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1. Supplements can decrease short-term toxic side effects. Nutrients can help lessen hair loss and nausea and provide extra energy and faster recovery from immune suppression. In addition to helping restore proper levels of platelets and white and red blood-cell counts, they also protect healthy cells from chemotherapy without interfering with the cytotoxic effects upon cancer cells (a particular benefit of N-acetyl cysteine).
2. Supplements can decrease long-term toxic side effects. Certain nutrients can protect organs from long-term damage. For example, studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) reduces the cardiac damage caused by adriamycin, a frequently used chemotherapeutic drug. 4 The serious side effects of many other drugs (methotrexate and cytoxan, to name just two) can also be significantly reduced by appropriate nutrient supplementation.
3. Supplements have positive synergistic effects. Many nutrients exhibit a synergistic effect when used with chemotherapeutic drugs. Others, by inhibiting mutation of cancer, allow the body to experience the longer-lasting cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Examples of this are the positive effects of combining folic acid and beta-glucan with 5-FU and also the use of quercetin with Adriamycin.
4. Supplements can inhibit cancer. All supplements synergistically assist the body's defense mechanisms as they inhibit metastatic cancer and prevent recurrences.
I customize a nutritional supplement regime for each cancer patient I see, recommending particular supplements and directing the dosage and method of use. Some supplements are more effective when taken with meals, while others, such as enzymes, are best taken on an empty stomach. Whenever possible, I have included directives such as those in the individual nutrient descriptions that follow.
Two general supplements that I often recommend are Cyto-Redoxin by Tyler Encapsulations (includes vitamin C, E, selenium, N-acetyl cysteine, CoQ10, alpha-lipoic acid, carotene complex, zinc, grape seed extract, and green tea extract) and Clinical Nutrients Antioxidant by Phyto Pharmica, which has similar ingredients. Many times general supplements like these (and others listed in Resources) are the foundation of a protocol I recommend, and I add other specific nutrients and supplements based on the individual's immediate needs.

 
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