Southeast Cancer Support Services is hosting an upcoming event aimed at helping patients explore ways to improve their quality of life and manage the side effects of conventional cancer treatments.
Naturopathic Doctor Erin Esau says she is honoured to be the guest speaker at the Hope and Health event and looks forward to sharing information that may help make the cancer journey a little easier.
“We’re going to chat about naturopathic medicine and how it relates to cancer care, let people know who are on the cancer journey, what kinds of things they can do outside of their treatments to support them along the way.”
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She explains that naturopathic oncology focuses on applying naturopathic medicine within the cancer care space, using minimally invasive therapies.
“We want to work with the healing power of nature. So that means instead of just symptom suppression, we want to look for the root cause. We want to use things that we can find in nature, like plants and minerals and vitamins to support the person.”
Esau adds that lifestyle management plays a key role, including diet, exercise, and reducing exposure to environmental toxins.
“So, reducing some of the inflammatory foods like fast food, high trans-fat foods, and moving toward whole foods, adequate fiber, things like that to just support nutrient status,” she says. “This is true in whatever we are treating. This is just our approach to health. So, we want to treat the whole person. We don’t just treat irritable bowel disease or cancer.”
She emphasizes that naturopathic care is not a replacement for treatments like chemotherapy, but rather a complementary approach to help support patients at any stage of their journey.
According to Esau, the event is designed to be an educational and informative evening.
“What are some things that would be worth doing to support health for people in general? It’s not an individualized, there’s no medical intake or anything done that day, but just to have a discussion on what is naturopathic medicine? What are some dietary changes that we are aware of that can help?”
She notes that people facing cancer often experience muscle loss and fatigue, and the session will explore practical ways to address those challenges.
“Let’s brainstorm ways that we can include some movement, and different stages will have different things that someone can do. But really our talk is just to bring awareness, like here are some ways that we can exercise as a group. Call up a friend and even a 10-minute stroll, there’s the benefits even for mental health.”
Esau says taking small steps can help people regain a sense of control during a difficult time.
“I don’t underestimate the difference of how somebody feels quite quickly when they shift from, let’s make it an extreme, eating fast food twice a day.”
She encourages anyone interested to attend, whether they are directly affected by cancer or simply want to learn more.
“I would just say that if someone’s curious about Southeast Cancer Support and has an interest in learning a little bit about naturopathic medicine, meeting some other people who might be going through the same things, then come on down and we’d love to have them join.”
The event will take place April 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Southeast Event Centre. It is free to attend and open to anyone, including those currently on a cancer journey, survivors, caregivers, or community members interested in learning more.
Registration is required. To sign up, call 204-846-4673 or complete the form available on the SCSS website.
With files from Carly Koop