| The discoveries of x-rays and radiation by scientists | | | | on the cancer cells. Depending on the type of |
| Becquerel and Rontgen in the late 1800s got the ball | | | | cancer, the beam rapidly repulses or shrinks tumors. |
| rolling in radiation application. Marie Curie's Nobel Prize | | | | • Normal Cells can Recover – Ionizing |
| winning work with radioactive elements also helped | | | | radiation harms both normal and cancer cells. But |
| set the stage at the turn of the century. Radiation | | | | since the treatment can be fractionated into |
| therapy is certainly hard on the body. For those who | | | | separate sessions, normal cells have the chance to |
| are in the process of going through it, there have | | | | repair themselves and recover. Cancer cells, on the |
| been questions regarding whether one can continue | | | | other hand, lack the framework for recovery, so |
| taking antioxidants and supplements. The concern is | | | | they remain damaged by the treatment. |
| whether it will reduce the effectiveness of the | | | | Most doctors said they felt that radiation therapy, |
| therapy. When controlling cancer, radiation therapy | | | | chemotherapy and surgery are the best treatment |
| comes as one of the primary treatments. It uses a | | | | options for cancer patients, but the side effects of |
| large mechanism that emits ionizing radiation, which is | | | | the treatments can be physically and emotionally |
| primarily used for annihilating cancer cells. Effective | | | | damaging. In the past, doctors were concerned |
| as it is, radiation therapy has its share of benefits as | | | | about antioxidant use with radiation treatment in that |
| well as side effects. They were mostly cures of | | | | it might interfere with the cancer cell oxidation levels |
| superficial cancers and the reoccurrence of tumors in | | | | that assist chemotherapy and radiation in killing |
| treated patients were high due to the unrefined | | | | tumors. To address this, the Cancer Treatment |
| nature of the radiation application methods and the | | | | Centers of America researchers analyzed the |
| massive doses or radiation given. | | | | prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels of prostate |
| Benefits of Radiation Therapy: | | | | cancer patients after radiation therapy, and found no |
| • Kills Cancer Cells – Ionizing radiation, | | | | difference between the control group and the group |
| when emitted in specific doses, kills cancer cells, | | | | using antioxidants such as green tea extract, |
| especially those clumped into tumors. Doctors focus | | | | melatonin, high-potency multivitamins, vitamin C and |
| the radiation on a tumor, as the radiation gradually | | | | vitamin E. Doctors say that the study provides |
| whittles it down until it disappears or becomes | | | | evidence that antioxidants as a complementary |
| significantly smaller. Some cancers are resistant to | | | | therapy in cancer treatment does not interfere with |
| radiation, though, so doctors have to combine | | | | external beam radiation therapy and that antioxidants |
| radiotherapy with other medical procedures. It | | | | are one of many complementary and alternative |
| works best on small tumors, leukemia, and | | | | medicine therapies that are crucial in today's fight |
| lymphomas. | | | | against cancer. |
| • Painless – Other treatments require | | | | In the end, it was proven that taking antioxidants |
| cancer patients to go under the knife, which is quite | | | | helped patients and was beneficial to their overall |
| painful once the anesthesia wears off. With | | | | sense of well-being in addition to helping them |
| radiation therapy, the beam of radiation is focused on | | | | assimilate to the radiation. |
| an affected area, as it penetrates skin and centers | | | | |