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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – COLUMBUS, Ohio) – After being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Debbie Tncza not only took her doctor’s orders, but took vitamins and supplements to help. And every step of the way she made sure her husband and doctor knew what she was taking and how much.
“At one time, I had chemo and radiation and I was having blood work every week. And he received my blood work, also – it would go straight out to him, too. And he’s say ‘I want you to adjust this … change this,” says Debbie.
It’s estimated more than 40% of cancer patients like Debbie take vitamins or supplements to help with their care.* The problem is, many of us, cancer patients or not, don’t tell our doctors what we’re taking – and that may be dangerous.
Clay Marsh, MD is the director of the Center for Personalized Health Care at Ohio State University Medical Center. He says while many doctors encourage patients to take an active role in their health by taking vitamins and supplements, there are issues. Some can interfere with medicine – and taking too much of certain vitamins can be dangerous.
“Some of the fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A for instance, or Vitamin E can sometimes have detrimental effects because the build up in our bodies and they can actually cause problems,” says Dr. Marsh.
Problems with things like bone density, hemorrhaging, and even birth defects.**
Dr. Marsh says you should research the vitamins and supplements you’re interested in and talk to your doctor about all of them, before taking any of them.
Experts say if you are undergoing surgery or are trying to get pregnant, it’s especially important to talk to your doctor.
Supplements like garlic, ginko biloba and ginseng can increase your risk of bleeding – and too many Vitamin D supplements can cause abnormal heart beats.
Sources:
* A Population-based Study of Prevalence of Complementary Methods Use by Cancer Survivors: A Report From the American Cancer Society’s Studies of Cancer Survivors, Cancer, Volume 113, Issue 5, September 1, 2008, Pages: 1048-1057
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121370084/abstract
**Diet Supplement Fact Sheet, National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, retrieved July 2009 from:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/Information_About_Individual_Dietary_Supplements.aspx
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