Dr. Frederic J. Vagnini, author of The Side Effects Bible and medical director of the Cardiovascular Wellness Center in New York City, calls it “nutrient robbery”-the fact that many drugs and medications deplete the body of important nutrients and other helpful substances. “In a sense,” he says, “the drug acts as an ‘anti-vitamin’ pill, taking away the substances you need for good health.” Naprosyn, for example, a well-known painkiller, depletes the body’s stores of folic acid, a shortage of which can make you feel tired or upset your stomach.
The solution? According to this doctor, anyone taking Naprosyn should supplement with folic acid. But most doctors fail to suggest such a thing, so patients suffer side effects, which may then be addressed with more medications, which can then cause their own side effects…you get the picture.
If you’re going through chemotherapy, you know all about side effects, and you probably wouldn’t argue that the drugs are robbing your body of nutrients. “Patients undergoing chemotherapy need to receive high-quality nutrition to get through that period,” says Ross Pelton, co-author of The Nutritional Cost of Drugs (Morton Publishing, 2004). According to Dr. Vagnini, even minor nutrient deficiencies can cause all kinds of problems, including depression, muscle weakness, itchy skin, sleep disturbances, bleeding gums, and much more. A study on patients with ovarian cancer showed that those on a nutritional supplement protocol tolerated the chemo much better than those not receiving the supplements.
“I saw with my own eyes the difference between patients who were on supplements and those who were not,” said oncology nurse Leigh David. “It was very obvious.” Supplementing seems to make a lot of sense, but what, and how much?
First of all, always check with your doctor. Vitamin and herbal supplements can sometimes interfere with medications or decrease their effectiveness-antioxidants are specifically suspect-so you want to be sure you won’t be deterring your progress. Do some research on the medications you’re taking, and check with a naturopath for guidance on how to start restoring the nutrients you’re losing. (You can also read Dr. Vagnini’s book.) We’ve put together a few general recommendations to get you started, taken from Oncologychannel.com and other sources.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Protein Powder: to keep up your strength, supplement with protein powder twice a day. Go with those that have a low sugar content. You can choose from whey, soy, rice and hemp protein powders.
Ginger: ginger supplements or tea can help reduce treatment-related nausea.
Spirulina: helps maintain healthy weight and it is a super food!
Soy: check with your doctor especially on this one-may enhance the immune system.
B12: may help with anemia.
FOR SOME SPECIFIC DRUGS
5FU-vitamin B6 and CoQ10.
Taxol-vitamin C.
Tamoxifen-soy isoflavones.
Adriamycin-CoQ10, vitamin E, riboflavin, vitamin C, antioxidants.
Do you take supplements to offset chemo depletions? Have you received expert advice? Please share your experiences.
Photo courtesy of Luv 2 Flickr via Flickr.com.
