In Your Corner:  How Naturopathic and Chinese medicine can help

May 2008
by Kelly Jennings ND, MSOM

You may have seen it on Youtube.  Called ‘crazy sexy cancer’, it is a visual portrait of a woman in the prime of her life who has just discovered she has a rare and terminal cancer.  As she narrates, we see her refusal to accept the conventional medical prognosis she has been given.  She begins an exploration of various holistic therapies; yoga, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, diet and nutritional therapy, guided imagery.  We watch her seek and become a participant in her treatments, while allowing us to peek into the inner pain and despair she struggles with.  She admits to us that she is scared, and yet she also acknowledges that in this struggle to live her cancer diagnosis has become both teacher and guide.  It urges her to go deeper; to address both the physical and emotional aspects of her illness.  It empowers her with greater self-awareness.  It compels her to ask difficult questions and pushes her to find meaningful connection and stronger love for self, for family and for her greater community.  She confesses that while she doesn’t know how her story will end or if she will ever find the root cause of her cancer, she is discovering her greater purpose in life.  If you haven’t yet seen it, I urge you to do so.  It compels her to ask difficult questions and pushes her to find meaningful connection and stronger love for self, for family and for her greater community.  She confesses that while she doesn’t know how her story will end or if she will ever find the root cause of her cancer, she is discovering her greater purpose in life.  If you haven’t yet seen it, I urge you to do so.

We’ve all heard it in some way by now, that things happen for a reason, that there are no accidents, that we are all in some way engaged and involved in whatever happens to us.  Our level of consciousness and self-awareness is vital to our healing journey.  Unfortunately, these statements often lead to a personal sense of guilt, a feeling that somehow we are responsible for our state of health.  In order to truly understand and heal, we must address the physical, mental and emotional aspects of well-being, and do what we can to create healing in all areas.  In my clinical experience, this is especially true of the woman with breast cancer.  

Naturopathic and classical Chinese medicine can help.  Any diagnosis of cancer can carry with it a strong stigma of fear, despair, depression, anxiety or shame.  Conventional cancer treatment is usually necessary, but may not lead to a sense of empowerment or greater self-understanding.  Often, breast cancer patients feel helpless about what they can do for prevention, or how they can take better care of themselves.  Some want to understand how they got cancer in the first place.  A good naturopathic doctor can provide this kind of support.  Naturopaths have both the time and the training to address all aspects of well-being, encompassing physical, mental and emotional causes for disease.  They have the knowledge to educate patients on all of their treatment options, and be a bridge for the patient’s entire health care team.  They can create dietary plans for healing and recovery, provide supplemental support, offer counseling, and help to prevent recurrence and rebuild the body.  The goal of any good naturopath is to be an advocate for their patient, highlighting education, treating the whole person, customizing his or her treatment plan and developing a lifelong plan for health.

Chinese medicine, another truly holistic system of medicine, is the perfect adjunct to conventional cancer treatment.  From reducing common side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, such as pain, nausea, and fatigue, to building the body’s immune system and addressing the root cause of breast cancer, acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas have no parallel.  Patients can rest and relax throughout their treatment session.  Focused pulse and tongue diagnosis allow Chinese medical practitioners to customize every treatment for each individual.  Clinical experience has shown that patients who receive continued acupuncture treatments feel better throughout their conventional cancer treatment, recover more quickly, and have a greater sense of well-being.  

As this woman’s story on Youtube depicts, integrating these different holistic therapies can provide incredible healing.  Chinese and naturopathic medicine pre-date conventional cancer care.  They have withstood the test of time and they work.  They can enhance the cancer care you are already receiving and help alleviate any possible side effects of conventional treatment.  These medical systems offer a sense of empowerment, that there is something you can do to prevent or treat your cancer. Even if all you want is to feel better these therapies can be your allies.   

Know your options.  For patient testimonials or to learn more about naturopathic, Chinese or holistic medicine you can direct your questions to Dr Kelly Jennings at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .