Turner found that the most popular reason why Radical Remission survivors and alternative healers recommend taking vitamin and herbal supplements is to strengthen the body’s own immune system so it can better find and remove cancer cells from the body. “To get rid of cancer, you must change the conditions under which it thrives.”
In my case, I am engaged in treatment where the goal is to “take the brakes off the immune system.” I’ve been advised to be careful about introducing catalysts that may interact in ways as yet unknown. Nonetheless, I drink green tea now rather than coffee, I take a turmeric supplement and am finding ways to introduce through nutrition other cancer-fighting nutrients. At this point I am looking for a nutritionist who can advise about these matters but immunotherapy is such cutting edge that not all that much is known about what helps and what doesn’t.
Dr. Turner concluded that supplements are essentially Band-Aids for a nutrient-poor, toxin-rich environment. She advises that one consider three categories of supplements: those that help you digest your food, those that help to detoxify your body, and those that boost the immune system. Supplements can help in each of these three areas but the goal is to change your lifestyle such that taking the supplement becomes unnecessary.
My goals:
4. Using Herbs and Supplements
Exercise/consult with a nutritionist
Update January 1, 2016
I’ve been supplementing my supplements with probiotics, slippery elm, milk thistle and Chinese herbs as recommended by my acupuncturists and knowledgeable friends to deal with the side effects from the treatment. I expect this to continue but am hopeful that the side effects will not be so extensive.