September 2014 Vol. 6 Issue 9 Study demonstrates promising results for common naturopathic treatment Mikirova N, Casciari J, Riordan N, Hunninghake R. Clinical experience with intravenous administration of ascorbic acid: achievable levels in blood for different states of inflammation and disease in cancer patients. J Transl Med. 2013;11(1):191.Riordan HD, Hunninghake RB, Riordan NH, et a.: Intravenous ascorbic acid: protocol for its application and use. P R Health Sci J. 2003;22(3):287-290.Cohen JI. N Engl J Med. 2000;343(7):481-492.Rickinson AB, Kieff E. Epstein-Barr virus. In: Knipe DM, Howley PM, eds. Fields Virology. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Balfour HH Jr, Holman CJ, Hokanson KM, et al. A prospective clinical study of Epstein-Barr virus and host interactions during acute infectious mononucleosis. J Infect Dis. 2005;192(9):1505-1512.Luzuriaga K, Sullivan JL. N Engl J Med. 2010;362(21):1993-2000.Okano M, Gross, T. Acute or chronic life-threatening diseases associated with Epstein-barr virus infection.
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1982;43(2):730-736.Okano M. Therapeutic approaches for severe Epstein-Barr virus infection. 1997;14(2):109-119.Tynell E, Aurelius E, Brandell A, et al. Acyclovir and prednisolone treatment of acute infectious mononucleosis: a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Infect Dis. 1996;174(2):324-331.Yenamandra SP, Hellman U, Kempkes B, et al. Epstein-Barr virus encoded EBNA-3 binds to vitamin D receptor and blocks activation of its target genes. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2010;67(24):4249-4256.Cantorna MT, Yu S, Bruce D. The paradoxical effects of vitamin D on type 1 mediated immunity. Mol Aspects Med. 2008;29(6):369-375.Hergenhahn M, Soto U, Weninger A, et al. The chemopreventive compound curcumin is an efficient inhibitor of Epstein-Barr virus BZLF1 transcription in Raji DR-LUC cells. Iwatsuki K, Akihisa T, Tokuda H, et al. Lucidenic acids P and Q, methyl lucidenate P, and other triterpenoids from the fungus Ganoderma lucidum and their inhibitory effects on Epstein-Barr virus activation.
2003;66(12):1582-1585.Chen JY, Chang CY, Feng PH, Chu CC, So EC, Hu ML. Plasma vitamin C is lower in postherpetic neuralgia patients and administration of vitamin C reduces spontaneous pain but not brush-evoked pain. 2009;25(7):562-569.Furuya A, Uozaki M, Yamasaki H, Arakawa T, Arita M, Koyama AH. Antiviral effects of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acids in vitro. Int J Mol Med. 2008;22(4):541-545.Digital Mammo: Better Ca Detection, But Also More BiopsiesMore HPV Pathology with Single-Dose VaccineFew Teens Treated Well for Opioid AddictionDoctors Mixed on Housecall AppsPodMed: A Medical News Roundup From Johns Hopkins Intravenous Vitamin Therapy: The Latest Celebrity Health Fad Maybe you drank a bit too much last night? Why not try one of the latest celebrity health fads? Some of its celebrity proponents? Madonna, Simon Cowell, and Cindy Crawford. A few weeks ago Rihanna even Tweeted a picture of herself getting an IV drip of what she called the"party-girl drip."
So, what's in the drip? It's a solution of vitamins and minerals called a Myers' Cocktail, invented over 30 years ago by Baltimore physician John Myers. It contains magnesium, calcium, various B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12) and vitamin C. The vitamins are typically given in larger doses than are present in vitamin pills. For example, the amount of Vitamin C ( up to 25 grams) is almost 300 times the recommended daily dose of 90 milligrams! Other vitamins or ingredients may be added to the Myers’ Cocktail protocol, "customizing" it to the patient's diagnosis and overall health as well as the condition being treated. The procedure typically takes between one and two hours, and can cost $100 to $300 per session. Many devotees attend sessions on a weekly basis. There are claims that IV vitamin therapy is useful in treating many different conditions, including: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with or without Epstein-Barr virus Acute or chronic muscle spasm
Acute or chronic asthma Athletes who need quick recovery for athletic events Sound too good to be true? Well, for the most part, it is. IV vitamin therapy is useful in patients who are nutritionally deprived -- those too sick to eat, such as those suffering from cancer. Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital, points out some other times when giving IV nutrients can be important: When older people can’t absorb vitamin B12 due to stomach atrophy, injecting the nutrient is the only way to ensure normal blood levels. Low levels of vitamin D or iron may require repletion by injection. And various conditions resulting in malabsorption, including surgical removal of portions of the intestine, may result in a need for nutrients by injection. Unless you are severely deficient in B vitamins (which is not very common with the American diet) taking more than the recommended amount of B vitamins will not improve your energy level.
Licensed dietician/nutritionist Monica Reinagel uses this analogy: "You can’t drive your car if the gas tank is completely empty... You need some gas in the tank to make your engine run. But your car won’t drive any faster on a full tank of gas than it will on a half a tank. And if your gas tank is full and you keep pumping in fuel anyway, it’ll just run out all over your shoes. That’s much the way it works with B vitamins: If you are completely deficient in one or more B vitamins, your cellular energy production will be impacted—and you’re probably not going to be feeling very well. However, if your B vitamin status is even moderately good, taking extra B vitamins won’t increase your cellular energy production. And if you take in more B vitamins than your body can use or store, the excess will simply spill over—in this case, into your urine." Is there any scientific evidence that intravenous vitamin therapy or Myers' Cocktail can treat any of the above diseases?
There are anecdotal stories about people with various conditions who said they felt better after an infusion. But anecdotes aren't evidence. For example, a research study on the effect of IV vitamin therapy on patients with fibromyalgia, paid for by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), showed no difference between intravenous micronutrient therapy (Myers' Cocktail) and a placebo solution of RIngers Lactate. What are the possible side effects or complications of IV vitamin infusions? Repeated IV infusions can cause hypervitaminosis. High levels of some vitamins can be toxic. Too much Vitamin D can cause damage to the kidneys or bones. Although high-dose Vitamin C has caused very few side effects in clinical trials, it may be harmful in patients with certain risk factors, such as those with kidney disease, G-6-PD deficiency and hemochromatosis. Too rapid administration of magnesium can cause low blood pressure, which can lead to lightheadedness or syncope.