In one section of Beth Israel Hospital, some patients are saying 'om,' not 'ah'

A premier Manhattan hospital is turning a cancer-treatment floor over to a world-famous fashion designer in the hope that serendipity, science and intuition will help in the healing process. A foundation run by Donna Karan, founder of the DKNY line of clothing, has donated $850,000 for a yearlong experiment combining Eastern and Western healing methods at Beth Israel Medical Center. The Karan-Beth Israel project will have a celebrated donor turn a hospital into a testing ground for a medically controversial notion: that yoga, meditation, and aromatherapy can enhance regimens of chemotherapy and radiation.