VITAMIN C INFUSIONS
Health Associates Medical Group is the original Intravenous Vitamin C practice in Sacramento, California. As pioneers in Intravenous Vitamin C , we have successfully & safely administered thousands of Intravenous Vitamin C Treatments over 25 years.
Vitamin C is known to be a powerful antioxidant, especially when given orally. When given intravenously it can work as an antioxidant or a pro-oxidant depending on what it is mixed with and what dose is given. For example, when given intravenously at high dose and only mixed with magnesium as a supportive therapy for cancer, it has been shown to act as a pro-oxidant, and can kill cancer cells and break down tumors. In general vitamin C when given intravenously with other vitamins and minerals is used to support our immune system, increase resistance to infection, speed wound healing, reduce allergy symptoms and protect against a wide range of diseases. Vitamin C is required for normal endothelial function. Vitamin C, in its role as an antioxidant, decreases endothelial oxidative stress by reducing the production of oxygen free radicals, hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite.
Vitamin C helps our body to heal itself and it has even proven effective in successfully treating life-threatening infections such as Sepsis (click here to learn more about Vitamin C & Sepsis).
Why give it intravenously?
Well, as wonderful and helpful as Vitamin C is, orally we can only absorb very little. The intestinal tract limits how much Vitamin C we can absorb and it can work as a laxative, causing diarrhea if we try to take large doses by mouth.
Intravenously, we can safely administer large doses of Vitamin C, bypassing the digestive tract and increasing serum levels with no GI distress. This can be a very valuable therapy in treating infections & inflammatory conditions.
Intravenous Vitamin C therapy is safe, cheap and simple for several potential populations of those that are ill. In addition to the current research of Intravenous Vitamin C and Cancer & Sepsis, there is currently expanding research of Intravenous Vitamin C infusions in patients post elective open heart surgery, in patients with traumatic closed head injury, and in patients post cardiac arrest. There has also been applications submitted to examine Intravenous Vitamin C infusion in patients post stem cell transplant who typically have a high incidence of organ injury. (See references below)
When using very high doses of Intravenous Vitamin C, the high concentration of Vitamin C interacts with metallic ions in the bloodstream to create Hydrogen Peroxide and can work as a powerful oxidation therapy. Much work has been, and is being conducted on the anti-tumor effect of high dosage IV Vitamin C. (See references below)
Intravenous Vitamin C and Sepsis: Highlights from Intravenous Vitamin C, Cancer and Sepsis Conference UK Medical Center, Sept 30-Oct 1, 2016
· IV vitamin C in sepsis talks (Fowler (interview), Natarajan (podcast/interview)) is paradigm shifting and goes well beyond sepsis (among multiple mechanisms vitamin C prevents the micro emboli in all organs in sepsis thus stopping multi-organ failure cold).
· Critical pro-inflammatory proteins that are released into the blood stream following the onset of sepsis are significantly attenuated by vitamin C. Vitamin C does this by blocking the activation of a master transcription factor (nuclear factor kappa B, NFB) that drives the expression of many of the pro-inflammatory genes in sepsis.
· Vitamin C impacts immune function in sepsis. Vitamin C is stored in high concentrations in most immune cells and is required for their normal function. Macrophage and neutrophil function, including their phagocytic activity, adherence and chemotaxis is highly regulated by vitamin C. As described above, neutrophil NET formation is modulated by vitamin C. In addition, vitamin C supplementation restores macrophage phenotype and function leading to timely resolution of inflammation.
· All sepsis and trauma patients are deficient in vitamin C, (does 200 mg/kg – 70 kilo 14 grams) administered in divided doses.
· Sepsis causes life threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection – SOFA score (Mohamed Ali, Pope John Paul, Mother Theresa, Patty Duke all died from sepsis).
· 1 in 150 people affected, sepsis kills more than heart attacks and breast cancer combined.
· Sepsis is the leading cause of hospital readmissions.
· None of 20 traditional treatments currently work to treat sepsis. No drug treatments for sepsis.
· Sepsis patients have low levels of vitamin C upon admission – trauma and sepsis lowest.
· Plasma levels of Vitamin C correlated with organ dysfunction and survival.
· Intravenous Vitamin C reduces NFkB which regulates body inflammatory cytokinesVitamin C to (dhydroascorbate) DHA gets into the cell goes from DHA to AA then acts as an antioxidant in the cell
· Intravenous Vitamin C enhances alveolar fluid clearance (200 mg/kg in a mouse - 14 grams for a 70 kg person)
· Netosis – neutrophil cell death –DNA becomes unwound – happens in sepsis – starts organ dysfunction. Vitamin C prevents Netosis in human neutrophils.
· Vitamin C can normalize the different pathways of sepsis. – “humans lost the enzyme 61 million years ago to make vitamin C from glucose; 7% of population have clinical scurvy; 60% of hospitalized patients are insufficient in vitamin C.
· Dr. Ramesh Natarajan, PhD has demonstrated that vitamin C is anti-infective and has profound bacteriostatic activity. He determined this by sampling the blood of septic animals who received vitamin C and showing that these animals had a much lower incidence of positive blood cultures.
REFERENCES for Intravenous Vitamin C and Sepsis:
Sepsis in the Hospital and High Dose Intravenous Ascorbic Acid - Alpha A Fowler, III, MD
“Phase I safety trial of intravenous ascorbic acid in patients with severe sepsis.” J Transl Med. 2014;12:32. 50917 (8/2015) Alpha A Fowler, III, MD, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980050, Richmond, VA 23298-0050, USA, (804) 828-9071/ (804) 828-2578 (FAX) afowler@mcvh-vcu.edu
Mechanism of action of vitamin C in sepsis: Ascorbate modulates redox signaling in endothelium
Intravenous Vitamin C & Cancer: Highlights from Intravenous Vitamin C, Cancer and Sepsis Conference UK Medical Center, Sept 30-Oct 1, 2016
· Primary cancers treated with Intravenous Vitamin C were liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer & lung cancer.
· Intravenous Vitamin C is very safe; most side effects are secondary to high osmolality if at all.
· Intravenous Vitamin C is an effective adjunctive therapy with chemo and radiation therapy. Can be used at the same time (last speaker using all three (C, radiation, chemo) in pancreatic cancer.
· Intravenous Vitamin C used with radiation- even on same day afterwards.
· Intravenous Vitamin C will probably never be a stand-alone therapy and cure by itself consistently – it reduces side effects, prolongs life, helps shrink tumors and physical symptoms like ascites and fluid accumulation.
· Intravenous Vitamin C theory – makes hydrogen peroxide in extracellular space. This happens slowly by conversion to DHA (dehydroascorbate) and by interacting with iron/metal in the extracellular space (not in blood stream) which destroys cancer cell. Also happens slower in regular cells but not caused by a metal.
· Iowa researchers felt that Intravenous Vitamin C kills cancer cells by H202 in extracellular space and protects healthy cells as an antioxidant.
· Intravenous Vitamin C may act as a pro-oxidant to cancer cells and an anti-oxidant to normal cells (Dr Cullen. Surgeon U. of Iowa) – used all together chemo, radiation & Intravenous Vitamin C, extended life of patients battling pancreatic cancer.
· University of Kansas Medical Center by Jeanne A. Drisko, published “The Use of Antioxidants with First-Line Chemotherapy in Two Cases of Ovarian Cancer.”
· National Institute of Health by Harvard Medical School researcher, Mark Levine, M.D. has demonstrated the anti-tumor effect of high dosage IV Vitamin C.
· Vitamin C therapy's early discoveries for a wide range of clinical problems was clinically tried by chest specialists, Dr. Frederick Klenner, and championed as an add-on cancer therapy both orally and IV by Scottish surgeon Ewen Cameron and two time Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Linus Pauling. High dose intravenous vitamin C for a wide variety of clinical conditions including AIDs and cancer was pioneered by Drs. Cathcart and more recently, Hugh Rirodan, M.D. and Jeanne Drisko, MD.
* Please note: For legal reasons, we do not treat cancer at Health Associates Medical Group, but we will, on occasion treat patients with cancer as long as their cancer therapy is actively monitored by an Oncologist. Our goal is to support the immune system, boost nutritional status and improve their quality of life.
REFERENCES for Intravenous Vitamin C and Cancer:
Clinical Use of Intravenous Vitamin C in Cancer Treatment
Relief from Cancer Chemotherapy Side Effects with Pharmacologic Vitamin C. NZ Med J, 2014 Jan 24;127(1388):66-70. (Expert Interview with Dr. Carr on this case of IV vitamin C reducing chemotherapy side effects)
Effect of High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C on Inflammation in Cancer Patients, J Transl Med, 2012 Sep 11:10:189. (Expert Interview with Dr. Mikirova on 75 cancer patients receiving IV vitamin C)
Vitamin C: intravenous use by complementary and alternative medicine practitioners and adverse effects. PLoS One. 2010 Jul 7;5(7):e11414.
The use of antioxidants with first-line chemotherapy in two cases of ovarian cancer. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003 Apr;22(2):118-23. (Expert Interview with Dr. Drisko on these two of ovarian cancer)
Science of Intravenous Vitamin C in Cancer Treatment
Pharmacological ascorbate induces cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells through ATP depletion and induction of autophagy. Anticancer Drugs. 2012 Apr;23(4):437-44.
Ascorbate in pharmacologic concentrations selectively generates ascorbate radical and hydrogen peroxide in extracellular fluid in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 May 22;104(21):8749-54.
Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Sep 20;102(38):13604-9.
Nutritional Therapy and Cancer
Impact of antioxidant supplementation on chemotherapeutic toxicity: A systemic review of the evidence from randomized controlled trials. Int. J. Cancer 2008;123, 1227-1239.