It is common knowledge that almost all of the harmful side effects of chemo & radiation therapy to normal cells are the result of the increased oxidative stress these treatments create inside the body. What is not common knowledge, however, is that when a patients takes high doses of antioxidant supplements, he improves the defense system of normal cells since they take up there antioxidants normally. This creates a win-win situation. Chemo & radiation therapy can work at a peak while at the same time the terrible side effects and damage that occurs to the healthy cells is significantly reduced. Vitamin E protects against the damage caused by various chemo therapeutic agents to lungs, liver, kidneys, heart and skin. COQ 10 has been shown to protect against the long term damage to the heart that these drug causes. Beta carotene & vitamin A reduce the adverse effect of radiation and some chemo-therapeutic agents. All of these antioxidants have been shown to help protect against the DNA damage to normal cells that cancer treatments cause.