Recommended supplements for metastatic disease

califsue
califsue Member Posts: 80
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Dr. Heinz Lenz (USC) does not recommend any high dose antioxidants in combination with chemo or radiation. This includes vitamin C, E, selenium, high antioxidant containing juices. When I asked him why, he said that high dose antioxidants "feed" the cancer cells.

He does recommend supplementing the diet with vitamin B6, as well as calcium and vitamin D. He said that these are the only proven supplements which have benefit for patients with metastatic disease.

I guess that "proven" is the operative word here. Supplementation is all so confusing to me. I spent a lot of money on an herbologist (sp) and am now second guessing the supplements and herbs that he has prescribed for me.

I just don't really know if anybody really knows. So for whatever its worth,for now, I'm going to take the B6, calcium, and D3.

Confused,
Susan

Comments

  • kimby
    kimby Member Posts: 797
    #2
    Supplements
    Susan,

    I think the issue is also that if you are in treatment, supplements affect how the treatment works. Antioxidants have shown to interfere with chemo. As bad as chemo sucks, I'd really hate to lessen its effectiveness. Dr. Lenz is very well respected and you pay him for his opinion. If it helps, my doctors agree.

    Kimby
  • califsue
    califsue Member Posts: 80
    #3
    kimby said:

    Supplements
    Susan,

    I think the issue is also that if you are in treatment, supplements affect how the treatment works. Antioxidants have shown to interfere with chemo. As bad as chemo sucks, I'd really hate to lessen its effectiveness. Dr. Lenz is very well respected and you pay him for his opinion. If it helps, my doctors agree.

    Kimby

    Thanks Kimby
    Your input does help. I know that you also have a good team of doctors. I'm holding off on all the supplements that the chinese medicine practitioner recommended and I'm following Dr. Lenz's recommendation while I am on chemo. I really hope that Folfiri and Avastin work for me.
    Susan
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #4
    califsue said:

    Thanks Kimby
    Your input does help. I know that you also have a good team of doctors. I'm holding off on all the supplements that the chinese medicine practitioner recommended and I'm following Dr. Lenz's recommendation while I am on chemo. I really hope that Folfiri and Avastin work for me.
    Susan

    My Onc....
    ...said the same thing, she suggested vitamin D (Milk and a little sun) for the protein also, a multivitamin, like Womens One A Day, and Vitamin B Complex, to give you all the necessary B vitamins, and an Iron pill for my anemia, and thats all, she wants nothing else disrupting the chemo treatment, it's doing very well for me so far.

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