Integrative Oncology
Integrative oncology is a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilizes mind and body practices, natural products (supplements and botanicals), and lifestyle modifications such as dietary guidelines, movement and optimizing sleep alongside conventional cancer treatments. Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum and to empower people to prevent cancer and become active participants before, during, and beyond cancer treatment.
Integrative oncology is used to address symptoms caused by disease and treatment, such as fatigue, pain, nausea, anxiety and others. The practice combines conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary treatments. That means the treatments have been researched and proved to be safe and effective in the healing process.
Our program aims to improve quality of life, provide working relationships or a bridge with our patients, conventional oncologists and other providers in pursuit of optimal treatment outcomes. The goal of our approach is to improve quality of life, manage side effects from conventional treatment or the disease itself, aid in recovery, educate our patients on health lifestyle practices and to prevent recurrence whenever possible.
Our doctors spend time with patients. Each patient is treated as an individual and treatment recommendations are tailored to their particular needs. An extensive work up including history, evaluation of lab testing, looking at risk factors, epigenetic and genetic inheritance, whole body health including the nervous system, endocrine system, digestive system are all evaluated. A carefully curated treatment plan that includes herbal medicine, nutrition, homeopathy, lifestyle recommendations to address the whole person. Our doctors are experts on what to use and not to use during conventional treatment in order to enhance the conventional treatment and not harm the patient or stand in the way of the effectiveness of that treatment. We call this adjunctive naturopathic support for those in a conventional oncology treatment.
Integrative oncology is for people who are looking to improve the results of traditional cancer treatment through adjunctive therapies. Patients come to our doctors for integrative or adjunctive therapies to add on during chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. They also seek tactics to use after conventional therapy for added protection from recurrence of cancer.
Integrative oncology puts you at the center of the treatment plan. It makes you an active participant in your own care, from prevention through diagnosis, throughout treatment and into survivorship. Our program includes:
- Stress and anxiety management
- Clinical nutrition
- Lifestyle practices
- Nutraceuticals to and not to take depending upon your conventional treatment path
- IV therapy if appropriate with High Dose IV Vitamin C, mistletoe, and others.
- Mistletoe therapy