- The terrain matters. Metabolic health, inflammation, oxygenation, mitochondrial function, toxic burden and nutrient status all shape the environment a cancer is living in — and every one of them is measurable and modifiable.
- Nutrition is the foundation. Protein sufficiency, blood sugar stability and a deep supply of cruciferous vegetables and polyphenols change how a body handles what is being asked of it.
- There is real science behind these therapies. High-dose vitamin C, mistletoe, hyperthermia and hyperbaric oxygen all have published human data, and we go through it below.
- My own mother is the reason I do this work. She was told she had a few months. She is here, and many of the therapies on this page are part of why.
- This page covers ten of them — what each one does, how it works, and what the research supports.
Why this one is personal
When I was twelve, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She went through the surgery, the chemotherapy, the radiation. And she survived it — but she came out the other side a shell of who she had been. For years afterwards she lived with chronic fatigue, thyroid problems, depression, digestive issues that never resolved. The treatment had worked and she was not well. Watching that as a boy is a large part of the reason I went into medicine at all.
Then, when I was in practice, it came back. Cancer in her lungs.
This time we did it differently. We rebuilt her diet from the ground up — juicing, vegetables, protein, the removal of everything that had been feeding the problem. We used targeted supplements and herbs. We worked on her detoxification pathways and her gut. We addressed the emotional weight she had been carrying since the first diagnosis, which I have come to believe matters more than most clinicians acknowledge. And we prayed, constantly.
She is alive today. Not merely alive — well. Travelling, active, healthier in her seventies than she was in her forties. She has now been through both versions: the one where you attack the disease and neglect the person, and the one where you rebuild the person while addressing the disease.
Everything on this page comes from what I learned watching that happen, and from twenty years of applying it since.
The root causes: what functional medicine actually looks at
Conventional oncology asks what the tumour is and how to remove it. Those are essential questions. What I have spent my career asking is a different one: what was the environment that allowed it to establish, and what can we do about that environment now?
Cancer does not develop in a healthy terrain. It develops in a body where something has been going wrong — often for years, usually silently, and almost always across several systems at once. These are the ones we measure and work on.
Take each in turn, because they are not abstractions.
Metabolic dysfunction. Tumour cells consume glucose at a far higher rate than healthy tissue — a phenomenon described nearly a century ago and still one of the most useful things we know. Elevated insulin and IGF-1 are growth signals. Fasting insulin, HbA1c and the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio tell us where somebody stands, and all three respond to food.
Chronic inflammation. Inflammatory signalling promotes new blood vessel growth, tissue remodelling and immune evasion — the conditions a tumour needs. hs-CRP gives us a number, and it is a number that moves.
Low oxygen. Hypoxic tissue behaves differently. It is more resistant to radiation, it favours the metabolic pathway tumours prefer, and it drives the growth of new vessels. This is precisely why hyperbaric oxygen and EWOT belong on this list.
Mitochondrial damage. Mitochondria are not just power plants — they are also the organelles that decide when a damaged cell should undergo programmed death. Damaged mitochondria mean that decision is not being made properly.
Toxic burden. Heavy metals, solvents, pesticides, mold biotoxins and hormone-disrupting chemicals all place a load on a system that has to clear them. What the body cannot clear, it stores.
Nutrient depletion. Vitamin D, zinc, selenium, magnesium and the B vitamins are all required for DNA repair and immune surveillance. You cannot run a repair system without the raw materials.
Immune suppression. Your immune system identifies and removes abnormal cells continuously. Chronic stress, poor sleep, gut damage and nutrient deficiency all blunt that surveillance.
Chronic stress. Sustained cortisol elevation suppresses immune function directly and drives the metabolic and inflammatory changes above. In my experience there is very often an emotional component that has been carried for years, and addressing it is not soft — it is part of the work.
The ten most effective integrative therapies
These are the ten we use most, ordered by how much difference they make and how consistently we see it. Every one of them has a mechanism, and every one has evidence behind it.
Diet and Nutrition
This is the foundation, and it is the one that touches every other item on this list. Cancer cells are metabolically distinct from healthy cells — they rely far more heavily on glucose, and they are driven by insulin and IGF-1 signalling. That gives food genuine leverage. We build every plan around protein sufficiency first, because muscle loss during treatment is one of the strongest predictors of how someone tolerates it. Then blood sugar stability, a deep supply of cruciferous vegetables and polyphenols, and the removal of what drives inflammation. Every meal comes with a recipe and a shopping list, because a plan somebody cannot follow is not a plan.
What the evidence showsNutritional status and preserved muscle mass are consistently associated with better treatment tolerance, fewer delays and improved outcomes across the oncology nutrition literature. Diets built around whole foods, cruciferous vegetables and adequate protein are associated with better survivorship outcomes in multiple large cohorts.High-Dose Vitamin C
At the concentrations only an intravenous route can reach, vitamin C stops behaving like the antioxidant in your orange juice and starts behaving like something else entirely. It generates hydrogen peroxide extracellularly — and healthy cells, rich in catalase, handle that easily while many tumour cells, which are catalase-poor, do not. Oral dosing cannot produce these levels at any dose, because gut transporters saturate. We run 15 to 75 grams, infused slowly, with G6PD screened beforehand.
What the evidence showsPhase I and II trials have shown high-dose intravenous ascorbate to be well tolerated alongside standard care, with reported improvements in quality of life and reductions in treatment-related side effects. The pharmacologic mechanism — peroxide generation at concentrations achievable only intravenously — was characterised by Levine and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health.Mistletoe Therapy
Mistletoe extract has been used in integrative oncology across Germany, Switzerland and Austria for close to a century, where it is among the most widely prescribed complementary therapies in cancer care. It contains viscotoxins and lectins that appear to stimulate immune activity and, in preclinical work, prompt tumour cell death directly. It is given by subcutaneous injection or intravenously, and the dose is escalated gradually according to response.
What the evidence showsJohns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center completed the first US phase I trial of intravenous mistletoe, published in Cancer Research Communications in February 2023. Twenty-one patients with advanced, treatment-resistant solid tumours received escalating doses of Helixor M three times weekly. The trial identified 600 mg as the maximum tolerated dose, reported manageable toxicities, documented stable disease in five patients who had already been through one to six prior therapies, and found improved quality of life.IV Nutrient Therapy
Treatment depletes. Appetite falls at exactly the moment nutritional demand rises, absorption is compromised by gut damage, and the nutrients that repair tissue run down faster than food can replace them. Intravenous delivery bypasses the gut entirely, which matters enormously when the gut is the thing that is struggling. We build the bag from the panel — amino acids, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, glutathione — and our vitamin C is derived from cassava rather than the GMO corn feedstock behind most of the world's ascorbic acid supply.
What the evidence showsNutrient deficiency is common through cancer treatment and is associated with worse tolerance and greater toxicity. Intravenous repletion raises plasma levels that oral dosing cannot reach when absorption is impaired, and glutathione specifically is poorly absorbed orally and reaches useful levels only intravenously.Hyperthermia
Raising tissue temperature does several things at once. Tumour tissue disperses heat poorly because its blood supply is disorganised, so it warms more than the healthy tissue around it. Heat also raises blood flow and oxygenation in the region, and heat shock proteins released in response can make tumour cells more visible to the immune system. This is established practice in German and European cancer centres, and it is one of the more interesting tools in the field.
What the evidence showsHyperthermia is well documented as a radiosensitiser and chemosensitiser, and randomised trials have shown improved local control when it is added to radiation in several tumour types. The European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology maintains clinical guidelines for its use, and it is delivered routinely across European oncology centres.Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hypoxia is one of the defining features of tumour tissue, and it matters for a specific reason: oxygen-poor tissue responds far less well to radiation, because radiation depends on oxygen to generate the free radicals that do its work. Hyperbaric oxygen drives dissolved oxygen into tissue that circulation cannot reach. Its other major role is repair — it is standard, approved care for the radiation injury that can appear months or years after treatment.
What the evidence showsHyperbaric oxygen is an FDA-approved treatment for osteoradionecrosis and soft-tissue radiation injury, where it rebuilds the blood supply radiation destroyed. Tumour hypoxia is well established as a predictor of poorer radiation response, and improving tissue oxygenation is an active area of oncology research.EWOT — Exercise With Oxygen Therapy
Breathing high-concentration oxygen while exercising does something neither does alone. Exercise raises cardiac output and opens capillary beds; the oxygen then travels into tissue at a concentration ordinary air cannot deliver. For a patient whose capacity has collapsed, fifteen minutes of gentle EWOT is often achievable when a normal session is not — which makes it a way back into movement rather than a reason to give up on it.
What the evidence showsExercise during and after cancer treatment has some of the strongest evidence of anything on this list, associated with reduced fatigue, preserved muscle, better treatment tolerance and improved survivorship outcomes across numerous cohorts. Adding supplemental oxygen raises tissue oxygen delivery during the session, addressing the hypoxia that characterises tumour tissue.Prayer and Faith
I am not going to leave this off a list of what actually helps people, because in twenty years I have watched it matter as much as anything else on this page. Something in a cancer diagnosis reaches past the body. Patients who have a source of hope outside their scan results carry the process differently — they are steadier through the hard weeks, they stay engaged with their own care, and they recover with something intact that a purely physical approach does not reach. We pray for our patients, and we say so.
What the evidence showsSpiritual wellbeing is consistently associated with better quality of life, reduced distress and improved coping in the oncology literature, and it is measured formally with validated instruments such as the FACIT-Sp. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recognises spiritual care as a component of comprehensive cancer care.Restorative Sleep
Sleep is when repair happens. It is when growth hormone is released, when the immune system does its housekeeping, and when the brain physically clears metabolic waste through the glymphatic system. Cancer treatment disrupts every part of that — steroids, anxiety, pain, night sweats, disrupted circadian rhythm from long days in infusion chairs. We treat sleep as a therapy rather than a lifestyle suggestion: melatonin where it fits, magnesium, morning light, and a cortisol rhythm rebuilt deliberately.
What the evidence showsMelatonin has been studied extensively in oncology, with meta-analyses reporting improved outcomes and reduced treatment-related side effects when used as an adjunct. Circadian disruption and poor sleep quality are independently associated with worse fatigue, immune function and quality of life through treatment.Targeted Herbs and Supplements
Chosen for the person and the protocol, never assembled from a list. Medicinal mushrooms for immune support. Curcumin for inflammatory signalling. Green tea polyphenols. Vitamin D corrected to a genuine optimal range rather than the bottom of a laboratory reference. Everything is screened against the specific treatment being given and the timing within it, and everything is documented so the whole picture stays visible to everyone involved in the case.
What the evidence showsTurkey tail mushroom extract (PSK) is approved as an adjuvant in Japan and has NIH-funded trial data showing immune improvement in breast cancer patients. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poorer outcomes across multiple cancer types. Curcumin has a substantial body of preclinical and early clinical work on inflammatory and cell-signalling pathways.What patients commonly experience under our care
When patients receive the proper guidance, here is what they commonly experience under our care.
- The first weeks — eating becomes possible again. Practical strategies around nausea, taste changes and texture usually make the biggest immediate difference. Getting intake back up is the foundation everything else sits on.
- Through treatment — tolerance and steadiness. Patients report fewer treatment delays, better energy between cycles, and fewer of the small setbacks that derail a schedule. Muscle preserved rather than lost.
- Panel checkpoints — the objective measures. Albumin and prealbumin holding. Ferritin, B12 and vitamin D corrected. hs-CRP tracked. Nutritional status is measurable, and it is one of the strongest predictors of how treatment goes.
- After treatment — rebuilding. The phase most people are given no help with. Energy, strength and confidence returning over months, with a structured plan rather than being told to simply get back to normal.
If you or someone you love is going through treatment and nobody has talked to you about nutrition, muscle or how you will recover afterwards, schedule a consultation. My team will support you alongside your oncology team, with everything documented and shared. You will be cared for by people who understand what you are carrying, and who will take the whole of you seriously.
Nutritional status, muscle preservation, treatment tolerance and recovery — documented and coordinated with your oncologist.
Common questions
Do you treat cancer?
No. We do not treat cancer and we do not offer alternatives to conventional oncology care. We support the person going through treatment — nutritional status, muscle preservation, treatment tolerance, inflammation and recovery afterwards — always alongside your oncology team and always with everything documented and shared with them.
Is it safe to take supplements during chemotherapy?
Some are and some are not, and the judgement requires knowing your specific protocol. Certain botanicals affect the liver enzymes that metabolise chemotherapy drugs, and there is genuine unresolved debate about high-dose antioxidants during oxidative treatments. We screen every recommendation against your regimen and defer to your oncology team where they have a preference.
Will you coordinate with my oncologist?
Yes, and we consider it a safety requirement rather than a courtesy. Everything we recommend is documented in a form your oncology team can review. Your oncologist cannot account for what they do not know you are taking, and that is precisely where harm occurs.
Why does muscle mass matter during cancer treatment?
Sarcopenia during treatment is associated with greater treatment toxicity and poorer outcomes across multiple cancer types. Appetite typically falls at exactly the point protein demand rises, and standard advice often focuses on calories without any attention to protein specifically or to whether the loss is fat or lean tissue.
Can you help after treatment has finished?
Yes, and this is the phase people are given the least help with. Treatment ends, everyone assumes you are fine, and you are depleted, deconditioned and often frightened. Rebuilding nutritional status, muscle mass and energy deserves a structured programme rather than being told to get back to normal.
- Arends J, Bachmann P, Baracos V, et al. ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in cancer patients. Clinical Nutrition. 2017;36(1):11–48.
- Prado CM, Purcell SA, Laviano A. Nutrition interventions to treat low muscle mass in cancer. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. 2020;11(2):366–380. PMC7113510
- Campbell KL, Winters-Stone KM, Wiskemann J, et al. Exercise guidelines for cancer survivors. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2019;51(11):2375–2390.
- Ambrosone CB, Zirpoli GR, Hutson AD, et al. Dietary supplement use during chemotherapy and survival outcomes. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2020;38(8):804–814.
- Caccialanza R, et al. Nutritional support in cancer patients: a position paper. Journal of Cancer. 2016;7(2):131–135.