Cancer care

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Cancer care with a difference

Today, patients have many different options when it comes to seeking integrative care. Dr. Sharon Gurm, BSc, ND, FABNO, a naturopathic physician (oncology) and founder and medical director of Port Moody Health – Integrative Medicine and Cancer Care (portmoodyhealth. com), helps us to understand how taking a holistic, integrative approach can have an impact on cancer. DR. SHARON GURM SHARES WHAT AN INTEGRATIVE CARE APPROACH LOOKS LIKE

ETC: How do you describe an integrative approach to health care compared to the conventional approach? SG: The conventional approach to health care follows a diseasefocused model primarily with pharmaceutical management. Integrative health care blends naturopathic medicine with conventional medicine, defining a new standard of care. Integrative health care considers many aspects of disease, health and overall wellbeing. It follows a patientfocused model of health care that involves therapeutic interventions — including diet, nutrition, lifestyle, mindbody medicine, use of natural health products, physical therapy and counselling — aimed at prevention, disease treatment and management. While this may include pharmaceuticals where appropriate, the backbone of integrative care is a functional, whole-person approach.

How can the two approaches be combined? Integrative medicine is not a replacement to conventional care; rather it elevates conventional care to a higher standard. Integrative care “integrates” conventional care with a combination of evidence-supported therapeutic strategies and often requires an “integration” of several providers as part of the health care team for the individual. It is a modern approach to health care ideally involving collaboration between family physicians, specialists and naturopathic physicians, along with allied practitioners, such as nutritionists, physiotherapists and counsellors.

What are the benefits of an integrative approach? The backbone of integrative care is patient empowerment and education. The patient becomes an active participant in their care. Naturopathic physicians and other private health care physicians have the flexibility of devoting longer consults with their patients, providing the space and time for explanation, questions, discussion of various therapeutic options and shared decision-making for treatment. When patients understand the factors impacting their health and why, in addition to learning what can be done to improve their health, they are motivated to make change and more likely to commit to a plan aimed at achieving the end goal.

When is the best time to seek integrative care? Prevention is much easier and preferable than treating disease! The best time to seek integrative care is before the disease manifests.

Whether you are extremely healthy, starting to experience a decline in your health, or are dealing with a chronic disease such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, diabetes or chronic pain, you need to take accountability for your health and seek out appropriate care. Even if you are healthy now, the reality is that many serious illnesses are “silent” until they progress to the point that symptoms become evident — cancer and cardiovascular disease are two classic

examples of silent diseases. In my practice, I see a lot of young, healthy individuals diagnosed with cancer, even without a strong family history or major risk factors for cancer. The reality is we are never immune from developing cancer, no matter how “healthy” we may be. Making healthy choices for diet and lifestyle will reduce the risk and lead to better treatment-related outcomes.

What should you look for when selecting a naturopathic physician for cancer treatment? The Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians is a fantastic resource of naturopathic physicians offering oncologic care. Some naturopathic physicians have obtained further training in naturopathic oncology and completed a fellowship with the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO).

FABNO naturopathic physicians follow an integrative, collaborative, patient-focused approach to cancer care, with the goals of improving quality of life during cancer treatments and beyond, reducing the side effects to cancer treatments, improving outcomes from cancer treatment, preventing recurrence, and maintaining or improving overall health of the patient. n

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Spring self-reflections

PLANTING THE SEEDS OF CHANGE FOR MORE POSITIVITY IN YOUR LIFE By Lynn Oldenburg

Spring is the opportune time for self reflection and assessing the happiness and joy in our lives. We awaken from the winter with fresh eyes and a new perspective, enabling objectivity and compassion for ourselves and those around us. It is a time to reflect back on past challenges and review belief systems that may be outdated.

Time to re-evaluate Humans are meant to grow and evolve. It is in our nature to learn and understand who we are and what we we are meant to achieve while on this earth. I am not talking about a job; I am referring to activities that promote creativity, self empowerment and growth — basically anything that makes our heart sing.

Everything in our body is interconnected from the toes to the top of our head, including the emotional and physical state. When your emotional health is out of balance, it can directly impact your physical body with aches, pains and exhaustion.

Stepping into the self-reflective work The first step is to identify and recognize what you want to change. Assess experiences that may have had an uncomfortable outcome and be curious about it. Develop the inner witness that watches the experiences and your responses to them. It does not judge, nor comment and is a completely unbiased review of a situation. It allows you to reflect in a neutral manner to understand how you got from point A to point B. Now you can discern what you have outgrown and what is no longer serving you.

Getting rid of negative energy Harbouring negativity can spin you into excessive worry, fear and loneliness. It is closely related to stress and illness, and can attract more negative experiences into your life. Look inside to understand why negativity is pervading your psyche and environment. How do you feel about yourself, who do you surround yourself with and can you make changes that reflect more positivity? The inner critic or ego is the voice in your head that judges you and admonishes you for making mistakes. You develop the ego at a very young age, and initially its development is required to keep you safe. However, it can eventually spiral out of control as we experience life’s ups and downs. Understanding that this is not your conscience nor your voice, and knowing that the words are not true, can help to break the incessant cycle of negative thoughts.

The key to transforming your life is to be honest with yourself and trust that you know what is best for you. If you make a mistake, let it go, knowing the next day is a new opportunity to shift. Planting these seeds will flower into new behaviours and experiences that can create a more fulfilling life. n

Lynn Oldenburg is a Reiki master and a trained life coach.Her selfhealing and life transformation program can be practiced in clinic and at home. Find her at White Lotus Divine Healing in Port Moody.

5 ways to cultivate positive thoughts

1. Be kind to self and others. When we spend time on self care and feed our soul, we are at peace. When we are able to love the self, we can then love others and spread empathy.

2. Gratitude is a powerful healer! Use gratitude daily and with intention setting, to create the best outcome for the day ahead.

3. Exercise can boost immune function, clear your head and create serotonin, the happy hormone.

4. Journalling your thoughts daily helps you to recognize belief systems that may not be your own. Explore this fully and make any necessary changes.

5. Mindfulness is about living in the present moment, where there is no fear or worry.

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