Supplements & False Information
- A recent study found that 1 in 5 cancer survivors believe that taking dietary supplements will reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
- Studies have shown that people who pursue alternative therapy in place of standard cancer treatment, such as taking supplements, are more likely to die.
- In order to steer people away from alternative medicine, physicians have started incorporating integrative medicine into their routine, which blends both standard treatment as well as emphasizing lifestyle. This can include diet, exercise, and a person’s overall well-being.
In a study published by the journal Cancer, researchers surveyed more than 1,000 survivors of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer about the measures they take to prioritize their health. One in 5 (around 40%) of the surveyed survivors stated that they believe taking dietary supplements will help prevent the cancer from returning. Among the participants, 13% admitted that they take fish oil pills while 15% regularly take calcium supplements with or without Vitamin D.
Read MoreSupplements do serve their purpose in other matters of health, but not in cancer prevention. The main purpose of taking supplements is to make up for the lack of nutrition certain people may have in their diet, such as fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, supplements such as fish oil have strong benefits in strengthening hair and nails.
Beware Alternative Therapies
The trend of “holistic” medicine has gained significant ground over recent years, with millions of Americans turning to alternative treatments rather than standard treatment. However, this can be extremely dangerous and life-threatening. A Yale study, published by JAMA Oncology, found that people who pursue alternative therapy are more likely to die. Since this has become a popular route, more oncologists are incorporating integrative medicine into their practices without replacing standard treatment such as chemotherapy.
Unlike alternative medicine, which claims cancer can be “cured” or completely prevented, integrative medicine blends both standard treatment as well as emphasizing lifestyle behavior. This can include diet, exercise, and a person’s overall well-being.
"Integrative medicine is an approach to care that puts the patient in the center of care and everything flows from that," Dr. Brian Berman, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet. "It emphasizes lifestyle behavior, like diet, stress management, nutrition, and it also blends the best of conventional medicine and complementary therapies…It very much believes in the power of conventional medicine, but it's trying to bring in other evidence-based approaches, and to optimize people's health and well-being."
Dr. Jason Westin’s message to cancer patients: don’t believe everything you read on the internet
While supplements can be beneficial in regulated doses, and under certain circumstances, it’s important to note that they are not a substitute for cancer treatment, prevention, or reducing the risk of cancer recurrence. In order to have the most successful outcomes, it’s key to follow your physician’s advice and stick to evidence-based treatment options.
Related: Some Dietary Supplements May Be Harmful to People Getting Chemo for Breast Cancer
“The ones that people often think about [integrative medicine] are the pills people can pop and what you get from the herbalist and so when someone’s putting something into their body I have two major concerns,” Dr. Ann Partridge, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, previously told SurvivorNet. “One is that it might interact with something that I’m recommending as an oncologist to treat the cancer and might get in the way of that working or might increase the side effects they have from treatment…The second big thing is that, understandably, some of these therapies are much more appealing than some of our standard therapies in the general medical world, like chemotherapy or surgery. Wouldn’t it be much nicer to take a vitamin and treat your cancer? So the studies have not been done in the rigorous way that we do cancer treatment trials to tell us for sure that that’s not harmful.”
Dr. Geoffrey Sonn, assistant professor of urology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, has a similar strategy with his patients.
“So when I counsel patients, I will typically tell them just the basics. Exercise, maintaining a normal weight, plenty of sleep, eating fruits and vegetables. Those are the most important things,” he says. ” Supplements, dietary supplements are probably not necessary. But likely not harmful. I discourage patients from seeking out things that they may read on the internet that are very expensive that, that promise cures or treatments to many different types of disease. Those are more likely marketing ploys rather than something that actually has a solid evidence base.”
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