Talk to us. For a medical question, talk to a doctor first.

We get asked about supplements more than anything else, usually by a family member of someone in treatment. So here is our position, stated once and plainly. Any supplement we discuss with you is meant to be taken together with the chemotherapy, radiation or surgery the oncologist has prescribed, and with the oncologist's knowledge. It is support for the body during treatment, not a substitute for treatment. No vitamin, herb, powder, oil, juice or capsule has been shown in human trials to treat, cure or prevent cancer. That includes every product on every list that circulates online, and it includes anything we might discuss with you by email.

General wellness products can have an honest place in a healthy life: a multivitamin where diet is poor, protein for someone struggling to eat, vitamin D where levels are low. During cancer treatment even these should be cleared with the oncology team first, because some supplements interfere with chemotherapy and radiation, and some herbal preparations contain heavy metals or undeclared drugs.

Indian law agrees. The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 prohibits advertising any product as a remedy for cancer. If anyone, including us, ever tells you a supplement will help your cancer, that is the signal to stop the conversation.