Natural Medicine to Support Conventional Cancer Treatment


​SmartGENES Naturopathic Clinic Oncology support is designed for people undergoing conventional cancer treatment -
radiation, chemotherapy and/or surgery.  

The safe and effective use of natural medicines,  offers much in the way of supportive care during cancer treatment. 
​These modalities include medicinal herbs, nutritional supplements, dietary advice, lifestyle support and genetic testing options.
 
Your health plan will be centered around the following principles:
Optimising treatment outcomes
​Minimising side effects of treatment
Maximising patient health during treatment
Restoring patient health after treatment
Reducing the risk of cancer recurrence


​We believe that the best outcomes
for you will be achieved with the
support of a healthcare team. 
​At your request
we will correspond with and work
​alongside your Oncologist and GP.

Newly diagnosed

This is a time of feeling unprepared and overwhelmed.  Stress levels are high.  Many questions occur without any obvious answers.  What are the right decisions for you?  What questions should you be asking?  During this phase of care, our responsibility is not to answer these questions for you, or to guide you on which decisions you will make.  Rather, our role is to support you here and now.  We will help you manage your stress, support healthy sleep patterns, start to look at dietary changes and put together a health and wellness plan to support your cancer journey.  Empowerment, and understanding that you can effect outcomes, is the best start.

In treatment

Natural medicines to support health and vitality during cancer treatment: chemotherapy and/or radiation
Minimising side effects of treatment
Optimising treatment outcomes
Minimising fatigue and maintaining energy levels

After treatment

Finally you are finished with your cancer treatment.  You may have made it to the finish line, but you are probably not feeling healthy or energetic.  After treatment is the time to get your life back and feel like yourself again.

It is time to truly recover and rebuild your body.  Improve your resistance, restore your health, and revive your energy.  We understand that robust health and creating a body resistant to cancer are your top priorities.

Cancer Prevention

Many people want to do all they can to prevent a cancer diagnosis or a recurrence of cancer.   In this phase we get specific by looking into individual genetics.  This involves genetic testing of functional pathways (Note: we do not test for BRCA1/BRCA2).  What we do test for is genetic mutations that compromise detoxification, methylation, anti-inflammatory pathways, and anti-oxidant pathways.  These are the pathways that can lead to the development of acquired genetic mutations.

We also delve into assessing the diet and lifestyle for the common risk factors in cancer development.  These can be variable depending on the type of cancer diagnosed or in the family.  These consultations are about taking ownership of what you do, think and eat in order to optimize staying healthy and well.

Free Initial Chat

At SmartGENES we truly appreciate that choosing a health provider to work with is an important decision.  
This person needs to be someone that you can communicate openly to, feel comfortable with, and be inspired by.  
To this end we offer a no obligation, free 10 minute chat which can be face to face, by telephone or on-line.
During this time, you get to decide if we can work together.
​VANESSA WINTER
Naturopath & Medical Herbalist
BHSc (High Dist), BED, Adv.Dip.Nat., Adv.Dip.Herb.Med., NMHNZ

​Registered with Naturopaths and Medical Herbalists of NZ
Manager of the Herbal Dispensary, Christchurch for 8 years