TAKING VITAMINS/SUPPLEMENTS DURING CHEMO?????

hopeful girl 1 said:

Vitamins
I believe the American Cancer Society recommends that you get most of your vitamins from actual foods, fruits and veggies etc. They recommend that we eat less meat, and that meat be more of a side dish than the main event.

I talked to an oncologist nutritionist from the Wellness Center in my area, and she advised that the final word research is not out yet on D3. She said there is a lot of research going on about it. She is going to be sending me some nutrition info for eating post cancer treatments.

I read it is also important for uterine cancer patients to exercise 30 minutes almost everyday after treatment and eat 5 fruits and veggies each day and that the majority of us do not do this.

I'll admit I have not exercised in a couple of weeks.

Let's get to it ladies and do what we can for ourselves.


Hugs,
Cindy

Ro10 said:

It was recommended not to take supplements while on chemo
When I started chemo I was taking a Multivitamin Packet with 6 different vitamins, and 3 fish oil. The pharmacist at the cancer center recommended that I only take a multivitamin during chemo, as they do not have enough information on what the extra vitamins do with chemo. She did not recommend anything that was not endorsed by the FDA. Some of the supplements encourage cancer growth, she said. So I switched to just taking a multivitamin, and did not take the fish oil while on chemo. I resumed the fish oil after chemo. I have high cholesterol and that is part of the recommended treatment for me.

culka said:

I stopped taking herbs
before surgery. They said immediately (like 13 days before), I did it 7 days and resume same day I came home. I had bag of vitamin mix with me in hospital.

Never had chemo, but during radiation I took herbs (all together 1.5lb) and tons of vitamins. Went trough with heads up and not so many side effects.
And how many servings of fruit and veggies they recommend? 5? I'm eating 13+.

jazzy1 said:

Helen
You're so inspirational, as been reading many of your posts. The supplements are fine as long as low dosages as I mentioned earlier on post. We want the chemo to work and not be blocked by the nutrients we're thinking will help. When I asked my doc about vitamins, he told me he doesn't have clinical trials since not followed by the FDA, so watch what I take.

I'm a huge exercise person and even during my chemo I was out walking. Now it wasn't full speed ahead, every day, but if I felt good I'd get on my shoes and hit the trails, knowing I had to not overdo. Now that I'm away from treatments I do workout extensively 6 days per week...and it feels so good!

Research on exercise is very impressive. I go to a place here in St Louis Called THE WELLNESS CENTER and they had a doc give a presentation on exercise and cancer. So much correlation between the two. Doc suggested 30 minutes-- 5 days per week. Now it doesn't have to be real intense and in fact, no real studies showing the "higher intensity" of exercise is of help. Even weight lifting is good, but mainly on the bone building side of cardio.

See you on the trails....
Jan

daisy366 said:

Hellie: B17?
Tell me about this. Is this the equivalent of laetrile? or am I thinking of another B - 19 perhaps.

Can anyone tell me about the wisdom of taking rice milk. I just started this. tastes OK

Mary Ann

maggie_wilson said:

sally
good question for commonweal. they didn't address this question. since they're not doctors, they tend to shy away from giving medical advice per se. i have a routine visit with my medical oncologist next week and will ask her re: vit d3, multi vits, etc. i think i recall the nurse saying only some b vitamins, but we'll see. do want to be able to take something when chemo comes up again.

sisterhood,
maggie

Susanna23 said:

Vitamins and supplements during chemo
Hi Maggie
Oh this is an interesting one - been pondering this very subject myself! I have a stage 1a carcinosarcoma and was offered adjuvant chemo of carboplatin/taxol to prevent recurrence after surgery. I had the first round yesterday. I had been taking 2000 IU vitamin D3 but stopped it three days before. I asked the pharmacist about it (I'm in London, btw) and she said yes there were some antioxidant supplements they did not recommend during chemo but as far as she knew vit D3 was not one of them. I was going to restart it three days after but have decided to not take any supplements till all treatment is over - then resume. I think the reasoning is that the chemo may be eliminated as a toxin or that the oxidative damage that kills the cancer cells through chemo may be reduced by the presence of antioxidants.
I will rely on diet - pharmacist said no restrictions. Have become a big fan of the anticancer book by David Servan Schreiber. But to complicate things further, he has posted on his blog that turmeric has been shown to kill cancer stem cells but he thinks that too could interfere with chemo and to stop it before and after (3 days). Whatever next?!
Let us know if you find anything interesting! Bottom line for me - am a science journalist and believe it or not was even considering a book on antioxidants - is that aupplements act different from a healthy diet. They should be considered as medicines.
Best wishes
Susan

Like many on here, during chemo I took a multi vitamin, but I also took probiotics, D3, calcium and Occuvite.  My doctor never had a problem with that.  More importantly I met with a dietitian who specializes in helping cancer patients during my radiation treatment (which wasn't covered by insurance) and well worth the money!!

She told me it was controversial, but soy mimics estrogen, and with UPSC I don't need any form of hormones, so I should avoid processed soy (soy protein isolates).  Well, that is easier said then done, but it can be done.

Interestingly, last August 2012 or so, there was an article in Good Housekeeping on soy and its side effects.  In the 80's there was a study that showed Japanese women had a lower cancer rate and the conclusion was because they ate soy.  Then in the 90's they looked again and saw that the Japanese women didn't go overboard with soy and ate it in the pure forms, edamame, soy milk, tofu, not the highly processed stuff. 

Funny that when we are told "push the protein" they refer to Boost and Ensure, both which list soy protein isolates in the ingredient list.  I started to read the labels in the store and saw that Atkins shakes are whey based and I emailed them to ask if they were sticking with that recipe.  They said they took the soy out several years ago and didn't plan on putting it back. 

I don't work for Atkins, and I believe you should try to get your protein and vitamins from actual food, it tastes better, but when you need a "kick" it is nice to have something that won't hurt you. 

FYI - as for the probiotics, she showed me slides from a power point presentation of 400 cervical cancer patients who also receive radiation to their pelvis, 1/2 that got the probiotics and 1/2 that didn't and the results were overwhelming!  It was pretty graphic, but none of the women who got the probiotics hospitalized with dehydration from diarrhea.  I took them before my cancer and continue to take them today.

johannel said:

Hi Maggie,
 
I am not a

Hi Maggie,

 

I am not a doctor, however if you not allowed to take vitamins, you not allowed to eat...   However there are concerns (by some nutritional experts) related to Vit B due to its detox qualities that will nutrilise the effect of the chemo, as well as iron.  However, research have shown that carotonoid rich food (dark red and purple oily pigments), flavonoids (red pigment in grapes and berries) and cruciferous vegetables (dark green pigments) can reduce growth and protect against against cancers.

One of my concerns is that western medical science are not "trained" in nutritional benefits, it treats from a symptom perspective, and not the cause.  All our chronic diseases are diet related, heart, cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, obesity.  Thus we can take steps in reducing our risk.  Problem however is that due to our agricultural practises the nutrient content of our food base is declining in favour of looking good and shelf life.  The only alternative is to take good quality nutritional supplements.

 

You welcome to contact me in private if you want to discuss further.

 

Regards,

 

Johan

I'd be interested in the company you're a distribututor rep for as I was involved in one for a few years.  Not today, as it just wasn't a good setup for any type of income, but that's just my take,

Do agree about the western medicine --- docs not trained or schooled in nutritional benefits, and more about symptom perspective, then treatment.  That's been going on for a zillion years, and it's more about we as an individual realizing this and coming forth to learn on our own about how to treat our body.  I for one avoid any type of meds, and outside of chemo drugs, never been on any type meds for any extended period of time (yes consider myself lucky).  I live with the belief our bodies can heal ourselves, but am realistic that at times the meds are necessary.  

Agricultural practices are truly changing our food base and we're more about fast and easy eating vs. what's the most natural and nutritional to keep us healthy.  I tend to not agree that the ONLY ALTERNATIVE is take quality nutritional supplements to help our bad agricultural practices.  I'm to believe if we get away from the COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS which are what you call the BAD AGRICULTURAL products, and go with the organic, grass-fed, pastured raised animals products this will help.  From my past experience if we continue to consume the regular COMMERCIAL products and simply feel a nutritional supplement pill or powder will suffice, that doesn't always work in our favor.  Remember those supplement pills must be absorbed into our bodies, otherwise, they're never ingested, simply end up in our sewage system.  Wasted!

As you mentioned the great foods such as carotonoid rich, flavonoids, cruiciferous vegetables are wonderful and I consume them almost every day.  I've over the past few years gotten away from reliance on pill supplements and gone with more good quality foods from non-commercial animals or non-pesticides fruits/veggies.  Don't get me wrong I still take supplements, but gotten away from the zillion I used years ago.  

You bring a lot of great insight here and just wanted to throw out my thoughts.  Are you a cancer patient or family member of a cancer patient?

Thanks again for your information.

Jan 

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