My Approach

Is conventional oncology treatment enough?  

While necessary it is not always sufficient. Progression cancer survival is far more complex and involves the whole person, there is a constant exchange of information between body and mind, thoughts and cells. Cancer is so much more than just the physical symptoms, there are mental and emotional health challenges that may not be seen.  

"The truth is usually somewhere in the middle". I take an "Heart Centered" approach with Functional Medicine emphasis to health and well-being, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected to health and the root-cause of chronic dis-ease. A middle road "slow medicine" approach to "meet someone where they are at" with optimal health and function despite the complex diagnosis. A partnership between physicians, practitioners, patients and addresses prevention and reversing the underlying side effects of post-cancer diagnosis.

Long-term effects can occur during treatment and late effects can show up weeks, months or even years after treatment ends. Luckily you have more options to feel better about taking care of yourself. 

Do you oversleep because getting out of bed is difficult? Does anxiety make you too afraid to admit what's really going on? Does enhancing your standard treatment seem overwhelming? Do you feel like you are somewhere in between healthy and well? Does struggling with your health making you feel like no one understands? As we work together, we will look at how all parts of your life affect your optimal health as a whole and try to find beauty in the struggles and frustrations. 

Often we try to find well-being in only one area of our life.

We work on our calorie inspired outwardly appearance and ignore nutrition or push through exhaustion and ignore the emotional oxidation of stress in our lives. We focus solely on attack therapy treatments and ignore the mental and spiritual well-being of each unique person. 

Focusing more on our diagnosis than addressing the cause, so how do we insure a better lifestyle, not just simply to suppress the symptoms but a better quality of life emotionally, physically, spiritually and environmentally? It's easy to get caught up in the all the "what to do's, what ifs" and Googling your diagnosis at 2 a.m. An estimated 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer or mental illness in their lifetime, but 2 of 3 people will actually survive it.  

This is where it takes a community to recover. 

To declare how it is that you want to feel in the process of "playing the long game". I treat my clients like family in getting to know on a more personal level a "Deep Connection" of intuitive empathetic listening and functional medicine approach can be a contributing factor to what matters most in their life that is relevant, beautiful, important and uniquely theirs. 

When is the last time an experience of connecting with the right community of people resulted in a better outcome? In this chaotic, busy hyper connected world we live in we can easily get caught up and loose ourselves in noticing the beauty of life and fail to hear what our mind and bodies are telling us for optimal function. HealthAsMeant2B is about learning how to just be 'enough' in taking care of yourself again. "A marathon after the sprint of all the attention." 

And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, "This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this!

And each day, it's up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, "No. This is what's important." - lain Thomas   

A diagnosis can be a traumatic experience.

Burnout, anxiety, stress, and depression have become worldwide epidemics. In addition to your specific self-care concerns, daily real-life responsibilities and work-family dynamics all effect how well you're able to integrate new findings, and healthier habits. As we slip down as we give up things we don't think are important.

"Often, the very first things we give up are those that nourish us the most but seem optional." The result is that we are increasingly left with only work or other addictive stressors that often deplete our resources, and nothing to replenish or nourish us and we find ourselves constantly striving and struggling instead of really living. 

I've walked down this road enough times to know what I know in far too often the problem with this philosophy of "assuming the best until told the worst" when something truly significant intrudes upon our routine, the loss of a loved one, sickness, a health scare. In an instant, insignificant deadlines disappear and priorities recalculated. All of our small anxieties and trivial preoccupations evaporate with the sudden recognition of what really matters. We are then reminded of the impermanence of much that we assume is forever and the value of so much we take for granted. 

Higher levels of emotional and physical stress from a diagnosis, our beliefs, our politics, our families are also putting individuals at higher risk for all sorts of other destructive chronic illnesses. Stress, as studies have indicated, can be a huge contributing factor in heart disease, diabetes, obesity and further imbalances to our body. In reality, unman-aged stress and lingering negativity of emotions can be more crucial to health than ideal diet.    

Being in balance and making big changes can also be a lonely road

But not if I can hold your hand when you are in the dark and guide you on the path when you are lost. In spite of it all, I believe in you, and as your "Deep Connection" partner, together we’ll work to maximize your well-being in areas such as emotional freedom, managing recovery before and or after therapy treatment, the crucial role of the mind-body connection. 

Each session will hopefully leave you feeling inspired, educated, motivated and most importantly 'just enough'. We will talk about things beyond kale, green juice and just "good advice" seeking to bring emotional and optimal balance to important elements of your life.

Who else do you discuss your diagnosis with? 

With given time each day, each week, each month, each year to talk and reflect on what you've just accomplished, engage and then start to move forward again. You’ll develop a deeper understanding of the lifestyle choices that work best for you to prepare, find relief and practice implementing lasting changes for optimal function now that both the mind, body and soul is receiving the nourishment it needs to reset and regroup. 

Family, workplace, post-traumatic issues and internet search concerning own health and the health of those we love play an important role in exacerbating the chronic stress related conditions that are most susceptible to illness and optimal health.

With Functional Oncology Coaching, I want to help you manage the good, the bad and ugly faces of a cancer attributed illness in showing up to the life you are now going to be living! Never let anyone tell you there's no hope. You are living proof that with preparedness and belief, you can only get better at feeling more empowered despite what's holding you back to promote optimal health after a cancer diagnosis.