Peggy, a woman in her 60's, came to see consult with me in 2014 for integrative cancer support while she was battling lung cancer that had spread to her brain. She already had surgery for lung cancer and was currently receiving chemotherapy. Her medical situation was concerning, to say the least.
As with many other patients I treat who are receiving conventional cancer therapy, I explained to Peggy that my holistic therapy usually reduces chemotherapy's side effects and supports the immune system. One of the more effective and well-researched holistic treatments I prescribed right away was high-dose intravenous vitamin C (HDIVC). The results have been tremendous…more on that later in the article.
Now most people, including oncologists, think of vitamin C as a super antioxidant in the body. This is true, and as an antioxidant, it protects against excessive free radical damage that we are exposed to from cell energy production and detoxification, and environmental toxins. There are many roles that vitamin C plays in the body, including healthy immune system function.
Many types of chemotherapy work by temporarily increasing free radicals in the body, a type of oxidative effect. Therefore, chemotherapy has the potential to kill cancer cells but, unfortunately, damage healthy cells too. As a result, chemotherapy has numerous potential side effects such as fatigue, digestive upset (nausea, vomiting, low appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain), fatigue, foggy brain and loss of memory, skin rashes, low white and red blood cell count, damage to vital organs (heart, liver, kidneys), and even death.
The question comes up as to whether HDIVC would neutralize or interfere with commonly used chemotherapy drugs since it is considered an antioxidant. The answer is a resounding no! Over the past sixty years, the medical literature demonstrates that intravenous vitamin C does not interfere with chemotherapy (or radiation) but is very synergistic! The reason for this is that intravenous vitamin C at about 25 grams (25,000 mg) has oxidative effects (but unlike chemotherapy, this water-soluble vitamin does not damage healthy cells). A review of data as far back as 2008 found that multiple existing cancer therapies and their effect combined with vitamin C and found that all the agents were either not affected or enhanced by intravenous vitamin C.
As explained in the book Outside The Box Cancer Therapies with National Institutes of Health (NIH) researcher Dr. Paul Anderson, HDIVC generates the immune system production of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide has the effect of weakening cancer cells. HDIVC also has potent anti-inflammatory effects. Like many chronic diseases, cancer is a disease of inflammation, which fuels abnormal cell division. Research at Riordan Clinic in Wichita, Kansas, has found that a series of IVC sessions can lower the blood inflammation marker CRP by approximately 75 percent. Also, research shows that HDIVC activates a gene that suppresses tumor formation. Also, HDIVC has an anti-angiogenesis effect, as it gets into cancer cells and creates an inhospitable (aerobic) oxygenated environment.
Several recent studies have indicated that intravenous vitamin C alleviates several chemotherapy-related symptoms, such as fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, and pain.
Improvements have been found in physical symptoms, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning, and an improvement in overall health. A 2018 review paper o in frontiers in Pharmacology stated that IVC that "most of the studies described above reported that vitamin C treatment could improve quality of life or reduce chemotherapy-related side effects in cancer patients."
Research conducted at the Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC) study was funded by the NIH (National Institutes Of Health). People with cancer had already had traditional cancer therapy or currently receiving cancer therapy and were prescribed a naturopathic diet, supplement regime, and HDIVC. The three-year survival rates of stage IV colon, lung, and breast cancer patients and stage III ovarian cancer patients receiving HDIVC from BIORC were dramatically better than national statistics, based on the National Cancer Institute's SEER program.
Published research in 613 people with a history of liver cancer and surgery found that intravenous vitamin C improved disease-free survival. Another study of 125 breast cancer patients showed that IV C reduced chemotherapy side effects such as nausea, fatigue, and dizziness. Similar results were found in a study with 60 patients who had various types of cancer. The same was true of a smaller study of people with solid tumors. A reduction in the side effects of chemotherapy has also been shown in studies involving ovarian cancer.
Published research also demonstrates that IVC:
The advantage of HDIVC is that one can attain a blood level of 100 times that of oral vitamin C. Most people will experience digestive upset such as diarrhea at around 5,000 to 10,000 mg of oral vitamin C. The HDIVC allows modern technology to flood the bloodstream with vitamin C that could not otherwise occur. I am also unaware of any research demonstrating that liposomal forms of vitamin C attain blood levels anywhere close to HDIVC or has the anticancer properties of HDIVC.
HDIVC should not be given to patients with a genetic abnormality known as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. This genetically related enzyme deficiency is screened for with a simple blood test. The therapy should not be given to people with uncontrolled blood sugar levels, such as in uncontrolled diabetes. Caution should be used for people with more advanced kidney failure, a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, iron or copper overload conditions, and pregnancy.
For many of my patients, I start HDIVC at 25 grams and work up to 50 grams over a period of 90 to 120 minutes. Treatment is not started until lab testing has been completed, which demonstrates the patient is a candidate for safe treatment. Patients often receive one to two treatments a week, depending on the severity of their condition. It is important people eat and hydrate well before, during, and after treatment as blood sugar levels can drop, and one can become mildly dehydrated from the treatments. We have performed this therapy on many patients over the years, and side effects are uncommon.
Now almost eight years later, Peggy has been free of cancer anywhere in her body based on several imaging studies over the past nine months. She continues her healthy diet, supplements, HDIVC, and cancer medications.
HDIVC is not in itself a cure for cancer. Still, it is demonstrating to have anticancer properties, improves the quality of life for people with cancer, is compatible with cancer therapies, and works synergistically with conventional cancer therapies for improved outcomes.
Dr. Mark Stengler NMD, MS, is a bestselling author in private practice in Encinitas, California, at the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. His newsletter, Dr. Stengler’s Health Breakthroughs, is available at www.markstengler.com and his product line at www.drstengler.com
Roa FJ, Peña E, Gatica M, et al. Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:211. Published 2020 Mar 3. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.00211
Stengler M. Outside The Box Cancer Therapies. Carlsbad: Hay House; 2018.
