OTHER INTRAVENOUS (IV) THERAPIES

As with any therapy, IV therapies have risks and side effects which may include but are not limited to discomfort at the injection site, thrombophebitis, and rarely, destruction of a vein.

Alpha Lipoic Acid – Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a vitamin-like antioxidant, sometimes referred to as the “universal antioxidant,” because it is soluble in both fat and water.¹ ALA is capable of regenerating several other antioxidants back to their active states, including vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione and Coenzyme Q10

Alpha lipoic acid has several potential benefits for people with diabetes. It enhances glucose uptake in type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, inhibits glycosylation (the abnormal attachment of sugar to protein), and has been used to improve diabetic nerve damage and reduce pain associated with that nerve damage.⁶ Most studies have used intravenous alpha lipoic acid, but oral supplementation has nonetheless proved partially helpful in treating at least one form of diabetic neuropathy, using 800 mg per day.

Preliminary evidence indicates that 150 mg of alpha lipoic acid, taken daily for one month, improves visual function in people with glaucoma.

Alpha lipoic acid has been shown to inhibit the replication of the HIV virus in the test tube. However, it is not known whether supplementing with alpha lipoic acid would benefit HIV-infected people.⁹

Intravenous administration of alpha lipoic acid has significantly increased the survival rate of people who have eaten poisonous mushrooms. Such a treatment should be prescribed by a doctor and should not be attempted on one’s own.

The body makes small amounts of alpha lipoic acid. There is only limited knowledge about the food sources of this nutrient. However, foods that contain mitochondria (a specialized component of cells), such as red meats, are believed to provide the most alpha lipoic acid. Supplements are also available.

References:

1. Kagan V, Khan S, Swanson C, et al. Antioxidant action of thioctic acid and dihydrolipoic acid. Free Radic Biol Med 1990;9S:15.

2. Lykkesfeldt J, Hagen TM, Vinarsky V, Ames BN. Age-associated decline in ascorbic acid concentration, recycling, and biosynthesis in rat hepatocytes—reversal with (R)-alpha-lipoic acid supplementation. FASEB J 1998;12:1183–9.

3. Scholich H, Murphy ME, Sies H. Antioxidant activity of dihydrolipoate against microsomal lipid peroxidation and its dependence on alpha-tocopherol. Biochem Biophys Acta 1989;1001:256–61.

4. Busse E, Zimmer G, Schorpohl B, et al. Influence of alpha-lipoic acid on intracellular glutathione in vitro and in vivo. Arzneimittelforschung1992;42:829–31.

5. Kagan V, Serbinova E, Packer L. Antioxidant effects of ubiquinones in microsomes and mitochondria are mediated by tocopherol recycling. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1990;169:851–7.

6. Packer L, Witt EH, Tritschler HJ. Alpha-lipoic acid as a biological antioxidant. Free Radic Biol Med 1995;19:227–50 [review].

7. Ziegler D, Ulrich H, Schatz H, et al. Effects of treatment with the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid on cardiac autonomic neuropathy in NIDDM patients. Diabetes Care 1997;20:369–73.

8. Filina AA, Davydova NG, Endrikhovskii SN, et al. Lipoic acid as a means of metabolic therapy of open-angle glaucoma. Vestn Oftalmol 1995;111:6–8.

9. Baur A, Harrer T, Peukert M, et al. Alpha-lipoic acid is an effective inhibitor of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV-1) replication. Klin Wochenschr 1991;69:722–4.

10. Nichols TW Jr. Alpha-lipoic acid: biological effects and clinical implications. Altern Med Rev 1997;2:177–83 [review].

11. Zempleni J, Trusty TA, Mock DM. Lipoic acid reduces the activities of biotin-dependent carboxylases in rat liver. J Nutr 1997;127:1776–81.

Glutathione – Largely through the work of Dr. David Perlmutter, we now have access to impressive clinical and laboratory data that demonstrate marked improvement in symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease with the use of this therapy.

The therapy involves a simple intravenous infusion of glutathione over an approximate 30- minute period. Most patients can expect to see immediate improvements in gait, balance, motor coordination and mood.

There is a video available through Dr. Perlmutter’s website www.Brainrecovery.com which illustrates patient gait, balance and motor coordination both before and directly after the glutathione infusion. The dramatic effects noted in the video include footage of patients who were completely unable to turn 180 degrees prior to the glutathione infusion walking and turning with ease afterward. All patients showed marked quickening of gait and noticeably improved balance. One woman who had exhibited the typical mask-like facial expression of advanced PD could smile easily after her glutathione treatment.

How might glutathione work in the treatment of PD? Can oxidative stress play a role the genesis of PD? Glutathione is a potent anti-oxidant that is capable of penetrating the central nervous system (brain). According to Dr. Perlmutter’s research on alterations in glutathione levels, there seems to be both a clinical and neuropathological difference in PD patients treated with IV glutathione versus control groups. He measured both glutathione levels and oxidized glutathione levels primarily in the substantia nigra (portion of the brain most affected in PD) in PD patients and in control groups. Glutathione levels were reduced approximately 40% and oxidized glutathione was increased approximately 29% in the patients with PD. As he points out, this altered glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio in the substantia nigra suggests that oxidative stress may be a component in the pathogenesis of nigral cell death in PD. Furthermore, the degree of reduction in glutathione seems to parallel the severity of the PD. Initial studies were done on patients with early, untreated PD. Patients were given IV glutathione twice daily for one month. All of the nine patients in the study improved significantly after the therapy, noting a 42% decline in disability. After the therapy had concluded, therapeutic effects were sustained for two to four months suggesting that in untreated PD, glutathione has symptomatic efficacy.

In a separate study, glutathione levels were compared between early and advanced cases of PD. Serum glutathione levels were significantly lower in cases of advanced PD. Cell death in the substantia nigra is a classic feature of PD. This neuronal degeneration may be a function of oxidative stress and of mitochondrial damage. Dr. Perlmutter suggests that mitochondria are critical targets for the toxic injury induced by oxygen radicals. Although the relationship between glutathione depletion, mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal cell death needs further exploration, seemingly the clinical improvements in PD patients who are treated with IV glutathione in addition to their traditional medications warrants consideration in appropriate PD patients.

DMSO (a.k.a. dimethylsulfoxide) - It may be that water is the solvent used by life on earth simply because it is here in much greater quantities than any other solvent. A "solvent" is a carrier solution meaning that it has the capacity to accommodate other atoms and molecules in such a way that they are in "solution." What it means to be in solution is that the solvent separates the atoms and molecules from each other. When atoms and molecules are thus separated, they are said to be "carried" by the solvent, or "in solution." For example, water is an excellent solvent for salt. If you put a teaspoon of table salt in a glass of water and stir, soon you are unable to see the salt. It has gone into solution, i.e., the atoms of sodium and chloride are separated from each other and held apart by dihydrous oxygen (water).

Industrial chemists are always interested in finding new and more effective solvents. The perfect solvent, in an industrial sense, is that solvent, which has the ability to put almost anything into solution in high concentration, is cheap, safe and smells good. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), except for the smell, is just such a solvent.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was first synthesized in 1866 by the Russian scientist Alexander Saytzeff. Dr. Saytzeff reported his findings in a German chemistry journal in 1867. From there DMSO languished unnoticed in obscurity for 81 years! After World War II, chemists began to take note of the remarkable versatility of DMSO. They noticed it could dissolve almost anything and carry it in solution.

In the 1960s, medical research with DMSO showed it could not only dissolve substances, but also it could also penetrate human skin and carry the dissolved substances along with it! This is remarkable, because human skin is impenetrable to most substances.

How does DMSO work? For one thing it neutralizes hydroxyl radicals and it turns out hydroxyl free radicals are the predominant cause of pain and inflammation in arthritis. Although DMSO is not known to cure cancer, it is true hydroxyl free radicals are present in cancer and in atherosclerosis. Hydroxyl radicals also are known to be produced in lipid peroxidation, which is thought to be the source of many degenerative diseases.

It also turns out DMSO is more "liquid" than water, and it can therefore penetrate to places in the body nothing else can reach so fast. DMSO substitutes for water and moves rapidly through cell membranes. It has been called "water's alter ego." This ability probably is what makes DMSO so unique as to be an entirely new therapeutic principle.

DMSO changes the water structure within the cell. Water exists in two basic structures, one more highly organized and one less organized. It may be that DMSO shifts the equilibrium between these two states of water toward the more organized form and thus speeds up the living processes of the cell, allowing healing to happen in a much accelerated fashion.

It was also shown to relieve pain and swelling, relax muscles, relieve arthritis, improve blood supply and slow the growth of bacteria. It relieves the pain of sprains and even of broken bones. It enhances the effectiveness of other pharmacological agents. If you apply DMSO to a bruise, the bruise dissolves and disappears in a matter of minutes! The pain of acute gout can be handled with the application of 5 cc of seventy percent DMSO in water four times each day. Application to a fever blister results in rapid resolution of this problem. DMSO speeds all healing, approximately doubling or tripling all healing responses.

Doctors experienced with DMSO treat the symptoms of cancer, atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and arthritis with an intravenous push of up to      20 cc of a 25% solution of DMSO. An alternative method is to put 50-100 cc in 500 cc      of saline and drip it in over a two- to three-hour period intravenously, with or without EDTA.

DMSO, although not approved by the FDA for anything except an unusual bladder condition (interstitial cystitis), is widely used in sports medicine. Professional sports in particular use DMSO to get their athletes recovered from injury and back on the playing field. Each team knows the competition will use it, and this would mean a tremendous advantage for the other team, if it were to be ignored. Combine that with the fact that DMSO is as safe as it is effective (unlike large-dose steroid injections, which were once commonly used in professional sports) and its use becomes mandatory in professional sports medicine. Only medical grade - never industrial grade - should be used on the human body due to the acetone and acid contaminants present in the industrial grade product.

The problem with DMSO is that it is so versatile and is such good treatment for so many conditions; it has fallen into the snake oil trap. It is too good to be believed. To be fully accepted, a therapy must have the general support of doctors and pure “scientific” research is lacking. However, there are a multitude of case reports on the benefits of DMSO treatments. People who benefit from these therapies are those who take the time to educate themselves and who think for themselves.

Besides the great relief provided for sufferers of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, burns, sprains, back and neck problems, there are more exotic uses for DMSO. Studies demonstrate that it protects against the tissue damage induced by radioactivity. It serves as an excellent antifreeze, preventing tissue damage ordinarily caused by freezing conditions. It controls the swelling of the brain and spinal cord following traumatic injury. If given intravenously within ninety minutes of a stroke, it prevents much of what would become permanent damage to the central nervous system. It has an antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effect.

Some cancer researchers believe it has a useful place in the treatment of many cancers in that it potentiates other forms of therapy. It decreases the need for insulin in 25% of juvenile onset diabetics. Other uses of DMSO include: tic doloreaux, headache, various skin diseases including herpes, cataracts and glaucoma, retinal degeneration, scleroderma, shingles, bunions, calluses, fungus toenails and asthma. These comments only scratch the surface of the possible medical uses of DMSO.

Vitamin C - High dose therapy in conjunction with a careful balance of other vitamins, minerals and supplements have shown to be beneficial in improving countless conditions by enhancing the anabolic processes of the body.  Tissue integrity increases, organ function improves and the immune system is enhanced. Treatments are given 1 to 3 times per week and the patient must have a laboratory workup before, during and after a series of treatments. 

Intravenous Vitamin C and Cancer - Vitamin C (also known as – ‘ascorbic acid’) is considered the most studied and yet the most controversial vitamin in history. It has been subjected to numerous research studies throughout the years. There are documented claims that vitamin C provides benefit for heart disease, schizophrenia, diabetes, autoimmune disease, helping fight infections, cancer, and more. In fact there are virtually no areas in medicine where vitamin C has not been used or studied at one point in time. The highest amounts of vitamin C in the body are found in the adrenal glands, brain, liver, spleen, pancreas and kidney for unknown reasons. White blood cells (which help fight infections) have 10-30 times higher amounts of vitamin C than the blood! One area in medicine where vitamin C thrives in controversy is in the field of cancer. Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling and oncologist Dr. Cameron popularized the use of vitamin C in cancer during the 1970s.

Why Intravenous Vitamin C Is beneficial For Cancer Patients:

·        Correction of any possible vitamin C deficiency (i.e. fatigue, bleeding)

·         Enhanced immune system function (interferon, IL-2, others)

·         Support white blood cells (have 10-30X higher levels than blood!)

·         Stimulation of collagen formation (wall off tumors)

·         Inhibition of hyaluronidase (prevents tumor spread)

·         Enhanced wound healing after surgery

·         Possible enhancement of Erythropoietin (EPO)

·         Pain relief, Anti-inflammatory

·         Anti-stress & anti-depressant properties

IN GENERAL— EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE OF THE ENTIRE BODY!

Some Basic Facts About Vitamin C

Circulating white blood cells have between 10-30 times higher levels of vitamin C than the blood

It is difficult to attain high blood levels of vitamin C orally due to a high kidney clearance Vitamin C is readily & easily used with in the body (its easy to deplete) Vitamin C blood levels (greater than 3 mg/dl) better correlate to increased overall survival time in cancer patients High blood levels of Vitamin C (between 200-400 mg/dl) can kill tumor cells, however, this is only possible through injection in humans.

Vitamin C appears to kill cancer cells by increasing intra- cellular hydrogen peroxide, which is aided by the low levels of the enzyme catalase found in cancer cells

Initial intravenous vitamin C therapy is given 3-5x/ week for 4 weeks. The duration, dose, and frequency of treatments are catered to each individual case, the severity of the cancer, the type of cancer, and according to laboratory test results. To first time patients, 10 grams (or 10,000 mg) of vitamin C is administered in over a 1 hour time period to determine tolerance to treatment. The vitamin C doses are then increased in increments of 10 grams or greater per treatment. The maximum vitamin C dose can safely surpass 50 grams of vitamin C given over a 1-2 hour period. Doses over 100 grams (100,000 mg) have been well tolerated in selected and aggressive cancer cases.

Other important nutrients are also added to the intravenous protocol to help enhance vitamin C effectiveness and to further support the body. Oral vitamin C should be continued indefinitely while undergoing treatment. Intravenous boosters are recommended at the first suspicion of a negative change (i.e. metastasis, infection).

Intravenous vitamin C has a high safety margin and low risk profile. There may be a rare risk of a drastic massive tumor-killing phenomenon in cancer patients, which in turn may put a person at risk for severe shock. This is why low doses of vitamin C are given to patients in the initial stages of treatment. There may be a rare chance of "stressing" the renal system in patients with existing renal failure or in patients with severe kidney diseases. This is why, at the office, we perform a thorough laboratory analysis to help determine and minimize any potential risk(s) To date, no adverse reactions have occurred at the office.

Other useful websites: