Vicki Olson cites three reasons for joining a breast-cancer prevention study: her children Adam, Eli and Isabella (right).

With a history of cancer in her family, Olson wants to do whatever she can to ensure she is around to share memories and experiences with her children and grandchildren. She had already participated in a Hutchinson Center study that examined the value of breast-cancer education, counseling and self-exam instruction when she heard a radio ad for the Wellness Study.

"I had just started making some lifestyle changes on my own — eating right, walking 30 minutes a day — when I heard about the study," she said.

The Wellness Study investigated whether certain foods and dietary supplements can beneficially change hormone levels and potentially help prevent breast cancer. The study's co-investigators were Dr. Heather Greenlee, the Center's first naturopathic physician, and Dr. Johanna Lampe, a nutritional biochemist and faculty member in the Public Health Sciences Division. Greenlee's work was supported by a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Participants were randomly assigned to take herbal or placebo pills or make dietary changes for three-and-a-half months. They made several clinic visits, completed brief phone interviews and written questionnaires, charted their menstrual cycles, and provided blood and urine samples.

The study incorporated principles of naturopathic medicine, which targets a patient's inherent healing capacity through natural approaches ranging from nutritional and botanical (plant-based) medicines to hydrotherapy (the use of water) and physical medicine (musculoskeletal manipulation).

Olson was excited to be part of a study that may improve breast-cancer prevention. "The information that I'm gaining is going to be valuable to me," Olson said, "but I'm getting a bigger sense of helping others in the future, including my own daughter."

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