What is high-dose vitamin C therapy?
It is the name of high-dose vitamin C therapy administered intravenously at certain periodic doses and intervals in the range of 0.5-1.5g/kg.
Characteristics of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a vitamin essential for the biological activities of our body. It is also known as ascorbic acid. Because Vitamin C is water-soluble, it does not accumulate in our body as much as other vitamins (A, D, E, K). Vitamin C cannot be produced in the human body. Therefore, we need to take it with food from outside on a daily basis. Vitamin C taken orally is absorbed to a certain extent from our intestines. More is not absorbed. Excess vitamin C in our body is excreted in the urine. Therefore, vitamin C excess does not occur.
Diseases Treated with High Dose Vitamin C
Since vitamin C biologically affects many cells, it is used as a complementary treatment in the following diseases:
Cancer, arthritis, Lyme disease, bacterial infections, viral infections (such as influenza, hepatitis, HIV), post-injury pain, lack of energy in the body and fatigue, increases appetite, chronic prostatitis (recurrent prostate inflammation), chronic urinary tract infection (recurrent urinary tract inflammation), metabolic syndrome (diseases caused by metabolic syndrome are diabetes, heart attack, obesity, stroke).
Vitamin C and Cancer
The most important difference between cancer cells and normal cells is that cancer cells use only glucose (sugar) as an energy source. In addition, since they can only use glucose by fermentation, they can produce 20 times less energy than normal cells. This requires cancer cells to use at least 20 times more glucose. Because of these properties, cancer patients are given radioactively labeled glucose and PET/CT scans are performed and tumor cells are detected because they use too much glucose.
Vitamin C is 85-90% structurally identical to glucose. This is why vitamin C accumulates in cancer cells. Vitamin C accumulates 5 times more in cancerous tissues than in normal tissues.
Vitamin C administered intravenously in high doses accumulates in the tumor tissue, shows oxidant properties and causes the death of tumor cells. For this effect to occur, the level of vitamin C in the blood must reach a certain level. To understand in which cancer types it is effective, it is necessary to look at the PET/CT results. Since vitamin C acts similarly to glucose, it can be assumed that if a tumor can be detected on PET/CT and is highly active, it will benefit from vitamin C treatment.
It is used in cancer treatment when cancer cells die, pain is reduced and the side effects of chemotherapy (drug treatment) become unbearable. It is complementary in oncologic care. Vitamin C stores are depleted in cancer patients. When vitamin C is low, there is a decrease in the functioning of the immune system. At the same time, the fact that vitamin C has antioxidant properties is of great importance in the fight against cancer.
It reduces the metastasis (spread) of cancer and even destroys them and shrinks the tumor. High oral doses of vitamin C have not been shown to kill cancer cells.
Vitamin C Side Effects
High doses of vitamin C can affect kidney function. In rare cases, it may contribute to stone formation. Dry mouth, nausea, skin allergic reactions may occur. Bleeding into the tumor may occur. Edema (water retention) may occur in patients with heart failure.
In diabetics, sugar may be high in finger stick glucose measurement. Therefore, the patient should not increase the insulin level.
It may cause irritation in the blood vessel. Cramps may occur. Therefore, some precautions are taken in treatment.
Patients should be full before treatment.