Thousands of patients were anxiously calling their doctors last week after a new study found that fish oils might increase the risk of prostate cancer. Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the study found that high ... [Read More]
Supplements and Botanicals
In this section, you will learn about various supplements and botanical compounds that can help in the management of side effects, symptoms and nutritional support.
My New Favorite Prostate Cancer Supplement
If you have prostate cancer or are at risk of developing prostate cancer (essentially, everyone with a prostate) this should be of interest to you. Eating a diet rich in whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes) has been shown to ... [Read More]
Complementary Therapies For Chemo-Neuropathy: An Integrative Oncologist’s Bag Of Tricks
"Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy" (CIPN) effects the lives of up to 40% of cancer patients who receive chemotherapy. CIPN symptoms can be so bothersome that we have to lower our treatment doses or stop treatment all ... [Read More]
What Integrative Oncology Is And Is Not
http://youtu.be/cx5VuAMaW6k What Is Integrative Oncology? Before I get into clarifying what integrative oncology is NOT, let’s first make sure all of our newer readers know what it IS. Integrative oncology is the use of evidence-informed ... [Read More]
How To Reduce Your Risk of Bone Fracture During and After Cancer Treatment
Bone loss and bone fractures are a significant concern during and after many different types of cancer treatment. Appropriate screening, lifestyle modifications and therapies to increase or maintain bone density are essential. I decided to write ... [Read More]
Reduce Your Risk Of Blood Clots Without A Prescription
This article has been updated, November 2019 (link here) One of the the facts I emphasize during my integrative oncology talks is that the majority of patients with cancer do not die from their cancer, but instead from a side effect or ... [Read More]
Is There Any Other Anti-Cancer Botanical Compound As Exciting As Curcumin?
Curcumin is one of the hottest plant polyphenol extracts being researched, today. Until recently, I was unaware of the extensive history of curcumin research...dating back over 170 years! In the last 10-years, alone, there have been over 4,600 ... [Read More]
Hey Doc, Can I Take Antioxidants During Chemo and Radiation?
This is one of the most common questions asked by our patients in the oncology clinic, and for most oncologists their knee jerk answer is "NO, It's NOT safe to take antioxidants during chemotherapy and radiation therapy." What's The Claim? When I ... [Read More]
One Baby Aspirin Per Day Cuts Cancer Development, Metastases and Death!
Do you take an aspirin a day for aches and pains or other health reasons? It seems that many people do, and they might be inadvertently protecting themselves from cancer. A Willow Tree Gave Us Aspirin: The ancient Egyptians used the bark of the ... [Read More]
Fight Cancer: Chew (or Juice) Brassicas!
I was no fan of broccoli when I was a kid. My mom used to have to serve it to me with melted cheese just so that I would eat it (pssst, don't tell my mom, but I used to feed it to our family dog under the table before the cheese ... [Read More]
Use Glutamine To Reduce The Severity Of Mucositis And Neuropathy (During Chemotherapy Or Radiation Therapy)
If you are about to start a course of chemotherapy that can cause mucositis (i.e. of the mouth, throat or esophagus) or peripheral neuropathy (i.e. hands and feet), ask your oncologist if you can use glutamine to help reduce the severity of these ... [Read More]
Get Metformin-Like AntiCancer Activity Without A Prescription (Berberine)
What Is Berberine? Berberine is one of the active alkaloid extracts, derived from a variety of plants (i.e. Oregon grape, barberry, tree turmeric, goldenseal, Amor cork tree, Chinese goldthread or "huanglian" or "Coptis chinensis", etc.), that have ... [Read More]
Fight & Prevent Breast Fibrosis After Radiation Therapy
I wrote a previous blog post in which I hypothesized that by using a combination of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and pentoxifylline (PTX), patients undergoing breast or chest wall radiation therapy for breast cancer might be able to reduce their risk ... [Read More]
Metformin Supplementation and Cancer Treatment
The Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians (OncANP) annual conference was chock-full of excellent talks on the use of a variety of supplements that may be useful in helping to reduce the risk of cancer development, progression and ... [Read More]
Just Got Back From A Great Naturopathic Cancer Conference (OncANP): Update on Melatonin and Cancer Treatment
The Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians (OncANP) just held their 2nd annual conference, in Phoenix, and it was great! This was the first Naturopathic conference I have attended, and I was VERY impressed with the quality of the ... [Read More]
Read About the Numerous Anti-Cancer and Protective Effects of Milk Thistle Extract (Silymarin)
Milk thistle seeds contain a powerful phytonutrient called, silymarin, which is increasingly being recognized for its' wide-range of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and protective effects against various drugs and toxins. Most studies ... [Read More]
Flavonoid Polyphenols and Cancer
What are Flavonoids? Flavonoids are plant-made chemicals (phytochemicals) in the “polyphenol” family of molecules. They are widely found in fruits, vegetables, cereals, herbs, spices, stems and flowers, teas, red wine, beer, beans, cocoa, and many ... [Read More]
A Medicinal Mushroom Warning (Cordyceps Sinensis)…Buyer Beware!
I recently discovered a very alarming issue surrounding one of the most commonly used medicinal mushrooms, Cordyceps sinensis (CS.) It has been marketed and prescribed for years for its’ immune-stimulating effects (as well as, anti-cancer, ... [Read More]
Mucositis of the Mouth and Throat: An Integrative Oncology Approach to Management
Mucositis is one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment, and one that can cause a great amount of distress when not addressed both preventatively and therapeutically. Dr. Lise Alschuler, ND (an internationally known naturopathic ... [Read More]
Inflammation 101: The Fuel That Feeds Cancer
I think most of us typically think of inflammation as our body’s protective response to injury and infection. Without it, we’d be in serious trouble (unless we lived in a sealed bubble.) If it were only that simple… Inflammation comes in two ... [Read More]
Do multivitamins cut cancer risk?
Fans of magic bullets took heart this week from headlines proclaiming that a daily multivitamin supplement can cut our cancer risk. Not so fast, people! Although the study appears to be methodologically sound, its results may have been skewed by ... [Read More]
Warming Ginger and Lemon Infusion
Winter has come very suddenly to my part of the world (it snowed this morning!) and while I wait for my central heating to crank into gear after the summer break, I have been brewing my own "liquid central heating" to keep me warm. Ginger is ... [Read More]
L-Carnitine Supplements For Cancer Side Effects
Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC), a natural substance marketed over the counter as a dietary supplement, has been reported to be an effective therapy for reducing and preventing peripheral neuropathy from chemotherapy and for cancer-related fatigue. The ... [Read More]
Food As ‘Chemo’? Targeting cancer using a whole food approach
The data supporting anticancer activity in natural supplements is extensive. Unfortunately, oncologists and patients are hampered by the paucity of high-quality clinical trials in deciding which supplements might improve clinical outcomes. Designing ... [Read More]
CoQ 10 may reduce the risk of developing melanoma and reduce recurrence
Reports indicate anticancer activity with higher blood levels of CoQ 10 (reduced risk of melanoma development, recurrence and progression.) Why do we rarely hear about this? Very few human studies have been conducted to confirm these findings. ... [Read More]
Stress and Cancer 101: Why Stress Reduction Is Essential
One of the key pillars of integrative oncology is stress reduction. The majority of us intuitively recognize the link between stress and the immune system. How many times in your life have you come down with a cold or other viral infection ... [Read More]
Consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces fatigue & inflammation in breast cancer survivors
A new study, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that breast cancer survivors have less fatigue if they consumed higher quantities of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (a major component of an "anti-inflammatory diet"). The ... [Read More]
Cannabis and Cancer: prescribe 5 different drugs or simply one botanical…your choice
This is a completely non-political blog entry on the science of the medical efficacy of Cannabis (marijuana) in oncology. Cannabis is plant that is classified in the U.S. as a controlled substance with an "increased potential for abuse and no known ... [Read More]
Struggling with nausea? Try this simple and effective Chinese medicine technique ("moxibustion")
One of the effective techniques for dealing with chemotherapy and radiation therapy-related nausea involves an ancient Chinese technique called "moxibustion." It involves the use of a rolled herbal cigar of dried and/or processed mugwort, also ... [Read More]
Vitamin E: Is it safe for men anymore?
In light of the recently reported SELECT study, many patients are asking this question. Here is my short response: The data from the recently reported SELECT trial show a 17% increased risk of developing prostate cancer with 400 IU's of ... [Read More]