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Old 11-16-2012, 04:06 PM   #1
csockman
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Default Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

Has anyone had any positive or negative experience using this product with any of their rodents? I guess I can open this up to include any small exotic mammal (ferrets, rabbits, etc.). It is called Sunshine Factor HealX and has been formulated by some respected DVMs (globally).

http://www.exoticdvm.com/index.cfm?f...tGroup_id=125&

What I really am interested in, is this claim: "Lowering the risk of disorders, such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis".

Do any of the members on this forum use this product (or another product for that matter) in the hopes of reducing the chance of cancer?
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Old 11-16-2012, 07:39 PM   #2
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

To quote Sheldon this product appears to be complete hokum.

Sunshine factor is palm fruit oil, so yes will provide the same benefits to coat, skin and eyes as linseed, hemp seeds/oil, cod liver oil and other fatty seeds/oils. The mysterious 'additional product' in the booster formula is meant to 'help sick and diseased animals'....

The only paper they 'reference' is 'Tan, 1991'. Firstly this is a ridiculously sloppy reference method designed to make it hard to find. They claim that this is a study of 30 people (yes only 30!!) taking palm fruit oil for 31 days (yep only 1 month!!) and then quote some reductions in bad cholesterol. If such positive results had been found a more recent and involved study would be have been performed on humans in the last 20 years.

I'm a post grad student and have access to almost all published papers. I've just tried to find this paper. As far as I can tell it does not exist. I did however find a paper by Choon-Hui Tan in 1991, with reference to palm fruit oil, but this is about the extraction of the oil not administering it....

So unfortunately, they provide nothing scientific to demonstrate that palm fruit oil will have any affect on cancer.
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Old 11-17-2012, 05:08 AM   #3
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

Cancer in small mammals is a real issue for many owners, especially in mice and rats where it seems to be part of their lives in many cases. Tumours for example live off blood, which is why human cancer patients are given toxic drugs through their blood in the form of chemotherapy to kill or supress the cancer aswell as surgical removal. I`m sceptical of any available `cures` that surface claimng they are of benefit. Even the healthiest human can get cancer because it`s a gene that `goes wrong` and cannot be `fixed` by the immune system. Many cancers are viral.

The best hope we have is making sure of a good diet packed with anti-oxidants to prevent the free radicals and cross our fingers that each hamster, mouse or rat we own never becomes susceptible. Dark berries like blackberries, black currants and veggies like broccoli are great for the little ones as they are proven to be good against free radicals.

It`s always good to discuss new avenues though because sometimes alternatives to antibiotics are worth looking at, even if they don`t prove to be what they seem.
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Old 11-17-2012, 06:05 AM   #4
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

Wow! Two excellent and thoughtful responses, thanks to both of you for taking your time to put these together. I was hoping that it was just not marketing hype, but I wanted to get the opinions of others for this very reason.

For now I will have to pursue the veggie route like racing suggested.

Does anyone know of any other "formulated" dietary supplements out there being used with success?

SammyJo... I just discovered The Big Bang Theory recently, that show is solid gold!

Last edited by csockman; 11-17-2012 at 07:02 AM.
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Old 11-17-2012, 09:14 AM   #5
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

I`m sure I`ve posted this article before for someone but although it`s made up specifically for rats, it still gives a good insight on how looking at various ingredients for the immune system can be beneficial for most small mammals. The article does mention garlic and almonds though so without knowing their toxicity for hamsters, I would leave these out.


Fancy Rats | Information | Feeding to Support the Immune System

I also like watching the big bang theory when I come across it! I do like science programmes in general though.
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Old 11-17-2012, 01:03 PM   #6
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

Racing, as usual thanks for the insightful post and informational link.

It looks like there is a lot of good info on this site. I am always looking to expand my favorite bookmarks .
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Old 11-19-2012, 04:50 AM   #7
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

Thanks for this thread. I have just lost one hamster to cancer and old age and am nursing another. It seems just lately that there are more and more threads referring to tumours and swellings. I've always fed mine the best food I can find and given them healthy treats. They are kept clean and warm but nothing seems to have spared them.
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Old 11-19-2012, 05:05 AM   #8
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

I am so sorry Lynternette. It is such a hopeless feeling. Cancer took 3 of my robos, and it was heartbreaking for me.

This is the catalyst for trying to find something that will in theory help them battle it naturally.
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Old 11-19-2012, 05:36 AM   #9
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

My syrian is just over two years old now (two years and one month!) and just recently, I have started to `up` his food intake by feeding him a small amount of cooked brown rice and cook a pasta spiral a few times a week aswell as the small piecs of the fruits and veggies he loves. His weight is really good for his age considering many syrians start to lose fur and condition even before they reach this milestone, so my Boris does seem to be ageing gracefully. Supplimenting their dry diet is never a bad move I feel as it gives them different textures and tastes aswell as keeping them warm during the colder months. We just need to make sure we don`t rely solely on feeding soft foods alone and make sure their main food is still their hamster mix because they can get too reliant on the alternatives!
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Old 11-19-2012, 06:25 AM   #10
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Default Re: Anti-Cancer Dietary Supplement

That is great advice racing. I am trying to accumulate and organize as much info as I can on this subject. If you have any other tidbits (or your very own web site perhaps!?), keep them coming.
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