It is one thing to treat a cancer, but the true challenge is to meet the needs, desires, and goals of the patient, to holistically treat and support the actual patient faced with cancer.  An effective approach to helping people with cancer is multi-faceted and involves more than one approach and practitioner.  I have summarized my Six Step Program below including the various approaches that I use.  With appropriate testing, and individualization, a custom treatment plan can be developed to best serve the patient.  I often communicate with the oncologist and hospital pharmacists to integrate naturopathic treatments with the patients’ other cancer treatment specialists.

Step One – Basic Therapy. 

1. Resolve Current Problems.  This may include using naturopathic treatments to control or stop nausea, fatigue, low appetite, insomnia, low blood cell counts, etc.
2. Eliminate Harmful Factors
   1. Processed, nutrient-poor foods à Whole foods
   2. Intestinal dysfunction & dysbiosis (bacteria imbalance)
   3. Address irritating/infectious foci
   4. Address residual pathogens/induce fever
   5. Stressful environment – eg: air pollution, toxins in coffee/tobacco/medicines/x-rays/ electromagnetic fields/plastics/pesticides, etc.
   6. Stressful Emotional Influences
3. Remove Secondary Damage
   1. Clear the extracellular matrix (space between the cells) where toxins can build
   2. Enzyme supplementation – eg: for pancreatic cancer, but also for other cancers
   3. Mineral, vitamin supplementation to address nutritional deficiencies – oral/IV/IM
   4. Detoxification - many choices/combinations and may include sauna, baths, herbs, homeopathics.  Often addresses the liver, kidneys, intestines, skin,…
4.  Remove the Cancerous Environment
   1. Alkalinize the Body
   2. Oil-Dispersion Hydrotherapy
   3. Exercise/Activity
   4. Homeopathy

Step Two – Psychotherapy.  This involves counseling, deep relaxation, and self-help groups.

Step Three - Immune Therapy.  There are many approaches that help balance the body’s immune system to work in-line with supporting the patient in cancer treatment.  One of the difficulties is that regular conventional cancer treatment weakens the patients’ immune system.  Some ways to support and balance immunity is through good nutrition, thymus gland extracts, mistletoe injections (eg: Iscador or Helixor), and oral herbal medicines such as turmeric extracts and ‘medicinal’ mushrooms including Shiitake, Coriolus, Grifola, etc.

Step Four - Naturopathic Methods to Optimize Conventional Therapy

1. Optimize the Benefits of Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiation.  Naturopathic supports can make these treatments more tolerable and more effective.
   • eg: melatonin can increase the effectiveness of radiation
   • eg: glutathione IV can increase the anti-tumour effect of cisplatin
2. Intravenous Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – Used to control cancer cell growth at high doses (eg: 10,000-100,000mg).  Usually given weekly.

Step Five - Other Supplementary Strategies

• Prevent metastasis
• Deal with harmful hormones – eg: estrogens/estrogen-mimicking chemicals
• Regulate insulin and blood-sugar
• Decrease inflammation
• Encourage apoptosis (cell death)
• Block angiogenesis (blood vessel formation)

Step Six – Monitor, Retest, and Maintenance.  It’s important to monitor your progress in case changes need to be made to your program to make it more effective.  This may rely on imaging tests, and blood tests.