Drugs, the Series Part 3: Vitamin(s) B

My sister recently visited me at my mother’s house in the country (it isn’t what you think). She brought with her an arsenal of lore and some vitamin B, which she said would help with the side effects of  my chemo. When folks talk about vitamin B they usually are referring to a vitamin B complex, as there are a number of vitamin Bs.

You can find equivocal results on Vitamin B and cancer prevention HERE and HERE , as well as an article on the rise and fall of vitamin B-17, or Laetrile . I suppose I should be happy that vitamin B-6 fights colorectal cancer , but it doesn’t work for MM. Here’s what the Pauling Institute says about vitamin B-6, and about vitamin B-12 .

Now I want to explore the use of vitamin B in the alleviation of the side effects of chemotherapy. Two vitamin Bs are implicated as chemotherapy decreases their amounts in the body: Vitamins B1 and B12. This article , while clearly biased toward selling a supplement, explains why someone with peripheral neuropathy should think about increasing the amounts of these vitamins in their diet.

I would be skeptical, except that my cancer doc gave me a handout that told me that vitamin B would reduce my peripheral neuropathy symptoms.

Its important to be skeptical, especially when there are articles out there that suggest that intake of high amounts of certain vitamins can make things worse for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. HERE is an article to that effect.

Vitamin B gets a yes vote for the supplement page.