What does it mean to treat the patient, not the disease? Dr. Gary Foresman helps listeners understand what this looks like in a day-to-day approach to cancer therapies, from new cancer treatments to integrative oncology. Listen and learn

• Why he seeks a middle approach between western and eastern medicine, harnessing the best of what each has to offer,
• How he understands true integrative medicine as that which centers the patient not theories, and
• What daily habits can help healing through any cancer staging and how he brings patients through the process.

Dr. Gary Foresman specializes in integrative cancer therapies and regenerative medicine. He's the founder of Middle Path Medicine and works entirely in the clinical field. He's able to paint a very clear picture for listeners of what it could mean to approach cancer treatment through an integrative path. This makes for a patient-oriented habit of practice, he explains. Each person makes their choice—sometimes that means more of a western approach with targeted chemo, and sometimes this means more of a natural approach. This patient-centered treatment, he adds, is really what integrative medicine should be. Ultimately, integrative practitioners are "providing tools for patients and allowing them to make better, informed decisions."

This means he takes a slightly different approach to counseling patients through diet and exercise choices and even meditation as ways to treat cancer. But, he's clear that nutrition treats people and not diseases: rather than ask which diet is best for cancer or heart disease, one should ask which diet is best for themselves, he explains. Often the first thing he talks about with a patient is their stress levels, an extremely important element in cancer treatment and healing. Therefore, he's sensitive to pushing them towards diets or changes that might engender more stress rather than increase health outcomes. But he's honest with patients about what food, exercise, and mindful practices could provide them with a healthful balance alongside western approaches to treatment. Listen in to hear more about what forms this advice takes.

For more about Dr. Gary Foresman, see Middle Path Medicine. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C