Echinacea anyone?

[Mandy56]

I’ve just read on the CancerTutor website, that echinacea is great for boosting our immune systems, together with zinc and selenium. I’ve taken zinc and selenium prior to chemo and the oncologist didn’t seem to have any issues with resuming those two. However, I’m aware that here in the UK doctors are pretty clueless about nutrition. Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts/experiences of echinacea or indeed zinc and selenium?

[Eric_68]

echinacea can help relieve side effects from cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but this has not been proven.

I have also read that it is a type of poison, so I would not jump into this without knowing exactly what it may do to you.

[wroxham-gb]

Hi Mandygo to search and ask a question about this product. It will give you the information you seek.

Sue

Ps I have tried to link but has not worked for me. Sorry.

[Saska-Jul31 in reply to wroxham-gb]

I have early CLL and used to get nasty colds and coughs each winter, with the most awful cold sores. Since my dx I take vitamins including zinc and haven’t had a cold all winter. When I felt a cold coming on and recently when my husband had a streaming cold I took Echinacea and remained well. 😀. I also took high doses of vitamin C, again just for a few days. I do of course always have the flu jab.

Incident.y my ALC is just 1 point below doubling at my last 6 monthly test but still only 11, so am not worried.

[Mandy56 in reply to Saska-Jul31]

Thanks Sasha. Good news about your ALC and thanks for your advice. I take Vit C too and D and think I’ll keep echinacea in the cupboard on standby too.

[crystalsky]

Echinacea, and echinacea with goldenseal has been a staple in our home since the 1980's. When my children were growing up and starting to come down with something, I started them on it right away. They were rarely in need of anything stronger to fight it off. I realized doctors were too quick with the antibiotics early on.

My husband and I also utilize it if we feel we may have been exposed to something. However, we only use it until we feel better. We don't often get sick, but it's great to have on hand if we do.

However, for this particular herb, I wouldn't have us to take it everyday, as I'm not sure if it would affect its effectiveness when needed for illness. We do take zinc and selenium daily. To me, vitamin C is one of our best immune defenses.

I was under the impression, in UK, you need a doctor's prescription for supplements, which I thought was horrible. I am wrong then?

[Mandy56 in reply to crystalsky]

Thanks for that Crystalsky.

No prescriptions needed here for supplements, though doctors are often dismissive of them, due to “lack of evidence”. Needless to say, drug companies won’t fund trials into herbs!

[G1llHa1n in reply to crystalsky]

Not usually is the answer. For more complex matters it is worth consulting with a medically-trained herbalist.

[Wroxham]

webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingre...

[Rmflav]

I once read that echinacea is contraindicated for lymphoma. What I recall the article saying was that echinacea works by stimulating your white blood cells, something we don't need. On the other hand, elsewhere I have read that it is in general a good herb to fight cancer....