Are There Any Supplements to Help Skin Durings Rads?

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corky60
corky60 Member Posts: 726
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

I am currently getting rads and wondered if anyone took any supplements such as hyaluronic acid, fish oil etc. to help their skin meet the challenge.  The RO said no extra Vitamin A, C or E.

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  • lightandwind
    lightandwind Member Posts: 754
    edited June 2013

    seems like I read somewhere that curcumin is good for this.

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  • gemini4
    gemini4 Member Posts: 532
    edited June 2013

    I don't have the exact explanation but I know that antioxidant supplements are to be avoided during rads. It's ok to eat a diet full if antioxidant- rich foods, but not supplements. Has to do with interfering with rads' effectiveness.



    Your best bet is topical creams, particularly those containing aloe and calendula. Slather on twice daily. Hydration is key, so drink more water than you usually do. Also acupuncture can help keep the heat/cold balance in check. I had acupuncture and found it really helped with my energy levels. I didn't take any supplements during the six weeks. Once it was over, I started back on supplements.



    Good luck -- hope it goes smoothly for you!

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  • SelenaWolf
    SelenaWolf Member Posts: 1,724
    edited June 2013

    The theory is that antioxidents - which repair cell damage - will counteract the effects of radiation, i.e., radiation destroys cancer cells and antioxidents will try to repair those cancer cells.  It's never been conclusively proven (most of the things you'll read in conjunction with this theory include key words such as "might", "suggest", "supposed" and "potential"), but most RO's err on the side of caution by telling you to avoid such antioxidents, especially in mega-doses.

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  • corky60
    corky60 Member Posts: 726
    edited June 2013

    Thanks for the replies.  My RO said no antioxidants, no extra Vitamin A, C, or E but I could take a regular daily vitamin.  I think that cucumin acts as an antioxidant.  The RO also said that I didn't have to avoid foods that have antioxidants.  But I am interested in other supplements.  A few months ago my naturopath recoomended BioSil to treat osteopenia but it also is supposed to help skin as well.

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  • Husband11
    Husband11 Member Posts: 2,264
    edited June 2013

    Not taken internally, but aloe vera, fresh from the plant would be good.

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  • lightandwind
    lightandwind Member Posts: 754
    edited June 2013

    Here's infor about curcumin and rads....

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16751071

    http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,64996,0.htm?mid=466276

    http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/noname122.html

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695547/

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  • corky60
    corky60 Member Posts: 726
    edited June 2013

    Interesting links. Thanks.

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  • HLB
    HLB Member Posts: 1,760
    edited June 2013

    A friend of mine used a cream made of alpha lipoic acid from the vitamin shoppe. She really liked it.

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  • gemini4
    gemini4 Member Posts: 532
    edited June 2013

    Selenawolf thanks for that explanation. The theory makes sense whether or not it's true. :-)

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  • GraceAnn
    GraceAnn Member Posts: 17
    edited July 2013

    I encourage you to do a search for "Emu oil and skin (or radiation)." I have used emu oil for a latex skin allergy and it was the only thing that quickly and completely turned it around. I have read that radiation patients use emu oil because it penetrates many layers of the skin. Burn patients use it, too.



    I recently shared this news with an acquaintance who is a cancer treatment researcher at a university. His wife was receiving radiation treatments and after she used it for a while, her oncologist and nurse were amazed and asked what she did.



    Emu oil offers relief for insect bites, eczema, psoriasis, wounds, inflammation, arthritis, and much more.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2013

    Vit E oil from the capsules. My RO recommended it to me.

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  • Yazmin
    Yazmin Member Posts: 840
    edited August 2013

    I know Calendula oil/cream is wonderful for skin lesions. A friend of mine used it during radiation, and her breast reconstruction surgeon was amazed to see how good her skin looked after radiation...

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