Complementary medicine and breast cancer

[pedinurse]

Can anyone suggest any supplements to help with the side effects of chemotherapy?  I am going to be starting Taxol (Paclitaxel) next week, and, judging from my reaction to the previous regimen, I am going to need all the help I can get.  Thank you.

[Paxiled]

Using supplements in this situation is problematic, because the best supplements for dealing with those side effects might also attempt to remove the chemo from your system altogether.  Chemo is intentionally toxic, and if that's your choice of treatment, you need to let it work.  Many supplements work by removing toxins from the body, so there's the contradiction.  But there are some things you can do.  It depends on the symptoms.  For example, for energy, there are adaptogens you can take, such as the ginsengs and ashwagandha.  For loss of appetite or nausea, marijuana is supposed to be very helpful.  But being as how none of us here are experts, this is something that should be done in consultation with your physicians and a good holistic nutritionist and naturopath, to be sure you don't remove any of the chemo from your body.  Now, after you're done with chemo, there are a lot of supplements that can help.  Fu Zheng is a Chinese formula that's very good at rebuilding the system after chemo.  Liver cleansers will help detox the system.  Probiotics will help replenish the good bacteria in the intestinal tract.  Wheat grass and spirulina will help leach out the remaining chemo, help rebuild the blood with their high chlorophyll content, and give you lots of antioxidants and nutrients to rebuild your strength.  But again, none of these should be used during chemo, because building the immune system helps your body fight chemo.  Liver cleansing removes chemo.  Green foods will try to leach the chemo out of the body.  Good luck, and share your results if you do see a natural medicine professional.

[pedinurse]

Thank you for the information.  I will definitely let you know what I find out when I find a naturopath in my area.  I don't want to interfere with the chemo, just ride out the nausea, fatigue and lack of appetite that seems to go with it so well......
LOL.

Thanks again!!!!