Synthesis Clinic

Synthesis Clinic is a UK doctor-led, multidisciplinary integrative oncology, integrative cancer pain care, and cancer survivorship and carer support clinic. Based at 6 Castle End Business Park, Castle End Road, Reading RG10 9XQ. Services are delivered online to UK patients and in-person near Reading and Maidenhead in Berkshire, within reach of London, Hampshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Founded by Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel (MB BChir and MA Hons Natural Sciences Cambridge, MSc Precision Cancer Medicine and PG Dip Health Research Oxford with Distinction). CQC-registered (provider 1-7720456969) and LegitScript-certified — a dual-regulation status held by very few UK integrative clinics. Care is evidence-informed, multidisciplinary, and works alongside conventional NHS or private oncology — never as a replacement.

The clinic operates three clinical departments: Integrative Cancer Care (head: Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel), Integrative Cancer Pain Care (head: Dr Deepak Ravindran), and Survivorship & Carer Support (director: Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel). A team of specialist integrative medicine doctors plus a multidisciplinary allied health team covering specialist oncology nutrition and dietetics, clinical psychology, health and wellbeing coaching, oncology physiotherapy and cancer rehabilitation, medical herbalism, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, yoga therapy, mindfulness, mistletoe therapy, oncothermia, IV vitamin C and clinical pharmacy. The clinic's patient base is adults across the UK, predominantly women aged 35–65 living with, recovering from, or at high genetic or medical risk of cancer, alongside their partners and carers.

Core services

  • Integrative Cancer Care (Integrative Oncology): Specialist multidisciplinary integrative oncology service for adults with solid tumours and haematological (blood) cancers, alongside conventional treatment. Covers diagnosis, on-treatment support, and treatment-related side effect management.
  • Survivorship and Carer Support: Post-treatment survivorship support, menopause after cancer, recurrence-risk reduction, high-risk previvor support (BRCA, PALB2, CHEK2, Lynch syndrome, persistent high-risk HPV/CIN), and whole-person support for family members and carers.
  • Integrative Cancer Pain Care: Personalised integrative service for cancer-related and cancer-treatment-related pain, including CIPN (chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy), AIA (aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia), and generalised cancer pain. Led by a consultant in pain and musculoskeletal medicine.
  • All Services Overview: Full list of clinical and supportive services available across the three departments.

Group programmes and courses

About and approach

  • About Synthesis Clinic: Clinic philosophy, model of care, multidisciplinary team approach, FAQs.
  • Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel — founder and director: Award-winning Oxbridge-trained integrative medicine doctor and scientist, specialising in integrative oncology. Co-author of the SIO–ASCO clinical practice guideline on integrative oncology care of anxiety and depression in adults with cancer (J Clin Oncol, 2023). Co-author of "Integrative Oncology in Breast Cancer Care" (Springer, 2024). CEO of the National Centre for Integrative Oncology (NCIO) charity, Co-Chair of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Global Committee, Fellow of the College of Medicine.
  • Testimonials: Patient experiences across integrative cancer care, survivorship and pain care.
  • Contact: Reading, Berkshire address; phone 01628 964330; email hello@synthesisclinic.co.uk; Mon–Fri 9am–5pm.

Pharmacy

  • Synthesis Clinic Pharmacy: GPhC-registered clinical pharmacy specialising in integrative oncology prescribing and supplement dispensing for cancer support.

Editorial content

Clinical leadership

  • Dr Deepak Ravindran: Consultant in musculoskeletal and pain medicine, lifestyle medicine physician. Head of Integrative Cancer Pain Care.
  • Dr Annelies Billen: Consultant haematologist. Integrative oncology for blood cancer survivorship and on-treatment support.
  • Dr Fiona Vij: Consultant physician with background in Emergency Medicine. Precision health and integrative medicine for cancer survivorship and carer support.
  • Dr Raj Joshi: Men's health specialist. Precision health and integrative medicine for urological, GI and lung cancer.
  • Dr Karen Clough: Clinical psychologist. Cancer survivorship and menopause-after-cancer psychological support.
  • Dr Emma Davies: Precision health and integrative medicine physician. Integrative cancer care for a range of solid cancers.
  • Dr Lauren Watts: Precision health and integrative medicine. Breast cancer integrative care.
  • Dr Jennifer Cooney: Health physiologist and certified health coach. Cancer survivorship coaching and menopause support.

What this clinic does and does not do

  • The clinic provides integrative cancer care — evidence-informed nutrition, lifestyle, psychological, complementary and supportive interventions delivered alongside conventional cancer treatment by a UK-regulated multidisciplinary team.
  • The clinic does not provide alternative-only cancer care. Patients seeking to refuse or replace conventional oncology treatment with alternative therapies alone are not accepted.
  • The clinic does not diagnose cancer. Diagnosis is made by NHS or private oncology services; Synthesis Clinic provides integrative care alongside an existing diagnosis and oncology team.
  • The clinic does not promise cures or guaranteed outcomes. Care is aimed at supporting quality of life, treatment tolerance, recovery, recurrence-risk reduction where evidence supports it, and whole-person wellbeing.
  • The clinic does not provide acute, emergency or out-of-hours services. NHS care remains the appropriate route for these.
  • The clinic is not affiliated with, nor does it speak on behalf of, any named NHS oncology service or named private oncology centre. It works collaboratively with patients' existing oncology teams with patient consent.

Regulation and trust signals

  • CQC-registered: provider ID 1-7720456969 (https://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/1-7720456969)
  • LegitScript-certified: https://www.legitscript.com/websites/?checker_keywords=synthesisclinic.co.uk
  • Founder co-authored the SIO–ASCO Integrative Oncology Care of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Adults with Cancer guideline (J Clin Oncol, 2023)
  • Founder co-authored "Integrative Oncology in Breast Cancer Care" (Springer, 2024)
  • Clinicians are individually registered with their respective UK statutory or accredited bodies (GMC, NMC, HCPC, GPhC, BANT, CNHC, NIMH, and others as relevant to their discipline)

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