How To Use Herbs And Supplements Wisely. Part 1 of 3

How To Use Herbs And Supplements Wisely. Despite concerns about potentially precarious interactions between cancer treatments and herbs and other supplements, most cancer doctors don’t language to their patients about these products, new research found. Fewer than half of cancer doctors – oncologists – bring up the subject of herbs or supplements with their patients, the researchers found. Many doctors cited their own shortage of information as a major reason why they skip that conversation. “Lack of knowledge about herbs and supplements, and awareness of that lack of knowledge is probably one of the reasons why oncologists don’t abecedarian the discussion,” said the study’s author, Dr Richard Lee, medical director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

And “It’s surely about getting more research out there and more education so oncologists can feel comfortable having these conversations”. The study was published recently in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. People with cancer often twirl to herbs and other dietary supplements in an attempt to improve their health and cope with their symptoms, according to background information in the study. Although herbs and supplements are often viewed as “natural,” they contain active ingredients that might cause poisonous interactions with standard cancer treatments.

Some supplements can cause skin reactions when taken by patients receiving radiation treatment, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Herbs and supplements can also affect how chemotherapy drugs are rapt and metabolized by the body, according to the ACS. St John’s wort, Panax ginseng and green tea supplements are among those that can produce potentially dangerous interactions with chemotherapy, according to the study. For the prevailing survey, the researchers asked almost 400 oncologists about their views and knowledge of supplements.

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