The first integrative cancer centre of its kind in central and eastern Canada, the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre is establishing a model of care that is having a profoundly positive impact on many people living with cancer.

Since opening in November 2011 the OICC, a non-profit regional centre of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, has expanded its reach as more people are benefitting from a whole-person philosophy – incorporating the best that complementary medicine has to offer with conventional care.

More than half of all cancer patients today are choosing complementary therapies alongside conventional treatments during their cancer journey, a trend that is likely to continue. However, these complementary choices are not often discussed with conventional oncologists, many of whom are concerned about how the complementary therapies may interfere with treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.

For that reason, the OICC is committed to working with everyone on the health care team – from patients and their families to oncologists and surgeons – to provide safe and natural therapies at doses and times that will not negatively impact on chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery. In fact, the goal in using complementary therapies is to support the patient’s natural healing ability and aid the body in coping with the toxicity and side effects associated with conventional therapy.

Those who enter OICC’s welcoming doors will find a range of programming and support, including naturopathic medicine and integrated medical care, clinical nutrition, acupuncture, psychosocial counselling and support, mindfulness and meditation, yoga therapy, massage therapy, physiotherapy and more. In certain circumstances other highly specialized therapies are offered, including Intravenous Vitamin C.

In addition to patient care and prevention education, the OICC is actively involved in research into the safety, effectiveness and cost of complementary therapies, and developing and evaluating integrative oncology models, with funding support from organizations including the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Subsidized care for those in need

“Cancer can have a catastrophic financial impact for individuals and families,” says Dugald Seely, ND, OICC’s Founder and Executive Director. “We offer subsidized care to as many people as we can, but we are a not-for-profit and receive no government funding, so our capacity to do so is limited.”  The OICC relies on donations to support its subsidized care and other programs.

The OICC recently received a generous gift from The Panneton Family Foundation to establish The Naomi Baker Memorial Counselling Fund.  Named in memory of a beloved wife and daughter, the Fund will enable those in financial need to benefit from the same invaluable psychosocial support and counselling Naomi received at OICC during her own journey with cancer.

Naomi Baker was a vibrant young woman who was diagnosed with parotid gland cancer. Though her cancer metastasized over two years, she rallied with courage, strength and resolve to live her life as fully as possible in spite of her devastating health challenges. She travelled, spent time with her family, fell in love and got married – all in the last year of her life. Naomi had a special and supportive relationship with OICC psychotherapist Jennifer Turner. A key member of Naomi’s team, Jennifer extended her support to Naomi’s husband, Palmer Panneton, and family.  The family has now created the Naomi Baker Memorial Counselling Fund as a way for Naomi’s legacy to live on in a way that respects the profound impact Naomi had on everyone she met.

How you can help

So much can be done to improve the quality of life for cancer patients and to help prevent recurrence. Your support of the OICC’s clinical, research, and educational goals will have lasting impact on the care of cancer patients in Canada. Donations to the OICC expand clinical care, build the organization’s subsidized care fund, support evidence-based research, drive public education in complementary, whole-person cancer care – and make complementary cancer care a reality for all.

There are many ways to give to the OICC.

When you donate online you will receive a music download of Open Arms, a moving song written and performed by Murray Foster of Great Big Sea, which he has dedicated to the OICC’s cancer patients.

Learn more about the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre and Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine