|
|
|
|
|
Patients Against Lymphoma |
||
|
|
||
| |||||||||
|
Topic IndexAntineoplastons? (Burzynski)
CAM Links
Chamomile Cesium Chloride (high pH therapy) for cancer?
Copper
Diet Drug Resistance Assays? (Nagourney)
Exercise/ Performance
Fish
oil Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT)?
“German New
Medicine”?
Herb / Drug Alerts
Homeopathy? Immune-support/ Boosting immunity?
Laetrile / Amygdalin: Q&A
Massage MGN3?
pH (acid/alkaline)? Resveratrol Water treatment systems (review)
|
CAM stands for Complementary and Alternative medicine. It's an umbrella term for interventions and practices that are not generally in the mainstream of medicine as practiced today in the United States and many countries.
CAM for TREATMENT of CANCERS?A SOURCE OF CONFUSION It makes good sense to modify our diets and exercising to aid in the treatment of adult-onset childhood diabetes, or treatment-related fatigue; and I think everyone would agree with integrating such practices ... and that trained doctors consider it standard practice. Clearly it is also wise to improve our general health at any time of life and under any circumstance. However, unfortunately, life style modifications are not expected to change the clinical course of most cancers - which are driven by genetic errors in the cells ... thus, diet modification, for example, is not something to do instead of treatment, even if it is wise practice to do so in order to improve our general health.
If by "integrative or complementary
medicine" we receive advice to remove mercury amalgams or have colon cleansings, then we are misusing the term, and practicing alternative
medicine: self-treatment using unproven and typically implausible alternative practices. Unrealistic expectations can interfere with good
judgment; when we fail to monitor our condition carefully enough, or when we delay or avoid effective treatment, or when we fail to
consider more promising clinical trials. We
might incorrectly assume that since a
life style practice is found to reduce the risk of a disease
that it will also be
effective as a treatment for that disease to avoid the risk factor going forward? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the medical condition.
For example, we can quit smoking to reduce risk of a future lung cancer, but quitting
will not reverse an existing lung cancer. Consider, for example, that cancer cells (having mutations that favor survival and growth) will grow equally well in an organic test tube medium than in a toxic one. So while there are many excellent reasons to eat organic foods, to slow down the progression of a lymphoma, unfortunately, is not one of them. So, if in our lifetime we minimize unhealthful fats, exercise more, avoid obesity, and don't smoke, we can significantly reduce our risk of cancer -- but switching from fast food to a healthful diet after a diagnosis cannot and should not be called a treatment for cancer, even if it makes good sense for other reasons. It seems the industry that profits from herbs and supplement sales wants to avoid making such distinctions. And practitioners of alternative medicine will continue to make a good living appealing to false hope. From our perspective there is
genuine reason to be hopeful about the ability to effectively treat cancers -
now more than ever. A preoccupation with implausible alternative
practices, however, is unlikely to do any good and could be harmful if it leads
to delay or avoidance of more plausible and clinically tested therapies -
standard and investigational.
To
avoid potential adverse interactions, BC Cancer Agency:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.gif){kind=small} |
Tell your oncologist about supplements and
alternative therapies
|
|
|
When you use herbs, do so only for short periods, and in moderation. |
|
|
Check to see if the therapy has been proven to be harmful. |
|
|
Do not use alternative therapies to replace prescribed treatment. |
|
|
Purchase from established and reputable
suppliers.
|
|
|
Do not give children under age two herbal teas. |
|
|
Be cautious in using very concentrated oils and teas. |
|
|
How
Quackery Harms Cancer Patients quackwatch.com
|
Laura Boehnke Michaud; Julie Phillips Karpinski; Kellie L. Jones; Janet Espirito
Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2007;64(4):369-381. ©2007 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Purpose: The risks and key concepts regarding the use of dietary supplements in patients with cancer are described.
Summary: There are six common characteristics of dietary supplements that must be addressed when used by patients with cancer.
Clinicians must establish if the supplement:
is an antioxidant,
is an anticoagulant or procoagulant,
has immunosuppressive or
immunomodulating properties,
has hormonal properties,
has known safety issues,
and has known or theoretical drug interactions.
These six characteristics of the dietary supplements commonly used by patients with cancer are reviewed to aid in the analysis of the scientific data and communication of the results with the patient or family members.
A framework upon which clinicians can adequately help patients make informed decisions regarding the use of complimentary and alternative medicine and dietary supplements is also described.
When evaluating the appropriateness of a supplement for use by a patient with cancer, clinicians must conduct a safety review (evaluate the six characteristics). If the supplement is considered safe, an efficacy review must be conducted, after which the clinicians can recommend the supplement’s use, accept the patient’s decision to use the supplement if no or inconclusive evidence exists, or discourage use if there is conclusive evidence supporting inefficacy.
Available resources for locating information regarding dietary supplements are also discussed.
Conclusion: Counseling patients with cancer about dietary supplements requires a systematic thought process that considers the available theories and data, as well as the patients’ views about the agents.
I:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/553692_print
II:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/553699_print
|
|
Dietary Supplements in Cancer Care http://bit.ly/dqs2oYWebcam presentation by registered dietician, Susan Dixon, Cancer Nutrition specialist |
Doses of supplements may not be significant a normal doses: Information about effective doses for specific conditions, and also the bioavailability of natural products is rarely known or provided by promotions of herbs and vitamins as cancer therapy.
Doses of otherwise safe supplements may be toxic at high doses. When you give vitamins or herbs at very high doses, the compounds can have drug-like effects, which may have risks that are not known or understood.
There is no clinical evidence that supplements can improve survival in cancer patients. Theories and testimonials may be persuasive, but should not be regarded as evidence. See for many limitations of testimonials
Mixed and unexpected effects
may occur in the human body when supplements are used in high doses, particularly if used during treatment.Mouse studies (the basis for some herbal promotions) do not reliably predict effects in the body. "A mouse is not a man (or woman). The behavior of a drug in a mouse need not be the same as in a human. Meaning, the drug may distribute differently, proportional differences per blood and organs and tumor, in mouse vs. man. Drug exposures ( the amount of drug and for how long) in different body parts , including tumor, may be quite different ... " Full text
Petri dish experiments (the basis for some herbal promotions) do not predict effects in the complex environment of the human body. To have clinical effects the active ingredients must get to the cells you want to influence in sufficient concentrations. Often, natural products are promoted based on cell culture activity that fail to take into account how the compound is affected by digestion, and other metabolic processes - so called bioavailability. (Other terms for petri dish experiments: in-vitro / cell culture experiments)
In vitro refers to experiments on cells that are done outside the body in test tubes or cell cultures. It's known that cancer cells are changed significantly when removed from the host environment - the cells may die spontaneously when removed from the body. Thus, evidence of activity of a herb or vitamin in a cell culutre is only a starting point for additional experiments and studies.
For Open-source background: wikipedia.org
|
|
Why Petri dish studies don't always translate into benefit
for patients - Part I: scienceblogs.com/
| Part II: scienceblogs.com
|
Drug interactions may be harmful. Supplements may interfere with treatment or with how a drug is metabolized. Therefore, we believe it's prudent to avoid taking any supplements the same day you are receiving treatment medications.
Purity of supplements are
unknown. Natural products and supplements are not regulated by an
independent agency, and the risk or ingesting inferior or contaminated
herbal products is significant and well documented. Final Rule Promotes Safe Use of Dietary Supplements
FDA.gov
Under the final rule, manufacturers are required to evaluate the
identity, purity, quality, strength, and composition of dietary
supplements.
Natural does not mean not toxic. It's common to associate "natural" with safety. But many plants and animals produce poisons in order to avoid being eaten by animals and insects, or to kill off competing plants. Consider how many common house plants are toxic to our pets.
See Herbs or Natural Products That May Cause Cancer and Harm Part Four of a Four-Part Series Muriel J. Montbriand, PhD, RN - ons.org
Data Sources: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database and Lawrence Review of Natural Products–Monograph System. Information about these herbs has been found in evidence-based studies cited in the references.
So why with the uncertainties stated here should we provide information about CAM ? The answer is that patients are using vitamins and herbs and therefore need reputable and objective sources of information on this topic. Please note that the data here is definitely not complete, but we are making an honest effort to provide this information in a balanced way - by avoiding commercial sources and seeking information from published scientific papers when possible.
-KarlS
Anonymous & Confidential
4-question CAM SURVEY
for lymphoma survivors or caregivers
Purpose:
To can better meet needs when we understand the community we serve - details
After you complete the survey you
will see a list of what you selected.
When you return to this
form, you are done.
alternative medicine - non-mainstream substitutes for treatment
complementary medicine - practices used to improve quality of life,
such as yoga
Click Submit to complete the survey. Thank you for participating!
NEW: Boosting your immune system to fight cancer? http://bit.ly/1euzrK
2006
Archive | 2005
Archive | 2004
Archive | 2003
Archive | 2002
Archive | 2001 Archive
Subscribe to CH Digest | NCAHF
Home Page | Search All
of Our Affiliated Sites
|
|
Cancer Prevention, Naturally http://bit.ly/cfSFJR |
|
|
AACR 2009: Oncologists Should Recommend Exercise, But Not Supplements medscape.comThere is accumulating evidence to show that it can
improve both prognosis and quality of life |
|
|
BC Cancer Agency: Guidance on unconventional therapies bccancer.bc.cam |
|
|
Cancer patients conceal alternative meds nlm.nih.gov |
|
|
Ethical considerations of complementary and alternative medical therapies in conventional medical settings. Ann Intern Med. 2002 PubMed |
|
|
Facts About Dietary Supplement NIH |
|
|
INTEGRATING
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE
|
|
|
Use of Complementary/Integrative Nutritional Therapies During Cancer Treatment: Implications in Clinical Practice - Medscape 2002 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc. |
In the News