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With Gratitude

With Gratitude

Dear Valued Patient, After 22 years of practice, over 17 of which have been dedicated to integrative oncology, I am stepping away from one to one patient care. I will be closing my practice at Bellingham Naturopathic Clinic on March 20th, 2024. If you are in active cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation), you will […]

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A Reading List for Challenging Times

A stack of books recommended for patients diagnosed with breast cancer by naturopathic oncologist Dr. Laura James, ND, FABNO. The overlay text says "Reading List: for acceptance, connection, and transformation."

Acceptance can be difficult when you have been diagnosed with breast cancer. You may feel angry, scared, or even hopeless. It is hard to find connection and understanding, because although women may have a breast cancer diagnosis in common, no two women process their diagnosis in the same way. Allowing yourself to feel your feelings […]

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Exercise and the Prevention of Disease

a path in the woods representing a trail for exercise as well as a journey with breast cancer. Overlay text reads " Exercise: Preventing Recurrence of Breast Cancer"

Planning and implementing a long hike can be similar to what a patient goes through when they have been diagnosed with breast cancer. It can be a daunting task. Recently I challenged myself to travel across Scotland via the West Highland Way. There is so much to consider including, but not limited to, gear, nourishment, […]

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Breast Cancer: Four Ways to Move Through Your Diagnosis

a person twirling to represent movement through breast cancer diagnosis with the text "Breast Cancer: four ways to move through your diagnosis" is overlaid on the image

If you are a woman with breast cancer, the notion of body betrayal can be all too real. The self you once knew and felt comfortable with now looks and acts different. It’s difficult – the sense that your own body is under attack and feeling unwell. All of this ties into body image and […]

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Changing Seasons: Finding Resilience and Renewal

finding resiliance and renewal in the changing of seasons a flower blooming in the winter snow

Winter is the most uncomfortable time of the year. Color drains from the world. Frost bites the life out of the garden we so carefully cultivated. Humans seek shelter and isolation from the bitterness of the cold. We have no choice but to sit and watch winter as it blankets us. Winter is a forced […]

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Practicing Radical Self Care

woman undergoing breast cancer treatment practicing radical self care

For some who receive a cancer diagnosis, it can feel like the beginning of a lonely, uphill battle. Not only are cancer patients fighting for their lives, but also their autonomy, authenticity and dignity as they choose how to proceed with treatment. Choosing can look like sticking with the “norms” of conventional medicine, or it […]

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Three Reasons to Try Mistletoe Therapy

mistletoe and breast cancer, natural cancer fighters, mistletoe therapy, dietary supplements for cancer, natural cancer treatment, Bellingham

If at this holiday season you find yourself standing under the mistletoe let it be a reminder not to search for love outside yourself, but instead to find it from within. Commonly, mistletoe is known for encouraging a kiss or two at gatherings during the holiday season. But few people know that mistletoe is an […]

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Food Is Medicine

thanksgiving superfoods, nutrition, food as medicine, immunity boosting, cancer prevention

You may have heard the phrase “Food is Medicine”. If you are someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer and you are in treatment or beyond, this adage can be especially true. What you put in your body can make a difference in your health and longevity. Because Thanksgiving is typically centered around eating, […]

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Taking Charge: Breast Cancer Treatment and Beyond

breast cancer treatment, diet and breast cancer, breast cancer and movement, breast cancer and stress, naturopathic oncology

I come from an incredibly supportive and tight knit community of individuals. We lost two friends this calendar year. One was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 50 – her first colonoscopy. Extremely beloved, she could not bring herself to tell her family about her diagnosis for some time. We, her larger circle of friends, […]

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Encouragement for Challenging Beliefs

cancer patient looking off to the side after receiving a diagnosis, overlay of the words "encouragement for: challenging beliefs"

Regardless of how your beliefs are rooted, they will be challenged after you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Being able to embrace the diagnosis itself, and what it means, might cause a massive upheaval in your life and shake your values to the core. Change is inevitable, but it’s not a negative factor in terms of […]

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