David Denis: Introduction to Naturopathy: Focus on Cancer

This week, David Denis, Naturopathic Doctor, introduces the practice of naturopathic medicine, with a focus on its application in the treatment of cancer. In the video, David discusses naturopathic treatments with Luiza Alexa. 

What is Naturopathy?

The Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) defines naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, as “a distinct primary health care system that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine.”  Although naturopathy takes into account contemporary medical knowledge and practice, it differs from conventional allopathic medicine because it is a holistic system that seeks to activate the body’s own healing and defensive abilities. Thus, naturopathic philosophy adheres to a belief in the body’s intuitive capacity to heal itself.

Because naturopathy is holistic, naturopaths appraise all aspects of an individual’s life: physiological, spiritual, and mental health, in addition to environmental, circumstantial, and social factors.  Treatments, therefore, are individuated, and may include a variety of therapeutic modalities or lifestyle changes. In examining all aspects of a person’s wellness, CAND explains that naturopathic medicine “emphasizes disease as a process rather than as an entity”, meaning that our health is organic, dynamic, and informed by a variety of internal and external determinants.

The benefits of naturopathy

Although there are a variety of therapeutic options available for the alleviation of short-term or chronic illness, naturopathic doctors are primarily concerned with the prevention of health disturbances by addressing the root causes of poor health. Rather than simply treat the surface symptoms of a condition or disease, the naturopathic doctor focuses on why the illness came about and how to relieve or correct it by leveraging the body’s natural healing powers. 

By addressing health from a holistic approach, naturopathy can also empower individuals to take greater initiative in their own health care and disease prevention by giving them a new awareness of what wellness means and how they can promote it from within.

Your first appointment

When you first visit a naturopath, you can expect an initial intake procedure in which the naturopath will use a set of diagnostic tools to assess concerns, treatment options, and overall wellness. These tools may include:

• A thorough medical, lifestyle, and family history
• Nutritional and dietary analysis
• A physical examination
• Laboratory testing
• Traditional Chinese tongue and pulse diagnosis
• Iridology

From this in-depth diagnostic review, naturopaths will create a comprehensive plan for wellness that includes therapy and corrections to lifestyle behaviours.

Treatment and Prevention

Naturopathic doctors focus on maintaining or restoring health with natural options that minimize invasive methods, make adjustments to unproductive habits, and stimulate the body’s natural healing powers.  Natural modality treatments may include:

• Diet and nutrition plans
• Botanical medicine
• Homeopathic remedies based in dilutions of plant, animal and mineral substances
• Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture
• Physical therapy including soft tissue massage, hydrotherapy, or exercise
• Lifestyle counselling
• Applied kinesiology
• Reflexology

Case Study: Cancer Treatment

Research in integrative medicine continues to expand our knowledge of how alternative or traditional therapies can better support patients in the western medical system, and particularly in the field of integrative oncology. 

In the treatment of cancer, naturopaths generally assist patients in all stages of treatment by supporting the role of oncologists within the conventional medical healthcare system. Depending on whether they are having surgery, undergoing chemotherapy, or whether they have reached remission, naturopathic doctors provide patients with complementary plans of care that can boost their overall levels of wellness through, for example, dietary changes or immune-strengthening supplementation. As a holistic medicine, naturopathy can enrich mainstream oncological care by addressing all factors of an individual's wellness.  

In the video, David advises patients to be aware of the vulnerability that disease can incur, and to be wary of claims that allege to be "anti-cancer" or cancer "cures."  Instead, he discusses treatment options that demonstrate evidence of positive intervention. For example, David refers to in vitro data on intravenous Vitamin C therapy that shows that when exposed to various cancer cell lines, it can work to inhibit the growth of cancer.  Furthermore, he informs us that naturopathy as a complementary mode of treatment empowers cancer patients to take action in their own healthcare. As Luiza remarks, when a patient is diagnosed, "it changes your outlook; everything around you is drastically altered". A diagnosis of cancer may provoke a feeling that control over the body, health, and life has been lost. When David Denis emphasizes in response that naturopathic medicine is a "collaborative" approach to treatment involving both doctor and patient, he reveals that naturopathy can provide patients with the opportunity to make decisions and act at a time when they might otherwise feel powerless. By encouraging individual initative, naturopathy can help patients gain an improved perspective while reducing feelings of futility and hopelessness. 

Naturopathic medicine allows patients to reclaim a sense of active engagement in their own healthcare by promoting wellness at an internal, holistic level and in a way which can mitigate the sense of disempowerment that can arise from the over-medicalization of many health issues.