The most important step on the path to remission is what we call the Integrative Assessment. We already know what the similarities are between cancers, but in order to individually treat each patient, we have to find out what differentiates them. No two patients are the same, and we never treat any two patients the same. This is contrary to conventional therapies, which are designed to adhere to general disease categories.
No categories here, only outcomes.
Your assessment
Each patient begins their assessment upon arrival in Tijuana. Deep analysis will be done of the patient’s medical history, including any records provided. A thorough examination will be done, but not just a physical one – we also get to know the psychological state of each patient. We want to find out how the patient is living with cancer.
Medical tests will be done including imaging and lab work, but more critically, our doctors are there to listen to the patient. The assessment will include:
- Diagnostic imaging
- Diagnostic physical examination
- Laboratory exams
- Functional medical assessment
- Clinical nutrition assessment
- Clinical psychological assessment
- Biological dental assessment
- Internist assessment
- Specialist assessment
What we’re looking for
The assessment takes into account several factors to help the team craft the patient’s individual treatment plan:
- Demographics: we look at the age, sex and ethnicity of the patient and cross-reference that information with published data about how cancer affects different types of people.
- Tumor (if present): knowing the location of the tumor is critical to deciding how to eradicate it. We have the most advanced imaging systems available in Tijuana to help us precisely pinpoint tumors and the expertise to interpret what we see.
- Damage to surrounding area: tumors aren’t self-contained. They often wreak havoc on surrounding tissues, even bending bone. These situations can cause painful side effects that can cause the patient to be less resilient.
- Previous treatments: often, when a patient has undergone a previous treatment for cancer, like chemotherapy or surgery, they sustain injuries because of an adverse reaction to treatment. We have to take these injuries into account when developing a treatment plan.
- Extent of illness: we have to determine how large the tumor (if present) is and whether it has spread or not. We don’t concern ourselves with labels like “Stage One,” we assess the disease as we see it. We also pay very close attention to the extent to any psychological injuries related to the disease.
Once the examination has been completed, our team of doctors meet to discuss the patient’s condition and prognosis as well as further personalize the individual treatment plan. Our evaluations give us a wealth of information about all of the systems, functions and organs of the body that may be affected by the cancer. Some systems may be overloaded.
Our goal with treatment is to bring the body back into balance
Understanding how the cancer Started
One of the most critical parts of the Integrative Assessment is understanding how the particular patient got cancer in the first place. Of course there is no magical way to know this, but getting as close as we can to the cause can help us refine our treatment protocol for the patient. To find the answer, we look at five areas:
- Genetics: is the patient genetically more prone to the particular disease?
- Nutrition: what lifestyle choices made by the patient, if any, might have caused the disease?
- Xenobiosis (Toxicity): was the patient exposed to harmful chemicals or environmental conditions?
- Chronic Inflammation: does the patient have an overactive immune system?
- Psychology: is the patient mentally well and free from compulsive or otherwise damaging behavior?