Want to start supplements.

Hi Tiff,

I started reading about supplements when my wife got diagnosed. It's been more than a year. Let me tell you... my head is spinning. For any given supplement, a can find a few medical studies that directly contradict each other. One study says that a supplement is safe and that it shows some anticancer activity. Another study says that the supplement is not safe or that it's doesn't have any anticancer benefits.

I have about a gazillion bookmarks on supplements, but this is the best resource by far:

Memorial Sloan-Kettering web site About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products
http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integr … bout-herbs

Each supplement has its own page with two tabs: one for Healthcare Professional, another one for Consumer. For example, here's the page on Vitamin D:

Consumer tab is the one you want to read. Healthcare Professional tab has a lot more details, but the medical mumbo-jumbo can be a bit of a challenge to wade through.

Finally, my advice to you: tread very carefully. Talk to Dr.Javle or ask questions here before you start taking any new supplements.

Hi,
To be truthful, other than patients that are in the clinical trials, complimentary and alternative treatment (CAM) is not a bad idea. The problem lies on knowing what and which to use  to provide the desired benefit?
I sincerely believe even  doctors are not sure about what to use in CAM due to the vast choices and the busy schedules for all the doctors. and that is why most of them do not recommend Herbals or supplements.
I think they will prefer to spend more time ,if they have ,to up date their knowledge of their own field besides see patients, attending their own institutional medical and administrative meetings;doing research and attend medical conventions. Don't you think so?

It is not the doctors' fault,but think about in this way; would you like the specialists ,like oncologists or liver specialist ,to concentrate  more  on their own fields rather than become a "jack of all trades"?

That responsibility ,if you choose CAM, should lies on the patients as well as the caregivers and their personal belief of using it rather than venture out of the current western medical domain.

but if you want to do so, which about 90% of the patients and caregivers will do so according to a study; University of Pittsburgh and  Sloan-Kettering are two good places to start. our own web site under the experience forum of CAM is another source for it.

http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/punbb … hp?id=5931

http://www.cancer.net/patient/All+About … e+Medicine

http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/punbb … hp?id=6273

For me, CAM is difficult to find experienced practitioners to  provide good results besides minimal benefits. and I do not think FDA, in the near future will attempt to provide additional guide lines besides classified them,such as for the herbal medicines, as food items.
God bless.

Hi Tiffany, my husband has gotten approval from his dr. On these: baby aspirin 1x day to reduce inflammation, fish oil to maintain weight (I think), ginger capsules for nausea, and ginseng for energy. His family keeps pushing him to take alkiline drops, but dr says they wont do anything. Instead, he juices whole lemons and pineapple cores to reduce alkilinity and inflammation. He also eats lots of broccoli. I think juicing fruits and vegetables makes him feel the best...how can a bright green drink not translate into good health? We love our juicer. Hope this helps!