help with choosing supplements

barbara107

Hi Everybody,

Few months ago I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I started chemotherapy immediately but 3 weeks later I felt terrible pain and was much tiered. The doctors changed my chemo treatment (I can't remember, maybe the Merck drug), and at the same time I decided to take a supplement that my friend takes for sleep disorders (Gene-Eden?) so I could be less tiered and do some stuff at home.
Anyway, now 4 weeks after I finished with the new chemo I feel much better. I am not sure whether the supplement has something to do with it, but I feel good so I continue to take it. My doctor said that my leukocytes count is close to normal now, and he thinks that this is pretty fast recovery.

do you guys have any experience with supplements?

thanks,
Barbara

roseg

You know, my husband had another type of cancer and his doctors told him - no supplements.

They want a balanced diet and don't want him supplementing that with anything. They don't know what the effects of some of these things are and don't want him to be fueling his disease with anything they aren't sure about.

barbara107

Hi Rose,

thanks for the note.

do you think this is so bad? I mean, I read what's on the label... it is basically not much more than  extracts of foods or herbs like cinnamon and green tea. don't you think doctors are a little over reacting?

I hope your husband feel well,

Barbara

dlb823

Hi, Barbara ~  Check out the "natural girls" thread here -- in the Alternative, Complementary and Holistic section.  We were just sharing what each of us takes and some tips on brands we like.  There are also a wealth of research articles cited within that thread, supporting why we believe in the benefits of certain supplements.

But each of us is so individual.  What I feel my body needs may be all wrong for someone else, and I understand that some women don't feel the need to supplement.  And I wholeheartedly agree with Rose on not taking anything blindly.  But, personally, I know supplements always have made a difference in my well-being, and I don't think (in fact, I know!) most of our doctors haven't got a clue re. nutrition.  

Also, have you read any of these books?  Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Patrick Quillan, PhD, RD; Life Over Cancer by Keith Block, MD (a top integrative doctor); or Anti-Cancer, A Way Of Life, by David Servan-Schreiber, PhD?  They're all excellent! 

The other thing you might consider doing, if you aren't already seeing one, is finding a really good Naturopathic Doctor, to complement what your medical doctors are doing for you.  They can often help with symptom relief, as well as building your body to withstand traditional treatment regimens.     Deanna

(Edited to add the paragraph on books that got dropped from my original post.)