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Nutritional Supplements Safe and Beneficial for Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 09:00 CDT

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- For nearly a decade, oncologists have been telling patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy that they should not take antioxidants and other nutritional supplements because they interfere with treatment. However, a two-part article published in the most recent issues of Alternative Therapies, should lay this myth to rest.

Oncologist Charles B. Simone, MD, and colleagues searched MEDLINE (the National Library of Medicine's database of more than 16 million medical journals dating back to the 1950s), and CANCERLIT (the National Cancer Institute's database of articles related to cancer) and came up with 280 peer- reviewed studies on the concurrent use of chemo and/or radiation and dietary supplements. These included 50 human studies involving a total of 8,251 patients.

They found that antioxidants and other nutritional supplements did not interfere with conventional cancer treatments and actually enhanced the killing effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In 47 of the human studies, supplements were also found to protect normal tissues and reduce the often-serious side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. And in 15 human studies, 3,738 patients actually had increased survival -- a finding that is rare for any cancer outcome.

Dr. Simone reports that the negative slant on supplements originated from an erroneous statement made in a 1997 New York Times by a physician from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital, who contended that vitamin C interfered with chemotherapy and radiation in humans. This statement had absolutely no scientific backing, yet without even reviewing the evidence, the entire oncology community adopted and continues to spread this harmful, biased misconception.

There is no downside to taking supplements while undergoing chemotherapy, but there is a tremendous upside. The immune systems of cancer patients are highly compromised, and a majority of them suffer with malnutrition. Antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals restore deficiencies in essential nutrients and enhance immune function. Furthermore, antioxidants have direct anti-tumor effects, protect against the toxic effects of conventional cancer treatments, and prolong the lives of patients.

If you'd like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview with Charles B. Simone, MD, please call (609) 896-2646 or email Dr. Simone at mail@drsimone.com

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

Freedom of Health Foundation

CONTACT: Lorena Barragan of Freedom of Health Foundation,+1-714-619-1600, fax, +1-714-636-3241, lorena.barragan@sbcglobal.net

Source: PRNewswire

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