Last Saturday, I had the honour of lecturing all day on the subject of nutrition and cancer in the beautiful city of Kelowna, British Columbia. The audience included a registered nurse and medical doctor, who are starting up a clinic that will offer integrative cancer therapies to residents in western Canada. Sally, the nurse, recently came to Toronto to visit the integrative cancer treatment centre, where I work with an oncology nurse and a brilliant medical doctor. Working together, we provide cancer patients with a customized, highly NON-TOXIC treatment plan that is based on cutting edge scientific methods, most of which have not yet been adopted by conventional oncologists and hospital-based chemotherapy and radiation centers.

Sally was so impressed with the treatment methods, the in-depth scientific work-up of the patient’s case and the non-toxic approach, which allows the patient to be treated without feeling violently ill, without their hair falling out, etc., that she went looking for doctors in her home town that would work with her to set up an integrative cancer treatment centre, where she could participate in a nursing capacity to help cancer patients in her home town get access to treatment that would improve their quality of life and help reverse and/or stabilize their disease.

As the Director of Nutritional Therapy for the integrative cancer center in Toronto, and as a faculty member of the Integrative Cancer Therapy Fellowship Program (a division of the American Academy Of Anti-aging Medicine) in the United States, Sally and her medical doctor colleague asked me to spend a day teaching them the evidence-based approach to providing cancer patients with a customized diet and supplementation program that enhances medical treatment of cancer, helps to reduce recurrence of cancer, and decreases the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. They were amazed to discover that certain nutrients and natural supplements could even do things to combat cancer that drugs can’t yet accomplish. As always, I provided them with all the supporting scientific research to support the course material I presented.

Next week, our oncology nurse is flying out to Kelowna to teach them the medical aspects of the treatment used at our Toronto-based center.

As a final note, I have to tell you how delightful it was for me to come across two truly dedicated, and open-minded medical professionals (and they have found an additional MD to work with as well who was not in attendance, but shares the same commitment to patient care and proactive wellness interventions). All three of these medical professionals are highly fit, look many years younger than their chronological age, paid me the highest level of respect and appreciation for the educational material and clinic experience I shared with them, and have incredibly positive attitudes towards life and patient care. Their appreciation for the role that nutrition, supplementation and exercise can play in the prevention and management of many diseases is at a level equal to mine. If there were more medical doctors and nurses who embraced these fundamental cornerstones of health and anti-aging, our health care system would be in much better shape today, as doctors would do what they should be doing – that is, providing patients with an evidence-based program involving diet, supplementation and physical activity to accompany any other prescription drugs or medical procedures their patient may require. I can tell you this – the citizens of Kelowna are truly blessed to have three of the finest medical professionals available to help them with their health challenges, including cancer.