Letitia Cain, ND, FABNO – Director of Naturopathic Medicine
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“I love working with the patients, being part of their care. They inspire me and I learn so much from them,” says Letitia Cain, Director of Naturopathic Medicine at CTCA at Southwestern Regional Medical Center. Cain and her team of naturopaths are dedicated to helping patients by using natural therapies to support the whole person, with an emphasis on building health.
A Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO), Cain holds a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle. She completed a naturopathic residency at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health. She also completed a naturopathic medicine and oncology residency at CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, Illinois. Her training included coursework and supervised clinical practice in nutritional, botanical, homeopathic and physical medicine. Additional coursework included counseling and visceral manipulation.
Cain earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, completed graduate coursework at Southeast Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, and post baccalaureate premedical classes at Shoreline College in Seattle. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Illinois Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Society of Integrative Oncology, and Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Cain has also given lectures in numerous cities across the United States to participants in the Our Journey of Hope® Program, including topics on “What is Cancer?” and “Prevention of Cancer.” She has also given oncology presentations for naturopathic physicians on “Nutrition for Oncology Patients.” Additionally, Cain has also been a guest lecturer for the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago, in which she conducted classes on "Oncology and Clinical Diagnosis" and "Studies and Scans in Oncology."
Cain joined CTCA in 2003 as a staff naturopath at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. In 2005, she became Director of the Naturopathic Medicine Department at Southwestern. Here, Cain leads a team of four naturopathic practitioners, who aim to complement patients’ conventional care with naturopathic therapies (i.e., nutritional supplementation, botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, counseling, etc.). “We are committed to treating the whole person,” Cain says.
According to Cain, the Naturopathic Medicine Program at Southwestern developed in response to patients’ needs. Many patients were taking supplements on their own (without the guidance of a naturopath). When they came to CTCA, they needed advice. “They wanted the experts in natural medicine to advise them,” says Cain.
What makes the program unique, Cain says, is that “this is the only inpatient integrative oncology program that has naturopathic doctors as part of the staff." Cain says half of her staff has completed a two-year specialized residency program in integrative naturopathic oncology.
Cain and her team work together regularly, sharing ideas, thoughts and knowledge about each patient’s treatment plan. They also collaborate with other Southwestern departments, including medical and radiation oncologists, nurses, dietitians, physical therapists, social workers and other medical personnel. Their goal is to provide individualized, integrative care for cancer patients.
Cain also oversees Southwestern’s naturopathic residency program and works to increase complementary and alternative medicine research trials.
Cain says her overall goal for patients is to promote health and wellness—in body, mind and spirit.