"Chasing the Cancer Answer" on CBC's Marketplace Reveals that 1 in 2 Canadians Will Be Diagnosed with Cancer

Naturopathic Doctors Focus on Prevention

Toronto, ON, March 8, 2006 – The OAND wants to get the message out that preventive health care is not just about eating a nutritional diet or getting the proper amount of exercise.

In the past, less has been done on prevention than it should have. When Wendy Mesley, host of CBC's Marketplace, was diagnosed with breast cancer, she "thought she was doing everything right". According to Mesley's Marketplace segment, "Chasing the Cancer Answer" (Sunday, March 5, 2006), the Canadian Cancer Society spends only 10 per cent of its budget on prevention (largely on healthy diet and anti-smoking campaigns).

"People are exposed to chemicals in so many ways. Naturopathic doctors educate patients that other factors, from drinking water to cosmetics to chemicals produced by the body due to stress, cause lasting effects. NDs are aware of many ways in which people are exposed to carcinogens in their everyday lives, beyond what most people consider ", states naturopathic doctor Thalia Charney.

As primary health care providers, naturopathic doctors see many cancer patients. Naturopathic doctors examine, diagnose and treat patients with programs tailored to the individual and their health conditions. They use a combination of clinical nutrition, botanical (herbal) medicine, homeopathic medicine, physical treatments, acupuncture and Asian Medicine, and lifestyle counseling to stimulate the body's self-healing abilities. Treatments focus on the underlying causes of illness rather than the symptoms.

Not only will one in two Canadians be diagnosed with cancer in the next generation, but the cost of cancer to the Canadian economy is an estimated $14 billion per year, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Naturopathic doctors look for the root cause of an individuals' disease, allowing them to give safe, effective, patient-centred care. Overall, this focus on disease prevention, patient education, health maintenance and the treatment of disease result in cost-effective health care in the immediate and long term.

For a referral to a naturopathic doctor in your area, please contact the OAND at 416-233-2001 or info@oand.org.


CONTACT: Alison Dantas 416-233-2001 ext. 23, adantas@oand.org