There’s nothing funny about cancer, but there are stories that can make people smile. They may be the proverbial needle in a haystack, but they exist and sometimes they can even inspire.
One of those stories is the Irving Greenberg Cancer Centre at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital. The four-storey, 85,000-sq.-ft. facility is already a world-class treatment centre offering shorter wait times for all procedures, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
The centre is part of an expansion of the Ottawa Hospital Regional Cancer Program, and it’s estimated it will help 1,300 more cancer patients each year.
That’s worth a smile.
Dr. Adam Mamelak, a Queen's graduate who went on to study dermatology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, was recruited last year to set up a clinic for the most common forms of skin cancer.
Thanks to a procedure called Moh’s surgery, 99% of patients will survive and will barely show a scar because dermatologists remove a portion of the tumour and examine the specimen while the patient waits. Thanks to an onsite teaching laboratory, dermatologists are able to continue working on the wound in small stages until all traces of the tumour are gone.
When the clinic officially opened in June 2009, there were 14 doctors in Canada and only two in Ontario who were trained to do the procedure.
That’s worth a smile. At least it was to the first patient who walked away healthier and unblemished and, I’ll venture, to countless more.
Then there’s my friend Madeline. I met her when I worked in Montreal for a community weekly newspaper. She had instituted a charitable foundation to help children of war-torn countries and I was given the assignment to have her tell me all about it for the paper.
Madeline wasn’t well when I first met her. She had Stage-5 cancer and had been given months, if not less, to live. She had to stop now and then to take a deep, tired breath, for which she apologized each time. Even feeling as awful as that, she was the picture and model of decorum. We sat in her atrium that showed off a gorgeous and full garden in her back yard (she wouldn’t let me leave without vegetables and herbs she harvested herself).
We hit it off, though I was immensely sad that our new friendship would be so brief. I guess that in the grand scheme of things our friendship was indeed brief, but it turned out to be longer and deeper than either of us could have hoped.
At one point, Madeline’s cancer seemed to be in remission. The last time I saw her she was lively and hopeful that her work was making a difference. She was given an award at her alma mater McGill University and I convinced my editor that it would make for another good story. So I tagged along and watched her work the room with such panache that I was humbled to be her friend. Some of the biggest wheels in the country were there, but she treated me as well or better than she did them. She made the coal feel comfortable among the diamonds.
I moved to Ottawa a short time later and while we stayed in touch we slowly travelled our own paths and drifted apart, as will happen.
One day, I found an email from Madeline on my computer. Or at least I thought it was sent by her. But it was her mom to tell me Madeline had passed away shortly before Christmas, some five years after they gave her months, if not less.
Her mom asked for my address, saying she had something to mail to me.
It was a New Year’s card from Madeline she had meant to send. The inscription was warm and personal, as though the few years apart had changed nothing.
I’m sad she’s gone, but immensely happy I was allowed to call her my friend for years longer than either of us expected.
And that, I think, is worth a smile too.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Walking A Mile in Her Shoes
I wrote about four sisters - their names won't be used because I haven't asked their permission to write about them again - who had every right to throw up their hands in surrender. Between them, they were diagnosed seven times with cancer. Breast (numerous), ovarian, melanoma, I can't even remember who had what because it was almost too much to take in. I'm sure as I interviewed them my jaw fell more than once.
One of them was walking in the Weekend to End Women's Cancers. Just one because one sister's schedule wouldn't allow it, one had just undergone surgery and one was about to go in.
I met three of them the day before the walk at a house on the outskirts of the city, in a lush back yard, where we sat and they told me their stories. One sister didn't join us because she had received her diagnosis just a day or two earlier and simply wasn't up to talking to a stranger about it. Especially when that stranger would tell tens of thousands of other strangers about her private hell. But the other three were unstoppable.
They were open and honest, funny and serious, but more than anything they were natural. They didn't sugarcoat what they were going through, but neither did they ask for pity either. Had it been offered, I know they wouldn't have accepted it. They all had reason to feel sorry for themselves, but this was the hand they had been dealt and, damn it, they were going to play it for all it was worth. I took a few pictures of them in this beautiful yard on a warm summer evening, arms around each other, one laughing so hard her eyes were squeezed shut. It wasn't technically the best of the photos I took, but it was the one we chose to use.
I called one of them a short while ago to see how they were. It had been months and, to be honest, I was afraid of what I'd be told.
My fears were unfounded.
Yes, they are all alive, but that's not all. One was currently cancer-free, the others recovering well. They know too well that anything can still happen, but why does that have to mean that anything bad can still happen? Maybe, sometimes it can mean anything wonderful and magical and - not long ago - unthinkable can still happen?
Cancer went after four of them attacking from all sides, but it hasn't won. As of this day, it's being fought with ferocious spirits and love for life that has it retreating. As of this day, there IS a day for four sisters who won't give up.
One of them was walking in the Weekend to End Women's Cancers. Just one because one sister's schedule wouldn't allow it, one had just undergone surgery and one was about to go in.
I met three of them the day before the walk at a house on the outskirts of the city, in a lush back yard, where we sat and they told me their stories. One sister didn't join us because she had received her diagnosis just a day or two earlier and simply wasn't up to talking to a stranger about it. Especially when that stranger would tell tens of thousands of other strangers about her private hell. But the other three were unstoppable.
They were open and honest, funny and serious, but more than anything they were natural. They didn't sugarcoat what they were going through, but neither did they ask for pity either. Had it been offered, I know they wouldn't have accepted it. They all had reason to feel sorry for themselves, but this was the hand they had been dealt and, damn it, they were going to play it for all it was worth. I took a few pictures of them in this beautiful yard on a warm summer evening, arms around each other, one laughing so hard her eyes were squeezed shut. It wasn't technically the best of the photos I took, but it was the one we chose to use.
I called one of them a short while ago to see how they were. It had been months and, to be honest, I was afraid of what I'd be told.
My fears were unfounded.
Yes, they are all alive, but that's not all. One was currently cancer-free, the others recovering well. They know too well that anything can still happen, but why does that have to mean that anything bad can still happen? Maybe, sometimes it can mean anything wonderful and magical and - not long ago - unthinkable can still happen?
Cancer went after four of them attacking from all sides, but it hasn't won. As of this day, it's being fought with ferocious spirits and love for life that has it retreating. As of this day, there IS a day for four sisters who won't give up.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Fearing the Unknown
I’ve never had cancer, but I know firsthand the fear of thinking I might. A few years ago I was at work when my doctor’s receptionist called me to ask if I could go in to see the doctor. I had been coughing on and off for a couple of weeks and had already gone for a chest x-ray to what was what. I figured it was bronchitis or maybe even pneumonia, as I’d had both a few times before.
So I said, sure, I’ll try to get in to see him in the next few days.
No, she replied, he wants to see you right now.
Now?
Right now.
So this heightens the heart rate, let me tell you. My wife then called asking if the doctor had been able to reach me. They’d also called her at work. She sounded nervous, too, and said she’d meet me there.
That was not a good sign either, I thought. She works at the heart institute and sees all forms of scary things on a daily basis, so her sounding concerned was not a good sign.
I asked if they had told her anything. No, she said, just that they want to see me today.
My doctor works in a walk-in clinic, which means I usually have a wait of an hour or so to see him. Not that day. I arrived and they led me to an examination room. Again, right away.
I have to admit I was just a few degrees south of terrified by then.
"This is probably nothing,” the doc said, which made it all the worse because that meant it at least could be something, too. “There’s a spot in the x-ray we want to take a look at.”
A spot? What spot? Where?!
He showed me. It was on a lung and it was impossible to ignore.
My blood felt ice cold, but he did his best to keep me grounded.
Inside of half an hour, I had walked into the clinic without a real care in the world, all things considered, and walked out with the name and number of an oncologist. It felt like a dream, a very bad one, but it didn’t feel real. This wasn’t supposed to happen to me. I had even quit smoking a few years earlier!
I don’t clearly remember setting up the appointment because, as I said, it had all begun to feel like an out-of-body experience, as though I were watching myself go home, call the oncologist, and make the appointment.
Because of the lump’s difficult location, a biopsy was ruled out, so I had a CT scan done.
In the end, no one was really sure of what was - and still is - there, but they did manage to rule out cancer. And I was fortunate enough to experience for myself the incredibly devoted, professional and kind health care workers we have in this city.
Yes, it was terrifying, but I always felt that if the worst was going to happen that at least these tremendous people would give me a fighting chance.
So I said, sure, I’ll try to get in to see him in the next few days.
No, she replied, he wants to see you right now.
Now?
Right now.
So this heightens the heart rate, let me tell you. My wife then called asking if the doctor had been able to reach me. They’d also called her at work. She sounded nervous, too, and said she’d meet me there.
That was not a good sign either, I thought. She works at the heart institute and sees all forms of scary things on a daily basis, so her sounding concerned was not a good sign.
I asked if they had told her anything. No, she said, just that they want to see me today.
My doctor works in a walk-in clinic, which means I usually have a wait of an hour or so to see him. Not that day. I arrived and they led me to an examination room. Again, right away.
I have to admit I was just a few degrees south of terrified by then.
"This is probably nothing,” the doc said, which made it all the worse because that meant it at least could be something, too. “There’s a spot in the x-ray we want to take a look at.”
A spot? What spot? Where?!
He showed me. It was on a lung and it was impossible to ignore.
My blood felt ice cold, but he did his best to keep me grounded.
Inside of half an hour, I had walked into the clinic without a real care in the world, all things considered, and walked out with the name and number of an oncologist. It felt like a dream, a very bad one, but it didn’t feel real. This wasn’t supposed to happen to me. I had even quit smoking a few years earlier!
I don’t clearly remember setting up the appointment because, as I said, it had all begun to feel like an out-of-body experience, as though I were watching myself go home, call the oncologist, and make the appointment.
Because of the lump’s difficult location, a biopsy was ruled out, so I had a CT scan done.
In the end, no one was really sure of what was - and still is - there, but they did manage to rule out cancer. And I was fortunate enough to experience for myself the incredibly devoted, professional and kind health care workers we have in this city.
Yes, it was terrifying, but I always felt that if the worst was going to happen that at least these tremendous people would give me a fighting chance.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Personalized Care
Cancer is a serious chronic disease. Patients with cancer that opt for naturopathic medicine in conjunction with conventional medical treatments see further improvements in their health. The main reason patients with cancer come to see me at Family Naturopathic Clinic is for immune support. I provide treatments that are natural, holistic, and personalized. I will elaborate on the main natural treatments that I use in clinical practice to prevent cancer, as well as treat cancer. Some of these treatments may be new to you – even though many have been around for hundreds of years.
1) Clinical Nutrition: Are you frequently grabbing a bite to eat at a fast food restaurant or preparing home-cooked meals instead? Are you eating a variety of fruit and vegetables? Your daily food choices have a significant impact on your overall health. Quite simply, food is medicine. As a result, I make very specific dietary recommendations to promote health. I also test patients for food sensitivities. A food sensitivity or intolerance is different from a food allergy. A food allergy to a peanut can cause an anaphylactic reaction, whereas food sensitivities are more subtle and can cause numerous symptoms. In my experience, determining a patient’s food sensitivities can be a life-altering experience. Many health conditions can be effectively treated using foods and nutritional supplements, including cancer.
2) Lifestyle Management: Your lifestyle choices can either promote health or disease. Are you burning the candle at both ends? Are you anxious most of the time? Do you get an adequate amount of sunshine, exercise, and sleep? Are you exposed to environmental hazards at the workplace or at home? Patients with cancer can experience a tremendous amount of stress for years before being diagnosed with cancer, and throughout treatment. Learning various methods to manage stress is an important part of overall treatment.
3) Herbal Medicine: Plant medicines can address a variety of health problems simultaneously and because of the organic nature of botanical medicines, they are compatible with the body’s own chemistry.
4) Homeopathy: Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German medical doctor invented homeopathy over two hundred years ago. Homeopathic medicines involve using dilutions of natural substance to treat the body, and are commonly used worldwide today.
To learn more about Family Naturopathic Clinic, please visit www.familynaturopathic.com or call 613 230 6100.
1) Clinical Nutrition: Are you frequently grabbing a bite to eat at a fast food restaurant or preparing home-cooked meals instead? Are you eating a variety of fruit and vegetables? Your daily food choices have a significant impact on your overall health. Quite simply, food is medicine. As a result, I make very specific dietary recommendations to promote health. I also test patients for food sensitivities. A food sensitivity or intolerance is different from a food allergy. A food allergy to a peanut can cause an anaphylactic reaction, whereas food sensitivities are more subtle and can cause numerous symptoms. In my experience, determining a patient’s food sensitivities can be a life-altering experience. Many health conditions can be effectively treated using foods and nutritional supplements, including cancer.
2) Lifestyle Management: Your lifestyle choices can either promote health or disease. Are you burning the candle at both ends? Are you anxious most of the time? Do you get an adequate amount of sunshine, exercise, and sleep? Are you exposed to environmental hazards at the workplace or at home? Patients with cancer can experience a tremendous amount of stress for years before being diagnosed with cancer, and throughout treatment. Learning various methods to manage stress is an important part of overall treatment.
3) Herbal Medicine: Plant medicines can address a variety of health problems simultaneously and because of the organic nature of botanical medicines, they are compatible with the body’s own chemistry.
4) Homeopathy: Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German medical doctor invented homeopathy over two hundred years ago. Homeopathic medicines involve using dilutions of natural substance to treat the body, and are commonly used worldwide today.
To learn more about Family Naturopathic Clinic, please visit www.familynaturopathic.com or call 613 230 6100.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Guiding Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
In my last blog, I explained that conventional medicine and naturopathic medicine can both be helpful in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, such as cancer. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) have a long history of helping Canadians. In Ontario, naturopathic doctors have been licensed to practice since 1925, under the Drugless Practitioners Act. In the past several years, there have been over 1 million patient visits to see naturopathic doctors in this province. Today I will elaborate on the six guiding principles of naturopathic medicine.
1) First Do No Harm: The primary goal of a naturopathic doctor is to diagnose, prevent, and treat health conditions using safe, effective natural medicines. To that end, the most natural, non-toxic, and least invasive treatments are used.
2) Identify and Treat the Cause: As a naturopathic doctor, I treat the underlying cause of disease. Although symptom management is essential in acute conditions, (and can be treated in many cases with naturopathic medicine) it is important to recognize that symptoms are signals that the body is out of balance. The cause of the various imbalances can stem from a patient’s lifestyle, dietary habits, even their emotional state.
3) Treat the Whole Person: A holistic approach to healing is more effective than treating a single body system, as the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Health and disease are a result of a complex interaction of physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and spiritual factors impacting our bodies. I take these factors into consideration each and every time I provide a holistic, personalized, and comprehensive treatment.
4) The Healing Power of Nature – Our bodies have an inherent ability to heal. We see this in action every time our blood clots after a simple cut, a bone heals following a fracture, and our immune system responds to a simple pathogen. My role is to facilitate this process.
5) Prevention. The ultimate goal of naturopathic medicine is to prevent disease in the first place. I assess risk factors and hereditary susceptibilities and make appropriate recommendations in order to remove obstacles to health as we strive to achieve wellness.
6) Doctor as Teacher. The original meaning of the word doctor in Latin (docere) means teacher. I educate my patients in order that they can achieve optimal health. It is gratifying to see that my patients incorporate the knowledge learned, and see positive changes in their health.
In my next blog, I will elaborate on the various natural treatments I use in clinical practice.
1) First Do No Harm: The primary goal of a naturopathic doctor is to diagnose, prevent, and treat health conditions using safe, effective natural medicines. To that end, the most natural, non-toxic, and least invasive treatments are used.
2) Identify and Treat the Cause: As a naturopathic doctor, I treat the underlying cause of disease. Although symptom management is essential in acute conditions, (and can be treated in many cases with naturopathic medicine) it is important to recognize that symptoms are signals that the body is out of balance. The cause of the various imbalances can stem from a patient’s lifestyle, dietary habits, even their emotional state.
3) Treat the Whole Person: A holistic approach to healing is more effective than treating a single body system, as the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Health and disease are a result of a complex interaction of physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and spiritual factors impacting our bodies. I take these factors into consideration each and every time I provide a holistic, personalized, and comprehensive treatment.
4) The Healing Power of Nature – Our bodies have an inherent ability to heal. We see this in action every time our blood clots after a simple cut, a bone heals following a fracture, and our immune system responds to a simple pathogen. My role is to facilitate this process.
5) Prevention. The ultimate goal of naturopathic medicine is to prevent disease in the first place. I assess risk factors and hereditary susceptibilities and make appropriate recommendations in order to remove obstacles to health as we strive to achieve wellness.
6) Doctor as Teacher. The original meaning of the word doctor in Latin (docere) means teacher. I educate my patients in order that they can achieve optimal health. It is gratifying to see that my patients incorporate the knowledge learned, and see positive changes in their health.
In my next blog, I will elaborate on the various natural treatments I use in clinical practice.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Becoming A Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, they and their loved ones seek the best possible care. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are common conventional cancer treatments these days. Are there other viable options that can help? As experts in treating health conditions naturally and holistically including cancer, naturopathic doctors can also help.
To better understand what is required to become a naturopathic doctor, I would like to first explain the necessary educational requirements. Following an undergraduate degree, the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree is an intensive four year program and prepares the candidate for board licensing examinations and the practice of naturopathic medicine. The first two years of study focus on an intensive study of the human being, integrating basic medical sciences such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology, immunology, as well as the clinical sciences, such as clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, and microbiology. The third and fourth years focus on naturopathic therapies and clinical training, which involve problem solving and case analysis, as well as seeing patients in various clinics, and spending time with licensed naturopathic doctors, medical doctors, and other health care professionals in private practice and hospital settings.
At Family Naturopathic Clinic, I work with people who want to take an active role in their health. Patients may have a family history of cancer and want to prevent cancer, or are actively going through treatments and wish to reduce side effects and modulate their body’s immune system. Others have completed conventional treatments and want to ensure they don’t get a recurrence. My experience working with patients with cancer has been a positive one. Patients can see improvements on many levels – ranging from increased energy and less stress, to a more positive outlook and a better quality of life.
My clinical experience, and those of my naturopathic colleagues, has demonstrated that patients that undergo both conventional and naturopathic treatments do better overall. I spend a significant amount of time with my patients in order to understand them better, which I believe ameliorates these positive outcomes.
My next two blogs will review the principles of naturopathic medicine and the core naturopathic therapies that I use in clinical practice.
To better understand what is required to become a naturopathic doctor, I would like to first explain the necessary educational requirements. Following an undergraduate degree, the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree is an intensive four year program and prepares the candidate for board licensing examinations and the practice of naturopathic medicine. The first two years of study focus on an intensive study of the human being, integrating basic medical sciences such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology, immunology, as well as the clinical sciences, such as clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, and microbiology. The third and fourth years focus on naturopathic therapies and clinical training, which involve problem solving and case analysis, as well as seeing patients in various clinics, and spending time with licensed naturopathic doctors, medical doctors, and other health care professionals in private practice and hospital settings.
At Family Naturopathic Clinic, I work with people who want to take an active role in their health. Patients may have a family history of cancer and want to prevent cancer, or are actively going through treatments and wish to reduce side effects and modulate their body’s immune system. Others have completed conventional treatments and want to ensure they don’t get a recurrence. My experience working with patients with cancer has been a positive one. Patients can see improvements on many levels – ranging from increased energy and less stress, to a more positive outlook and a better quality of life.
My clinical experience, and those of my naturopathic colleagues, has demonstrated that patients that undergo both conventional and naturopathic treatments do better overall. I spend a significant amount of time with my patients in order to understand them better, which I believe ameliorates these positive outcomes.
My next two blogs will review the principles of naturopathic medicine and the core naturopathic therapies that I use in clinical practice.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The dawn of a new era
There is a lot of activity at the corner of Alta Vista, Industrial and Riverside and it doesn't have anything to do with traffic.
There is a new building going up ... and it will be a home-away-from-home for the thousands of cancer patients and their families in our community.
Each time I drive by the construction site I am reminded of the impact we are having in this community. With the MAPLESOFT Centre we are going to be filling a gap for cancer patients - by offering them one place where they can go to get the support they need and deserve while they are facing the disease. I am proud to tell you that we have already begun to pilot a number of programs that will be offered at the house once we open the doors in Fall 2011, and we'll continue to expand the list each month. I encourage you to read about the FREE programs we are offereing, and register for them. All the information can be found online at www.ottawacancer.ca/registration.aspx.
The MAPLESOFT Centre is a great source of pride for all of us at the Cancer Foundation - and in honour of that I wanted to share with you some pictures from the construction site. (photos: Courtesy Valberg Imaging)
September 7, 2010
Mayor O'Brien signing the official paperwork for the MAPLESOFT Centre build
MAPLESOFT Group President & CEO Jody Campeau, along with Cancer Foundation President & CEO Linda Eagen and Mayou O'Brien.
Construction photos taken September 13, 2010
There is a new building going up ... and it will be a home-away-from-home for the thousands of cancer patients and their families in our community.
Each time I drive by the construction site I am reminded of the impact we are having in this community. With the MAPLESOFT Centre we are going to be filling a gap for cancer patients - by offering them one place where they can go to get the support they need and deserve while they are facing the disease. I am proud to tell you that we have already begun to pilot a number of programs that will be offered at the house once we open the doors in Fall 2011, and we'll continue to expand the list each month. I encourage you to read about the FREE programs we are offereing, and register for them. All the information can be found online at www.ottawacancer.ca/registration.aspx.
The MAPLESOFT Centre is a great source of pride for all of us at the Cancer Foundation - and in honour of that I wanted to share with you some pictures from the construction site. (photos: Courtesy Valberg Imaging)
September 7, 2010
Mayor O'Brien signing the official paperwork for the MAPLESOFT Centre build
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