brian, u mention that some supportive vitamins and medications decrease effectiveness of treatment.

my friend has been advised to take B12 vitamin injections to avoid B12 deficiency. would this adversely affect the treatment?

I don't believe that that was one that was pointed out as causing complications. But in all cases his doctor has to be the determiner of what is appropriate and what is not. The rule is if the doc signs off on it, why not take as many supportive things as you wish, they clearly know more about these interactions than any of us. I would want to know from the doctors that a B-12 deficiency was an expected treatment complication prior to supplementation, prior to assuming that it would do any good or not.

thank you brian.

every date for an MRI brings fear.
we did an MRI again today. shows some nodule at the anterior part of the tongue. but it showed a similar anomaly in May 2010, which when checked by way of actual examination showed nothing. our doc is confident that when the first incidence was a well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and no node was formed, and the test on lymph nodes were negative..there just cannot be a recurrence. hoping the doc is right.

thank you for your support.
regards
-anupama

I'm betting this is true at many of the cancer centers but we found Sloan to have a whole person approach.
While my husband's plan was radiation and chemo, he was referred to a dietician who met with us several times, offered a smoking cessation specialist and a therapist if he felt he needed it. At every visit, the nurses and doctors checked into how he was doing medically and emotionally. After treatment, they reminded him to walk regularly, to build his body back up,etc.
There are many things patients can do to help heal their bodies.
And working WITH your medical team on it is encouraged. I think that's why where you go is so often emphasized here.

There's a huge difference between the terms "alternative" and "adjunctive" as, by now, you've been educated. Your oncologist and dietician should be able to help you with adjunctive Tx. Most of the literature I have read does not recommend vitamins and/or herbal stuff during treatment. The most important thing during Tx is to stay well hydrated and take in enough calories to facilitate healing. I wouldn't recommend taking anything other than what the doctor tells you is ok, even "over the counter" meds.

I would like to add the term "complementary" to the list. To me, "alternative" is something one takes instead of what the doctor ordered whereas "complementary" may be in addition to the doctor's recommendation. I guess "adjunctive" is a similar word, but to me it is an addition the doctor may be in favour of or recommend whereas "complementary" has more of a "natural" or "self medication" connotation (just my take on the difference between the two). And before I get blasted, I believe that "natural" should never be confused with "safe" or "good"(although some may well be). After all, cyanide is natural and it is one of the deadliest substances on the planet (as we learned the day my sister at age 9 triumphantly announced she had just swallowed 9 cherry stones and found herself bent over my father's knee with his fingers down her throat). And we all know how safe that natural leaf first cultivated and smoked by the native Americans is. What was its name again ...?

There are some great websites that allow you to input all your medications and it will report possible interactions which can be discussed with a doctor. A word of caution before racing off to the google "drug interactions": Like "natural" the word "interaction" can be good and/or bad. Whilst we often talk about the bad effects of drugs as interactions, there are desirable interactions too. Unfortunately, the interactions database doesn't know the difference so will just spit out the result and it is up to the user to figure it out (and this where the medic comes in handy). A classic example of a "good" interaction is the use of chemotherapy in conjunction with radiotherapy. Radiation works well but if chemo is added, it works better.

A web based interactions database has its uses and is a good back up for those who might be taking an over the counter medication and forgot to tell their doctor. It may also be useful for someone who can't remember if it is vitamin B that interacts with their chemo or something else. Finally, it may also provide a starting point for discussion with one's healthcare professional around possible side effects and their management. In my opinion it is better than going forward blindly but never as good as talking to the doctor or pharmacist (who will also use a database to check for interactions). PS Nurses are particularly good at side effects and interactions - have you noticed?

If there was a really good interactions website, that wasn't trying to sell anything, that you could turn us on to, I think it would be a good addition for OCF to link to. We are all exposed to so many drugs under so many names, both proprietary and generic, that to have a first look there, and then checking with your doc would be useful... and maybe even advert a negative interaction. Post a couple that you like and let's have a look-see.

Don't be so defensive. I and others on the board that have been hard on the alternative posters, only maim those posters, then eat the young of those who insist that alternative is a viable path outside of proven medicine.