The Truth About.... The "Cure-All" Tea

06/22/22 • 41 min

The Cancer Pod: Integrative Medicine Talk

Can anything really be a “cure-all?” What a concept! There are things this 100-year-old herbal formula can do, and there are things it can't. Tina & Leah chat facts about Essiac & Flor-Essence teas.

Herbal medicine, plant medicine, botanical medicine, whatever you like to call it, there’s evidence for its use dating back thousands of years. We love using medicinal plants for ourselves and our patients. The promise of a cure for cancer, however, needs to be looked at closely. Is it possible? Could it be? What do we know about this formula?

Essiac and Flor Essence herbal combos have a lot of anecdotal stories about their use in cancer care. We chat about the plants in these formulas, touch on the history of the formula, and give your our honest opinion on what you should expect.

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Previous Episode

The Truth About...Those Antioxidants

The terms “antioxidants” and “free radicals”- what do they mean exactly? Are antioxidants safe to take as a supplement? Tina & Leah tell you the truth, even if it is inconvenient. (Don’t blame the messengers!)

Antioxidants only do good, right? The theory is that antioxidants prevent cancer by limiting damage in and around our cells. Truth: Foods high in antioxidant compounds are associated with less cancer (think plants!). BUT, does this mean that antioxidant supplements are a good idea? The truth is in the data.

Another pressing question: “Are antioxidants safe during & after treatment for cancer?” This gets tricky. What prevents cancer is not always a good idea after it has been diagnosed. Radiation, and some chemotherapies, actually use oxidation as their means to kill cancer cells. Can antioxidants from food interfere? Can antioxidant supplements interfere? We discuss this in detail.

This is the second installment in our “Truth About...” pod. The idea of this series is to tackle a few topics where marketing messaging is flooding the scene, where misinformation abounds, and where we think people could be doing themselves harm with that not-so-discerning doctor, Dr. Google.

Join us as we talk about antioxidants and a couple of very popular products whose marketing teams are way ahead of their scientific advisory staff.
Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Juice Plus Vegetable+ Label Showing <1 gram fiber JuicePlus.com

Newsletter critiquing Juice Plus claims Google Archive, UC Berkeley Wellness Newsletter

False Claims by Juice Plus, Feb 2006 Google Archive, University of Kansas

Protandim study on athletic performance shows no improvement PLoS One

How increasing antioxidants in cells (Nrf2 activation) may promote cancer growth Cancer Discovery

Glutathione may increase tumor progression and treatment resistance Journal of Cell Biology

Beta-carotene and higher rates of lung cancer in smokers New England Journal of Medicine

How beta-carotene was metabolized may explain the higher rate of lung cancer in smokers American Journal of Cli

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Next Episode

Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (The Return of Side Eff@cks)

Nerve damage from chemotherapy can lead to lingering effects after treatment. There are several natural agents that can help. But, some can actually make it worse too! Listen in while Tina & Leah discuss how to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and what to (safely) do if you already have it.

Chemotherapy drugs are designed to be toxic to cancer cells but sometimes they are also toxic to your nervous system. This can have long-term consequences. Take heart, there are ways to lessen the risk during treatment. There are also ways to improve peripheral neuropathy symptoms after treatment. Did you know that there is clinical trial data that shows this? (We may be creative, but not when it comes to recommending treatments.)

Links we mention in this episode and other cool stuff:

What drugs are most likely to cause chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy American Cancer Society

High-dose L-glutamine for taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy. Clinical Cancer Research

Omega-3 fatty acids and taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy BMC Cancer

High dose L-glutamine in oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy The Oncologist

Review of natural agents & chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) Nutrients (2022)

Review of vitamin E studies - it only works for cis/carboplatin-induced CIPN (Frontiers in Cryotherapy)

The ASCO guidelines for CIPN (We don’t agree with doing nothing.) ASCO

Frozen gloves (cryotherapy) for prevention of CIPN Annals of Oncology

Scrambler therapy for pain management Support Care Cancer

Cytokines as targets in CIPN Cytokine

Alpha-lipoic acid alongside a taxane drug and doxorubicin Support Care Cancer (2022)