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IV Vitamin C

Dr Walid Faraj July 26, 2018

Any time our body experiences physical, emotional, or metabolic stress, its demand for Vitamin C increases. Most animals are able to produce Vitamin C. For example, a 155 pound goat produces 13,000mg of Vitamin C daily, further, when under significant health stress, it has the capacity to produce 13 times normal levels. Unfortunately, humans cannot produce Vitamin C, but need it just as much. As a result, to maintain overall well-being and prevent illness we must rely on exogenous sources of Vitamin C. AT TLC, we are strong proponents for the use of IV Vitamin C, due to multiple published studies showing the benefits of high dose of Vitamin C, the most effective route to administer such high doses is intravenously in the form of a 25gm Vitamin C Immune Drip. This treatment is offered at our TLC IV Suite for all our patients interested in supporting a healthy immune system, but in particular for patients undergoing increase stress. For example, we recommend a monthly Immune Drip during the winter flu season. We also recommend an Immune Drip before and after a scheduled surgery. We also offer all our patients one complementary Immune Drip acutely after the passing of an immediate family member.

Benefits of IV Vitamin C:

  1. Enhances immune function
  2. Potent anti-microbial
  3. Neutralizes and eliminates a wide range of toxins
  4. Decreases blood vessel inflammation
  5. Stimulates collagen formation
  6. Helps kill tumor cells
  7. Augments chemotherapy
  8. Decreases side effects of chemotherapy
  9. Decreases pain of metastasis
  10. We need it, but don’t make it

 

Currently, there are ongoing FDA approved trials regarding IV Vitamin C and Cancer.

 

Extremely rare, yet possible, side effects of IV Vitamin C:

  1. Nausea
  2. Heartburn
  3. Diarrhea
  4. Headache

 

 

References

Vitamin C and Cancer:

Cameron E, Pauling L, Leibovitz B. Ascorbic acid and cancer: a review. Cancer Res. 1979 Mar;39(3):663-81. Review.

Gonzalez MJ, Miranda-Massari JR, Mora EM, Guzman A, Riordan NH, Riordan HD, Casciari JJ, Jackson JA, Roman-Franco A. Orthomolecular oncology review: ascorbic acid and cancer 25 years later. Integr Cancer Ther. 2005 Mar;4(1):32-44. Review.

Casciari JJ, Riordan NH, Schmidt TL, Meng XL, Jackson JA, Riordan HD. Cytotoxicity of ascorbate, lipoic acid, and other antioxidants in hollow fibre in vitro tumours. Br J Cancer. 2001 Jun 1;84(11):1544-50.

Chen Q, Espey MG, Krishna MC, Mitchell JB, Corpe CP, Buettner GR, Shacter E, Levine M. 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. Epub 2005 Sep 12.

Vissers MC, Gunningham SP, Morrison MJ, Dachs GU, Currie MJ. Modulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha in cultured primary cells by intracellular ascorbate. Free Radic Biol Med. 2007 Mar 15;42(6):765-72.

Knowles HJ, Raval RR, Harris AL, Ratcliffe PJ. Effect of ascorbate on the activity of hypoxia-inducible factor in cancer cells. Cancer Res. 2003 Apr 15;63(8):1764-8.

Cameron E, Pauling L. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: reevaluation of prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Sep;75(9):4538-42.

Lamson DW, Brignall MS. Antioxidants in cancer therapy; their actions and interactions with oncologic therapies. Altern Med Rev. 1999 Oct;4(5):304-29. Review.

Drisko JA, Chapman J, Hunter VJ. The use of antioxidants with first-line chemotherapy in two cases of ovarian cancer. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003 Apr;22(2):118-23.

Cameron E, Pauling L. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: Prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Oct;73(10):3685-9.

 

Routes of administration of Vitamin C:

Padayatty SJ, Sun H, Wang Y, Riordan HD, Hewitt SM, Katz A, Wesley RA, Levine M. Vitamin C pharmacokinetics: implications for oral and intravenous use. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Apr 6;140(7):533-7.

Padayatty SJ, Riordan HD, Hewitt SM, Katz A, Hoffer LJ, Levine M. Intravenously administered Vitamin C as cancer therapy: three cases. CMAJ. 2006 Mar 28;174(7):937-42.

 

Vitamin C and Cardiovascular Health:

Osganian SK, Stampfer MJ, Rimm E, Spiegelman D, Hu FB, Manson JE, Willett WC. Vitamin C and risk of coronary heart disease in women. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003 Jul 16;42(2):246-52.

Nam CM, Oh KW, Lee KH, Jee SH, Cho SY, Shim WH, Suh I. Vitamin C intake and risk of ischemic heart disease in a population with a high prevalence of smoking. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003 Oct;22(5):372-8.

Bhakuni P, Chandra M, Misra MK. Effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on certain oxidative stress parameters in the post reperfusion patients of myocardial infarction. Mol Cell Biochem. 2006 Oct;290(1-2):153-8.

Sánchez-Moreno C, Dashe JF, Scott T, Thaler D, Folstein MF, Martin A. Decreased levels of plasma Vitamin C and increased concentrations of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers after stroke. Stroke. 2004 Jan;35(1):163-8.

Myint PK, Luben RN, Welch AA, Bingham SA, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT. Plasma Vitamin C concentrations predict risk of incident stroke over 10 y in 20 649 participants of the European Prospective Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;87(1):64-9.Investigation into Cancer Norfolk prospective population study.

 

Vitamin C and Immune System Function:

Wintergerst ES, Maggini S, Hornig DH. Immune-enhancing role of Vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):85-94

Karaczyn A, Ivanov S, Reynolds M, Zhitkovich A, Kasprzak KS, Salnikow K. Ascorbate depletion mediates up-regulation of hypoxia-associated proteins by cell density and nickel. J Cell Biochem. 2006 Apr 1;97(5):1025-35.

Hemila H. Vitamin C supplementation and respiratory infections: a systematic review. Mil Med. 2004 Nov;169(11):920-5. Review.

Kodama M, Kodama T. Four problems with the clinical control of interstitial pneumonia, or chronic fatigue syndrome, using the megadose Vitamin C infusion system with dehydroepiandrosterone-cortisol annex. In Vivo. 2006 Mar-Apr;20(2):285-91.

Kodama M, Kodama T. The clinical course of interstitial pneumonia alias chronic fatigue syndrome under the control of megadose Vitamin C infusion system with dehydroepiandrosterone-cortisol annex. Int J Mol Med. 2005 Jan;15(1):109-16.

Vitamin C and Animals:

Chatterjee, I. B., A. K. Majumder, B. K. Nandi, and N. Subramanian. “Synthesis And Some Major Functions Of Vitamin C In Animals.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 258.1 Second Confer (1975): 24-47.

Stone, Irwin. “Homo Sapiens Ascorbicus, A Biochemically Corrected Robust Human Mutant.” Medical Hypotheses 5.6 (1979): 711-721.

Levy, Thomas E. “Primal Panacea.” Medfox Publishing. (2011). 53-54. Print

 

Other References and Resources:

Drisko, Science Translational Medicine. 2014 Feb.

RiordanClinic.org/Vitamin C/Research

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin C Fact Sheet for Health Professionals