Phone: 604-949-0077 
I first saw Dr. Gurm in May 2010. I found Port Moody Naturopathic on the internet. I had seen other naturopaths and other types of alternative health practitioners over the years so I was quite clear that I was looking for someone who could help me with heavy metal detox and weight management and I knew what I was looking for in a practitioner. I wasn’t mistaken. When I first saw Dr. Gurm I had never had a major illness. As a child I had suffered frequent colds and had my tonsils and adenoids removed when I was 13, wisdom teeth removed when I was 18, other wise I had never had surgery or been sick with other than colds and flus. I am now 64 years old.
In 2001 I lived in Alberta and had my silver mercury fillings removed by a biological dentist followed by a course of chelation therapy, 12 weeks as I recall. I had braces as a child for two years and my mouth was riddled with cavities following their removal so I had a mouth full of silver mercury fillings. My doctor at the time was an MD who practiced complementary medicine and was very good. I stopped seeing her for the usual reasons: the cost of the non medical treatments, a very busy lifestyle, she lived in the city and came to Banff only one day every second week so scheduling was difficult, and I felt so much better and seemed healthy. I did always suspect that I should have continued with her until she thought I was ready to stop.
When I first saw Dr. Gurm I was recognizing the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning again: irritability, sudden fits of anger for minor reasons, erratic sleeping patterns, memory loss. I had also discovered a lump in my left breast but had not seen anyone about it. At my first visit Dr. Gurm examined my left breast and insisted I have a mammogram and ultrasound. She scheduled me for live blood analysis and made an appointment for June.
At that time I didn’t have a family doctor. I had moved to Vancouver from Banff and had never taken care of this. Having never been ill in the past, I had ascribed my good health in large part to the work I had done with other alternative health practitioners, a fairly good diet, no alcohol or smoking; I just kept putting it off. I went to a walk in clinic and saw a great doctor who sent me for an ultrasound and mammogram. The results of the tests were inconclusive and the doctor requested that the ultrasound be looked at by a specialist. Again the results were inconclusive but the technician was suspicious so she scheduled a needle biopsy. Even the needle biopsy was misleading but suspicious enough that the doctor recommended surgery and referred me to Dr. Carol Dingee who I first saw in August.
The diagnosis of breast cancer was a shock to me. I had no history of breast cancer in my family, had never taken hormone replacement therapy at menopause, had only taken birth control pills briefly as a young woman, and had nursed two children longer than most mothers nurse their babies. Dr. Dingee scheduled me for a partial mastectomy September 8.
While all this was going on I continued to see Dr. Gurm. My live blood cell analysis revealed that, while still seemingly pretty healthy I was poised for some sort of health problem, possibly blood related, such as leukemia, if I didn’t do something. Dr. Gurm uses an energetic diagnostic technique which is very accurate in my experience and she also identified problems with my tonsil surgery sites and with two root canals which I had done when I was in my twenties. She referred me to Dr. Elmajian, a biological dentist in Vancouver to have one root canal tooth removed and the other ozonated. She injected the tonsil sites with something to clear them energetically and laid out an intensive programme of treatment for the summer. I began EDTA and DMPS IV chelation treatments for heavy metal detoxification, ozone treatments, far infrared saunas, colonics and foot detox plus a variety of supplements. I had very high lead as well as mercury and some other metals as well. The mercury poisoning symptoms started to abate and by late summer I was feeling great despite the imminent breast surgery. A few weeks before my surgery Dr. Gurm switched me from chelation to IV vitamin C with other supplements. High doses of IV Vitamin C is well respected as a cancer treatment in the alternative health world and by some MD’s. I also began mistletoe therapy, another cancer treatment which challenges the immune system in order to stimulate it. This has been a respected cancer treatment in Europe for decades.
These treatments continued throughout the fall of 2010 as I went through the initial surgery and follow ups. The partial mastectomy went well and my tumour turned out to be larger than anticipated from the needle biopsy and physical exams, a class 2 tumour which was just in the early stages of becoming invasive. This was a surprise as it had been hoped that this cancer was non invasive. As a result Dr. Dingee suggested a lymph node biopsy and surgery was scheduled. I also had my first visit with Dr. Klimo, an oncologist who suggested a family doctor for me at long last.
Dr. Dingee had suggested that a patch of lymph nodes be removed as a preventative procedure and I had agreed; this is still the “gold standard” as she explained it but often results in lymphodema in the arm on the same side as an ongoing side effect. Lymphodema is swelling resulting from a blockage of the lymphatic system and chronically hard to correct. I was pretty uncomfortable with this idea and consulted Dr. Klimo who concurred that, in my case, the cancer was barely advanced beyond the original site therefore removing a single lymph node should be sufficient. A radioactive dye is injected into the breast which identifies the first lymph node leaving the breast. This node is then removed and biopsied. I had to change the consent forms with Dr. Dingee so my lymph node biopsy was not done until November 17. Both surgeries were done under a short general anaesthetic. Other than the pain relief given intravenously at the hospital I needed no pain killers after either surgery. Dr. Gurm had prescribed frequent doses of Traumeel, a combination homeopathic remedy which reduces inflammation and promotes healing, leading up to and following surgery and this did the trick for me.
My lymph node biopsy did show a miniscule amount of cancer on the perimeter but Dr. Klimo reasoned that it would have to be on the interior of the lymph node to be passed on through the lymph system so he didn’t suggest further lymph node removal. At this point Dr. Gurm was also testing my cancer as not having progressed beyond the left breast. “In the nick of time” has taken on new meaning for me.
Because my cancer was invasive I did radiation treatment in late November and through December. During this time I continued with the IV Vitamin C and Mistletoe treatments, foot detox, and far infrared saunas. My last radiation treatment was December 30, 2010. I felt quite good throughout this time, seldom tired, positive outlook, and quite healthy.
In early December I finally saw Dr. Elmajian, the biological dentist Dr. Gurm had recommended. Once again I had delayed through the summer because of expense and the overwhelming amount of time I was spending on medical care but I finally went. Dr. Elmajian is an internationally renowned specialist in pain management, dental reconstruction and biological dentistry who also runs a naturopathic clinic in Vancouver. He removed an upper left molar which had a root canal in it. He told me that in 35 years of dentistry 100% of the women patients with breast cancer who consulted him had a root canal in the specific tooth I was having removed. He explained that the teeth are a map of the body, each tooth relating to a particular part of the body and body function. I had an implant done in mid December and the final crown placed in spring 2011. Dr. Elmajian also ozonated the right front incisor. He recommended removing it and said the crown on this tooth was fragile and not well placed but I chose not to do this at the time.
I began 2011 with all the breast cancer procedures in the past, feeling great. I saw Dr. Klimo who prescribed an aromatase therapy to inhibit production of estrogen by the adrenal glands for 5 years and announced me free to go, and that he was retiring.
Back in Dr. Gurm’s world in early January I was testing that my cancer was in remission and all systems quite strong. I resumed chelation therapy through the winter. At first the aromatase drug I was on seemed to agree with me but after a few months I was experiencing increasing pains first in my legs then spreading to my hips and even feet. After 3 months I saw Dr. Klimo for the last time and he agreed the dose might be too high since I am very short. For the next 3 months I cut the pills in half; the side effects were reduced but not eliminated and I just didn’t feel that great. In June, after 6 months, I decided to discontinue this treatment. I felt the positive effects of the drug were outweighed by the side effects which were undermining my general health. I discussed this with Dr. Gurm and we agreed to continue the mistletoe therapy as a preventative and also continue other treatments to keep me in good health.
In the spring after my series of chelation treatments were complete Dr. Gurm switched me to an oral chelator by the name of NDF (Natural Detox Factors) which is made from whole foods. At that time her testing indicated there was infection somewhere in my system but she couldn’t pin it down. I continued the detox during the summer with good effects but I didn’t feel as healthy as I had in January. At this time there was another factor in play however. In January a routine dental check-up had spotted a cavity above the crown on my right front incisor, the one with the root canal which had been ozonated. It was filled, but the crown on this tooth which was done in 2001 had never been completely stable and I started to notice some movement in it and worry that it was going to come off. In August I ate corn on the cob without thinking and the tooth definitely shifted. I went in to the dental clinic the next day determined that it was finally time to have this tooth extracted since it was clear it would be an increasing problem. I was referred to Dr. Li who does the implants and his x-ray revealed that there was indeed either decay or infection in this tooth so an appointment was made for the extraction.
In September I participated in a breast thermography clinic at Dr. Gurm’s office. On October 11 I met with Dr. Gurm for a follow up. This was my first appointment with her since the spring. Her testing was all over the place and she was still testing for infection somewhere in my body which had been true in the spring as well. I told her I was having the root canal tooth removed and we agreed to meet again immediately after. On October 19 I had the extraction and an implant put in with a temporary crown. As with all the other tooth extractions and surgeries this went well and I needed only Traumeel for pain. On October 20 I met again with Dr. Gurm.
This was one of those miracle turn arounds. Because of the proximity of the visits it was clear the deciding factor had been the tooth extraction. All my systems tested strong. The infection was gone, cancer in remission, and everything was pointing in a very positive direction whereas a week earlier all the testing was confused. Stress and congestion around the heart were also gone for the first time. Dr. Gurm took me off the heavy metal detox programme as this was not testing as a problem at the moment and I am now continuing with preventative cancer protocols and supplements and treatments intended to help me lose some weight and stay healthy.
It has been a year and a half that I have been going to Dr. Gurm. I live in Vancouver and occasionally wonder why I didn’t choose one of the clinics in Vancouver which offer similar services instead of driving 45 minutes to every appointment. All I can say is Dr. Gurm was an intuitive choice and I have nothing but gratitude and thankfulness for her help. Dr. Gurm specializes in cancer treatment which I didn’t know when I chose her and also collaborates with Dr. Elmajian on issues regarding health and oral treatments, in particular the ink between mercury fillings, root canals and overall oral health and disease. So my intuition was correct. I chose the perfect doctor.
My experience throughout this journey is one of meeting the most incredible health professionals. Everyone: the MD’s, my surgeon, radiation technologists, dentist, and all the people at Port Moody Naturopathic have been amazing, kind, and excellent at their jobs. It has been both humbling and inspiring to meet so many people dedicated to improving the lives of others through their work. And I have felt blessed.
I love to dance and am married to an amazing pianist and composer, Gary Sill. Through the summer and fall of 2010 I did a practice I designed myself of dancing to Gary’s piano improvisations for 10-15 minutes each night. This kept my body and circulation moving and was both relaxing and inspiring. We stopped over Christmas and never picked it up again. It is certainly time to dance again.
