Current Research Funding Initiatives

The Aldo Fund

The Aldo Fund, named in memory of Nutrition House co-founder Aldo Dominguez, has been established as an annual designated fund to support the Holistic Health Research Foundation of Canada’s CAMpaign for Cancer initiative. Founded, spearheaded and supported by Nutrition House, the Aldo Fund was launched in spring 2007 and has grown rapidly, bringing together other health retailers and natural health product manufacturers to support the initiative.

To date, this program, which also involves an in-store fundraising campaign at Nutrition House and other retailers across the country, has raised more than $80,000 towards the CAMpaign for Cancer. To learn more about The Aldo Fund, click here.

CAMpaign for Cancer

Holistic Health Research has identified cancer as one of its strategic focus areas over the coming years. Our CAMpaign for Cancer Initiative will support research and public education that advances that scientific understanding of the potential role that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can play in the prevention, management and treatment of cancers.

This designated fund of the Holistic Health Research Foundation of Canada was established by Susan and Willem (Bill) Van Iterson, as the result of the experience Susan had in using complementary treatments after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  One of the treatment regimes she used was found on the Internet – a resource more and more cancer patients are turning to for information. However, the key elements of Susan’s treatment have not been subjected to rigorous research attention, although they have been known and used for many years.

The health care community has become increasingly interested in the concept that enhanced micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) intake may reduce the risk of chronic diseases and support both physical and mental health. This trial will be a significant step toward understanding the potential benefit of micronutrient supplementation for the general population.

Following the development of a specific study protocol (completed in Phase I), the second phase of this study will evaluate micronutrient supplementation in normally functioning individuals, in a randomized, placebo-controlled, fully blinded trial. Adults who have no chronic physical or mental disorder will receive broad-spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement formulations at two different doses. The doses, to be defined specifically in the first stage of the study, will be in safe ranges between RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) and recommended Upper Limits, as suggested in the literature. The study will compare the impact of micronutrient supplementation, versus placebo, on two categories of outcome measures: mood and immunity.

Several recent studies have demonstrated that micronutrient supplementation results in improved mood, as well as reduced incidence of infection and work-related absenteeism. In some of the mood-related studies, the benefits have been visible in normal populations; in others, the samples have been children and adults suffering from mood disorders. In at least one of these studies, beneficial effects of micronutrient supplementation were observed during a very brief (two-week) study period. Related to immunity, several studies in older subjects have shown that antioxidant vitamins and minerals decrease upper respiratory tract infections and increase immune responses to vaccination.

Massage Therapy for Hospitalized High Risk Pregnant Women

The primary purpose of this pilot study was to provide high risk, pregnant women in hospital with massage therapy to investigate patient satisfaction, quality of life and mood. Secondarily, the study assessed physiological changes such as pain, weight gain/ loss, gestational date achieved and birth outcomes. The research team for this study was both cross-sector and cross-discipline,including clinicians from obstetrics, nursing, psychiatry and massage therapy.

The rationale for this study is that hospitalization of high risk pregnant women to prevent pre-term labour and mortality is common; estimated to be 8.7% of all pregnancies. Complete or partial bed rest is prescribed in almost 20% of all pregnancies to reduce the risk of preterm or early labour in pregnant women with a variety of medical conditions, although there is little evidence for the effectiveness of bed rest. High risk pregnant women in hospital, including those on bed rest, can experience significant and lasting physical and psychosocial side-effects including: weight loss, muscle dysfunction and pain, fatigue, and increased stress. This patient population has significant need for support and to reduce the physical and emotional discomforts of hospitalization. Massage therapy (MT) has the potential to improve quality of life for high risk pregnant women in hospital and to reduce the associated physical and emotional discomforts.

Underway since September 2005 at the Women's College Campus of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Science Centre in Toronto, the study involves recruiting 40-50 hospitalized high risk pregnant women and randomizing them to one of two groups: one group of 20 women will receive standard medical care and the massage therapy intervention (2 times per week for 30-50 minutes each session, for the duration of their hospital stay) and one group of 20 women will receive standard medical care alone. Data collection is expected to conclude by the end of 2005. It is anticipated that the pilot data and outcomes generated from this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. If the results are promising, the pilot data may also be used to develop a larger a multi-centre randomized controlled trial.