by Jackie Hart, MD
Q: I am 22 years old and just finished treatment for testicular cancer. It seems that the treatment has been successful because there is now no sign of cancer. My father has been strongly urging me to take colloidal minerals to help prevent recurrence of the cancer. Is there any validity to this or any harm in taking the minerals?
A: Let me start by saying that conventional treatment of testicular cancer, including surgery to remove the testicle, radiation, and chemotherapy, is generally very successful. The cure rate is 90-95% when the cancer is detected early and confined to local spread and 60-85% when detected later and with distant spread (e.g., to the lungs, liver, or bone).
Plus, the recurrence rate is quite low only 1-2% of men successfully treated have the disease recur in either the other testicle or through distant spread of the cancer that was not initially detectable. Therefore, now that you have been treated appropriately, which it sounds like you have, there is a high likelihood that it will not come back.
I am not a fan of colloidal minerals. Minerals are nutrients found in foods primarily in fruits and vegetables such as iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium, sodium, and zinc. The term "colloidal" refers to a particular medium for delivering the minerals in a suspension of finely divided particles that are very small. Believers in this suspension contend that the minerals are better delivered and more available to human tissue, but there is no proof of this.
Proponents also claim that some colloidal minerals, such as colloidal silver, help protect against infection via an anti-microbial action (similar to the way antibiotics work) and cancer by improving immunity. There is no evidence for these claims either. I am always skeptical when one substance or class of substances is purported to help a very long list of ailments.
Finally, it is rare to have a mineral deficiency. There are times when taking one or two of these nutrients in quantities greater than those found in foods is useful; for example, women older than 30 may be able to prevent bone loss by taking supplemental calcium and magnesium.
However, some of the minerals mentioned above may be dangerous when taken in large quantities, as would be the case with colloidal minerals. Iron, for example, may promote and heart disease and should be taken only in the case of anemia and under the guidance of a physician.
If you want to try to do everything you can to stay healthy now that you have been successfully treated for testicular cancer, I would recommend the following:
Finally, an important note on which to end: all men should learn to do self-testicular exams and do them on a monthly basis. The earlier testicular cancer is detected, the more curable it is.
Q: I am 22 years old and just finished treatment for testicular cancer. It seems that the treatment has been successful because there is now no sign of cancer. My father has been strongly urging me to take colloidal minerals to help prevent recurrence of the cancer. Is there any validity to this or any harm in taking the minerals?
A: Let me start by saying that conventional treatment of testicular cancer, including surgery to remove the testicle, radiation, and chemotherapy, is generally very successful. The cure rate is 90-95% when the cancer is detected early and confined to local spread and 60-85% when detected later and with distant spread (e.g., to the lungs, liver, or bone).
Plus, the recurrence rate is quite low only 1-2% of men successfully treated have the disease recur in either the other testicle or through distant spread of the cancer that was not initially detectable. Therefore, now that you have been treated appropriately, which it sounds like you have, there is a high likelihood that it will not come back.
I am not a fan of colloidal minerals. Minerals are nutrients found in foods primarily in fruits and vegetables such as iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium, sodium, and zinc. The term "colloidal" refers to a particular medium for delivering the minerals in a suspension of finely divided particles that are very small. Believers in this suspension contend that the minerals are better delivered and more available to human tissue, but there is no proof of this.
Proponents also claim that some colloidal minerals, such as colloidal silver, help protect against infection via an anti-microbial action (similar to the way antibiotics work) and cancer by improving immunity. There is no evidence for these claims either. I am always skeptical when one substance or class of substances is purported to help a very long list of ailments.
Finally, it is rare to have a mineral deficiency. There are times when taking one or two of these nutrients in quantities greater than those found in foods is useful; for example, women older than 30 may be able to prevent bone loss by taking supplemental calcium and magnesium.
However, some of the minerals mentioned above may be dangerous when taken in large quantities, as would be the case with colloidal minerals. Iron, for example, may promote and heart disease and should be taken only in the case of anemia and under the guidance of a physician.
If you want to try to do everything you can to stay healthy now that you have been successfully treated for testicular cancer, I would recommend the following:
- Eat a low-fat, primarily vegetarian diet with at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day; include leafy green vegetables.
- Consume omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed (2 tablespoons/day; grind within 24 hours of use and keep the seeds in the refrigerator).
- Exercise three to five times per week.
- Engage in some form of relaxation (yoga, tai chi, meditation) including, if you are so inclined, a spiritual focus.
- Stay closely involved with and connected to friends, family, and your particular community.
- Take a supplement of vitamin C (250 milligrams twice a day).
- Take a supplement of selenium (200 micrograms per day). (Note: yes, this is a mineral as listed above, but it works as an antioxidant, which may help protect you from cancer).
- Take a supplement of vitamin E (400 IU per day). (Note: discuss this with your doctor and make sure that enough time has passed since your surgery to begin using vitamin E).
Finally, an important note on which to end: all men should learn to do self-testicular exams and do them on a monthly basis. The earlier testicular cancer is detected, the more curable it is.