At Root Causes Holistic Health & Medicine, in Fort Myers, prevention and wellness, as well as solving the root causes of a patient’s serious health challenges, rather than lessening symptoms, is a top priority for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Doreen DeStefano. Owner and founder, DeStefano enjoys solving complex health puzzles, and getting all the pieces to fit together so that function is restored naturally when the body heals itself. It’s what she finds most rewarding about her work.

The health services offered at Root Causes include a comprehensive intake of the patient’s history, which DeStefano spends hours studying for clues that reveal more than the obvious. Then, there’s the research for possible alternative therapies. “I generally spend three hours on the initial consultation and another two hours working up a protocol for the patient. A protocol in holistic medicine is a living thing, because I’m continually changing it according to the patient’s response, unlike in the standard of care world. That’s where you don’t deviate even if the patient isn’t responding to the treatments or is having uncomfortable side effects,” says DeStefano.

One of the holistic treatments she has been using to treat certain types of cancer is mistletoe. A 2014 article in Johns Hopkins Magazine, “Are Mistletoe Extract Injections the Next Big Thing in Cancer Therapy?” tells the story of a 37-year-old woman with colon cancer whose cancer had spread to her liver. The doctor informed her that she had just an 8 percent chance of surviving for more than two years.

At her physician’s suggestion, she had 20 percent of her liver removed, but refused his recommendation for chemotherapy. Instead, she consulted a specialist in complementary therapies that had seen positive effects from injections of mistletoe extract. “The liquid, derived from the poisonous, semi-parasitic mistletoe plant, has been a popular natural remedy in treating cancer in Europe for years.” The woman has been cancer-free since the operation on her liver and attributes her turnaround to a combination of surgery, diet and exercise, and the mistletoe. 

“Mistletoe extract’s efficacy, safety, and dosage recommendations have all been thoroughly tested during the course of John Hopkins’ multiyear study. I follow these kinds of studies, and others, closely so I can keep up- to- date on treatments for my patients. I also attend conferences and listen to lectures online and in -person. It’s the only way to stay on top of the ever-changing world of holistic medicine,” says DeStefano.

Root Causes Holistic Health & Medicine is located at 12734 Kenwood Lane, Ste. 4, in Ft. Myers. For appointments and more information, call 239-425-2900, email [email protected] or visit RtCausesMD.com.