Should patients take dietary supplements during cancer treatments?

Should patients take dietary supplements during cancer treatments?

Faced with a frightening diagnosis, most cancer patients are searching for any and all information regarding tools to help them fight their disease: traditional medical options, holistic treatments, herbal supplements, etc. Doctors tend to focus mainly on the first category, but more and more physicians are taking an integrative approach. Regardless of your preference, keeping the lines of communication open with your patients is critical.

Patients taking dietary supplements may not remember to mention it to their doctors when they are put on a treatment protocol for cancer. And, this omission can be damaging if they’re taking something that could result in a negative interaction with the treatment. Keep in mind that some patients are reluctant to be forthcoming on the topic because they fear their doctor will act disapproving or dismissive.

As a physician, you goal is for your patients to enjoy good overall health. Be proactive and talk to them about the benefits and risks involved with taking supplements during treatment.

Avoiding risk

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the first thing they’re going to do is google information on fighting the disease, and they’re bound to find sites making claims with regard to certain products, like supplements. And, these websites may or may not cover the risks associated with the supplements they’re touting. This is why it’s so important to communicate with patients about potential negative health effects or interactions that could occur if they combine specific dietary supplements with chemotherapy or other cancer drugs.

For example, Maitake mushrooms, often used in Eastern medicine to treat high blood pressure, are thought by some to have tumor-fighting properties. But they are also associated with an increased risk of bleeding in people who are on blood sugar lowering or blood thinning medications.

Not all dietary supplements are risky in cancer patients, though. There are some that can actually help alleviate the unpleasant side effects of cancer treatments. Probiotics have shown a lot of promise in helping to prevent diarrhea and other GI symptoms commonly associated with cancer drugs. And, if found to be deficient, returning Vitamin D levels to normal through supplementation can improve immune function and response to therapy.

Safe solutions

As the treating physician for cancer patients, it’s important to educate yourself on both the risks and the benefits of supplements. Using all the tools at your disposal, you can not only help patients to fight the disease, but help to improve their quality of life while doing so.

At Green Leaf Sciences, we are a supplement manufacturer that shares that same goal. All of our supplements are backed by science and contain only the most pure, organic plant-sourced ingredients. We provide a line of products designed to optimize health and quality of life for our consumers. If you want your patients to have access to high quality supplements when they need them, check the website for information on how you can buy supplements in bulk for resale to patients.