Martha Sharpe, ND

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Barrie, ON
Martha Sharpe, ND

Passionately committed to optimizing outcomes for those with cancer, and through menopause.

02/09/2026

Look. There are probably some bad apples in our profession (like ANY profession...). That's not a great excuse to paint us all broadly with the same brush, though. And I really, truly think we are doing people going through cancer an IMMENSE disservice when we do this.

Because most oncology-trained NDs know their role in this type of care - we are here to offer SUPPORTIVE, INTEGRATIVE CARE. Not an alternative. Not promoting supplements/herbs/etc that would interfere with the specific conventional cancer treatments someone is receiving - our first goal of care is to ensure this is NOT happening, actually.

People are LOOKING for an integrative approach, a type of care that goes BEYOND conventional cancer treatment (which, by the way, most of the people I work with are very grateful to receive). They are frustrated with the gaps in care they are facing with respect to nourishing and fuelling the body properly (beyond protein and calories), supporting the immune system, metabolic health, potential nutrient deficiencies, reducing side effects of treatment, what supplements to avoid (many ask about this!), and so much more. All of this can be supported SAFELY and meaningfully in the setting of being ADJUNCTIVE to conventional care.

If we continually push the narrative that NDs are out to talk you out of doing conventional care, people are going to be left to fend for themselves trying to fill this need. This is problematic considering the incredible amount of dis- and mis-information regarding 'integrative oncology' out there. Integrative cancer care requires more nuance, discernment, and strategy than Dr ChatGPT (who has replaced Dr Google). And let me tell you - this is exactly where we push people when we turn them away from trusted, integrative, allied health professionals.

NDs can play a huge, POSITIVE role in supportive cancer care. Including, most importantly, educating someone about the BENEFITS of conventional care and why they should consider proceeding with it when they have hesitations 🙏

02/02/2026

Recipe:
1L whole cream
5 egg yolks
1 cup frozen strawberries boiled down and mashed
1 tbsp vanilla
Few tbsp sugar

Get a large metal bowl and push it into the snow - sprinkle a good handful or two of salt in the hole that you’ve made (this will help the ice cream to freeze faster). Put the bowl back in, add ingredients, and whisk until your arms become jelly :) (It takes a while… a long while; we kept taking inside breaks and coming back to it).

When done, devour like only homemade outdoor ice cream should be eaten 💁

*** I slow boiled the cream and yolks to a custard to be more cautious about food-borne illnesses with my fam at home, but many recipes call for the yolks just raw if they are clean, pasteurized eggs. Eggs also not needed if you are concerned about food safety, and I would not recommend raw if immunocompromised or vulnerable from a health perspective.

01/26/2026

🔍 Peri/post-menopause is so much more than hot flashes 🔥

And symptoms can be so impactful to someone’s quality of life that their ability to FUNCTION in life becomes almost impossible some days - in fact, it’s reported that one out of every 10 women, or 10%, will resign or quit their job due to their peri-/menopausal symptoms (!). The menopausal transition can have a severe impact on women’s careers.

MENOPAUSE MATTERS!

But while some argue almost any new symptom around this time can be attributed to the menopausal transition, some "menopause symptoms" might be undercover signs of other conditions like thyroid issues, nutrient deficiencies, or even certain cancers. Don't play guessing games with your health, ladies!

When in doubt, get checked out, and most importantly, get the menopausal support you need and deserve. 💪

01/06/2026

I'm back from maternity leave!

While myself and the bub are making this transition, I'll be offering virtual care only at this time - which means I can still serve people all over Ontario 🙏!

You can book online through the link in bio, through marthasharpend.com, or through your Jane portal if we've worked together previously.

Looking forward to reconnecting with you all, and bringing integrative cancer and survivorship care to those that are struggling with side effects, want to feel stronger during treatments, have lingering symptoms post-treatment, or are simply looking for a more holistic approach to their cancer care 🙌

11/09/2025

Life after cancer is supposed to be exciting, and filled with opportunity and hope. And it is! But it can also be rife with lingering side effects, with fatigue being a common, debilitating one.

Cancer-related fatigue profoundly interferes with the QUALITY of our life - negatively affecting our mood, how we move our bodies and plan nourishing meals, and even social/community interactions.

Because of this, managing fatigue should be a FOCAL point of all cancer survivorship care.

But in my experience, it’s not. So here’s a FREE guide on my top 5 tips for finding your energy again after cancer. Click the link in bio to download, or here is the link: http://marthasharpend.com/tiredofbeingtiredw

It’s a great place to start!

06/10/2025

OUT OF OFFICE 👶🏽!

Grateful to announce that we have a new bundle at home, and I will be on maternity leave until the New Year, coming back to 1:1 consults January 2026.

I have the most incredible locum, Dr Ashley Chauvin ND , who can support all of your Naturopathic needs until January.

In the meantime, if you are struggling with cancer-related fatigue there is a great FREE resource on our website, along with our flagship course, RELEASE, a 4-week dive into sustainable, pragmatic detoxification and reducing environmental exposures.

See you in the New Year 🎉

(PS I have no affiliation, but a big thank you to for the support for small clinic businesses and making this transition as seamless as possible!)

05/06/2025

Honestly, I often find MYSELF at my wits' end with the information spewed out online about ie:
1) How we can cure cancer with 3 kiwis/day
2) Making your own magnesium elixir with milk of magnesia and carbonated water is somehow supportive to your gut health
3) Fiber is bad, fiber is good, fiber is killing you, fiber is the key to longevity

The list is endless (as you know...).

But this is NOT what integrative medicine is about actually (thank goodness!).

Once you peel back the nonsense (and honestly, what ISN'T shrouded in nonsense these days???), integrative medicine is VALUABLE and EVIDENCE-BASED, and can be incredibly supportive to your healthcare needs and goals.

Need some support? Book a free call 📞 through the link in bio to learn more☝️

04/23/2025

We’ve forgotten how to play.

Actually, for many of the women I work with, we’ve forgotten a LOT of what made us who we were back in the day when we were younger and more carefree. We lose so much of ourselves in “growing up”, getting more responsibility, and jumping onto the hamster wheel of life.

😟

One of my favourite parts about working with people post-menopause or post-cancer treatment is that these are such pivotal transitions in people’s lives that force us to take a good, hard look at ourselves, how we’re living, whether we’re living in alignment with our true selves (or not), and how we can prioritize carving out the space needed to bring back the pieces of ourselves that were somehow lost along the way.

And one of the most importance pieces here is PLAY. Doing activities that bring us joy or allow for the fullest expression of ourselves. Of using creative outlets to work through difficult and painful experiences as opposed to suppressing them. Finding FUN again!

When was the last time you danced?

Taking a page from one of my favourite books, “Cancer as a Turning Point” by Lawrence LeShan, what is your song, and when did you stop singing it?

Hoping this can be a reminder that play, art, creative expression, and FUN, are all part of being HUMAN and make us who we are as individuals. And what utter gifts those are.

04/18/2025

Ontario Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines have changed!

Scroll through to see what's different, why it's important, and what it means for you.

Screening saves lives, and the more accessible the better 👏

Really looking forward to when self-collection HPV kits are widely available (for getting your sample done in the comfort of your own home!), and I'll update you whenever this changes.

*** NOTE: NDs in Ontario currently cannot order HPV testing - you'll need to see an OHIP-covered provider. Importantly, IF you do not have a family doctor or NP, you can often go to a local public health unit or women's health clinic, who will be able to perform an HPV test for you - you can find one close to you by visiting
https://www.ontario.ca/page/public-health-unit-locations.

03/12/2025

I get asked if there are great alternative options to mammograms all the time.

The short answer? No.

Get your ladies screened properly ☀☀

😎

02/27/2025

A LONG-AWAITED part 2 :)

Do you know your breast density?

Have you been offered supplemental screening, or been referred for it if you have asked for it if it's relevant to you?

Get your ladies screened!

Screening saves lives 🙌

Address

Barrie, ON

Website

http://marthasharpend.com/

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A Little About Me

I am a registered Naturopathic Doctor with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario, and currently practice at the Marsden Centre for Excellence in Integrative Medicine. After graduating from the CNME-accredited four-year post-graduate naturopathic medical program at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, I pursued further education in integrative cancer care by means of a CNME-approved Naturopathic Residency program focusing on cancer care. To support my patients further, I have completed additional Therapeutic Prescribing accreditation to allow me to prescribe bio-identical hormones and specific high-dose nutrients, and training in Naturopathic Intravenous Infusion Therapy (IVIT).

Growing up, I was absolutely certain I wanted to become a Medical Doctor - the human body and its physiological capabilities fascinated me, and I wanted to deeply help people. However, disappointment in the allopathic management of my own chronic disease triggered my passion for holistic, prevention-oriented, patient-based healthcare - I wanted something more in my own treatment, and was looking for lifestyle, nutrition, and preventative measures to improve my outcomes, which were simply not there or too broad to apply to me. Specialists were too narrow in focus to comment on other symptoms I thought were pertinent, and appointment times seemed prohibitively short. Frustration led to desperation as I quickly learned that the allopathic approach to chronic disease was incomplete and shortsighted in its reductionistic practices and inability to accommodate an individualized treatment approach to a person's totality of symptoms. This ultimately led me to Naturopathic Medicine, and the comprehensive, holistic, individualized approach to healthcare it offers alongside appropriate conventional care. In my personal experience, I realized that integrating the allopathic and naturopathic worlds could offer results that outperformed expectations of either alone.

After becoming a Naturopath, I hit my own health roadblock when blindsided with a diagnosis of acute leukemia that completely derailed my life. It was a deeply humbling, difficult and strange, but life-altering journey that ultimately catapulted me into feeling more whole and alive than I have ever felt. While I was fortunate to have an incredible oncology team that I feel indebted to everyday, I had firsthand experience of what areas in oncology care could be improved upon from a patient's perspective, many of which lie outside the scope of what is offered in the conventional care model. The fact that much of the wealth of data supporting integrative cancer care, including nutrition, acupuncture, lifestyle, environmental exposure, herbal medicine, nutraceutical, mindfulness, and exercise interventions, is neglected in the conventional care model does not mean it is not important and of extreme value in supporting the body as a whole through the difficult road that cancer is. While there is a great deal of bad and misleading information out there regarding natural therapies, there is also an incredible amount of good information, and this information needs to be shared. Navigating this is overwhelming and difficult, and Naturopathic Doctors with extra training in integrative cancer care can provide a solution to implementing these therapeutics safely and without interaction with conventional treatment. In addition to general family practice and women's health, it is my passion and honour to support those in the prevention, treatment, and recurrence prevention settings with adjunctive cancer care, striving to reduce potential cancer risk for your family, reduce side effects of conventional treatment, understand and reduce risk factors for recurrence, and reduce risk of long-term health complications.