Supporting You for the Long Haul
What does it mean to be a cancer survivor? At The Life Center (TLC), we are here to help you answer that question and support you in creating a “new normal” that includes health, vitality, and cancer prevention. We will give you the tools to take back your life and regain a sense of control after a cancer diagnosis. When working with survivorship, our goals are to:
- Reduce cancer recurrence
- Regain health and vitality
- Prevent and address long-term side effects of conventional treatment
- Support emotional health
- Engage co-survivors in taking charge of their own health and well being
Stop Cancer Recurrence
Cancer can only grow when the internal environment of the body supports its growth. With naturopathic oncology, we look at your internal environment and bring areas of dysfunction back to health. Hormones, lifestyle factors, cancer growth factors, environmental exposures and emotional health all affect the cells in your body. When one of these systems is out of alignment, it impacts every cell of your being. By bringing health back to your body as a whole, we improve the function of your healthy cells and can stop cancer growth in its tracks. There are many strategies that can be used to stop cancer from coming back.
Working with our doctors you can:
- Stimulate the body’s innate ability to heal
- Take charge of your own health
- Identify areas of dysfunction and bring them to health
- Start a new way of living so that cancer cannot return
Together we will look at the many avenues that stimulate cancer growth including:
- Inflammation
- Immune system dysfunction
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Exposure to environmental toxins, heavy metals, solvents, pesticides, and industrial chemicals
- Factors of Angiogenesis, which allows cancer cells to grow
- Risk for metastasis including bone health, liver health, and receptors that allow cancer to spread
- Lifestyle choices including food, exercise, and spiritual practices
Regain Health and Vitality
Recovering from conventional treatments can be difficult, and many people say they don’t feel back to normal for months or even years after treatment. By using naturopathic medicine during treatment, we can reduce long-term side effects proactively and provide any additional support that might be needed after treatment. If you have already completed chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, natural medicine can help you feel back to normal! Common complaints that improve for people being treated at The Life Center include:
- Fatigue
- Chemo Brain
- Memory Loss
- Difficulty walking or exercising
- Neuropathy (numbness and tingling)
- Diabetes
- Pain
- Depression
- Scar tissue formation from surgery or radiation
- Weight gain
- Memory Problems
- Weight Loss
- Loss of Muscle Mass
- Osteoporosis
- Changes in Bowel Movements
- Low Red Blood Cells
- Low White Blood Cells
- Hot Flashes
- Thyroid dysfunction
Our approach to treating long-term side effects and restoring vitality can include homeopathy, IV nutrients, diet counseling, herbal medicine, and targeted supplements. We know exactly which organ system and nutrients each type of treatment impacts and will remove the obstacles that are blocking your full recovery.
Emotional Health Support
We know that the effects of cancer are not limited to the physical body. It impacts your emotional, energetic, and psychological health. In general terms, this can be known as the Mind-Body connection. We have seen the emotional impact of cancer to include:
- Difficulty with intimacy
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Lack of self confidence
Our physicians will work with you to address all the aspects of your emotional health. Sometimes these emotional concerns are linked to physiological changes in hormones, thyroid function, and nutrient depletion. Homeopathy, herbs, and vitamins can support emotional health and return you to a state of well being. Each person is approached as an individual, and the doctors will take into account the ways to approach your healing process.
Health and Well Being of Co-Survivors
What does it mean to be a Co-Survivor? This is different for each individual, but is generally a person that provided help and support to someone diagnosed with cancer. This can be a spouse, life partner, child, or friend. Being a Co-survivor is a unique part of the cancer journey, one that creates its own health risks. A Co-Survivor might also experience changes in relationships, intimacy, and coming to a place of acceptance of the role that cancer has played in your life.
Co-survivors often sacrifice their own health in order to support their loved one. Studies are enlightening us on the unique health impacts of co-survivorship and stress. Co-Survivors can experience:
- Burn out
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Insomnia
- Frequent colds/flu
- Grief
The Life Center is a safe place for caregivers and co-survivors to examine their own process of healing during and after a cancer diagnosis. We are here to support your emotional health, and provide simple tips to take care of yourself while your loved one is being treated for cancer. If your loved one has finished cancer treatment, we are here to help you refocus on your own health journey and address any areas of your health need a tune up. Read more about our Caregiver/Co-Survivor support program here.
