Thanks for this audio cast on Naturopathic Medicine. I have a couple of thoughts and questions.

What I gathered from this audio cast is: while receiving treatment (chemo, radiation) it is best to keep naturopathic medicine to its basics; a good multivitamin, some daily exercise and a proper diet (cutting down on red meat)?

But if a patient is off treatment or decides to forego standard medical treatment, is there a place for naturopathic medicine? From listening to the audio cast, I am under the impression there aren’t any studies to really test theories about different naturopathic treatments in the role of cancer treatments.

Or does naturopathic treatments work best as a preventive medicine for cancer? Can there be clinical trials or research with naturopathic and medical treatments combined or are too different to work together?

One other thought: when my mom was sick, I came across an article/ web cast about a man who had lung cancer and was basically told there was nothing more than could be down and was given little time. He proceeded to try an alternative treatment: Vitamin C infusions. If my memory is correct, at the time of the interview this gentleman was about a year from his grim prognosis and doing well. I have heard of a couple other lung cancer patients who have tried this and swear by it. Any thoughts/comments, etc about this Vitamin C infusion treatment.

Thanks for this audio case in naturopathic medicine hope to see more.

Namaste,
Ree

phylsgirl

I’ll see if Dr. Bufi can comment on this.

I also think that the topic of vitamin C infusions is a good idea for a future topic, if Dr. Bufi or one of his fellow naturopathic medicine colleagues might tackle it.

-Dr. West

Dr. West

Hello to Ree,
Thank you for great questions about our recent podcast on Naturopathic Medicine. I hope to answer these for you to your satisfaction and for the benefit of all.
Naturopathic medicine does not have to be limited to the basics while receiving cancer treatments (chemo, radiation) in every case. It is all contingent upon the type of cancer treatment and this will dictate if we can go beyond the basics. Patient overall health, treatment response, and side effect level also play into this. With some cancer treatments we have a larger window of opportunity to work with where natural complementary medicine can help without interfering with cancer treatment. It depends on the cancer treatment mechanism. Treatment mechanisms range from free radical producers (damaging cancer cells) to anti-metabolites (depriving cancer cells of certain nutrients) and we have to honor all parameters. This is complementary to standard medical cancer treatments.
Now if a patient is off treatment then we are in no way going to interfere with treatment or cause drug nutrient or radiation nutrient interactions. For patients in remission we can work on immune system enrichment and the repair of any healthy cell damage in general. And of course, work to decrease risk of recurrence. Here again, complimentary.
If a patient decides to forego standard medical treatment or if conventional cancer treatment has been exhausted and has failed, then there is always more that can be done to provide anti-cancer benefit whenever possible. There are some natural medicine protocols with demonstrated anti-cancer activity that can help keep the patient as healthy and comfortable as possible. These are not cancer cures but have demonstrated anti-cancer activity in the sense of the ability to activate important cancer fighting parts of the immune system. We can evaluate the potential benefits vs. risks of natural medicines in the patient’s circumstances and facilitate additional treatment when appropriate. This is alternative to standard medical cancer treatments. Alternate treatments (and some can overlap to complementary) for cancer focuses on clinical nutrition (diet, vitamins, minerals, etc.), botanical medicines, prescription medicines, some Chinese medicine, hydrotherapy, manipulation, massage, psychological and spiritual strategies, lifestyle changes and more.
I always encourage patients to go the full conventional medicine route for cancer treatment before exploring alternatives. This is because in my almost twenty years of this (twenty years this June!), I have seen some simple cancer cases turn very sad due to a person wasting valuable conventional treatment time with alternative treatment time.
And naturopathic medicine treatments do work well as preventive medicine for cancer. Also, there have been some research studies combining naturopathic and conventional medical treatments to mainly explore drug nutrient interactions both positive and negative.
As far as your comments on Vitamin C infusions I can only say that this would definitely be “alternative” and there have been some promising results. A great deal of care and caution must go into these types of alternative treatments to prevent anything from kidney damage to cardiac arrest. In the not too distant future I will have a GRACE post on this alone.
Again thank you Ree and until next time all the best,
Dr. Bufi

Dr Bufi

Dr. West- Have you heard of using Beta Glucan from yeast for lung cancer patients? Would this be harmful for a stage 4 patient on maintenance Alimta? Than you– Lee Leee@aol.com

leemessenger

I haven’t heard of this and would be at least somewhat concerned about giving a yeast product to someone who may be immunocompromised, due to a possible increased risk of infection. I certainly don’t know of any evidence at all that it is helpful.

-Dr. West

Dr. West

I am in total agreement with Dr. West!

All types of Beta glucan products must be independently tested for microbials to avoid side effects like yeast infections, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hives (urticaria), flushing, rash, excessive urination, high blood pressure or even low blood pressure.

Beta-glucan has also been associated with inflammatory airway disease and lung inflammation. Preliminary evidence suggests intravenous beta-glucans in the microparticulate form may cause serious side effects such as enlarged liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly) and granuloma formations (has lung potential!).

Beta-glucan may interfere with the way the liver processes chemotherapy and drugs in general. It may alter the liver’s “cytochrome P450″ enzyme system which may result in chemicals levels being too high in the blood.

Independently testing for microbials is the minimum requirement for an effective, safe nontoxic product and to remove any questions concerning quality and safety. A Beta-glucan product that has been labled as “generally regarded as safe (GRAS)” rating is unacceptable for cancer patients. Labels must at least read “screened for low microbials” to ensure safety. This information is based on a professional level monograph edited and peer-reviewed by contributors to the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.

Beta glucan is really nothing new, just the name. It is also known as barley, brewer’s yeast, baker’s yeast, oat bran, oats, Saccharomyces boulardii (a one-celled plant that is a variety of fungus), salep, maitake mushroom, and shiitake mushroom. researchers consider it to be one of the most effective immune enhancing substances ever discovered

Beta glucan is a soluble fiber derived from the cell walls of algae, bacteria, fungi, yeast, and plants. It is considered to be a modulator to modify the immune systems response to any threats. Claims are that if used long enough it will eventually have an effect on all parts of the immune response. It has been used for cholesterol-lowering, diabetes, and weight loss. Some companies state, “The results have been amazing!”

And from the herbal/supplements approach there are certainly better and safer ways to improve immune function. As always, consult with a qualified healthcare professional before using Beta glucans. Your doctor, a pharmacist, or naturopath.

http://www.healthline.com/natstandardcontent/beta-glucan-1

Dr. Bufi

Dr Bufi

Dr. West and Dr. Buffi
There are two N.I.H. clinical trials going in using beta glucan. One is NCT00682032 using beta glucan from bakers yeast abd erbitux and the other NCT00857025 using beta glucan from mushrooms–both for non small cell lung cancer patients. Would they do this trial with lung cancer patients if it could cause problems like lung inflamation and infection? Thank you –Lee

leemessenger

Lee,

I would say that the fact that a trial is moving ahead in patients with lung cancer doesn’t mean that the study treatment is without risk. There are many trials in which the drug being investigated has been shown to be somewhat or even very significantly detrimental. However, the value of studying an agent in a trial is that we can actually define the favorable or unfavorable effects of a treatment in a measured way, rather than potentially have the agent exert its effects without anyone actually learning the ramifications of that treatment, which is what happens when an unproven agent is taken outside of a study.

I am very much in favor of learning the potential value of beta glucan in a study — this is exactly how the field moves forward. It’s just the shortcut of presuming that a treatment is good without actually checking that I think is problematic.

-Dr. West

Dr. West