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Doctor, breast cancer survivor offers free online program focused on healing through lifestyle changes

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Central Florida doctor is using technology and her own personal experience to help patients improve their overall health.

Dr. Nathalie Mckenzie, a 15-year breast cancer survivor, launched an online program based on lifestyle modifications that helped her while she was battling the disease.

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"Patients often ask what else can I be doing? Or I'm all done with treatment, what now? What else can I do? What should I do to decrease that the cancer is going to come back?,’" Mckenzie said.

She launched an eight-week virtual program called "Heal," as a way to help.

Mckenzie said the program includes a focus on, “The healthy eating, the physical activity, the stress reduction, adequate sleep, avoiding risky behavior and the social connectiveness."

Mckenzie recently got her board certification in lifestyle medicine which allowed her to take a deeper dive into the science behind healthy eating and physical activities that help boost the immune system.

These virtual sessions are free, and you don't have to be a patient to sign up.

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“For a long time, especially when we think about cancer patients, we are so focused on the treatment, the surgery, the chemotherapy that we don't always allow ourselves the time to focus on the whole person," she said.

Mckenzie knows what it’s like to sit on both sides of the table, to be the doctor and the patient.

“It’s important to note that every cancer patient has their own unique journey however many of my patients do appreciate knowing that I have some understanding of what they might be going through,” she said.

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