Vitamin C Therapy By Iv For Cancer

Doctors Ewan Cameron and Linus Pauling reported 35 years ago that high-dose intravenous and oral vitamin C prolonged the survival of terminally ill cancer patients. However, subsequent studies have failed to show the beneficial effects. Nevertheless, the studies were different in their methods. Cameron and Pauling only used oral vitamin C, which doesn't effectively raise the blood's vitamin C levels, the "Canadian Medical Association Journal" reports. Intravenous vitamin C is the only method to raise vitamin C to levels that can kill cancer cells. This treatment method doesn't replace conventional cancer treatment. Therefore, consult a physician or naturopathic doctor.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is important in the growth, maintenance and repair of body tissues. The body doesn't store this vitamin. Therefore, you must consume it by eating foods like fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that protects your body from the harmful effects of free radical damage. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, many people are mildly vitamin C deficient. Symptoms of deficiency include dry hair, dry skin, gingivitis, prolonged wound healing, easy bruising, frequent colds and infections.

Vitamin C and Cancer

To kill cancer cells, the blood's vitamin C level must be between 1,000 to 5,000 micromoles per liter. Administering vitamin C intravenously is the only method to increase the blood's vitamin C concentration to an effective level, according to the findings published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. In high doses, vitamin C is toxic to cancer cells, yet harmless to healthy cells. Vitamin C produces hydrogen peroxide that destroys the cancer cells. Nevertheless, the study in the "Canadian Medical Association Journal" states. that intravenous vitamin C isn't a recognized cancer treatment and the Linus Pauling Institute asserts that it shouldn't replace conventional methods such as chemotherapy or radiation. More research is required to determine the effectiveness of intravenous vitamin C for cancer treatment.

Oral vs. Intravenous

Ingesting 200 to 300 mg of vitamin C through five servings of fruits and vegetables daily only raises blood vitamin C levels to 70 to 80 micromoles per liter. Even if you orally consumed 3 g of vitamin C -- a very high oral dose -- every four hours, your blood vitamin C level would not exceed 220 micromoles per liter. Therefore, oral vitamin C raises blood vitamin C levels marginally; the researchers in the "Canadian Medical Association" state. Intravenous vitamin C is the only way to increase blood vitamin C to therapeutic levels.

Warnings

High doses of vitamin C should not be administered to patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, systematic iron overload, renal insufficiency, hyperoxaluria, or to those on dialysis, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reports. Vitamin C can interact with some medications such as some chemotherapy drugs, heart medications and oral contraceptives, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center.