Integrative health care providers put a lot of value on nutritional supplements because they can help people heal and give them vitamins, minerals, herbs, and nutrients they need. Even though there is no one supplement or “magic pill” that can completely cure cancer or other health problems, there are a number of powerful supplements that can help fight cancer. It’s important to talk to an integrative doctor to find out which supplements will help your health the most.
- Getting rid of toxins in your body
- Providing essential nutrients
- Boosting and keeping your immune system in check
- Trying to kill tumor cells or stem cells that are moving.
A very important piece of advice is to not only use one type of anti-cancer supplement. Instead, you should switch between them depending on the type of cancer you have. Your doctor may order blood tests to find out which supplements may help get rid of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and stem cells (CSCs). It’s important to go after these cells because they cause 95% of metastases and can’t be killed by traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.
Three supplements to fight cancer
We tell all of our cancer patients that they should start their treatment with these important nutrients. No matter what treatment you choose, you should make sure to eat salmon and spinach, and these supplements should be an important part of your routine as well. Chemotherapy or radiation can be bad for the body, so it’s important to improve your diet to help your body heal.
1. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful nutrient that fights cancer and makes the immune system stronger. Two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling was one of the first scientists to suggest that high doses of this vitamin could kill cancer cells. Simply put, giving cancer cells a lot of vitamin C through an IV causes them to make hydrogen peroxide, which makes the cancer cells destroy themselves. When taken by mouth, vitamin C has powerful effects on the immune system and is a great way to prevent and treat cancer.
2. Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 is the form of vitamin D that is easiest to absorb, and it is thought to be one of nature’s most powerful anti-cancer nutrients. This vitamin has a positive effect on 200 genes in the body and is well-known for improving immune function and reducing inflammation. Studies have also shown that it can stop cancer cells from growing and dividing, stop new blood vessels from growing into tumors, and maybe even make cancer cells kill themselves.
3. Proteolytic enzymes in the pancreas
Many people don’t have enough pancreatic enzymes in their bodies on their own. This deficiency can be caused by stress, toxins, and bad eating habits, among other things. But taking enzyme supplements can help everyone in different ways. A medical professional can do a simple blood or stool analysis to find out if the body is making enough of these digestive enzymes. I recommend these three supplements to all of my patients, whether or not they have cancer, along with pancreatic enzymes. Now, let’s look at some other supplements that might also help.
Balance between acid and alkaline
The pH scale is used to figure out how acidic or basic something is. On this scale, the number 1 is the most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the most alkaline. The best pH level for blood is 7.43, which is just a little bit alkaline. Too much acid in the body can cause a number of health problems. In this state, our 100 trillion cells can’t talk to each other well, and this highly acidic environment can speed up aging and cause problems in all of the body’s systems over time. Cancer cells, which thrive in low-oxygen environments, can also grow in places that are too acidic.
Supplements that help the body digest
People with cancer often have problems with their digestion, so they are often told to take supplements to help their digestion work better. Hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes (not the same as pancreatic enzymes), probiotics, and foods with probiotics in them can all help. Hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes help break down and digest food. Probiotics, which come in the form of supplements and foods help, put good bacteria in the large and small intestines. When there aren’t enough “good bacteria” in the gut, it can be hard for the immune system to work properly.
Supplements that help fight cancer for each patient
The supplements we’ve talked about can help you prevent cancer or make it easier to fight it if you already have it. But there are also supplements that may be helpful for a certain patient. Your integrative oncologist can order bio-energetic and RGCC tests to look at the results of other lab tests. Based on these results, they can make you a personalized protocol that includes supplements that will boost your immune system, target certain types of cancer, and work best for your needs.
1. CoQ10
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause damage to cells through oxidative processes. This can lead to the development of cancer in the long run. But there is good news: the supplement CoQ10 is one of the best intercellular antioxidants. It can help fight off too many free radicals and protect cells from damage. CoQ10 has also been shown to make immune cells called macrophages work better. Macrophages help break down cellular waste, foreign substances, and even cancer cells through a process called phagocytosis. CoQ10 may also help the body make granulocytes, which are another type of immune cell. CoQ10 should be taken every day in a dose of 300–400 mg.
2. Quercetin
Quercetin is a strong antioxidant supplement that is known for its ability to control NF-kappaB, which is a gene signal. This gene signal helps the body deal with inflammation and stress. Quercetin can also make cancer cells kill themselves, stop tumors from growing, and make cancer cells less resistant to chemotherapy. Studies have shown that quercetin is effective against many types of cancer, including esophageal, colorectal, liver carcinoma, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. Also, quercetin may help get rid of heavy metals that haven’t yet gotten too deep into the body’s tissues.
3. Melatonin
Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that the pineal gland makes on its own at night. This hormone not only helps you sleep better, but it also fights cancer in a good way. A review of ten studies, called a meta-analysis that was published in the Journal of Pineal Research found that melatonin can reduce the risk of many types of cancer by up to 34%. The authors think that the fact that melatonin intervention lowers the risk of death by a lot, has few side effects, and is cheap shows that it has a lot of potential as a cancer treatment.
4. Artemisinin
Artemisinin comes from a herb called artemisia, which is also known as wormwood. It reacts with the iron in cancer cells to make free radicals. This process breaks down the cell membrane and stops cancer cells from spreading. Taking artemisinin supplements can also help the body get more oxygen, which can help fight cancer. Research shows that artemisinin may be able to treat several types of cancer, even ones that haven’t responded to chemotherapy in the past. Also, there aren’t many reasons why you shouldn’t take this supplement or things that could go wrong if you do. But if you have had liver disease in the past, you should talk to your doctor before taking artemisinin, especially in higher doses, because some people have had problems with their livers.
5. Garlic
With its strong, pungent taste, garlic is not only delicious but also a powerful medicine. Several studies have shown that eating garlic on a regular basis can lower the risk of stomach, colon, esophagus, pancreatic, and breast cancer. Garlic also boosts the immune system by making the body make more natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are very important in protecting the body against cancer, and garlic makes the body make more of them. Also, garlic helps the liver get rid of toxins and boosts the production of glutathione, which is an important antioxidant.
6. Green tea Extract
Green tea has a lot of polyphenols in it, which are powerful chemicals that can help fight cancer. One of these polyphenols, called EGCG, is especially good for treating cancer because it can get rid of harmful free radicals, has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and may kill cancer cells by stopping them from making new blood vessels (also known as angiogenesis). Some experts think that EGCG might even be a better antioxidant than vitamins C and E.
7. lndole-3-carbinol
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower have a lot of a chemical called indole-3-carbinol (I3C). I3C is important because it helps to counteract the effects of chemicals that have xenoestrogenic properties in the body. These chemicals can increase the risk of certain types of cancer, especially reproductive cancers like breast, prostate, uterine, and cervical cancer. You should talk to your doctor about getting hormone testing if you are worried about getting cancer or think you may already have a hormone-related disease. This can help find out if you have too much of the “bad” estrogens or xenoestrogens, which could be causing your health problems.
8. Curcumin
Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant with anti-cancer properties. It comes from turmeric, which is a popular spice. It can stop the first steps in the body that could lead to cancer and mess up the processes that let tumors grow. It can also stop the growth of cancer stem cells and the production of chemicals that cause inflammation and contribute to the growth of cancer. Studies have shown that curcumin can make some types of chemotherapy work better and can treat cancers of the mouth, esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and prostate just as well as some pharmaceutical drugs.
9. Essiac tea
Essiac tea is made from four main herbs: burdock root, slippery elm inner bark, sheep sorrel, and Indian rhubarb root. It is named after a Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse, who used it along with injections to help many cancer patients get better. This supplement has several cytotoxic properties, and its benefits include a stronger immune system, more energy, a better appetite, relief from pain and inflammation, and getting rid of mucus that has built up in the organs. Even though essiac comes in capsules, teas, and other forms, not all brands are of the same quality.
10. Mushrooms used for medicine
In Asia, mushrooms have been used as medicine for hundreds of years, and their popularity has grown around the world in the last few decades. Because they fight cancer and boost the immune system, they are often used in cancer treatments. Even though shiitake, maitake, Ganoderma, reishi, and Cordyceps are some of the most commonly used fungi, there are many others with different uses. Medicinal mushrooms can be a useful part of any plan to treat or prevent cancer.
More research into supplements that fight cancer has found more natural substances that might be able to treat and prevent cancer. You should talk to your doctor about the following options:
- Cat’s Claw
- Aloe Vera
- Amygdalin
- Low-dose Naltrexone
- Lycopene
- Mistletoe
- Modified Citrus Pectin
- Poly MVA
- Resveratrol
- Salicinium
- Salvesterol
- Thymex
- Tocotrienols Vitamin E
- Vascustatin
Research shows that there are many effective supplements that can help fight cancer. But testing is needed to find the best one for a certain type of cancer. Ideally, this should be done by an integrative cancer doctor. You should talk to your doctor about RGCC tests, other lab work, and bio-energetic tests to figure out a personalized protocol for you. Taking this personalized approach will give you the best chance of beating cancer and making your health and well-being better as a whole.
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