic systems conquer the messaging obstacle by becoming large corporations. But there's a price. Among the trade-offs is the personal touch of the doctor/patient relationship. Nicola overcame that problem by forming what he describes as a "marketing co-op" with individual members but with all the advantages of a group. The result: Complete Injury Management, with 12 locations across the Valley, as well as a mobile chiropractic service. Each office is individually owned, but the collective reach of the group spans from Henderson to all corners of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. Everything's covered, from chiropractic care and orthopedic surgery to pain management. Members meet weekly to discuss best practices, laws, legislation and trends. They also conduct peer reviews. "The greatest advantage that we have for patients is continuity of care," he said, using the example of the patient who moves across town. "We know through statistics and through practice models for years and years that if your location isn't convenient for a patient, they're probably not going to follow up as routinely as they could. Or they'll miss appointments due to other factors, and that really affects the outcome of a patient's care." That's a problem for someone with an acute injury requiring routine visits, sometimes two to three times a week. Some patients don't resolve their condition. Or, they go to another chiropractor and start all over, with another initial exam and more x-rays. Nicola knows exactly how his fellow members practice. And, through his co-op, he said, "I can seamlessly make the referral to an- organic meat, it has a lot of nutrients in it," he added. Lawenda is also a certified acupuncturist, a field he initially set out to show provided no meaningful health benefits. "My goal was to disprove it but I only found it worked like nobody's business. I use it every day in my practice," he added. As a true integrator of traditional Western medicine with other approaches, Lawenda has also received his share of recognition in his field. He is a nominee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society "Man & Woman of the Year" campaign. He was awarded the "Best Doctor" distinction by US News and World Reports in 2012, and has won the Academic Research Award given by the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. Lawenda also won the Radiological Society of North America, Roentgen Resident Research Award, and has contributed to numerous textbooks and peer-reviewed journals. He even made a contribution to Dr. Andrew Weil's book Integrative Oncology. Lawenda describes his philosophy on cancer treatment as "an evidence-informed and personalized mind, body and spirit approach," and he prides himself in helping patients battle cancer with a greater sense of hope. "When people see me they are usually recently diagnosed and they're scared. They have no idea what's going on. Part of what I do is help to calm them down and let them know we're going to get this thing," he added. —B.S. other doctor who does the same types of treatment that I do, so the patient can continue their care." He knows what it's like to be a hurting patient himself. At age 20, he was working with a group of physicians in a hospital and heading for a career in medicine of some kind. A car accident on the freeway changed everything. "I wasn't getting better, and I was 20 years old," he said. To the chagrin of those around him, he went to a chiropractor. His pain was gone within a few weeks. Enter a career in chiropractic. He often tests his clinical skills to the max, nowadays, by helping injured Las Vegas Wranglers hockey players get back on the ice. "They beat up their bodies just about more than any other professional sports athlete," he observed. "Anytime we see these guys, it's always an emergency. They always just hurt themselves, and they've always got to play tomorrow." When he isn't helping injured professional athletes reclaim their way of life, the Las Vegas native just might be out on a Metro Search and Rescue mission, serving as a volunteer, usually in the spring and fall. Those are the busy climbing seasons, during which he's often been called out one to two times a month, whether it's simply to help find someone or stabilize them until they're delivered to the hospital. Add to that a busy season as head coach for his 9-year-old son's football team. He's also done time as the "team doctor," overseeing every kid going on and off the field every week. His parental take, as someone who walks in the land of the injured: "The reality is, you study the physics behind football, the statistical numbers, which I'm a big believer in, and kids under the age of 12 in tackle football really have much less injuries compared to soccer, basketball and even skateboarding. They have so much protection. They don't run very fast and they don't hit very hard." When his son turns 12, he said he'll probably reconsider. —G.R.D. 4/11/13 3:20:10 PM