Cold Case

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HSI e-Alert - Cold Case

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 07:00:00 -0400

HSI e-Alert - Cold Case

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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September 22, 2005

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Thirty years ago Gerald Ford was President, moviegoers lined up to see

Jaws, E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime was a bestseller, and cancer researchers

thought they might be on to something big. Their ambitious theory:

Vitamin C in high doses might kill cancer cells.

 

The problem was absorption. When C is taken orally, the intestines can

absorb only so much. When the saturation point is reached, further

mega-doses are meaningless. Absorption isn't an issue when C is

administered intravenously, but apparently the technology wasn't

developed enough in the 1970s to assess the effects of intravenous C

on cancer cells.

 

Three decades later, scientists at the National Institute of Diabetes

& Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) took up the cold case and made a

startling discovery.

 

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Sorting out good from bad

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Could there actually come a time when intravenous chemotherapy is

supplemented with, or in some cases replaced by intravenous vitamin C?

 

By mainstream medicine standards we're a long way from such a day, but

we're a little bit closer thanks to NIDDK researchers who published a

new vitamin C study earlier this month in the Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences.

 

While studying recommended daily intake levels of vitamin C, the NIDDK

team realized that intravenous administration of C solved the

absorption problem of oral intake. Lead researcher, Mark Levine, M.D.,

told HealthDay News that 10 grams of intravenous C prompts blood

levels of the vitamin that are more than 25 times higher than that

achieved with oral C.

 

This is where researchers reopened the cold case that was discontinued

in the 70s.

 

When 10 types of cancer cells and four types of normal cells were

exposed to a vitamin C dose of less than four millimoles (easily

obtainable intravenously), in five of the cancer cell types, about

half of the cells were either killed or apoptosis (cell " suicide " )

occurred. Also, C exposure nearly completely halted the growth of

surviving cells.

 

All of this would be for nothing, of course, if any damage was done to

the normal cells tested, but these cells were completely unaffected.

 

Levine and his NIDDK team can't explain what mechanisms produced these

results, but theorized that the high concentration of C prompted the

formation of hydrogen peroxide (HP), which is known to kill cells. In

this case the healthy cells may have repaired any HP damage, while the

cancer cells may have been more vulnerable.

 

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C's century?

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Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the

NIDDK researchers concluded: " These findings give plausibility to IV

ascorbic acid in cancer treatment, and have unexpected implications

for treatment of infections where hydrogen peroxide may be beneficial. "

 

" Plausibility " means we still have a long way to go down the research

path before anyone can unconditionally state that high doses of

intravenous vitamin C can fight cancer. But the last part of that

quote indicates a potential for high doses of intravenous C as a

multi-purpose treatment.

 

In the e-Alert " Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid - Part II " (10/17/02), HSI

Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., had this to say about the pioneering

efforts of Fredrick R. Klenner, M.D., who did intravenous C research

many decades ago:

 

" Fred Klenner, M.D., was using intravenous ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

against viruses, serious bacteria and even toxins such as snakebites

as early as the 1930s. His patient records showed amazing successes,

witnessed by hospital personnel, while most outsiders (who refused to

review his data) labeled him a quack. Those who did, such as Drs.

Jungeblut and Zwerner, Otani, Ormerod, and others, all came away

impressed that his work was both accurate and therapeutic. He treated

diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, and in the middle of a polio

epidemic in North Carolina he was considered to have 'cured' 60 out of

60 cases of infantile polio. "

 

Could C by IV turn out to be the " wonder drug " of the 21st Century?

You can be sure I'll report to you on any further studies.

 

 

 

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....and another thing

 

If you take good care of your digestive tract, it will take good care

of you.

 

In the e-Alert " Gut Reaction " (9/20/05), I told you about a study in

which a probiotic bacteria supplement, combined with supplements of

vitamins and minerals, was shown to reduce the frequency of

respiratory tract infections and the symptoms that go along with those

infections.

 

Probiotic supplements help increase the good bacteria in the

intestines. But not all such supplements contain the elements

necessary to be truly helpful.

 

HSI Panelist Richard Cohan, D.D.S., sent me an e-mail with this useful

info:

 

" Just want to add that when a probiotic is indicated, such as to daily

supplement the diet or to counteract the disruptive effects of

antibiotics, it's a good idea to use a formula that contains multiple

good microorganisms and FOS (fructooligosaccharides) to help them

reach the small intestine intact. FOS is considered a prebiotic. "

 

A prebiotic is a carbohydrate that prompts the growth and activity of

probiotics in the digestive tract. Dr. Cohan adds that in some cases

an l-glutamine supplement may also be useful, " as it can help maintain

the mucous lining of the gut. "

 

As I've mentioned in previous e-Alerts, l-glutamine helps stimulate

the immune system and is one of the precursors of the highly effective

antioxidant glutathione. Dietary sources of l-glutamine include meats,

fresh fruits and vegetables. L-glutamine supplements are also widely

available. Be sure to consult with your doctor or a healthcare

professional before starting any new supplement regimen.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

 

 

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Sources:

 

" Pharmacologic Ascorbic Acid Concentrations Selectively Kill Cancer

Cells: Action as a Pro-Drug to Deliver Hydrogen Peroxide to Tissues "

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Published online

before print 9/12/05, pnas.org

" High Doses of IV Vitamin C Fight Cancer " Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay

News, 9/12/05, healthday.com

" Vitamin C Jab Could Combat Cancer " Daily Mail, 9/12/05, dailymail.co.uk

 

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