Dear Reader,
About one-third of all cancer patients who take supplements begin doing
so after their diagnosis.
That's according to a recent survey (Journal of Clinical Oncology,
February 2008), which also notes that nearly two out of every three
cancer patients who take dietary supplements don't discuss their
supplement use with their doctors.
That's not very shocking really. And it's also not very good.
Any issue that impacts your health (such as supplement use) should be
shared with your doctor – even if he tends to be dismissive about
alternative health care.
And he may well be, given the widespread belief that antioxidant
supplements may undercut the effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
But in the decade since that theory was first published in the journal
Oncology, many studies have demonstrated that antioxidants may help
cancer patients live longer while improving quality of life.
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Skewed logic
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Cytotoxic therapies (such as chemo and radiation therapies) create free
radicals. Some believe these therapies depend on free radicals to kill
cancer cells. And some proponents of this theory even suggest that
patients treated with cytotoxic therapies should avoid antioxidant-rich
foods – which would basically cut fruits and vegetables from their
diets.
Right. Pour poison into a cancer patient's blood stream while removing
key sources of high quality nutrients. I have no idea how that scheme
makes sense to anyone.
In a 2007 study from the Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and
Education, researchers combed through several databanks to come up with
19 randomized clinical trials that evaluated the use of antioxidants
during chemotherapy.
The 19 trials included more than 1,500 subjects, and most had advanced
or relapsed cancers. Seven trials evaluated the antioxidant glutathione,
four evaluated melatonin, and the remaining trials examined vitamins A,
C, and E, N-acetylcysteine, ellagic acid, or an antioxidant mixture.
Results showed no significant decreases in chemotherapy effectiveness
when used with antioxidant supplements. In fact, the supplements may
have INCREASED chemo effectiveness. Writing in Cancer Treatment Reviews,
the authors noted: "Many of the studies indicated that antioxidant
supplementation resulted in either increased survival times, increased
tumor responses, or both."
As for quality of life measures, in 17 trials that assessed chemotherapy
toxicities (such as weight loss, low blood count, nerve damage,
vomiting, diarrhea, etc.), 15 trials showed that subjects who received
antioxidants had fewer side effects than control group subjects who
didn't receive supplements.
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Where to start
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As I've noted in previous e-Alerts, one of the foremost authorities on
alternative cancer treatments – Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. – has advocated
antioxidant therapy for many years.
At a 2001 symposium, Dr. Moss gave a speech that included this comment:
"We can reassure patients that the overwhelming mass of data accumulated
so far supports the concurrent use of chemotherapy with dietary
antioxidants." That was one year after Dr. Moss published a book titled
"Antioxidants Against Cancer" in which he outlined the ways antioxidants
enhance the effectiveness of cytotoxic treatments while minimizing their
side effects.
There are many different types of chemotherapy, of course, just as there
are many types of antioxidants. Decisions about which antioxidants to
use with which chemotherapies should be made with professional help from
doctors who are familiar with alternative therapies.
Vitamin C is probably the most common antioxidant therapy for cancer.
Research has shown that high doses of vitamin C administered
intravenously can kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact.
You can find more information in the e-Alert "Hot Buttons" (1/18/07) at
this link:
http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200701/ea20070118a.html
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