Pat's Place: Taking Nutritional Supplements Is Like Walking Through A Mine Field For Multiple Myeloma Patients
We all realize good nutrition is important. But like everyone else, multiple myeloma patients are often too busy to eat well all of the time.
And even if we do eat well, nutritional science teaches us there are advantages to additional supplementation.
No problem, right? Head off to the health food store and begin loading-up?
How about extract from exotic berries from the Amazon, touted to contain super concentrated anti-oxidants?
Or how about supplements designed to lesson the ongoing struggle many of us have with pain and tingling in our extremities due to peripheral neuropathy? Things like extra vitamin B complex, alpha lipoic acid, and magnesium, to name just a few.
Let's not forget about the multiple myeloma “super supplement,” curcumin. Should we buy some of this too? This extract from the spice, turmeric, is believed by some to have the power to stop myeloma in its tracks. The fact that no one knows which dose works best—if at all—doesn't stop hopeful survivors from trying.
Of course, there are a number of other supplements to consider. Calcium in a number of different forms, made from a wide variety of sources. Vitamins C and E as well as selenium—even though this once popular trio has fallen on hard times recently after failing to show any anti-cancer benefit in several large, ten year studies.
But it is misguided to believe that you can—or should—take as many of these supplements as you can afford. Because besides draining your bank account, some of these pills, powders, and potions may actually hurt more than they help.
Deciding which supplements to take is hard enough for a healthy person. But for a multiple myeloma patient it can be especially difficult.
The number one issue for multiple myeloma patients are drug interactions. Since many of us are constantly undergoing some sort of therapy, understanding which supplements may negatively affect the drugs we are taking is vitally important.
But how can we know that? If only it were as easy as asking your doctor.
It is good advice to always check with your doctor first before you start taking a new supplement—your oncologist should always know which supplements you are taking and in what dose.
But this is where things get complicated. Some oncologists frown upon taking any supplementation while using chemotherapy. Others are extremely cautious. Why? Because some supplements may hurt the effectiveness of your chemo.
Truth be told, often a doctor isn't sure. So their feeling is “better safe than sorry.” The problem with this philosophy is, by recommending a patient not take supplements, the physician may be doing the patient a disservice by depriving them of the extra nutrients they need to stay strong during therapy.
Next week I will cover some specifics. I will share my long list of oncologist-approved supplements I use with you—and list some known supplement/prescription combinations to avoid.
Until then, take only the vitamins your oncologist has approved and wait until next week to learn about other vitamins you might want to discuss with your physician.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
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You are brave.
Your approved list will not necessarily be an industry standard approved list. It is overwhelming. Common sense and trust needs to prevail. I have written about what we do and offered some basic things. But it is a huge issue in the alternative / complimentary / allopathic world of health. I'm impressed that you are going to try to tackle it.
Pat-
I agree with Lori- great that you are tackling this important issue. I am looking forward to info about specific supplements. The major issue overall, of course, is if one should supplement before, during or after therapy? The article below cites a specific meta analysis from Medline-
Nutritional Supplements Safe And Beneficial For Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
http://peoplebeatingcancer.org/article/nutritional-supplements-safe-and-beneficial-patients-undergoing-chemotherapy-and-radiation-t
thanks
I am still new at this as my MM is still smoldering,but I found your article very interesting. There is sooo much information out there it is hard to follow it all.
No pressure, right guys? I'm not sure I'm "brave" to write about this... I will barely be skimming the surface. But I will try and be as specific as I can next week. Maybe some of you can be preparing yours and/or your loved ones lists as well to share? Pat
There will never be one correct answer to nutritional supplementation. This is due to the many modalities of health and wellness,integrative and allopathic medicine. In fact, it's the wild, wild west!
The key, and this only my opinion, is peer reviewed science based formulas that are manufactured to OTC standards, insuring dissolution and bioavailability. Without these minimum standards, there are absolutely no guarantees that what's on the label is even in the bottle!
I like that, Tammy... "the wild, wild west." Great description. Yes, regulation of supplements is long overdue. We live in a world which is far from perfect, don't we? Disappointing! Thanks for reading- Pat
Yes, Tammy is correct, we have limited studies and mostly anecdotal evidence on many of the complimentary therapies and doing a standard peer review research with clinical trials for something you can buy over the counter now for less than $5, ain't going to happen. Trials and pharma research is tremendously expensive and takes a fairly long time.
Too bad, isn't it? One can hope someday...
Pat
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