Posted 5/27/2015 6:09 PM (GMT 0)
The most important thing you can do is exercise (read Luther's post - a good role model). It oxygenates tissue, which protects healthy ones and helps the radiation destroy cancerous ones. If I were an RO, I would have every patient do 15 minutes on a treadmill before each treatment.
I took low dose Viagra every day to protect penile vasculature.
I took Aleve or ibuprofen every day to prevent inflammation. I don't know if it helped, but I figure that inflammation is easier to prevent than to stop after it gets started.
I also took soy isoflavones and a statin, which I no longer advocate doing. I understand now why our RO looked at me with a knowing grin when I told him, but I was an ignorant lad back then. There is some value, I think, in taking an active role by just doing something, even if there's no real benefit, and as long as there's a low chance of harm.
Of course, avoid multivitamins, and anything known for its antioxidant potential or free-radical quenching ability - the opposite of what you're trying to achieve. I didn't make an dietary changes at all, although I always eat healthy. Truebeam with RapidArc is so fast, and he does intra-fractional motion detection, that it does not matter what you eat. A full bladder is essential, though.