I thought I'd check the Foram and see if anyone thinks there's any possible benefit or harm in my trying an alternative medicine treatment during radiation therapy. I went to the archives but didn't find anything about this.

A good friend's husband had oral cancer about ten years ago and had radiation/chemo. She writes that "Mike was told it would reduce or eliminate mouth sores if immediately before each radiation treatment he drank a small amount of canola or other cooking oil, swished it around his mouth and then swallowed it slowly so that his mouth and throat was coated. During his entire radiation treatment (7 weeks) Mike did not develop any mouth sores."

This is, of course, totally annecdotal. Perhaps Mike was just one of those fortunate people who don't develop sores. But I'm wondering if there's anything to this.

Finally, is there anything else people have done to reduce mouth sores and the swelling that many people report from radiation?

David R