THE OTTAWA CITIZEN OTTAWACITIZEN.COM/LIFE SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

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CHRIS MIKULA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

Dugald Seely, of the Ottawa Interactive Cancer Centre, is a naturopathic doctor who wants to help cancer patients manage their own care.

Anoasisofhealin A new centre in Ottawa offers an integrative approach to treating cancer JANET WILSON'

Dugald Seely is on a mission to improve the quality of life for those touched by cancer. The founder of Ottawa's

Integrative Cancer Centre wants to bridge the gap between con- ventional and naturopathic medi- cines.

Seely, a naturopathic doctor, wants to help patients manage their own care. The centre, the first of its kind in Eastern Canada, quietly opened its doors in Novem- ber, but is holding a grand open- ing in the fall. The not-for-prof- it organization is governed by the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.

"One of our goals is to take a more proactive approach to pre- venting the disease. We are bring- ing together a variety of people with differing backgrounds to cre- ate an integrated approach."

Seely, who is the director of re- search and clinical epidemiology at the CCNM, wants to build the

OICC into a world-class integra- tive cancer centre that will serve as a model for additional centres across the continent.

As well as providing clinical care, the Ottawa centre will under- take research to see what's best for patients and for the quality and ex- tension of life. Seely also has am- bitious plans to conduct large- scale projects and is currently con- ducting research on intravenous vitamin C treatments and mela- tonin and the impact it has on pa- tients' quality of life and longevity.

A range of services is available, including naturopathic medicine, physiotherapy, psychiatry, nutri- tion, massage therapy, a breast health room, dry sauna, exercise therapy, acupuncture and yoga, as well as the services of two medic- al doctors.

Seely expects 60 to 80 patients in active and post-cancer treat- ment to visit the centre each week For people living on a tight budget, subsidized care will be offered to patients who cannot afford out-of- pocket costs not covered by insur-

Integrative cancer care & prevention seminar When: Tuesday, June 26, 6:30 to 8 p.m. What: Dugald Seely, founder of the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre, will provide an overview and discuss research being applied to the practice of integrative oncology. Take a tour of the OICC facility. Light refreshments will be offered. Where: Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre, 29 Bayswater Ave. Register: 613-792-1222, or email to info@oicc.ca

WATCH a video of Dugald Seely as he explains what the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre Is all about at

0TTAWACITIZEN.COM /LIFE

ance or OHIP. The centre is mod- elled after Vancouver's Inspire- Health, the first integrative care centre in Canada, which opened in 1997.

"We want to look at proactive care for people at high risk with a family history. We'll look at their diet, possible exposure to carcino- gens, use of plastic, exposure to pesticides. We want to reduce body burden. We look at things associat- ed with risk and how to modify it"

He and his staff also prepare pa- tients on how to speak and ask questions of their oncologist to re- duce some of the anxiety and stress from their fives.

Seely's goal is to make inroads into the medical community by reaching out to oncologists and others in the field to spread the word about the centre.

'It's not alternative, it's comple- mentary care. We're looking at safe therapies that don't interfere with chemotherapy, radiation or sur- gery. We have a research mandate and want to promote clinical trials and have a rigorous research ap- proach."

Seely moved to Ottawa from Toronto in 2009 to be closer to family members, who all have a connection to medicine. His fath- er, the late John Seely, considered

a pioneer in the field of palliative care, was the dean of medicine at the University of Ottawa. His' mother is a family therapist, his brother a surgeon at Ottawa Hos- pital, while one sister is a radiolo- gist and the other a veterinary.

The centre is teaming up with the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foun- dation to collaborate on an edu- cation program in partnership with Maplesoft Centre called the Integral Healing Program: Em- powerment on the Cancer Jour- ney. The four half-day workshops are designed to give patients, sur- vivors and their support network the tools to take better control of their disease management

Linda Eagen, president and CEO of the Ottawa Regional Can- cer Foundation, says the aim of the program is to empower patients.

"I first heard about Inspire- Health from a woman who said that if you wanted to change the face of cancer treatment I need- ed to go see it for myself. I made a connection and went to Vancou- ver."

Eagen says the experience was life-changing and upon her return to Ottawa reached out to Seely and his team. The two centres have forged a partnership, which is be- ing funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

"Dugald and his team are amaz- ing. The Cancer Foundation strongly supports the comple- mentary approach to cancer care. We are trying to offer integral heal- ing to patients during their jour- ney with cancer," Eagen says.