Cancer
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We believe that the treatment of cancer should always be integrative, combining orthodox, nutritional and complementary therapies. Nobody can replace your oncologist, and we always seek to work with your NHS or equivalent oncology team as far as possible. We regularly use nutrient supplementation — especially high doses of vitamin C, but with other nutrients alongside — and we are happy to “bolt on” further measures as agreed between us. There have been a number of suggestions that antioxidant therapies may work against chemotherapy if taken simultaneously, but a large systematic review in 2007 found; “None of the trials reported evidence of significant decreases in efficacy from anti-oxidant supplementation during chemotherapy. Many of the studies indicated that anti-oxidant supplementation resulted in either increased survival times, increased tumor responses, or both, as well as fewer toxicities than controls…” You would think that would settle it. But then, in October 2008, a new study on laboratory mice was publicised as showing that “If you take an oral dose” of vitamin C “even as low as 100 milligrams a day” even “that could be harmful” during chemotherapy. |
Read what we have to say about this study here (http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n12.shtml) — “we” being the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, on whose Editorial Review Board I serve. There you will also find a link to the original paper; form your own judgement. Megadose vitamin CMegadose intravenous vitamin C (ascorbic acid) therapy shows great promise in helping cancers (where we often use laboratory testing to attempt to predict response) and chronic infections and immune impairment. There is no reliable published scientific evidence for this technique, so we make no claim for its efficacy, but we believe that it can be a valuable adjunct to more conventional therapies. We always use it with a list of other nutrients intended to augment its effectiveness and minimise the risk of adverse effects. We have used intravenous infusions (drips) of vitamins and minerals for about 20 years, with no serious adverse effects on any occasion. A simple cocktail of such nutrients (derived from the “Myers’ Magic” formula used in the USA for many years) can help a range of complaints where allergies, inflammation or fatigue are important components. For some years we thought that intravenous was the only route that would achieve high enough levels of vitamin C to have an impact on cancers. |