Vitamin C is an essential vitamin and most people know that lack leads to scurvy. The optimal amount needed to stay healthy is uncertain – the RDA (recommended daily allowance – which will keep scurvy away) is 50 – 60mg per day.In diseased states, the need for vitamin C increases. This can be seen in animals who often increase their vitamin C production more than tenfold, and also in humans when the amount of vitamin C found in the blood and the urine falls dramatically during illness and stress. This suggests that in these conditions, the intake of vitamin C should be greatly increased. Vitamin C enhances immune function by helping the white blood cells become more effective.Research shows that intravenous vitamin C at high doses, used in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation, may be helpful in cancer treatment. However this is a very controversial area. We understand now that IV C is a pro-oxidant, not an antioxidant, because it generates hydrogen peroxide in the extracellular space.
H2O2 is the drug that preferentially kills cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. For those in the later stages of cancer, the intravenous vitamin C protocol may improve the quality of life. The protocol also suggests a strict diet with oral supplementation. IVC is not recommended for people with kidney problems or G6PD enzyme deficiency.A good snack and being well hydrated on the day of treatment is recommended to avoid low blood sugar and dizziness. Please click here to view Fees.If you have a medical emergency please dial 111 (03) 208 9222 Info@goremedical.co.nz IV Vitamin C and Chelation The Gore Medical Centre is the only General Practice south of Christchurch offering intravenous chelation and vitamin C therapy, and is attended by many out of town patients. The advantage of administering vitamins and minerals intravenously is that they can be delivered directly to the necessary tissue and cells in very high doses. Currently Clinics operate on a Monday and Friday.
Occasionally Wednesday morning Clinics will operate depending on demand. The Clinic is run by Registered Nurses Shona Davie, Kayla Gardyne and Kaila Dinan, under the direction of Dr Jochen Clemens and Dr Glenys Weir. Some of the conditions that these therapies may be beneficial for include: Chronic fatigue syndrome, ME type symptoms Infectious conditions – viral/bacterial Atherosclerosis (blocked arteries) and peripheral vascular disease These Clinics provide a holistic perspective on management of the above conditions. They also provide an opportunity to meet other people in similar circumstances and to share experiences with them. For further information, contact the Gore Medical Centre, (03) 208 9222, to discuss the therapies with one of our Clinic Nurses, or make an appointment with Dr Jochen Clemens or Dr Glenys Weir. Alternatively, discuss with your own doctor who can advise you. The IV clinic also offers Aclasta infusions. These are used for the treatment of osteoporosis and are an alternative to taking weekly Fosamax medicaton.
These are a simple 1/2 hour infusion and a good option for those who find it hard to remember to take a weekly dose of medication or experience side effects from the medication. The Government now funds this medication but not the administration of it, therefore there is a charge to have this infusion. Please talk with your doctor to see if you are eligible for this funded medication or check out www.aclasta.co.nz for further information. Find a Practitioner - New ZealandAustralasian College of Nutritional and Environmental MedicineFatigue is the most common symptom reported by cancer patients and can affect quality of life more than pain.1,2 Fatigue can be expressed at physical, emotional and mental levels, and questionnaires that cover these multidimensional aspects have been developed for use with cancer patients.3 The use of i.v. vitamin C in cancer is relatively common, but there is controversy as to any proven benefits. Vitamin C has numerous functions, including a co-factor role in collagen, carnitine, neurotransmitter and neuropeptide hormone synthesis and in the regulation of epigenetics and gene transcription.4 Many of these functions could potentially influence quality of life and fatigue.5
Here we report the case of a 45-year-old female diagnosed in May 2009 with invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast (grade 2, ER+, PR+, HER2-). She immediately underwent wide local excision (no lymphovascular invasion evident) and radiation therapy to the breast. Tamoxifen was terminated after 4 days due to intolerance. Axillary lymph node recurrence occurred in Feb 2013 followed by axillary lymph node clearance (4/22 lymph nodes with extra nodal disease). In March 2013 a CT scan of chest, abdomen and pelvis showed no evidence of distal metastatic disease. Two cycles of fortnightly chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide were initiated in April and May, and in June once weekly paclitaxel was initiated for 12 weeks. Lethargy was a major symptom of chemotherapy. Prior medical history included gastric bypass in 2004 for weight reduction and a hysterectomy in 2005 for adenomyosis . At that time the patient was tired and lethargic and blood tests indicated low iron and B12 levels.
In 2007 a toxic nodule on the thyroid was diagnosed and in 2012 a total thyroidectomy was carried out for a multinodular goitre. A buccal swab was analysed for selected single nucleotide polymorphisms by the Department of Genetics, La Trobe University (Melbourne, Australia). Profiling of specific inflammatory, immune, antioxidant and detoxification genes indicated a number of adverse gene polymorphisms in this patient (Table 1). Of particular interest for this case are the CYP1B1 (cytochrome P450 1B1) and NQO1 (nicotinamide quinone oxidoreductase 1) polymorphisms. CYP1B1 is located mainly in breast, endometrium and ovaries and is involved in oestrogen metabolism. Increased activity due to the indicated homozygous polymorphism, leads to enhanced activation of pro-carcinogens.6 NQO1 has strong antioxidant capacity and has been described as an anti-cancer enzyme. The heterozygous polymorphism indicates extremely reduced enzyme activity.7 It is possible that these deleterious gene polymorphisms contributed to the development of breast cancer in this patient.
Selected genes involved in inflammation, immune systems, cell antioxidant defence and detoxification To investigate the effects of pharmacologic vitamin C on quality of life and fatigue due to chemotherapy, intravenous vitamin C (50 g/session, AscorL500, McCuff Pharmaceuticals, Santa Ana, USA) was initiated twice weekly, 2 days either side of each chemotherapy session (doxorubicin/cyclophosphaminde in May and paclitaxel in June of 2013). Quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30)8 and fatigue (MFSI-SF)9 questionnaires were undertaken before and after 4 weeks of vitamin C intervention. The quality of life questionnaire showed dramatic decreases in fatigue, pain, appetite loss, nausea/vomiting and insomnia following vitamin C administration (Figure 1A). Increases in physical, emotional, cognitive and social functioning were also observed, as well as a doubling of the patient’s “global health status” (Figure 1B). The multidimensional fatigue symptomology questionnaire showed decreases in general, physical, emotional and mental fatigue, as well as increased vigour, following vitamin C administration (Figure 2).
Final assessments were made after 4 weeks of vitamin C administration, but positive effects were noticed following the first administration. No adverse side effects of the vitamin C administration were observed by the patient or her GP.Patient’s health-related quality of life scores before (black bars) and after (grey bars) i.v. vitamin C administration Note: All of the scales range in score from 0 (no bar)–100, with a high score representing a higher response level, i.e. a high score for a symptom scale (A) represents a high level of symptomology/problems, whereas a high score for the global health status scale (B) represents a high quality of life and a high score for a functional scale (B) represents a high/healthy level of functioning.Patient’s multidimensional fatigue scores before (black) and after (grey) i.v. vitamin C administration Note: All of the single-item measures range in score from 0 (not at all = no bar) to 24 (extremely). Total fatigue represents the sum of general, physical, emotional and mental fatigue scores minus the vigour score.
Research has shown that fatigue has a constant presence following chemotherapy and also increases incrementally with consecutive cycles of chemotherapy.2 A retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological cohort study has indicated that intravenous vitamin C administration improves quality of life, including fatigue, in breast cancer patients during chemo-/radiotherapy and aftercare.10 Our case report supports the findings of Vollbracht et al10 and extends these by further investigating the effects of intravenous vitamin C on the multidimensional aspects of fatigue. Following pharmacologic vitamin C administration there were dramatic decreases in chemotherapy-related fatigue and other symptoms, as well as increased functioning and overall health. It is not possible to rule out a placebo effect, particularly as this effect tends to be more prevalent with measures of subjective symptoms.11 However, based on the varied functions of vitamin C in the body,4 it is plausible that vitamin C contributed to some of the observed quality of life effects and similar findings have recently been reported.12