Mangosteen juice

[KleenTeeth]

Has anyone heard of drinking Mangosteen juice? My sister was receiving her first chemo treatment and 2 survivors spoke to her telling her they drank Mangosteen juice and promogrante juice. Both said their MDs were surprised at how their cancer responded. I wondered if anyone else had a similiar response. Or heard anything negative about it.

[chloesmom]

Nothing on mangosteen juice but I do drink pomengranite juice sometime. I don't like it very much, so I use it to flavor some seltzer water. Pom juice is also high in calories, so that gives me some benefit from the juice, but I don't have to take such a big hit with the calories.

Cindy

[Welthy]

Suzy,

Your sister needs to check with her oncologist and let him/her know exactly what she is taking aside from her chemo. Strong anti-oxidants have been shown to undermine certain chemotherapy regimens. This remains a controversial topic, because there aren't enough conclusive clinical studies to support much of what is being touted in the area of supplementation. They are doing more clinically in this area of late however, which is good. It is also human nature to want to feel you have some measure of "control" over your disease by doing home supplementation. Emotionally, I'm sure it does help, but the human physiology remains unclear -- and don't forget there are still modern day "snake oil" salesmen out there. This is what really frightens me for cancer patients. Please remember that each human being is a unique chemical factory and what may work well for one may do nothing for another.

It still remains most important that her Doctor knows and approves of any additions. I realize many Oncologists have no expertise in this area, so you may want to coordinate her treatment with a qualified Naturopathic practitioner. We have been fortunate with my husband's Doctor, who we routinely question about certain supplementation. We have found he has a good grasp of the subject and knows the limits of how much supplementation is acceptable in Tony's circumstances.

Have you checked out the "oncology forums" at Doctor West's website? He has a contributing Doctor who is well versed in this area. http://www.onctalk.com/forum/

(Nothing I'm saying here is meant to impugn anyone's personal regimens, etc. so please do not infer that from my post. Thank you!)

Best of luck to your sister!

Welthy

[ernrol]

I drink pomegranate juice that you can buy in most grocery stores. Mangosteen juice is sold by multi-market sales and some of the distributors may exaggerate the benefits. I cut the pomegranate juice with water so it is not so sweet. I also add a couple ounces of Noni juice, that way I get them both at once.

Stay positive,

Ernie

[RandyW]

I use Pom JUice in my smoothies. Can not help with Mango Steen but Def let Onc know in case.

I think this is a 50 50 shot about Benefits Versus Damage;

Katrina Claghorn, MS, RD, registered dietitian at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, responds:

Actually there are studies showing that some antioxidants can interfere with chemotherapy. There have also been some studies showing benefit from combining antioxidants and chemotherapy. However, the problem is that we are still trying to figure which antioxidants and which chemotherapies can be combined. So far there isn't enough information to substantiate either claim. Your wife's medical team will develop a treatment regimen based on sound science and they will always lean towards the side of caution. The regimens they use have been tested and the potential problems identified. The effect of using antioxidants with these treatments have not received the same scientific scrutiny, which is why there is hesitancy to combine them outside of clinical trials. If she is receiving radiation therapy, she should hold off on using antioxidants. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by generating oxidants. If high doses of antioxidants are present, this could theoretically decrease the effectiveness of radiation treatments.

Labriola D, Livingston R. Possible interactions between dietary antioxidants and chemotherapy. Oncology 1999; 13:1003-1012.

Good Luck And Sending PRayers