Natural medicines?

truejoy8

Hey all I'm kinda new at this so forgive me.

I'm 22 and just 3 months finished with my ABVD chemo. I was raised to believe in natural medicines and herbs and hated having to go through chemotherapy.

Now that I'm finished I've started a herbal detox program to get the last of the chemo out of my system. I've consulted a Master Herbalist and I'm taking pills to clean out my liver, kidneys, ect. And also something to cleanse my lymph system.

But I'm kind of worried if this is good for me? I've started itching again and I'm kind of freaked out about it. Is the itching due to just the last flushing of the lymph system or could this detox be somehow allowing the cancer to return? I'm feeling kind of stupid and crazy for ever wanting to go natural. And I'm scared I might have done myself damage.

If anyone has any knowledge or insight into this please help. Thanks.

Shanti

tsivels

I don't have any experience with alternative medication but if I were taking any herbal medication and experienced itching or any other symptom I would probably consult the Master Herbalist as well as my oncologist. I can understand your fear b/c no one wants to hear the c-word again. I know now whenever I have a problem I am not afraid of asking or consulting with my doctor. That's one thing I learned, don't be afraid to ask. It can only help.

AlloMan

Im no Master Herbalist, and you stated you finished chemo, but I thought you might be interested in this...

Herbal Remedies May Not Go with Cancer Drugs, According to Study

January 21, 2004 (Reuters) -

LONDON - Doctors warned cancer patients on Tuesday about the potential dangers of mixing alternative and herbal medicines with conventional treatments. Remedies such as cod liver oil and St John's wort may interfere with blood thinning drugs, hormone treatments or chemotherapy.

"Any patient who takes herbal remedies needs to be aware that there can be potential health risks with them. The risk could be related to the remedy itself and any other medicines they are taking," Dr. Ursula Werneke, of the Homerton Hospital in London, said in an interview.

In a study of 300 cancer patients at London's Royal Marsden Hospital, Werneke found that more than half took herbal remedies, or supplements, or both.

Eleven percent used more than the recommended dosage and one third of the patients weren't sure why they were taking them, according to the research published in the British Journal of Cancer.

"There is a perception among the public that herbal remedies are harmless because they are herbal or natural. This paper shows a potential for risk and a potential for interaction (with other treatments)," she added.

Earlier research has shown that garlic and cod liver oil may exaggerate the effects of blood-thinning drugs taken by some cancer patients.

St John's wort, which is used to relieve mild depression, can interfere with hormone treatment, antibiotics and chemotherapy. Echinacea, which affects the immune system, could have a negative impact on some treatments for lymphoma and leukemia.

Werneke advised patients to tell their doctor about any complementary remedies or supplements they are taking and to be aware that herbal medicines might not always be effective.

"Although they are natural, that does not necessarily mean they are harmless," she added.

Evening primrose oil, gingko biloba, echinacea, selenium, cod liver oil and vitamins were the most popular complementary remedies and supplements taken by people in the study.

Professor Robert Souhami of Britain's Cancer Research charity said in a statement: "This research is very valuable in that it indicates more work needs to be done to get a clearer picture about how complementary medicines react with conventional drugs..."

SOURCE: British Journal of Cancer, 2004.

Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited.

This information is being distributed by the Lymphoma Research Foundation, because we think that it could be of interest to you. The information and opinions contained within this news story do not represent the position or opinions of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. To contact the Lymphoma Research Foundation: call (310) 204-7040, or write to LRF@lymphoma.org, www.lymphoma.org.

txgal7

Hello,
Can I ask what the natural program is called? I am not a cancer victim, but rather a student in a medical anthropology class at Baylor University. I am currently studying Complementary and Alternative Treatments to Cancer and would be very interested in hearing about this cleansing process, or if anyone else has input, that would be great. Feel free to e-mail me as well.
Thanks,
Betty