Positive Health Online

Abstract

FRENKEL and colleagues, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Education Project, Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1123, USA, mafrenke@utmb.edu, have reviewed (32 references) communication with cancer patients about the use of nutritional supplements. Abstract: Cancer patients often seek supplements to conventional oncological care in complementary medicine, usually without their physicians' knowledge. Among the most common forms of complementary and alternative medicine used by cancer patients are natural products such as herbs and vitamins. The extensive use of nutritional supplements by cancer patients raises multiple questions and challenges for the physician. Since there are limited scientific data on the efficacy and safety of many nutritional supplements, advising patients about when to use them during the course of illness is difficult. This is true for each stage of cancer care: prevention, acute active care (radiation, chemotherapy, surgery), and post-acute care (follow-up visits and prevention of recurrence). The authors describe a patient-centred approach to the use of nutritional supplements in cancer care.

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References

Frenkel M, Ben-Arye E, Baldwin CD, Sierpina V. Approach to communicating with patients about the use of nutritional supplements in cancer care. Southern Medical Journal 98 (3): 289-294, Mar 2005.