Integrative Cancer Care
What is Integrative Cancer Care?
Integrative Cancer Care is a comprehensive approach to cancer treatment that combines your conventional medical treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation as prescribed by your Oncologist, with complementary therapies, such as nutrition, exercise, and mind-body techniques. The goal of integrative cancer care is to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of cancer treatment in order to improve outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients.
As a Naturopathic Doctor (ND), I will work with each individual cancer patient to develop a comprehensive care plan that is specific to their needs. Different radiation techniques and chemotherapies come with their own unique constellation of side effects and not every patient will experience them the same way; I will work with you to develop a plan that addresses nutrients that are displaced by treatment, and not only work to prevent rate-limiting side effects (i.e. symptoms that cause treatment to slow/stop) but also address symptoms that impact your quality of life.
Integrative cancer care is not meant to replace conventional medical treatments, but rather to complement them. As an ND, I will support you through your diagnosis and conventional treatment by providing you with the tools, information, and supports needed for YOU to make an informed decision. Integrative cancer care can help patients better manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life throughout the cancer journey.
Integrative Care is Complimentary, Not Alternative
Naturopathic Doctors are regulated in the province of Ontario, and as such, we are bound not only by our creed but also by law to provide patients with treatments that are safe! With that in mind, Integrative cancer care is a field of medicine that is meant to be complimentary and NOT alternative. What this means is that your treatment plan will be designed and individually tailored to help support you through conventional cancer treatments that are prescribed by your oncology team. If you and your oncologist have made the decision to use chemotherapy, for example, Integrative cancer care means supporting you through this treatment, by targeting rate-limiting side effects, so that you have the best outcomes!
One of the ways the best outcomes are achieved is by utilizing the findings of clinical trials; while hundreds of years ago, we relied on traditional knowledge for medicines, we now live in the 21st century and have thousands of clinical trials that put therapeutics to the test! These trials are particularly important when it comes to complimenting conventional treatments (such as chemo) with natural agents. By engaging with me as a Naturopathic Doctor that practices Integrative Cancer Care, I will only recommend treatments that have been proven SAFE and effective with your conventional treatment.
Regardless of where you are in your journey with cancer, if you’d like to learn more about evidence-based, complimentary cancer care, I strongly recommend that you book in for a free 15-minute appointment!
Hundreds of New studies are released each week
Hundreds of new studies are released each week and this is why seeing a regulated healthcare professional is important!
As a ND, I spend hundreds of hours every year combing through the latest research findings and use this information when developing treatment plans. One of my goals when developing these plans is to not create more burden for a patient; instead of throwing hundreds of recommendations at patient, I use this cumulative knowledge to only make key recommendations that will support the patient.
What do I mean by this? It’s all too often that I have a patient come see me after they’ve seen a ‘health coach’ and they’ve been placed on 20 different supplements. Not only are half of them in inappropriate dosages or not even relevant, but actually some of these combinations can be dangerous and make conventional treatment less effective. Quite often, this is because a health coach has not undergone rigorous medical training and can’t effectively interpret the meanings of these clinical trials, and ultimately make recommendations based off flashy and misleading headlines.
One size-Fits-All is not individualized Medicine
As an ND, I practice individualize medicine, which means that each person that comes into my office is treated as a unique individual. Their experiences leading up to their diagnosis, the ways in which they choose and receive treatments, and even the treatments themselves, create this unique constellation of circumstances that make each case individual. Similarly, no two people respond to any given conventional treatment exactly the same.
My goal as an ND is to develop a unique treatment plan that supports you all throughout your diagnosis. If you’ve been recently diagnosed and haven’t undergone conventional treatment yet, of course your circumstances are different from someone whose undergoing active treatment. Similarly, someone whose recently finished treatment is going to have a unique set of needs, lingering symptoms and side effects, and cancer recurrence prevention strategies. By working with me, I will work with you to create a unique and comprehensive treatment plan that is custom-tailored to your unique circumstances.