Anyone taking supplements, antioxidants, immune builders during chemo or have you in the past?

Question

I have family pushing some products (pyrimid scheme of course) that are known to be great products but 2 oncology nurses warned against it. They said it can undo the affects of the chemo. Obviously, I want to remain as helathy as possible during treatment but at the end of the day want to fight this disease completely.

Or other oncology people out ther with opinions on this?

Answer 1

There are conflicting opinions on this subject. I think common sense would tell you that very high doses of vitamin C or other antioxidants taken simultaneously with most common IV chemotherapy drugs might lessen the chances of chemo induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) of the cancerous cells. However I doubt that antioxidants taken a few days before or after your chemotherapy would be harmful.

My own rule of thumb is to never buy any pyramid scheme products regardless of the promises made because 45% of the money you pay goes to the person who convinces you to buy the product, 45% of the money goes to the people who convinced the other downstream sellers to purchase the product and 10% covers cost and shipping. I don't need to pay 100.00 to have someone sell me pipe dreams and if there were any miracle cure for cancer I'm sure we would hear about it on CNN and Yahoo news. If the seller is a family member then why are they not offering to give you the product? or is their financial health more important than your physical health?

first article
http://tinyurl.com/y7kkyv

second article
Integr Cancer Ther. 2006 Mar;5(1):63-82. Links
Should patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy be prescribed antioxidants?Moss RW.
Cancer Communications, Lemont, Pennsylvania 16851, USA.

In September 2005, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published a warning by Gabriella D'Andrea, MD, against the concurrent use of antioxidants with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, several deficiencies of the CA article soon became apparent, not least the selective omission of prominent studies that contradicted the author's conclusions. While acknowledging that only large-scale, randomized trials could provide a valid basis for therapeutic recommendations, the author sometimes relied on laboratory rather than clinical data to support her claim that harm resulted from the concurrent use of antioxidants and chemotherapy. She also sometimes extrapolated from chemoprevention studies rather than those on the concurrent use of antioxidants per se. The article overstated the degree to which the laboratory data diverged in regard to the safety and efficacy of antioxidant therapy: in fact, the preponderance of data suggests a synergistic or at least harmless effect with most high-dose dietary antioxidants and chemotherapy. The practical recommendations made in the article to avoid the general class of antioxidants during chemotherapy are inconsistent, in that if antioxidants were truly a threat to the efficacy of standard therapy, antioxidant-rich foods, especially fruits and vegetables, ought also be proscribed during treatment. Yet no such recommendation is made. Furthermore, the wide-scale use by both medical and radiation oncologists of synthetic antioxidants (eg, amifostine) to control the adverse effects of cytotoxic treatments is similarly overlooked. In sum, this CA article is incomplete: there is far more information available regarding antioxidant supplements as an appropriate adjunctive cancer therapy than is acknowledged. Patients would be well advised to seek the opinion of physicians who are adequately trained and experienced in the intersection of 2 complex fields, that is, chemotherapeutics and nutritional oncology. Physicians whose goal is comprehensive cancer therapy should refer their patients to qualified integrative practitioners who have such training and expertise to guide patients. A blanket rejection of the concurrent use of antioxidants with chemotherapy is not justified by the preponderance of evidence at this time and serves neither the scientific community nor cancer patients.

PMID: 16484715 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Note that this second article is an alternative medicine journal and may not be peer reviewed by physicians. Ralph Moss makes his living writing articles about nutrition and cancer related topics.

good luck with your treatments

Answer 2

I just read something recently about this, so I thought I'd share...

"In 1990, a study on chlorella was performed at the Medical College of Virginia. Fifteen glioblastoma patients were administered 20 grams of powdered chlorella and 150 ml of liquid chlorella, in some cases combined with standard chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. There was a significant increase in health and immune status immediately, and a striking 40 percent two-year survival rate was reflected in follow-up studies. This is extremely rare for this type of tumor, which normally might yield a 10 percent survival rate after two years.
There are other beneficial algaes, such as spirulina, a blue-green alga, and other super green foods, but I believe chlorella is the best, particularly for people with cancer and/or a weak constitution."

(From "Healing With Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford)

Chlorella is a food source (micro-algae), so it's a bit different than taking vitamins or minerals... you can't really "overdo it," or take too much of it. If you do, you just get full.

I take chlorella on a daily basis as a cancer preventative, but I won't recommend my favorite brand or post any links... I don't want you to think I'm being biased or trying to sell anything. All I know is that from what I've read of it, if I were about to undergo chemo, I'd be downing the stuff by the pound. :)

As with anything, talk it over with your oncologist, of course... your actual oncology doctor; not just the nurses.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 3

I was in chemo 6 months ago, and all I did was take a simple one a day vitamin each day, got daily exercise and drank plenty of water. That worked for me, but each person is different. We all will feel differently after a round of that stuff.

Dr. Max had a good point also by not eating your favorite foods the day of chemo so they won't make you nauseated.

Take some time each day also and reflect on the good things in your life. Sure, having cancer sucks, but you are still around to enjoy the good things.

Good luck and God Bless!

Answer 4

I had chemo 10 yrs ago, and I researched supplements and found things that helped me get through it. Much of what I found was simple things to combat the damage chemo does to your body.
Some of it was very simple.
I drank 4 to 6 liters (yup, liters, not glasses) of water a day. It helps flush all the toxic waste that chemo helps create out of your system and protects the kidneys some.
I took milk thistle, to protect my liver.
I increased my protein to help my muscle stay in shape.
I used ginger (ate it, drank tea of it) for an anti nausea.
I hiked the day after chemo to clear my head and prove to myself that I was OK.
I never ate anything I really liked on chemo days, so I would never associate nausea with my favorite foods...
I cut out all caffeine, limited my fat, did the basic healthy diet thing.
I took a high dose mixed b-complex, and a basic stress vitamin/mineral supplement.

Talk to your oncologist, or several oncologists- I found chem-onco nurses were not really helpful- the ones I had were over worked so their goal was to push everyone along with a standard procedure. Many were very negative, perhaps from seeing patients die. My oncologist though was very cool. Luck to you.