Yesterday I went to see Lynn Katzin speak at the UCLA Brain Tumor Conference for patients. She is a good speaker, knowledgeable and experienced. For my money I wished she had come out a bit stronger about the the targeted use of specific antioxidant nutrients when taking certain kinds of chemo. That was perhaps not her role in this conference. Lynn Katzin's website is: CANCERNUTRITION.COM
I stayed to listen to a UCLA Oncologist talk about gliomas. It was frustrating to listen to Dr. Lai speak, not because he was a bad speaker but because the info. he presented was so grim. Referring to a Lancet study (366: 985-990, 2005) he said that it didn't matter if you started radiation early in the diagnosis or later after the glioma progressed, the 5 year survival rate was the same. Translation: They all died. Then he said, three was no Quality of Life Analysis to see who felt better. That sucks. My spirits were lifted at this point though because I am a quality of life practitioner (QOL). What could help a brain tumor patient?
I went up and talked to Dr. Lai afterwards and asked him about phospholipids and their use post-radiation for brain tumors (or any radiation for that matter). He didn't know if you could take them orally as a supplement (you can) or whether they would get to where they are needed in the brain (they do). Is it safe to try? Yes. Will it have an effect on a radiation induced brain damage? Maybe. It is worth a try considering that they make up a significant portion of the brain, help with neurotransmitter acetylcholine production and are used for loss of cognitive function. For more information on nutrients for brain health see the formula Brain Vitale from Designs for health. Please see a review of all the properties of Phosphotidyl Choline.
