Alternative therapy for cancer?

Have you ever been told or have heard that shark cartilage can help patients with lung cancer live longer?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but according to the results of a rigorous study, shark cartilage does not help patients live longer.

However, according to the New York Times, "two smaller studies showed some preliminary but encouraging evidence that two other complementary therapies, ginseng and flaxseed, might have some benefit for cancer patients."

The flaxseed study showed the tumors on the prostates that were removed from men with prostate cancer had grown 30-40% more slowly for those men who had taken flaxseed than for those who didn't.

"The ginseng study suggested that the herb might help fight fatigue, which is common in people with cancer... About one-quarter of the patients who took 1,000 or 2,000 milligrams a day of powdered extract of ginseng root reported that their fatigue had become 'moderately better' or 'much better.' That contrasted with only one-tenth of those who took either a smaller amount of ginseng or a placebo."

These studies do not mean that you should take these alternative as a replacement for chemotherapy or other proven therapies. However, taking ginseng or flaxseed as a supplement will, at best, aid in your treatment and, at worse, do nothing (ie. it will not harm you).