HEALTH & FITN'

alternatives

Naturopathic Oncology

W

hen you or a person you
care about is diagnosed

with cancer, a whirl-

wind of emotions and
thoughts about life and death enter
your heart and mind.
It is especially easy to be over-

whelmed by information about com-

plementary and alternative medicine
(CAM) and cancer. Well-meaning
friends and family, anxious to help,

clip out articles. The health food store

clerk pushes the latest fad supple-
ment or herb. The Internet is riddled

with claims about untested treatments
or products that "cure" cancer.

Come for the Lifestyle.

It is very hard to know whom to
trust, how to safely integrate natu-

ral therapies into conventional care
and what natural treatments stand

the best chance of improving one's

survival and quality of life. The emerg-
ing field of naturopathic oncology is
designed especially to address this
situation.

It maximizes healing after surgeries

and helps people to complete their
scheduled course of treatment.
In the time after conventional treat-

ments are over, naturopathic medicine
focuses on preventing recurrence,

improving survivorship and harnesses
people's desire to be proactive and

engaged in their health care.

For those unfamiliar with
naturopathic medicine and
trained naturopathic physi-

In chronic cancer, naturo-
pathic medicine helps to
nourish the body and spirit

cians, naturopathic medi-
cine is a distinct system

to improve quality of life and
support healing, even if full

of health care that treats
the whole person and
addresses the root causes

cure may not be possible.
The guiding principles of

naturopathic medicine apply
to oncology as much as to
any other area of medicine.

of disease. It supports your

body's own healing ability
through natural therapies,

In our principles, we pledge
to first, do no harm; this
means avoiding nutrient or

such as nutrition, supple-

ments, herbal medicine,
homeopathy, mind-body medicine and
lifestyle counseling.

Naturopathic doctors are highly

educated healthcare providers who
integrate standard medical diag-
nostics with preventive medicine

and natural therapies. After earning

bachelor's degrees, naturopathic doc-
tors (NDs) attend a four-year accred-
ited naturopathic medical school.

Stay for the Friendships.

Come and experience the incredible value and comfort of
The Park at Trowbridge. Settle in and feel a genuine sense of
belonging and purpose with a diverse set of friends both new
and familiar. Our wildly popular LiveWe/fiLifestyle Programs
& Events offers over 200 scheduled social, cultural, educational
and fitness opportunities and outings every month, so there's
always something fun to do. Learn new arts and crafts, play
billiards or attend one of our exciting and lively exercise classes.
Whatever it is you're looking for, you'll find it all here. See for
yourself why our residents love our lifestyle of simple excellence
and truly believe that "life here is grand."

at Trowbridge

Naturopathic oncology is an emerg-
ing field that applies safe, effec-

We wish to identify and treat the
root causes of disease. This steers us

tive, evidence-based naturopathic
medicine to cancer care. Its goal is

towards addressing predisposing risk
factors, avoidance of carcinogens and
emphasizing disease prevention and
health promotion.

to create a place of stability and clar-
ity amidst the hurricane of a cancer

diagnosis, so that complementary and
alternative medicine information can
be filtered and safely applied.

It is a team-oriented process, with
the patient, oncologist and naturo-
pathic doctor all being made aware of

the treatment plan so that there are
no herb or nutrient-drug interactions.

This integrative care is about provid-
ing choices and restoring a sense of
control to people faced with cancer.
Together with their naturopathic

For more information or to visit, call today! (248) 352-0208

strong emotionally and physically dur-
ing their conventional therapies.

www.horizonbay.com

HORIZON BAY

A34

April 30 2009

We seek to support the healing
power of nature. This includes har-

nessing our innate capacity for growth
and transformation when faced with
serious disease.

doctor, patients create individualized
treatment plans to help them stay

Civic Center Dr. • Southfield, Ml 48033

We pledge to treat the whole per-

son; this includes seeing our patients'
wholeness despite physical limita-
tions.

At graduation, NDs have completed
more than 4,800 hours of naturopathic
medical education.

The Brightest Tomorrows Begin Here.®

2 4111

herb-drug interactions. It also means
steering patients clear of false "cures"
and towards clinically relevant treat-
ments.

Naturopathic medicine offers sup-
port for common side effects from
chemotherapy such as fatigue,

reduced white blood cell count, diges-
tive upset and peripheral neuropathy.

Lastly, we see doctor as teacher.
This often means helping patients

interpret their bloodwork, helping
them critically evaluate a herbal ther-
apy or encouraging them to discover

new ways to live more fully than ever
before.

In naturopathic oncology, I would

add a final guiding principle: "patient
as teacher." This oath is to keep our
ears, eyes and hearts open to the
small and large miracles present in
every one of our patients.

Dr. Jen Green is a naturopathic doctor

at Royal Oak-based William Beaumont

Hospital's Rose Cancer Center and in

private practice in West Bloomfield at

Acupuncture Healthcare Associates of

Michigan.