It's Movember! Here’s to all the brave and selfless man around the world growing their moustaches to raise awareness for men’s health. We see you and honour you. To support Movember, we are providing semen analysis for FREE for the first 30 bookings. Reg. $150 Infertility is a common clinical problem, with 15% of couples unable to conceive with regular unprotected intercourse over a one-year period (World Health Organization, 1991). The etiology of infertility can be multifactorial. Twenty percent of infertility cases are secondary to male factor alone and 50% of all infertility cases have a male factor component (Dohle et al., 2005). No referrals necessary. Call 604-888-8325 to book. | IHC Webinar Series Menopause Hormone Therapy - Benefits Beyond Hot Flashes Join Dr. Sarah Soles, ND, to learn about the potential benefits and risks of hormone therapy in perimenopause and beyond. Hormone therapy can be helpful for several symptoms of menopause, including bothersome vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats), genitourinary syndrome of menopause (vaginal atrophy and urinary dysfunction), and to prevent bone loss and lower fracture risk. Dr. Soles will discuss these, other possible benefits, and when hormone therapy is safe to initiate. Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024 Time: 6:30pm Location: Free Online Webinar How to Register: Secure your spot for this free eye-opening webinar by clicking below CLICK HERE For more information or any inquiries, please contact us at 604-888-8365 | Chelation Therapy In naturopathic medicine, persistent chronic symptoms often require exploring diverse contributing factors, including environmental toxin burden. The three primary categories of toxins are: 1. Heavy metals (e.g., lead, mercury, arsenic), 2. Environmental chemical toxins (e.g., plastics, POPs, PAHs), 3. Biological toxins (e.g., mold, microbes). These toxins strain the immune system and disrupt optimal bodily functions. This article discusses chelation therapy, specifically for heavy metal detoxification. Chelation therapy is a medical treatment designed to remove heavy metals from the bloodstream using chelating agents administered intravenously or orally. The agents bind to metals, which are then excreted through urine. | Originally developed to treat heavy metal poisoning, chelation therapy shows promise for broader health benefits: 1. Heavy Metal Detoxification: Chelation effectively reduces toxic metal levels accumulated through environmental exposure, which can impair organ function and contribute to issues like cognitive decline and immune dysregulation. 2. Cardiovascular Health: Some studies suggest chelation reduces arterial plaque by removing calcium deposits, potentially improving blood flow and lowering cardiovascular risks. The TACT study found reduced cardiovascular events in some patients, especially those with diabetes and previous heart attacks. 3. Reduced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation: Heavy metals promote oxidative stress linked to inflammation and chronic diseases (e.g., arthritis, autoimmune disorders). Chelation may reduce these markers by eliminating metals that drive oxidative damage. 4. Neurological Support: Heavy metals are neurotoxic, affecting cognitive function. Chelation therapy may help manage neurological symptoms in conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, though more research is needed. 5. Diabetes Management: Evidence suggests chelation may benefit diabetes patients by enhancing vascular health and reducing oxidative stress, which could improve insulin sensitivity and decrease complications. Chelation therapy begins with blood work to assess detoxification capacity, followed by a chelation challenge test to assess tissue levels of heavy metals before determining an appropriate regimen. It is a gradual process that takes several months to complete, and should only be done under medical supervision, as it may also remove essential minerals. While its applications are still being researched, chelation therapy shows promise for targeted detoxification and broader health benefits. Dr. Luke Mountjoy, ND | From the Cancer Care Centre | Wow, what a whirlwind month October 2024 was! Dr. Rinas and I attended the Dermoscopy Academy 2024 meeting in Manhattan, New York during the first week of October. Incredible meeting teaching the most up-to-date diagnostic criteria and algorithms for skin lesions, including all the skin cancers. I am certain that Dr. Rinas will agree that this two-day meeting took our dermoscopy skills up multiple levels. It also gave me an opportunity to see the best Broadway show of my life, Stereophonic. If any of you get the chance, watch it. Knowing that over 98.4% of melanomas caught at stage 1-2 are curable, and that if found in stage 3 or 4 the I have now started the Automated Total Body Mapping and dermoscopy skin cancer screenings, and it is going well. Soon I will be training IHC doctors and nurses on how to capture these images, to allow for more patients to access this incredible service. Dr. Kevin Sclater, Mark Elderfield and I then attended the 49th McGill International Palliative Care Congress, the world’s longest running international palliative care meeting with over 2500 attendees representing 65+ countries. What an incredible opportunity for learning the state of the science, making meaningful connections, and sharing our unique and industry leading Integrative Palliative Care Approach, bringing the best of naturopathic and conventional pain and symptom management. The model of symptom management we have developed at IHC over the past 25 years is being received so well by large institutions including the McGill University Health Centre, Cedars Cancer Centre, The City of Hope Hospitals, and others. We at IHC are able to provide the best quality of life for our cancer patients and those with other serious chronic illnesses, while at the same time, doing all we can to improve the overall survival of our precious patients. Meetings like this one are a great way to remember the good work we all do day-to-day, and to see it from the outside looking in. I am extremely proud of our team and what we provide our patients at IHC. Lastly the most recent City of Hope Hospital and Society of Integrative Oncology Meeting last week in Costa Mesa, California. This was the first time I was able to present our IHC research data to this audience (>95% MDs and PhDs), and it was very well received. Here is a very brief summary of our findings: - This study employed a retrospective chart review design and was conducted at the IHC in Fort Langley, BC, focused on patients treated between 2010 and 2020.
- Included only stage 4 CRC patients >18 years of age, and that were first diagnosed with stage IV CRC, and who received at least 6 LRHT treatments during the course of their illness.
- IHC patients were compared to Controls sampled from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.
- Matched controls were then selected from the pool via nearest neighbour propensity score matching based on age at diagnosis, sex, year of diagnosis, treatment with surgery (yes/no), treatment with radiation (yes/no), and treatment with chemotherapy (yes/no).
- Only those IHC patients that used locoregional hyperthermia were included in the study.
- A Cox proportional-hazards (Cox PH) model was used to calculate a hazard ratio comparing IHC patients to their matched controls.
- For IHC patients, there was often a delay between diagnosis and beginning treatment at the IHC. As such, careful handling of the baseline time was required to avoid immortal time bias. We used the prescription time-distribution matching approach to account for immortal time bias. This method sets time zero equal to the time of first clinic treatment for IHC patients and SEER patients are assigned the same time zero as their matched IHC patient. SEER patients who passed before their assigned time zero were excluded. Both groups are followed from time zero until death or the end of 10 year follow-up.
- We hypothesized that the subgroup of IHC patients who began clinic treatment within 90 days of diagnosis would receive the greatest benefit from the intervention. To test this hypothesis, the analyses were repeated using only the subgroup of IHC patients who began clinic treatment within 90 days of their diagnosis and their matched controls.
- Now the good stuff, the Kaplan Meier Curve for the whole group found a median survival time: SEER: 18 months [15, 24]; IHC: 29 months [19, 39]). A clinically significant difference, but not a statistically significant difference.
- The subgroup analysis comparing IHC patients beginning clinic treatment within 90 days yields a Kaplain-Meier curve showing that the IHC patients have significantly higher survival probabilities (log-rank test p-value = 0.015).
- When a Cox PH model is applied to this sample, the hazard ratio is 0.45 (0.28, 0.70), indicating 55% lower hazard of mortality among IHC patients beginning treatment within 90 days compared to their matched controls, which is statistically significant!
The IHC Research Department is now chugging along nicely. We are now working on getting this CRC data published in a medical journal. We then are going to present and publish our retrospective data on brain cancer (GBM). Perhaps most exciting, we are then going to start prospective trials right here at IHC, to show the medical community at large what we are accomplishing in our clinic for the lives of those living with cancer. Exciting times! Until December, my very best to you all. Thanks for reading! Gurdev Parmar, ND, FABNO(USA) | Intravenous (IV) Vitamin C Therapy in Integrative Oncology | At Integrated Health Clinic our goal is a comprehensive approach to cancer care that at times combines traditional treatments like chemotherapy or radiation with supportive therapies to improve outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients. One promising therapy in integrative oncology is intravenous (IV) vitamin C, also known as pharmacological ascorbate. IV vitamin C is well established to reduce side effects from cancer treatments, and in an exciting recent study boosted the efficacy of chemotherapy in those with pancreatic cancer. Dr. Alanna Rinas, ND Click here to read the full blog | | How sperm and egg fuse together has long been a mystery... New research by Austrian scientists provide some additional clues to the process. It shows that fertilization works like a lock and key process across the animal kingdom from fish to humans. The scientists found 3 proteins on the sperm form a complex that acts like a key to unlock the egg allowing the sperm to attach. There still is not much understanding around how the sperm gets in the egg after it attaches but this new information can be helpful for understanding infertility or for developing new birth control methods. Read the full research article here: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)01093-6 Dr. Alyssa Fruson, ND | KLINRISK - For Early Kidney Disease Detection IHC has been chosen to participate in an early access initiative launching a new lifelabs test, KLINRISK. Klinrisk predicts the progress of kidney disease before kidney function is lost. The Klinrisk algorithm is a machine learning model based on results from routine blood and urine tests. This test will be offered at no cost to IHC patients up to Dec. 30/24. Why KLINRISK? | Prevention is the key to health. Find out what you can do to prevent getting chronic kidney disease. * In clinic blood draws will incur a $30 blood draw fee for testing done in house. | Doctor Favourite Receipes | Autumn Glow Harvest Salad As we embrace the fall season, it’s the perfect time to enjoy comforting, nutrient-packed meals that support our health as we transition into cooler weather. This month, we’re sharing a delicious Autumn Glow Harvest Salad that not only celebrates the flavors of the season but also packs a powerful nutritional punch. This gluten-free salad is a simple yet flavorful dish that’s great for providing energy, supporting digestion, and promoting overall well-being. Plus, it’s a perfect meal for lunch or as a side for dinner. Enjoy the taste of fall with this nourishing recipe and give your body the support it needs as we enter the colder months! Ingredients: - 1 cup cooked quinoa (cooled)
- 2 cups kale, chopped and massaged
- 1 cup butternut squash, cubed and roasted
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Dressing: - 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: - Prepare the quinoa: Rinse and cook quinoa according to package instructions. Let it cool.
- Roast the butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the squash cubes in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast for 20-35 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, massage the chopped kale with a bit of the dressing to soften. Then, add the cooked quinoa, roasted squash, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, feta (if using), apple slices, and pumpkin seeds.
- Toss and serve: Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well coated. Serve immediately and enjoy the flavors of the season!
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