Why do so many oncologists tell their patients not to take any vitamins or herbs while they are getting chemotherapy?
I can think of two reasons. One, they know nothing about nutrients. The average clerk at the health food store knows way more than oncologists do about nutrients. And when doctors don’t know anything about something, they naturally tend to be suspicious of it.
Two, they are concerned about being sued if they allow the nutrients because perhaps a patient will make the claim that the reason the chemotherapy did not work was because of the nutrients they were prescribed.
As I have reported to you in the past, studies show that nutrients not only do not interfere with chemotherapy drugs, they actually make them more effective. And now, another study shows they also reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.
To do the experiment, researchers treated HeLa cells with the chemotherapy drug camptothecin. Camptothecin is a potent anti-cancer drug known to kill cervical cancer cells. HeLa cells are an immortal cancer cell line routinely used in scientific research. They are the oldest and most commonly used human cancer cells in cancer research. They were initially derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, from Henrietta Lacks, a patient who died of cancer on October 4, 1951. They treated some of the cells with camptothecin only, and they treated the other cells with camptothecin plus the antioxidant vitamin E. So, what happened?
According to the researchers, “We conclusively prove that presence of vitamin E at 100μM concentration shows promising antioxidant activity and displays no modulatory role on camptothecin induced effect, thereby causing no possible hindrance with the efficacy of the drug.” In addition, they stated, “Vitamin E may prove beneficial to alleviate chemotherapy-associated side effects in patients.”
So, if you are getting chemotherapy, let me very strongly suggest that you not only consult with an oncologist but that you also consult with a doctor well-versed in the use of nutrients and other natural treatments.
As this study shows, the best treatment plan combines the best of conventional medicine with the best in natural medicine. In my practice, I have been routinely combining high doses of nutrients with chemotherapy, and I can tell you for sure that the oncologists tell my patients that they do much better than their other patients.
Sources:
Bhori M, Singh K, et al. Exploring the effect of Vitamin E in Cancer Chemotherapy- A Biochemical and Biophysical Insight. J Biophotonics. 2018 May 16:e201800104.