anti-oxidants after chemo

sling99

I was told no anti-oxidant supplements during chemo because it could protect the cancer cells from the chemo.

Since there is no guarantee that chemo will kill all cancer cells, if some cancer cells remain after chemo treatment and you start taking anti-oxidants to help protect yourself for the future, then you could be protecting any remaining cancer cells too. Right or flawed logic?

Anything I can do or take after chemo to help kill off any remaining cancer cells?

AmyIsStrong

I don't think that logic holds. I think that DURING chemo, the point was to kill and then oxidize the cancer cells, and that DURING THAT TIME, the antioxidants might be protecting the very cells the chemo was trying to destroy. But after chemo, back in 'real life' you are not in the same situation.  I did not take any antioxidants during chemo but I do now.

I do not  know of any treatment that kills cancer cells. Would be interested to hear of anyone else's feedback. I am working to make my body as inhospitable to cancer cells and their growth as possible. I take a variety of supplements, as well as tumeric daily, eliminated alcohol, most fats and pretty much all sugar from my diet.  I read AntiCancer - A New Way of Life by  Dr. David Servan-Schreiber and have tried to incorporate his key lifestyle suggestions into my routine.

Will wait to see what other feedback you get from this post. Interesting question.

sling99

Okay, I should not have asked about something that kill the cancer cells. That would be too easy and the answer to everyone's problem. Making your body inhospitable.to cancer cells and their growth...that is a good plan of action.

Some sources say our immune system never fully recovers after chemo. This I am concerned about.  How good can we get our immune system so that it can recognize and destroy cancer cells?

I was drinking a lot of pomegranate juice daily for years as it is supposed to be good for cardiovascular health and it is a very good anti-oxidant. Guess it wasn't good enough for me as an anti-oxidant. Should I stll drink it?

Member_of_the_Club

I think all sorts of treatments kill cancer cells, they just don't necessarily kill all the cancer cells.  Chemo, radiation, even the hormonals kill cancer cells.  

This is the way I understand it.  Its not that antioxidants protect cancer cells, its the opposite.  They weaken cancer cells.  And that is exactly what you don't want during active treatment becuase the chemo agents, and radiation, kill cancer cells as they grow and divide.  This is the time you want cancer cells to grow uninhibited, so they are more vulnerable.  But after chemo is a different story and anything that attacks cancer cells, like anti-oxidants, is fine and maybe helpful.

My guess is that they don't make a huge difference either way but this may make difference around the margins.