Stress, depression degrade immune system

As a physiotherapist and a naturopathic doctor, Chris Mazzuchin of Sudbury is convinced that both conventional and complementary approaches to medicine have roles to play in cancer care.

"Cancer is like a fingerprint. It's very unique to each person," he says. "People react differently to chemotherapy and radiation, and why they get cancer is completely different for each person."

Knowledgeable about both approaches to medicine, Mazzuchin doesn't hesitate to endorse the efficacy of chemotherapy and radiation, even to the point of risking a relationship with patients who accuse him of abandoning his naturopathic calling.

"If conventional treatments offers a 95 per cent cure rate for a certain type of breast cancer, then maybe the patient just needs me to help the tissues recover from the radiation or chemotherapy."

However, Mazzuchin also believes it's important to go beyond the symptoms and take a holistic approach encompassing the mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions of the patient.

Stress and depression are also contributing factors to cancer, he insists.

"Let's say you're afraid of failure, you have a high demand job and you don't have a healthy relationship with your boss. Does that release a lot of cortisol or serotonin?

"It releases cortisol," said Mazzuchin. "Eight hour a day, 40 hours a week, you're releasing cortisol, an adrenal hormone that produces sugar, puts your body in a fight or flight mode and depletes your immune system."

A patient's mental and emotional response to a cancer diagnosis and treatment can also contribute to the outcome, he claims.

But he takes issue with the notion of "fighting" cancer.

"Fight. Is that a healing word, or is that a cortisol word?" he asks.

Far better for the patient to turn it around and simply resolve to feel healthy.

Family members and even spouses, said Mazzuchin, can feed the cancer because they're worried and angry about their loss.

"There are a lot of emotions (related to a cancer diagnosis), and a lot of it isn't healthy."
Indeed, even the word "cancer," stimulates the release of cortisol.

Mazzuchin is disappointed about the gulf that separates conventional and complementary practitioners.

"At the end of the day, I'm fascinated by the lack of curiosity."

Mazzuchin recalls one MD - a friend - who sent him a patient with a yeast infection. He cured the patient using a naturopathic treatment, but the MD never asked what he did.

"Let's say I sent someone to some wacky voodoo guy in the mountains to cure someone I wasn't able to help. If the patient comes back cured, and I had an opportunity to meet with this guy, I'd want to know what he did."

Humility and curiosity are important in the practice of medicine because "at the end of the day, my patients are more important than my ego," said Mazzuchin, who teaches at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM).

"Old school thinkers sometimes get embarrassed if they don't know something, but the newer generation of physicians and students in medical school are more curious."

Mazzuchin doesn't teach naturopathic medicine at NOSM, as naturopathy isn't part of the curriculum, but the school's mandate to be open to aboriginal healing opens the door to an appreciation for complementary approaches, he claims.

"Why do aboriginal elders use cedar in the spring to cleanse the liver? I can give you evidence from studies that show milk thistle and cedar are able to cleanse the body. A traditional healer may not have evidence, but I can serve as the diplomat and help to explain."

Author of Ssshhh: Listen! Natural Cures - A workshop for the soul, Muzzuchin graduated from Laurentian University with a BSc in Biochemistry in 1995. He went on to earn a BSc in Physical Therapy from the University of Western Ontario and received a diploma from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2003.

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