Cancer

Human beings have been trying to find both the cause and the cure for cancer.  Just as many factors can contribute to the development of cancer, there are many features/attributes that a cancer may or may not possess.  This complexity is what makes cancer treatment so challenging.  Each cancer is unique, and so is each person that has developed it.

There are many risk factors in the development of cancer.  Below is a list of a few general risk factors with some examples.

1.  Nutrient deficiencies - vitamin D is linked to various cancers including prostate, breast, colon, and certain types of skin cancer.

2. Excessive exposure to radiation - the sun, x-rays, CT scans, uranium etc.

3.  Exposure to toxins - cigarette smoke, asbestos

4.  Poor diet - eg - diets high in red meat and fat are a risk factor for colon cancer

5. Genetics - there are genetic variations that are known to increase the risk of some cancers.  Two such examples are breast and ovarian cancer in carriers of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.

Supporting people who are fighting cancer involves four main strategies.  Remember that it is important to make an informed decision.  Talk to each of your doctors (surgeon, oncologist, family doctor, naturopathic doctor) about the pros and cons of each choice.  Each doctor has your best interest in mind and will recommend the tools that they feel are best for you.  Don't feel that you must choose only conventional or alternative treatments - more and more research supports using them together for added benefit to the patient.

1.  Surgery (Conventional) - surgical removal of a tumor can in some cases be very successful.  It does not always come without complications.  There is always risk of infection, and if lymph nodes are removed, then the lymph may have difficulty draining from the area.  Discuss the specifics of the risks and benefits with your surgeon.

2.  Treatments to directly attack the cancer (Chemo/Radiation/Natural Treatments) - there are many drugs and natural products that have demonstrated in research to be toxic to cancer cells.  The type an duration of each treatment will vary according to each person's situation.  The conventional treatments in this group do tend to have the most side effects, however, there is research supporting the use the natural products to decrease the such adverse effects and make the patients chemo/radiation experience more comfortable.  There are patients who choose not to pusue the conventional cancer treatments, however, make sure that this decision is an infomed choice and that the pros and cons of doing or not doing each treatment are fully explained.  If you have questions, make sure to ask the appropriate doctor so you know the facts.

3.  Immune Stimulation (Natural/Alternative treatments) - there are various methods to doing this.  Herbal extracts and certain vitamins are the most common, how, immunization therapies are found in some alternative cancer treatment centres.

4.  Normalization of cells (Natural treatments) - cancer cells are your own cells...they belong to you.  They are like a newborn baby that never grows up - they have the basic functions to be alive, but they are not able to do everything that an adult can.  At the same time, they are heavily dependant on their surroundings to provide food.  What is different is that when you have one baby, you just have one baby.  With cancer, its like waking up each day, and every day the number of babies in the house doubles - it doesn't take long before the parents are knee high in dirty diapers and have run out of food.  It is the same with the body and cancer (please don't think of babies as cancer though - I love babies...it's just an analogy) the cancer keeps dividing, stealing basic nutrients, and producing metabolic waste.  The goal of this treatment catagory is to provide the nutrients and synergistic extracts to convince those babies to grow up and become adults - to become the fully functioning cells that are meant to be.

Information on some of the services offered at this office are described in the Therapies & Programs section.