Integrative Chemotherapy Support

Safe, effective, and compassionate support that works alongside your chemotherapy treatment

How We Support Chemotherapy Treatment at The Clara Clinic

Chances are if you’re here, you’re preparing to go through chemotherapy and like so many people, you want to know how you’re going to feel during treatment, which is an important question! If you’re looking to ways to take control of your health as your go through chemo, or are in recovery from treatment and can’t seem to get over the lingering side-effects, you’re in the right place. Our team is here to provide you with a personalized support plan that’s safe with your chemotherapy treatments, evidence-informed, and focused on improving your quality of life at every stage of your cancer journey.

Common Ways We Support Chemotherapy

• Helping you prepare for chemotherapy: we strategize to create a treatment plan that’s safe, that helps you prepare for the most likely side-effects of your chemotherapy regimen, and that checks-in with you at appropriate intervals, ensuring you are as strong and healthy as you can be before chemotherapy starts 

• Supporting you through chemotherapy: the main focus here is helping you better tolerate treatment while safely increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy (helping to make cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs, to kill them more effectively).

• Recovery after chemotherapy ends: the good news is that many side-effects of chemotherapy will pass once treatment is completed, however the rate at which these side-effects fade can be quite variable so the focus here is helping you feel better faster and supporting your long-term health

Wherever you are in your cancer journey, our team will meet you where you’re at and take the time to look at everything in detail, helping you to feel in control and comfortable in your body again. Our clinic has a focus on integrative cancer care specifically, and our team has undergone additional training in integrative oncology, to ensure you’re getting the best care possible. Our ultimate goal is always to support overall survival, minimize side-effects of treatment, and improve your quality of life both during and after treatment.

Chemotherapy & Its Impact on Your Body

The goal of chemotherapy may be to cure (remove all cancer from your body), to control (stop your cancer from growing / spreading), or to palliate (reduce the symptoms caused by cancer). Once your treatment has been outlined by your Oncologist, we can sit down to discuss the most common side-effects, how to prepare, how to care for yourself as you go through treatment, and how to support recovery. The better you feel through treatment and the more your cancer responds to treatment, the better your long-term outcomes will be.

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 with your chemotherapy regimen. 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!