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Vitamin or supplement for anemia?

Page last modified on: October 14, 2008

Question from AColling: I finished all of my treatments in Sept. 2006. I am still anemic. Is there a vitamin or supplement that will help?: Answer —Gary Deng, M.D., Ph.D.: The first thing you need to do is to make sure you do not have any easily correctable medical condition that is causing anemia, such as iron deficiency or Vitamin B12 deficiency which, I suppose, your doctor had excluded. After that, there is no supplement that I know of that can stimulate the growth of more red blood cells. There are some herbs used to improve anemia. Some of them may have testosterone or androgen-like activity which we know may stimulate the production of red blood cells. Whether using them is safe in breast cancer patients is unknown, as the metabolism of testosterone sometimes overlaps the metabolism of estrogen. If your anemia is severe, your doctor may give you a shot of growth hormone called Epogen that stimulates the production of red blood cells.

On Wednesday, July 18, 2007, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Vitamins and Herbal Supplements. Gary Deng, M.D., Ph.D. and moderator Beth Baughman DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S. answered your questions about how to safely and sensibly incorporate vitamins and supplements into your diet.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of Breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Gary Deng, M.D., Ph.D. is an internist and researcher with the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He is a principal investigator or co-principal investigator in several NIH-funded research projects in the Integrative Medicine Service.

Beth Baughman DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S. the medical director of the Breast Health Program at Holy Redeemer Health System in Meadowbrook, PA.

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