Interview with Dr. Amanda King

A Naturopathic Approach: How Metabolic Interventions Are Changing Cancer Outcomes

Dr. Amanda King didn’t arrive at metabolic oncology through decades of gradual interest. She found it in a single moment at the 2023 IPM conference in London, listening to Dr. Nasha Winters and Patricia Peat speak. After twenty years of working in naturopathic medicine and nutrition, she’d been searching for an area to specialize in, and when she heard them talk, something clicked. Now, as a UK-trained Naturopathic Practitioner running “The Metabolic Nutritionist” on Substack, King has built a following around making the science of cancer metabolism accessible and actually having the conversation that’s being suppressed elsewhere. She’s seen important knowledge hidden behind complicated biochemistry that most people can’t grasp, and she’s watched social media platforms take down posts linking to peer-reviewed studies—like the Korean research on over 8 million people showing significantly increased cancer risk following COVID vaccination—under the label of “misinformation.” For King, it’s more a case of missing information, and she’s determined to bridge that gap by translating the complicated stuff into everyday language.

The ketogenic diet sits at the center of King’s work, though not in the way most people think about it. Dale Atkinson came to her with an 11.5-month prognosis, and now he has no cancer tumors at all. The key wasn’t just going keto—it was running the diet properly, eating enough fat, monitoring blood work monthly, and adjusting as they went. His protocol included high-dose vitamin D3, curcumin, red light therapy, intravenous vitamin C, berberine, high-dose omega-3, and various vitamins and minerals. But the foundation was metabolic: understanding that carbohydrates are just long sugar chains, that whole grain bread and brown rice are essentially glucose, primary food for cancer. We’ve been conditioned to see whole grains as healthy when really it’s about economics—sugar, corn, and wheat are heavily subsidized foods worth billions. Beyond diet, King’s approach extends into territory that makes conventional oncology uncomfortable: repurposed drugs like ivermectin and fenbendazole, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, interventions targeting cancer stem cells. Emma Rafferty’s son Jacob lived ten years beyond his prognosis using hyperbaric oxygen. Berberine blocks glucose and glutamine, the main fuels cancer cells jump between. Statins block the RAS protein that drives tumor growth in certain cancers. But there’s no one-size-fits-all protocol. King tests monthly, tracking inflammation markers, blood sugar regulation, methylation, looking for trends before they become problems.

What comes through in this interview isn’t just the science but the practicality of it. King credits Dr. Nasha Winters for the first steps she recommends when someone gets a diagnosis: Stop. Be still. Breathe. Interview your doctors—you’re the CEO of your cancer journey. Gather your team. Run your labs, get your data. Most patients go on intermittent fasting at a 16/8 ratio, though if someone is losing weight fast or showing signs of cachexia, they don’t fast until they’re stable. King takes on new patients through her website, offers subsidized consultations for those in financial need, and has built partnerships in multiple countries for labs, supplements, and prescription support. The metabolic approach to cancer isn’t alternative medicine positioned against conventional treatment. It’s a framework for understanding what cancer cells need to survive and systematically removing those conditions. King has made it accessible, and more importantly, she’s made it actionable for people who need answers now.

With thanks to Amanda King ND.

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The Metabolic Nutritionist | Amanda King ND | Substack

1. Amanda, you’re a UK-trained Naturopathic Practitioner specializing in integrative metabolic oncology who’s built quite a following on Substack with “The Metabolic Nutritionist.” What initially drew you to this field, and what gap were you hoping to fill in the cancer conversation?

I was drawn to this field in a moment by listening to Dr Nasha Winters and Patricia Peat speak at the IPM conference in London in 2023. They hit the nail on the head following 20+ years of interest in naturopathic medicine, nutrition and also health politics. Up to that point I had generalised in my practice, but I was looking for an area to specialise in, when I heard them both talk, I knew I had found it.

In the cancer conversation I just want to make science accessible, and I want to actually have the conversation. There are quite a few problems I have seen. One is that important knowledge to this point has been mystified, hidden behind complicated terms and biochemistry which the average person will struggle to grasp. I have tried to bridge the gap by translating the complicated stuff into everyday language. The other problem is censorship, and your readers will know all about that, no doubt! Just a week ago I posted up a link on social media (LinkedIn) showing the massive Korean study on over 8 million people. That study showed a significant risk (up to 70%) increased risk of cancer following the COVID vaccination. I consider that to be important information. The referenced post was immediately taken down, and I got an email warning me not to share ‘misinformation’. I think that it’s more a case of missing-information or omission of information but that’s the reality of our social media. Here is the link if anyone wants to read it for themselves: As an aside, did you see this? https://biomarkerres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40364-025-00831-w As a friend of mine said - Science should be Apolitical!

2. Dale Atkinson went from an 11.5-month prognosis to significant tumor reduction using your protocols. What were the key interventions that made the biggest difference in his case?

Dale doesn’t have any cancer tumours anymore and he continues to make exceptional progress. The key intervention with Dale was the Ketogenic Diet, he ate the right amount of fat which isn’t easy to do. We kept on top of his blood work every month and adjusted his protocol as we went and above all Dale went for it. He was determined and I know that makes a world of difference to outcomes. His supplements included: High Dose Vitamin D3, Curcumin, Red Light Therapy, Intravenous Vitamin C, Berberine, High dose Omega 3 and many vitamins and minerals as the need arose.

3. The ketogenic diet features prominently in your work. What are the most common mistakes people make when trying to implement it during cancer treatment?

They read mainstream media and see headlines like ‘Keto is dangerous’ - we have this mouse study to prove it. They don’t dig in deeper to realised that the study is heavily flawed and based on feeding mice (with a totally different metabolism to a human) on Pro inflammatory Crisco/Seed oils and calling it a keto diet. So the media is one.

They don’t eat enough fat. This is a common problem too, I impress on my patients that the fat macro I set for each individual is a minimum, you can eat more but don’t eat less. You need to work towards your health goal.

4. You mention that “carbohydrates are just long sugar chains” - how should cancer patients think about foods like whole grain bread or brown rice that are often labelled as “healthy”?

It’s all just different versions of the same thing, glucose. We are conditioned to see ‘whole grains’ as healthy, we are told to make space for it on our ‘healthy plate’ we were raised with adverts like those for Weetabix or Shredded Wheat as if it was health and its all just sugar! All of it is primary food for cancer. Remember that three heavily subsidised foods include Sugar, Corn and Wheat… there are billions at stake and governments stand to profit when a population bases its food around products that are easily replenished, low cost and high profit. It’s all about money. So from a health point of view, we need to change our paradigm, Humans are not evolved to eat more than very small amounts of wild grains from time to time.

5. Berberine appears to block glucose, glutamine, AND fatty acids while suppressing cancer stem cells. At what stage of treatment do you typically introduce it, and how do you dose it?

Berberine is a powerhouse when it comes to cancer though it has recently been shown that fatty acids are not used as fuel for cancer by the research of Prof Thomas Seyfried https://rdcu.be/eLX8b

Glucose and glutamine are the main fuels for cancer which can jump between them interchangeably. I Introduce Berberine from the beginning and it depends on the size of the person but usually it’s 500mg 2-3x daily with each meal.

6. There’s growing interest in drugs like Ivermectin and Fenbendazole for cancer. What criteria do you use to determine which repurposed drugs might benefit a specific patient?

I often talk with people about the mechanisms of these drugs and give them information, but I then refer out to a Doctor or Pharmacist in the patient’s country for a prescription for that drug. It is important that the Doctor checks the blood markers of the patient as there can be an implication in those with raised liver enzymes or reduced kidney function. There can also be contraindications in certain populations which I go into a lot more detail about in my upcoming book ‘Metabolic Drugs for Cancer’. I have seen very high doses of Fenbendazole and Ivermectin being prescribed lately, and I have also seen patients who are not tolerating these doses, coming back with Pancreatitis, Severe headaches so a cautionary note to those who are not taking drugs under the guidance of a professional, please engage the services of a Terrain Certified Practitioner.

In terms of the criteria for benefit, we have to go back to the data to see if we have anything for this kind of cancer to share. There is a growing amount of data on both these drugs but we need more.

7. You write about cancer stem cells - the cells that chemotherapy and radiation often miss. Which specific interventions have shown the most promise in targeting these cells?

There are a number of interventions that target cancer stems cells and in terms of radiation for example we want to get oxygen into the cancer cells so that the radiation can create ROS and kill them. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a great way to do this. There are other ways including using drugs that target the CSCs, drugs like Niclosamine, Doxycycline and even humble anti-inflammatory drugs like Celecoxib.

8. Emma Rafferty’s son Jacob lived ten years beyond his prognosis using hyperbaric oxygen therapy. When do you recommend HBOT, and what conditions respond best to it?

Emma is an expert in HBOT and she offers 30 minute consults for anyone wanting to understand how many atmospheres to set the pressure to in their chamber, what the frequency should be and if there are any contraindications - you can contact her by email here themoynehealingroom@gmail.com

All cancers respond well to HBOT, cancers thrive in hypoxic environments and the more we can get oxygenated the better. HBOT works synergistically with pro-Oxidant therapies like Chemotherapy and Radiation, with Intravenous Vitamin C and also as a stand alone therapy. Some people use HBOT daily along with Red light therapy and photosensitisers like Methylene Blue or Turmeric.

9. You emphasize that there’s no “one size fits all protocol” for cancer. What diagnostic tests or markers do you use to personalize treatment plans?

I always test monthly with blood markers to assess for nutritional sufficiency, try to head off trends at the pass that aren’t routinely checked for in a medical setting like trending low D3 or Iron for example or glucose levels that are creeping up. I test often for Moulds with my patients and while we don’t always see positive results, we very often do, and we know that certain moulds create carcinogenic mycotoxins, so this kind of test allows us to get to a potential root cause.

10. Mark Lintern’s Cell Suppression Theory suggests cancer might be driven by fungal infection. How does this theory influence your choice of interventions?

When we test for moulds and find them present, then it is very important to support the body while we work on a protocol to eradicate the mould and at the same time, to minimise impact on the patient from the mycotoxins that are released.

11. You’ve written about statins having anti-cancer properties. Which cancers respond best to statins, and are there cases where they should be avoided?

There is evidence to show that statins block the RAS protein which becomes something called KRAS and this is often upregulated (increased activity) in certain cancers which leads to more tumour growth, these cancers tend to be pancreatic, lung and colorectal. Statins also inhibit AKT which tends to be a driver more commonly in breast and head and neck cancers.

12. For someone who’s just received a cancer diagnosis, what are the first three actionable steps they should take to support their metabolic health?

I am going to thank my teacher and credit Dr Nasha Winters and Metabolic Regen for this one: Dr Winters recommends these five steps when you get a cancer diagnosis:

1. Stop. Be Still. Breathe.

2. Interview your Doctors - Remember YOU are the CEO of your cancer journey!

3. Gather your team: Naturopathic Oncologist, Metabolic Nutritionist, Yoga/Meditation Instructor, Friends & Family, Medical Team.

4. Run your labs - get your data! No guess work!

5. Cultivate Adaptability which Dr Winters calls - Circadian, Diet, Community.

I love this and I can’t think of anything better than this to share with you.

13. You conduct monthly blood panel reviews. Which markers most reliably indicate whether a metabolic approach is working?

Great question:

We look at inflammation so CRP, ESR - we want this very low.

We want to make sure that we have low blood sugar, that fasting glucose, insulin, IGF-1, HbA1c, and LDH are all nice and stead and on the low side. We want excellent blood sugar regulation.

We look at methylation too - Homocysteine, B12, B9 and also CBC

14. You mention intermittent fasting activating AMPK and suppressing mTOR. What fasting schedule do you typically recommend, and how do you adjust it for different patients?

Well it has to be said first off, that if a patient is losing weight fast, if they are underweight or if their bloods show that they have very low albumin and low protein and we think they have cachexia, they aren’t going to be put onto a fasting protocol until we know that they are stable, not losing weight and aren’t cachectic.

Most patients do go onto intermittent fasting, and I like the 16/8 ratio as a standard. It’s a manageable fast for most with a good enough window to get all the food needed for the day into the body.

For some patients who need to go slowly, I would start at 12/12 and drop the feeding window by 1 hour a week until they reach the desired 16/8 pattern.

15. You offer one-on-one consultations and have helped subsidize treatment for others. How can readers work with you, and what should they prepare before reaching out?

I am taking on new patients and you can work with me either by booking through my website at www.themetabolicnutritionist.com or you can email admin@amandakingnd.com and we will take your details and help you get booked in. Either way, we would ask that you bring all the data you have and if you need to get blood work done in advance of your consultation, we will give you the markers to ask your medical team for or have done privately, or you can order bloods through our labs. Either way we offer a complete service, you can get your labs and all other diagnostics done through us if you would like. We also have partnerships in many countries with other providers including for supplements (with discounts for our patients), complementary therapies and prescription support.

Occasionally I receive a larger contribution through substack from founding members, I use these contributions to subsidize consultations for people who are in need of financial assistance. Dale Atkinson also makes charitable contributions through his own fundraising which was used to support other people in need.

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