Healthy Eating & Dietary Supplements

Healthy Eating

What we eat has a direct impact on how we feel, and for anyone undergoing cancer treatment a nutritious diet is especially important.  During treatment, your appetite and ability to eat can change with side effects from chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.  Beneficial effects have been found for diets rich in proteins, vegetables, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Selecting the healthiest, most nutrient-dense foods, can provide more energy, prevent weight loss and give the body what it needs to repair and heal.

At the Cancer Treatment Center, diet plans can be created to help individual patients manage symptoms and promote healing.  Contact Carol Schrader, MPH, RD, Nutrition Counselor at (541) 706-4725.

• Harvest for Health encourages patients and family members to explore and taste a different fruit or vegetable each month.  Newsletters include selection and preparation tips, recipes, interesting facts, nutritional information and resources.  Created in partnership with DEFEAT Cancer, with support from St. Charles Food Services.

Dietary Supplements (vitamins, herbs, etc.)

By definition, anything classified as a "drug" by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is held to strict regulations regarding safety, content, purity, quality, dose recommendations, disclosure of possible side effects and overall effectiveness.  To date, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzyme therapies, amino acids, homeopathic and herbal products are not classified as drugs by the FDA.  Without FDA approval, the Cancer Treatment Center cannot administer them to patients or endorse their use.

We realize that many of our patients do use dietary supplements, and our greatest concern is that they are being used wisely.  This is why it is vitally important that you tell your health care team everything you are taking - prescriptions, vitamins, herbal products, or any kind of dietary supplements.  Some supplements are OK after treatment, some during, but others can be dangerous to the patient while undergoing radiation, chemotherapy or surgery, or when mixed with prescription drugs.

Our policy is to document your use of these items and provide you with the most up-to-date information so that you can make informed decisions regarding your supplement choices.  More information can be found at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center - About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products: http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm.

For patients who decline conventional therapies, or for whom they have failed, we recommend using botanical agents only in the context of clinical trials, recognized nutritional guidelines, or clinical evaluation of the risk/benefit ratio based on available evidence.