Integrating Botanical Medicine in Cancer Therapies

As an herbalist with 25 years of clinical experience, I witness on a daily basis the remarkable healing properties of plants. Although the foundation of my healing approach is deeply rooted in traditional medical philosophies and practices, I draw extensively upon modern scientific research as a vital cornerstone for my work.

The majority of my patients have been diagnosed with cancer, and many turn to me after they have exhausted all that modern medicine has to offer. Merging traditional nature-based medical systems with modern, scientifically based conventional medical knowledge enables me to significantly help the difficult cases I so often encounter. I have an inner drive to do anything and everything I can for each person I work with to utilize all lens and tools of the various toolboxes, finding the pieces that fit together to promote and sustain healing. It is a true integration of the mind and heart, thinking and praying together. Researching and reviewing the latest scientific studies is part of my daily routine, and this continual stream of research contributes to the rationale for my clinical recommendations.

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Cancer Is Not One Disease

 “All cancers are alike but they are alike in a unique way.”― Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

Last September, I came across an excellent article written by George Lundberg, MD, a board-certified pathologist and former long-time editor of both the Journal of the American Medical Association and Medscape, a highly respected web resource for health professionals (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/809982).

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The Relationship of Insulin Resistance and Cancer: A Botanical Approach

It’s well known that elevated fasting blood sugar is a precursor to diabetes. Less well known, but increasingly recognized, is that elevated fasting serum glucose and/or insulin levels are also risk factors for cancer, and the risk grows as fasting blood sugar and insulin levels rise. With the escalation of obesity and diabetes worldwide, it is important to recognize these diseases as causative factors for cancer development, especially for older individuals.

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The Merits of Botanicals in Integrative Cancer Medicine from an Oncologist’s Perspective

In my clinical practice, I have had the great pleasure of collaborating with Dwight McKee, M.D., a wise and compassionate oncologist who approaches the treatment of cancer in a truly integrative manner. Dr. McKee has written the forward for my new book, Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism: Elite Herbs and Natural Compounds for Mastering Stress, Aging, and Chronic Disease (September 2013, Healing Arts Press), which I would like to share with you here.

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Evaluating New Guidelines for PSA Screening

Today’s guest article is written by Mark Bricca, ND, LAc. Mark practices as a clinician at the Mederi Centre for Healing in Ashland, Oregon.

For years, “routine” PSA screening was considered a standard part of prudent, preventive medicine, and surveillance was commonly encouraged by doctors for men beginning in their 50’s. About a year ago, in May of 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) came out with a new recommendation—namely that all men, regardless of their age, should not regularly have PSA screening tests performed unless they are determined to be at increased risk for prostate cancer. What changed, and why the new guidelines? Let’s see if we can understand this whole situation a little better!

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A Model for Integrative Oncology

Magnolia

I believe that we are at a crossroads in oncology and our approach to cancer, where a total paradigm shift in philosophy, strategy, science, and medicine is needed to replace the prevailing “War on Cancer.” This war, declared by Congress in 1971, has yielded little real benefit, despite four decades of effort by conventional medicine and more than $100 billion tax dollars.

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