Although not commonly addressed in clinical consultation, scientific evidence suggests that combining certain chemotherapy treatments with specific antioxidants at defined dosages can improve drug effectiveness or may reduce side effect severity in the treatment of colon cancer.

There has been significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer this past year. In this article, guest author Gwendolyn Stritter, MD, discusses some of the latest research and observes how there is increasingly “more information about which herbs, supplements, and other alternative/complementary approaches can minimize treatment side effects and possibly even reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence.”

While it is true that there are some antioxidants that can hinder chemotherapy’s effects, recent research suggests that there are some antioxidants that, when combined with chemotherapy, can increase the effectiveness of treatment by upwards of 30%. In this article, we seek to provide some clarity on this topic by providing useful guidelines that patients and health care providers can use to make better, more informed treatment decisions. Although this article specifically focuses on advanced metastatic prostate cancer, future articles will focus on the use of antioxidants and chemotherapy in the treatment of other cancers.

When a visit to a hospital is necessary, knowing what to expect, who to contact, and how to ask questions can be immensely beneficial. In this article, author Sandra Boeschen writes how “with a little preparation, an inpatient or outpatient visit can be the healing event you need.”

In this article, we discuss the impact cancer treatment can have on sexual functioning. By addressing this important topic, it is our hope that this article will facilitate a constructive discussion between patients and their partners and health care providers.