A recent study claiming to debunk the efficacy of resveratrol has prompted some questions about the use of resveratrol supplements for cancer patients. The study claims to have found that resveratrol is not helpful with either cardiovascular or cancer risk, or with longevity. It comes from an interesting source: the inCHIANTI study, a study of … Continued
Keith I. Block, MD Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are criticizing antioxidants again. As you may recall, about 18 months ago, Nobel Prize winner James Watson published a paper saying antioxidants are bad for cancer patients, and that antioxidant-rich blueberries amount to nothing more than a natural “junk food” that are OK to eat … Continued
The final installment in our supplement series will take a look at some of the reliable resources available to consumers for supplement and herbal information. There are several places one can look to find concise information about a botanical supplement. This brief list of sources is evolving, and new credible sources are being compiled as … Continued
Our previous blog articles looked at supplement purity, potency, and the importance of formulation. Today’s article will look at how to assess supplement quality. More people are using supplements than ever before. According to one study, about 40% of the population takes vitamins or minerals and about 15% take an herbal supplement. As I mentioned … Continued
An Example – Making Omega-3’s Work For You, Rather than Against You Keith Block, MD In our two previous blog articles we looked at supplement purity and supplement potency. In this article, we will take a look at supplement formulation. When I formulate supplements for my patients, I often combine multiple nutrients into a single … Continued
By: Penny B. Block, Ph.D. Breathing both affects and reflects the level of tension in your body and mind. When tense, your breathing will become shallow, with more rapid movement in the upper region of your chest. On the other hand, if you inhale gently allowing the air to “fill” your abdomen and exhale from … Continued
By: Penny B. Block, Ph.D. Increasingly, science and medicine, as well as the general public, recognize the powerful role that stress plays in our physical health. For people dealing with cancer, this is a component of care that cannot be brushed aside. Recent research out of Ohio State University (Hai, et al.) published in the … Continued
Q. What do you recommend for hand-foot syndrome from the oral chemo (for metastatic breast cancer) Xeloda, other than dose reduction? A. Hand-foot syndrome can be difficult to manage. Standard advice for this side effect, which is seen with several drugs, include: wear loose-fitting clothing and shoes, avoid activities that put any kind of pressure … Continued
As I have been advising patients for over thirty years now, most cancer patients don’t die from cancer, they die from the complications associated with the disease and its treatment. Knowing this empowers you to take the steps needed to prevent these complications from arising in the first place. Here I will focus on one … Continued
We were recently asked why our turmeric supplement, Curcu-Essentials, doesn’t contain pepper, as several other turmeric products on the market do. We thought this information would be of interest to others as well: Pepper has a phytochemical called piperine in it. Piperine is added to turmeric supplements to help increase their absorption, since curcumin, the … Continued