Blending Naturopathic Oncology & Conventional Medicine with Dr. Lise Alschuler

For too long, patients have been told they have to pick a side: conventional medicine or natural medicine, as if healing has to be an either/or proposition. In this episode of the HealthspanMD podcast, Dr. Robert Todd Hurst, MD, FACC, FASE sits down with naturopathic physician Dr. Lise Alschuler to tear down that false choice. Together they dig into why cancer patients often need both tumor-destroying conventional treatment and immune-supporting natural therapies, why a rushed insurance-driven visit can never get to the real root cause of high blood pressure, and how members of a corporate, profit-driven healthcare system are left choosing between camps instead of getting care built around them. Dr. Hurst and Dr. Alschuler also share a practical framework listeners can use to cut through influencer-driven supplement hype and evaluate what is actually worth taking.

Dr. Lise Alschuler is President and CEO of Sonoran University of Health Sciences and a board-certified naturopathic oncologist with more than 30 years of clinical experience. A leader in integrative medicine, educator, researcher, and author, she has spent her career finding common ground between conventional and naturopathic medicine so patients are not forced to choose between the two. Her own experience as a breast cancer survivor informs the patient-centered, evidence-informed approach she brings to this conversation.

Key Timestamps• 00:00 — Welcome and introducing Dr. Lise Alschuler• 01:38 — The central question: why choose between conventional and natural medicine?• 07:57 — What conventional oncology does well, and where natural medicine fills the gaps• 10:13 — Dr. Alschuler's personal experience with breast cancer• 11:40 — When oncologists dismiss integrative approaches, and what it costs patients• 18:14 — Rethinking high blood pressure treatment beyond the prescription pad• 23:39 — Membership-based care models and why insurance often fails patients• 30:54 — The Aesop's fable that explains what's broken in healthcare incentives• 32:49 — What "evidence-based" really means, and where the evidence gets murky• 39:31 — Dr. Hurst's own vitamin D story• 42:18 — A practical framework for evaluating supplements and influencer hype• 52:09 — How to find a naturopathic doctor and closing thoughts

Connect with Lise Alschuler, ND, MBA here : 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlisealschuler/👉Website: https://www.sonoran.edu/

Connect with HealthspanMD: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/company/healthspa