Should I have herb and supplements while I am having cancer treatments?

“What do you think about herbs or supplements?” 

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“Do you think they would help to treat my cancer?” 

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These are the questions that I frequently get from my clients.  While I do think that a lot of herbs and supplements have some merits, I have been always skeptical about using them for medicinal purposes because there are just not enough empirical data to back their clinical usage to treat diseases especially cancer.

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In fact, herbs and supplements use during cancer treatment may cause drug interactions which could be harmful for patients according to a recent pilot study done by Dr. Richard Lee, director of the Supportive and Integrative Oncology Program at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio (1).  The study found that there were 1,747 potential drug-drug interactions and that 84% of the patients were at risk for a major potential drug interaction.

It has been known for quite some time that popular herbs such as turmeric or green tea can interfere the efficacy of chemotherapy and other cancer drugs and also increase the risk of their toxicity (2).  Thus, before you start any herbs or supplements, please discuss with your oncologists

1. www.curetoday.com/.../herb-and-supplement-use...    

2. www.cancernetwork.com/view/herb-drug-interactions-cancer-care