Ask the expert
Coughing up of blood
Question
My father was diagnosed with secondary lung cancer 2 years ago, the primary cancer being the kidney, which has since been removed. I would like to know what natural supplements he can use to help reduce the coughing of blood and thick particles which often come out. I have seen many adverts for Liquid Zeolite. Would this help with his coughing? Many Thanks in advance for your assistnace/advice
Answer
The coughing up of blood can be a troublesome problem for people with lung tumours, both for those with primary lung cancers and those with secondary tumours from other sites. It may be particularly troublesome if the tumour is near the middle of the chest near the large airways where irritation by the tumour causes excessive coughing. Tumours grow in a disordered manner which makes them prone to bleeding which is why many people cough blood in this situation.
It is very difficult to advise on natural supplements to help this specific problem as often these supplements are not ‘tried and tested’ and are therefore on the whole not prescribed with any regularity. There are however some measures which can be tried and I would recommend talking to your father’s cancer specialist about these options.
To help ease the cough simple cough linctus can be tried and if this is ineffective then codeine linctus can be prescribed by the doctor. Codeine is an effective cough suppressant for many patients and can be taken at regular intervals for troublesome cough. A common side effect however is constipation which may need some dietry adjustment or even laxatives to counteract.
For the bleeding, some patients find a medicine called tranexamic acid helpful. This can be taken in tablet form and works by increasing the tendancy of the blood to form clots and therefore my help stop tumours from bleeding. However this medicine should be taken with caution by patients who have a history of thrombosis, heart disease or stroke as in these circumstances it is usually desirable to reduce the tendancy for the blood to clot. Talk to your fathers doctor if you think this medicine may be suitable for your father and discuss the pro’s and con’s of the treatment.
If these drug treatments are not an option or are ineffective then radiotherapy treatment can sometimes be used as an effective means of stopping bleeding. Radiotherapy is most suitable if it is clear from the scans which of the lung tumour(s) are causing the bleeding, as the treatment is directed at a specific area of the lung. Again it won’t be suitable for all patients but I would recommend discussing with your father’s cancer specialist to see if it is a treatment which could help in his case.
Source: Nutrition in cancer Editorial Board
