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- Getting the Most From Supplements Your guide to the benefits of taking vitamins and supplements.
- Vitamins and Supplements Glossary What does that vitamin label mean? A vitamin and supplement glossary of terms.
- How Many Supplements Should I Take? How many supplements should you take each day? Get answers and facts here.
- Your Guide to Protein Powders Got protein? What you should know about whey and other protein powders.
- Understanding Prenatal Vitamins Get the basics on prenatal vitamins and your baby's health.
- Iron Supplements Explained Who needs iron supplements? Get the facts on how iron works.
- Vitamins that Fight Inflammation Facts on which vitamins and supplements may help decrease inflammation.
- Nutritious & Delicious Foods Find out how these tasty and nutritious foods can benefit you.
- How to Use Supplements Wisely A handy guide to taking supplements wisely.
- Supplements to Boost Your Mood Depressed? Get the facts to see if supplements can help improve your mood.
- Natural Sleep Supplements If you're in search of a good night's sleep, try these natural sleep aids.
- Energy-Enhancing Supplements Low on energy and tired all the time? Find vitamin fixes here.
- Libido-Boosting Supplements Can dietary supplements help put the spark back in your sex life?
- Chronic Pain Supplements Don't let chronic pain keep you grounded. Find out which supplements ease pain.
- Supplements for Skin & Beauty Which vitamins help keep you looking your best? Get the facts here.
- Arthritis & Joint Pain Supplements Find out which supplements can help ease joint pain.
- Memory-Boosting Supplements Fortify your memory naturally with the right vitamins.
- Allergy Vitamins & Supplements Vitamins and supplements to help ease bothersome allergy symptoms.
- Supplements for People With Cancer If you have cancer, you may have special nutrition needs. Vitamins may help.
- Supplements for Cold and Flu Can vitamins help you stay healthy during flu season?
- Evaluating Supplements What should you know before taking vitamins and supplements?
- Heart Health Supplements Find out which supplements can help lower cholesterol.
- Weight Loss Supplements Stuck in a diet rut? Find out if supplements can boost your weight loss efforts.
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Vitamins and Supplements for Cancer Patients
Here are tips on supplements after you’ve been diagnosed with cancer.
WebMD Feature
By Hilary Parker
Reviewed By David Kiefer, MD
If you’re among the 1.5 million people in the United States diagnosed with cancer each year, you may be considering taking vitamins and supplements for cancer. Supplements, herbs, and extracts are increasingly used in integrative medicine to:
- Help strengthen the immune system
- Help ease side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
What should you know about vitamins and supplements for cancer patients?
First, many supplements may interfere with your cancer treatment, so never take anything without discussing it with your cancer doctor and treatment team. Your cancer treatment center or hospital may have an integrative medicine division. That’s a good place to start if you want to know what herbs, teas, or nutritional supplements can help you stay strong and cope with treatment side effects.
Second, research or ask your treatment team about the best supplements for your specific situation. Most supplements have not been studied extensively in large clinical trials. It’s important to choose wisely, and be informed.
1. Maintaining a Strong Immune System When You Have Cancer
The complicated relationship between immune system functioning and cancer is often misunderstood, according to Tim Birdsall, ND, the vice president of integrative medicine at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and a member of the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the National Institutes of Health.
Your immune system is designed to recognize and destroy abnormal cells. But in many instances, especially in early stage cancers, the surface markers on cancerous cells are identical to those on normal cells, making it impossible for your immune system to recognize them as a threat.
Although boosting your immune system isn’t an actual treatment for cancer, it’s incredibly important as you fight cancer. Cancer patients are susceptible to infection from the disease, as well as from treatments that destroy white blood cells.
“Infection is a huge issue to cancer patients,” Birdsall says. “It is important to do things to boost the immune system and reduce the likelihood of infection.”
Here are supplements, vitamins, and extracts you may hear about to help boost the immune system.