by Cassie Escriture

Created on: May 31, 2009

Cancer treatment is a harrowing experience for all involved - not only is the cancer frightening, but the treatment can cause terrible side effects. More than 900,000 people will be treated with chemotherapy in 2009, and the majority will experience side effects. While they can range in severity (some even requiring hospitalization), many can be reduced through dietary or nutritional supplements.

The reason for chemotherapy's detrimental side effects is that the treatment affects healthy cells as well as cancerous cells. In essence, the goal is to kill all the cancer while still leaving as many healthy cells alive as possible. However, as the healthy cells become susceptible to the chemotherapy, their inability to function results in side effects such as nausea, fatigue, alopecia (hair loss), and others.

Dietary and nutritional supplements are helpful to patients undergoing chemotherapy because, while they have not been proven to help in the fight against cancer, they can help protect a patient's healthy cells from some of the effects of chemotherapy. There are two primary categories of dietary supplements: boosts and natural supplements. Boosts are essentially energy products (usually coming in the form of shakes) that help alleviate the lethargy and feeling of being drained of energy when a patient is undergoing chemotherapy. Natural supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other natural or homeopathic supplements that are meant to keep the body nourished and well. If the body is receiving the proper nutrients, it will be better prepared to help its healthy cells.

However, it should also be noted that dietary and nutritional supplements are not better or necessarily more effective in larger quantities (in fact, the reverse is true in many cases), and just because something is natural does not mean it is better for the patient. In order to determine which dietary and nutritional supplements are right for a chemotherapy recipient, the patient's oncologist should be consulted. FDA regulations for supplements were passed in 2007, but some do not take affect until 2010. It is imperative that an oncologist is aware of everything a patient is taking. In addition, it would likely be helpful to consult a nutritionist or nurse in order to make sure the supplements taken will not interfere in some way with the chemotherapy treatment. Though the side effects can be incredibly painful and difficult, it is also a sign that the chemotherapy is attacking the body - especially the cancer cells with it.

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