No one wants to hear the words, “you’ve got cancer”. This diagnosis, more than any other, provokes shock, urgency and fear for patients and their families.
Cancer is the most elusive, adaptable, intelligent disease and it’s been outsmarting cancer researchers and doctors for decades. With cancer now being the leading cause of death in the world, what we do know is cancer is not a simple disease. But rather, it’s a collection of many diseases with mitochondrial dysfunction at its core.
Mitochondria are the “factories” of the cells, which are in charge of producing energy for the body and telling cells when to reproduce or when to die. When the mitochondria in a cell fails, that cell will likely become cancerous.
In Functional Medicine, we ask the question, “why?” Why do the mitochondria fail? What is at the root cause of mitochondrial failure? The answer: Many things.
Think of a Garden. If the plants aren’t thriving, a novice gardener may spray round-up weed killer and hope for the best. A Master gardener will consider much more: the soil and its nutrients; adequate sunshine; healthy seeds; proper amounts of clean water; are there pathogens or toxins seeping into the soil?
The body is no different. Consider our toxic exposure; the health of our immune system; are we inflamed; what is our microbiome balance; are hormones out of balance; what is our stress level; are we eating a healthy, whole foods diet or living off of fast food and alcohol; are we getting restorative sleep; what is the status of our mental/emotional health; what genetic influences are we up against. All of these “influences” alter our body’s terrain and ability to be optimally healthy.
At The Metabolic Institute, our goal is to PREVENT cancer by balancing your terrain—understanding that cancer is about the way our body and mind interacts with our environment. It’s about our ability to be metabolically flexible and support our mitochondria’s energy metabolism.
Whether you have a diagnosis of cancer or not, or if you have a family history of cancer, our mission is to equip our patients on how to navigate the prevention of or the cancer process itself with confidence and ease.
Debbie is a Certified Integrative Oncology Metabolic Terrain Practitioner and is welcoming patients with a focus of cancer prevention or supporting patients going through the cancering process.