Integrative Cancer Surgery Support

Providing safe, personalized care to help you prepare for and recover from surgery

How We Support Cancer Surgery at The Clara Clinic

Welcome, we’re so glad you’re here! Chances are if you’re here, you’re preparing for surgery and feeling nervous about what to expect, or you’re in recovery and struggling with uncomfortable side-effects. If you’re looking to ways to feel better and take control of your health as you prepare for, or recover from surgery, you’re in the right place. Our team is here to provide you with a personalized, realistic support plan that’s both safe and effective for surgery.

Common Ways We Support Cancer Surgery

• Helping you prepare for surgery: here we ensure you have excellent nutritional status, which is a vital part of helping prepare you for surgery, and help you know what supplements you need to stop before surgery, and when

• Supporting recovery from surgery and aftercare: after surgery we focus on supporting your body’s capacity to heal, reducing inflammation, rebuilding your immune system and reducing pain

Surgery & Its Impact on Your Body

As with all types of surgery, surgery to remove a tumour comes with risk. However, when surgery is done at an early stage it can sometimes be considered curative. For some radiation may be done prior to surgery to shrink the tumour, making it easier and safer to remove. The risks of surgery vary depending on where the tumour is located, taking into account what other organs and tissue is around the tumour, and whether there are multiple tumours that need to be removed.

What To Expect from Naturopathic Integrative Cancer Care

We recognize that every patient and situation is going to be different, so we spend extra time with you, collaborate with your oncologists, and stay up-to-date on current research to ensure your treatment safe and as customized your situation as possible. At The Clara Clinic we promise to provide you with balanced, realistic, individualized support that will actually work to support you as you go through surgery and recover.. That’s why we created the Conquering Cancer Program.

Our Conquering Cancer Treatment Program

PHASE 1: at Diagnosis

• Target your cancer. We dig into the details of your diagnosis to  develop a customized protocol that directly targets your cancer cells, because not all cancer cells act the same.

• Lower inflammation. Not only is cancer inflammatory but your immune system’s response to cancer cells creates more inflammation that eventually starts to damage your body.

• Prepare your body. By establishing a baseline using our symptoms questionnaire we are then able to set you up with the foundations of health you need most (diet, lifestyle, etc).

PHASE 2: during Cancer Treatment

If You’re Undergoing Treatment

• Support your specific treatment regimen. This may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, etc, and is designed to ensure two things:

  • That treatment is as effective as it can be

  • That we help reduce the risk or severity of common side-effects, so you can feel as well as possible through treatment (monitored through testing and our side-effect questionnaire)

• Build up your immune system. Your immune system has been in overdrive since your diagnosis, trying to attack and kill cancer cells, which is why we not only help your immune system by lowering inflammation but rebalance your immune function during treatment to prevent complications. 

If You’ve Completed Treatment

• Treatment review. We review your treatment in detail, discussing how you felt, any complications that came up, and how you’re feeling right now (review test results and utilize our side-effect questionnaire)

• Urgent support. We set you up with a focused treatment protocol to address any urgent concerns, and move right into phase 3

PHASE 3: Recovery + Prevention post-cancer

This is where we get to talk not only about surviving but thriving again! We look at preventing a cancer recurrence, while also focusing on your healing, and set you up with care that brings the focus back to supporting life and any other health goals you may have for yourself, knowing that we’re always keeping your cancer history in mind so you don’t have to. 

• Target lingering side-effects. Start by treating any side-effects that you are still struggling with from treatment or symptoms of the cancer itself

• Restore immune system function. One of the big concerns in anyone affected by cancer, especially if they’ve been through treatment, is a weakened immune system. So this is the time when we actively rebuild it, to help strengthen immunity so you have a lower risk of infection going forward. 

• Rebuild your gut. Majority of your immune system is actually located IN your gut, so helping to rebalance your microbiome is a key part of maintaining a strong and healthy immune system. Here we not only care for your microbiome but heal any damage in your gut to reduce digestive problems you may be experiencing. 

• Identify barriers to healing. Now that you’ve gone through the foundational areas of health and healing in the midst of cancer, you may find that stubborn problems or side-effects have not gone away. Focused testing is what will help to determine the reason for this and allow us to address any lingering imbalances, to help you get back to living well. We can then focus your treatment protocol on preventing a recurrence of your cancer.

How It Works

• 2 hour initial appointment

• 4 week follow-up appointment

• 6 week follow-up appointment

• Custom schedule, adjusted to fit your life and treatments

• Biannual Thrive visits to ensure you remain supported

At The Clara Clinic we promise to provide you with balanced, realistic, individualized support that will actually work with your conventional treatments. We recognize that every patient and situation is going to be different, so we spend extra time with you, collaborate with your oncologists, and stay up-to-date on current research to ensure your treatment is as current and customized your situation as possible.

Start Your Journey to Supportive Cancer Care at The Clara Clinic

Whether you’re at the beginning, middle, or end of your cancer treatment journey, we’re here to help you feel more in control, more informed, and more empowered. If you’d like to learn more, we offer:

• Complimentary 15-Minute Consultations: Connect with Dr. Hayhlee Clarence, ND, or Dr. Monica Velletri, ND —each of whom focuses on Integrative Cancer Care at the Clara Clinic. You’ll have the opportunity to share your main concerns, ask questions about our methods, and see if we’re the right fit.

• In-Person Appointments for those looking for Integrative Cancer Care Treatment in Toronto

• Virtual Appointments for those looking for remote Integrative Cancer Care Treatment in Ontario

We’re here for you to help break through the confusion surrounding cancer and chart a clear, actionable path to better inform your journey!