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How I Built the Largest Integrative Cancer Center in North America, Our Approach to Healing at the Center for New Medicine, and More!

Author

Leigh Erin Connealy
September 22, 2025

I wanted to find a way to create a deeper connection with my followers and provide more insights into the content I share on other platforms. I'm excited to give you all a closer, more personal look into my world—sharing insights from my life, my research, and work.

How I Built the Largest Integrative Cancer Center in North America

All my life, I’ve been experimenting, researching, and learning to solve my own health problems.

When my mother was pregnant with me she was given DES. DES was a high dose of synthetic estrogen commonly given to mothers to prevent miscarriage. Unfortunately, DES was very toxic. Common side effects of babies exposed to DES were:

  • Body disfigurement and anatomical problems

  • Ovarian and breast cancer

  • Infertility

  • Pregnancy complications

  • Abnormal cells in the cervix and vagina

Because of my exposure to the drug, I had only one menstrual cycle a year, struggled with hormone imbalances, infertility, scoliosis, and other curveballs and detours. I had to become my own project. I researched everything I possibly could to help improve my health.

I wanted to take what I’d learned and use it to help others. My patients constantly asked me about their health problems which inspired me to research even more. And fast forward 39 years and I’m the medical director of the largest integrative cancer center in the world! Your mess truly does become your message. ❤️

Building the Center for New Medicine and the Cancer Center for Healing has been a labor of love and passion. For years, I searched for answers in places where conventional medicine had none. Before I could help others, I had to test, study, and push the limits on myself. I became my own patient first. A few things I did while building the center:

  1. Tested thousands of my own biomarkers to validate the protocols I now use with my patients.

  2. Read every health book I could get my hands on: ancient texts, obscure publications, PubMed papers, and everything in between.

  3. Traveled all over the world to learn about cutting edge therapies not widely available in the US.

  4. Spent 7 days a week researching, evaluating patient cases, and building individualized protocols.

  5. Experimented with hormone therapies to help heal damage caused by DES.

  6. Started developing my own clean supplements so I could confidently stand by every ingredient I recommend to patients. You can purchase them here! 

  7. Prepared for many radio shows, lectures, publications, and podcasts.

  8. Before recommending anything, experimented on myself: red light, ozone therapies, B vitamins, voltage therapy, hormones—you name it.

Being open-minded has served me well in my career. Especially in medicine, we risk becoming rigid by adhering strictly to established practices and conventional approaches, but I’m driven to find as many answers as possible to help my patients. I believe this is the best approach for helping others heal. New information is constantly emerging, and we all have something to learn from each other. We can only grow if we stay flexible and curious.

Today, I am still learning and treating patients every single day. Over 75,000 patients have walked through my clinic and every case reinforces my belief that healing is not about quick fixes. We treat the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. The journey is ongoing. ❤️

Integrative Care at the Center for New Medicine / Cancer Center for Healing

I am proud to say that at the clinic, we offer the most comprehensive physical in the world.

I believe in taking the most personalized approach for my patients. Our team examines all layers of the human frame including:

  • Comprehensive blood testing

  • Immune testing

  • Environmental toxins

  • Nutrient assessment

  • Heavy metals

  • Body composition

  • Bioenergetics

  • Emotional intelligence

Our goal is to understand your body at its deepest levels.

Our patients do well with this because we are able to address the true root cause of whatever is driving their condition or symptoms. It’s important to remember that the body is an extremely complex system. And every patient is an individual.

For example, in the conventional medical system, Type 2 diabetes is usually treated with insulin or GLP agonists to lower blood sugar. However,

  • 70–90% of type 2 diabetics are deficient in thiamine

  • 48% are deficient in magnesium

  • 1 in 4 have hypercortisolism

  • 80% are deficient in vitamin D

  • 87–91% have elevated free fatty acids in the blood

  • 30% are potassium deficient

So GLPs and insulin are essentially band-aids. They fail to address the deeper question: why is the body unable to process glucose in the first place? Something deeper is always going on. For each person, it could be something different. It could be stress hormones for one patient or potassium deficiency for another. Once we address the nutritional, hormonal, and metabolic imbalances at the root, the body restores its own ability to regulate blood sugar.

We have to identify what is missing, remove what is harmful, and support the body so it can return to balance. True healing cannot come from only suppressing symptoms.

Every patient is unique, and every cancer is different. Our bodies are reflections of our entire lives—our environment, food, thoughts, sleep, relationships, and everything in between. To truly heal, we must evaluate it all.

Tests we offer:

Out-of-the-Box Modalities

Being an integrative cancer doctor, I also have the benefit of using treatment options that may be outside of the realm of what conventional medicine offers. This approach allows me to blend the best of integrative medicine with the best of conventional medicine, giving patients the best chance for healing. Again, your treatment course will be specific to your cancer type and your individual needs. There are, however, a handful of modalities we’ve had great success with at the clinics for patients with breast and other types of cancer:

Human Optimization and Longevity

Many patients also come to us not because they have cancer or a diagnosed condition, but because they want to optimize their health and prevent problems down the road.

A really good strategy to prevent disease is to start looking for imbalances long before symptoms appear. We know, for example, that it often takes 8–10 years for a tumor to form and grow large enough to be detected. Heart disease starts 10-20 years befoer a heart attack. That means there’s a long window of time where the body is trying to adapt and recover from stressors (nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, toxic exposures, or chronic stress) before a diagnosis ever shows up.

If we optimize our physiology, catch imbalances early, and correct them, we can prevent chronic disease. Patients often find that when we optimize these systems, they feel:

  • Increased energy and stamina

  • Improved mental clarity and focus

  • Enhanced immune function and resilience

  • Faster recovery from illness or injury

  • Reduced inflammation and chronic pain

  • Improved athletic performance and physical endurance

  • Better sleep and stress management

  • Long-term disease prevention

To learn more about human optimization and longevity you can visit here!

If you've been diagnosed with any type of cancer at any stage, please contact us. ❤️

If you’re looking for treatment for any health condition or want to learn more about anti-aging, cancer prevention, or total mind-body wellness, please visit the Center for New Medicine. We treat the whole person at our state-of-the-art clinic in Irvine, California, and would love to meet you.

Listen to the latest episode of the Celluverse!🎙

I’m so excited to share that my daughter Alannah, our close friend Jess, and I have launched our podcast: Celluverse. 🎙✨ We created this space to be honest and open. I wanted to share all of our unfiltered thoughts on healthcare, family, healing, and everything in between.

Watch the latest episode here! 🎧

The second edition of The Cancer Revolution is here!

The updated edition is now available for purchase! In this version, I’ve reviewed every chapter, updated studies, incorporated the latest innovations in diagnostics, explored new early detection methods, and examined the most up-to-date research. Two brand-new chapters explore the critical role that voltage and frequency medicine play in healing and disease prevention, as well as the profound impact that the immune system and immunotherapies can have on cancer treatment.
I’ve also included new recipes and food plans, updated recommendations on exercise and sleep, and more!

My hope is that this book empowers patients. That it helps you understand your options. And that it reminds you: you’re not powerless. There’s so much you can do to support healing and live a full, cancer-free life. ❤️

Talk soon ❤️,

Dr. C