March 2024 Systems Approach to Cancer group programme - living well with cancer
ABOUT THE SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CANCER
Through her extensive study and clinical experience in integrative and functional medicine, nutrition and other therapeutic modalities, Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel has created the Systems Approach to Cancer Programme, which is applied in clinic and used in training programmes for nutrition and medical professionals.
This is an approach that takes the systems biology view of cancer and cancer hallmarks, while applying the whole person perspective and treating the ecosystem as a whole. For every person who comes to the clinic, Dr Nina and her team will assess the different aspects below in detail from the clinical history and targeted testing as appropriate, providing a detailed and personalised plan to address the aspects that come to the fore. This not only helps us dynamically manage symptoms but more importantly, supports whole person resilience to deliver better quality of life and clinical outcomes.
Systems Approach to Cancer® group programme
The programme is delivered by our multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, including doctors and nutrition, exercise, yoga, health coaching, and mental wellbeing professionals, as well as expert patients. It is a mix of live 60 min sessions (usually once every 1-2 weeks) and pre-recorded content and resources related to that monthʼs theme. In our live sessions, we aim to provide information for 30-45 minutes with 15-30 min for Q&A to keep them interactive.
The programme is delivered through our clinical portal, Function365, where you will find two important sections - Summary Notes and Action Plan. The Action Plan will contain all the handouts and links to session recordings. Please do not share any links or proprietary Systems Approach to Cancer information with anyone who is not on the programme. All recordings are confidential, and all Systems Approach to Cancer resources are copyrighted and should not reproduced without prior written permission. Recordings are available to you as long as you are continuing with the membership programme.
You will also be asked to complete some baseline intake questionnaires and scores. This is to help us see where you are at and to help us evaluate the programme as we go on.
Group consultation programme outline
MONTH 1 (WEEKS 1-4)
We will start with an introduction to integrative oncology and how it intelligently synthesises the best of conventional, nutrition, lifestyle, psycho-emotional wellbeing and complementary medicine in week 1. This session is usually covered by one of our doctors, including Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel and Dr Emma Davies.
We will then go over the foundations of nutrition in week 2, movement in week 3, and stress management and sleep support in week 4. The exact schedule is subject to change but by the end of month 1 you will have build solid foundational knowledge in nutrition and lifestyle support.
MONTH 2 (WEEKS 5-8)
In month 2 we start delving into the Systems Approach to Cancer. Our sessions delivered by different members of our cancer care team will cover the following aspects:
Mental/emotional/spiritual health and the importance of circadian rhythms for our health and wellbeing
The role of the gut microbiome in cancer and treatment support
The role of the immune system and inflammation in cancer development and treatment and how we can support a healthy immune balance
Factors that affect our environmental exposures and toxic load and how we can support healthy detoxification without affecting medications
MONTH 3 (WEEKS 9-12)
In month 3 we continue exploring the Systems Approach to Cancer with our multidisciplinary team, covering the following topics:
Supporting healthy circulation and the structure of our body, including bone and muscle health, the role of fascia and how scar therapy can help Mitochondrial and metabolic health, including the importance of blood sugar regulation, fat metabolism (incl. cholesterol) and supporting energy Hormone balance, including sex hormones, thyroid hormones and other influencers of our hormone environment, as well as medications that can impact hormones and managing related symptoms
The role of methylation in the body and how epigenetics is important in cancer development and progression, as well as exploring impact of genes that can affect genomic stability, e.g. BRCA1/2, PALB2, TP53 etc
ONGOING GROUP ENGAGEMENT - MONTHS 4-6
After the foundational 3 months, we will co-design the programme with you as a group. We will ask you about regular sessions, e.g. yoga, breathwork, EFT, exercise, and any additional topics you would like to cover, from herbal medicine, acupuncture or mistletoe therapy to fasting, hyperthermia etc. We can arrange sessions with the team or guest speakers on the subjects you would like to learn most about. The programme completes after 6 months, and your membership will discontinue automatically.
Important reminder about group consultations
Group consultations are not the same as 1:1 personalised care but they do provide us with a great opportunity to learn much useful information together at a lower cost and to create a supportive community. Please note that participating in group consultations does not create a medical duty of care with the doctors who support the programme. It is not possible to deliver medical care or advise on prescriptions in details in a group setting online without a private and confidential 1:1 consultation with your full medical history and clinical assessment. While we might talk about supplements in general, personalised supplementation advice is also not possible, as this needs an interaction and suitability check with your medical history to hand. This can be provided within a separate 1:1 consultation as needed (outside of group consultation costs).
Ground rules
We actively foster psychological safety, and please note that anything shared within the group is considered confidential and should not be discussed with anyone not present in the session. It is also important to remember that everyoneʼs journey is different, and what works for you may not work for everyone. Our individuality should be respected while giving everyone space for expressing their perspective and reflecting on how the information applies to them. Our goal is to treat everyone with kindness, compassion, courtesy and respect.
If you have questions regarding the material covered in the group consultation, please bring it to the next session. We are unfortunately not able to answer questions for groups between sessions, and it makes for a richer discussion when we are all together.
QUERIES REGARDING GROUP ADMIN AND MAKING 1:1 APPOINTMENTS WITH SYNTHESIS CLINIC TEAM MEMBERS
Please check your Synthesis Clinic portal first for your group schedule and head to the Action Plan to check resources. If you do not find the information you need there first, then please contact the Integrative Cancer Care clinic coordinator regarding group timings and making 1:1 appointments - Jody Middleton, jody@synthesisclinic.co.uk. Please note that our administrative staff may not work full time or may be busy helping other patients and clients, so please allow at least 1 working day before chasing a reply.