In August 2011, Lisa Clinton was on vacation when she felt a lump in her breast. Upon returning home and visiting her doctor, tests confirmed what she feared: It was cancer. The 53-year-old former competitive figure skater was shocked, since she had always taken care of health.
“The body changes after you hit age 50,” Clinton says. “I’d never had a mammogram done until last year, when the lump was found. But once it was discovered, I decided to fight it head-on, and make some wholesale changes in my life.”
With the same spirit and determination found during her days of competing, Clinton changed her diet, exercised more, and harnessed the power of positive thinking. Additionally, she decided to visit Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC) and its medical director, Leanna Standish, PhD, ND, LAc, FABNO. As a patient there, Lisa participated in the turkey tail mushroom clinical trial, in which she was prescribed a mushroom extract from Japan that has been shown to help fight cancer. The decisions have had a profound effect on her health.
“Dr. Standish recommended a treatment I call the ’combo platter,’ which consists of taking care of the body, mind and soul,” says Clinton. “Taking turkey tail mushrooms to fight the cancer, administering vitamin C intravenously to boost my immune system and focusing on mental imagery to lower stress have all helped immensely.”
“Lisa has kept an open mind and heart throughout her treatment,” says Dr. Standish. “I believe it is this kind of positive attitude, combined with our knowledge of integrative medicine that has helped her get better.”
Next month, Clinton will have a follow-up mammogram to see if the changes she’s made in her life, including visits to BIORC, have helped eliminate the cancer from her body. In the meantime, she has been so inspired by the natural steps she’s taking that the former skater is starting the Ice Angels Foundation to help pay for naturopathic doctor visits for cancer patients.
“I feel confident that I am taking the proper steps to fight breast cancer naturally, feel very healthy and want to help others who are fighting the same battle and are looking toward natural medicine,” says Clinton.
To learn more about the integrative cancer research being done at BIORC, and for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer (or men who have prostate cancer) or to participate in our ground-breaking, innovative clinical trials done jointly with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), please call (425) 602-3311.
About BIORC
The Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC) opened in 2009 to study integrative, complementary and alternative medicine for cancer patients. It is currently recruiting participants for its Outcomes Studies that evaluate the effectiveness of integrative oncology care in our cancer patients. Future studies include turkey tail mushroom trials for breast and prostate cancers in conjunction with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA.)
About Bastyr University
Bastyr University, located near Seattle, Washington, is internationally recognized as a pioneer in natural medicine. As the largest accredited university for natural health arts and sciences in the U.S., Bastyr offers more than 17 degree and certificate programs in fields such as naturopathic medicine, acupuncture & Oriental medicine, and whole-food nutrition. Founded in 1978, the University now includes a leading-edge research facility (the Bastyr University Research Institute) and outstanding clinical training at Bastyr Center for Natural Health. The University’s second campus, Bastyr University California, opened in San Diego, California, in fall 2012, becoming the state’s first and only accredited school of naturopathic medicine.
