Published October 18, 2012
Don’t let radiation therapy
destroy your mouth
Conventional treatment for cancer of the throat, tongue, or neck is radiation. Everyone knows radiation has side effects. But treating this area with radiation causes real problems. Two of the common side effects are inflammation and ulcers occurring on the inside of the mouth. The technical $10 term for this problem is oral mucositis. Regardless of what you call it, it’s very irritating. The good news is that there’s a safe, easy, natural, and inexpensive way to keep this to a minimum. It’s called glutamine.
Glutamine is an amino acid that’s critical in the repair processes of the body. When you have damaged tissue, your body uses glutamine to repair and replace the tissue. Some studies have shown that patients with cancer are frequently deficient in glutamine. They just can’t get enough. I find that this is almost always the case. So I routinely supplement my patients with glutamine. It helps them maintain their weight and heal faster.
Read More