For as long as I can remember, I have received inquiries requesting my endorsements of products and services and programs for breast cancer patients. It might be for the latest in clothing items that someone has designed so that a patient might be more comfortable while going through chemotherapy or it might be the latest skin cream to combat the effects of radiation.
Before agreeing to incorporate any treatment of any kind into your recovery, even if it is said to be all natural or holistic, etc., it is absolutely necessary to clear it with your own doctors. Barbara Jacoby
Understandably everyone is looking for others to help him/her sell their merchandise. Help is even being requested for the most recent diet programs or exercise routines that are being touted to prevent breast cancer or its recurrence. And while many of the items and programs sound fantastic, to promote anything to those who are dealing with breast cancer would be irresponsible and potentially damaging.
I don’t think that there is even one of us who wouldn’t want to do whatever we can to help another survivor. There is so much with which one has to deal that it soon becomes enticing to grab on to whatever one might think will help with any pain and suffering. If your medication is causing you to gain weight or lose weight, you start searching for answers that might help to turn things around. If you find that you can’t keep food down because of your chemotherapy and someone wants to sell you a certain combination of natural supplements for the problem, you might be desperate enough to give it a try.
But, what happens if those supplements interact with the prescribed medications you are taking in a way that causes you an adverse side effect? Or what if your skin has become so dry and irritated from your chemo or radiation that you are willing to spend a really large amount of money on a product that is “guaranteed” to help you and you find that not only the product does not work as promised but it makes things worse and you can’t get your money back?
I know that there are all sorts of things that have been designed to help with just about any situation that a person may encounter but that doesn’t mean that every product or program is good for every individual. Just as your doctors prescribe specific medications for your specific cancer type and its makeup, so should every other treatment that you elect be as carefully selected. While there are so many people who are doing everything they can to find answers for better recovery and quality of life for breast cancer survivors, that doesn’t mean that everything that is being offered is viable for you. Nor does it mean that perhaps it might not even be a huge scam.
I have seen more than one promotion of wonder products that make huge claims about how they can help to heal someone but the claims of such results are completely unfounded. But, by the time these fraudulent claims are fully investigated and the companies are banned from any such claims in the future, the owners of these companies are nowhere to be found and these businesses have been shut down but the marketers don’t care because they have made a large fortune for themselves, often enough to last a lifetime.
Therefore, we, as breast cancer survivors, need to remember that we are not scientists and have no way of knowing whether the press given to a product is accurate or not. We need to be so careful with purchasing goods and services for our care and recovery. Therefore, before agreeing to incorporate any treatment of any kind into your recovery, even if it is said to be all natural or holistic, etc., it is absolutely necessary to clear it with your own doctors. You never know how something may interact with the other medications that you may be taking or with your own personal allergies. We just need to remember that it is always better to be safe than sorry.
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.