What is your terrain telling you?

Oncologists are trained to focus on the tumor and to do whatever possible to eradicate it. Cut it out, burn it, poison it. But where did the cancer come from? Why did it grow? How can we support the body so that it stops cancering? The answer lies in the terrain and listening to the messages that it is sending us. While the tumor deserves attention, so does the environment in which it developed.

While we seek out the perfect treatments, supplements, diet and lifestyle practices, one of the most important questions we can ask is:

What's happening in your terrain right now?

If you aren't familiar with the term "terrain", when we use this term, we are referring to the the internal environment in your body that influences you health and how your cells function. It includes things like blood sugar regulation, inflammation, nutrient status, immune function, oxidative stress, metabolic health, and much more. Think of it as the soil of your body. In my prior career, we would refer to this as the terroir of the body.

How do we know what is happening in the terrain? The challenge is that we can't accurately assess many of these factors based on only symptoms or scans. We need to look deeper.

That's where laboratory testing becomes invaluable.

Labs allow us to move beyond guessing and begin making informed decisions based on your unique biology. Labs help us identify imbalances, reveal nutrient deficiencies, and help us see inflammation that may be symptom free. They also help us monitor whether the changes we're making are actually improving the soil of your body.

Just as your oncologist uses scans to monitor the tumor, we can use labs to monitor the terrain.

The testing we use in the Metabolic Approach to Cancer is much more extensive than what a conventional doctor will run because we are looking at the whole client through the lens of the terrain. For example, laboratory testing may help us evaluate:

• Blood sugar and insulin regulation

• Inflammation levels

• Nutrient deficiencies and insufficiencies

• Immune system function

• Metabolic health markers

• Liver and kidney function

• Markers of oxidative stress and overall resilience

I use a detailed lab spreadsheet to keep track of shifts in labs as a way to measure progress, and keep track of how treatments are changing your terrain for good or for worse. Testing provides objective feedback that helps guide the next steps.

In the metabolic approach to cancer, we often say:

Test. Assess. Address.

Testing gives us the information.

Assessment helps us understand what it means.

Addressing allows us to create a targeted plan.

Without testing, we're simply making educated guesses. Time is precious- should we be wasting it by throwing darts and hoping something sticks? I believe that we need a better strategy than that.

Every person's terrain is different, even if there is similar pathology. What needs attention for one individual may not be the priority for another. That's why personalized testing can be such a powerful tool for creating a strategy that is truly bioindividual.

When it comes to supporting your health during a cancer diagnosis, the goal isn't simply to do more. Sometimes loading too much onto an already stressed physiology can backfire. The key is to be strategic. Testing allows us to be selective so we can focus on what's most likely going make a meaningful difference for your bioindividual terrain.

Regular lab testing has been the cornerstone of how I continually work to improve my own terrain even 3 years out from my brain cancer diagnosis and it is an essential tool I use with my clients as well.

If you're wondering which labs might provide the most meaningful information for your situation, an Introductory Consultation is the best place to start. Together, we'll identify the most important next steps and create a personalized roadmap for assessing your terrain.

Test, assess, address.