High dose IV Vitamin C – a progressive treatment

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is an essential water soluble nutrient involved in the growth and repair of cells and tissues, as well as the reduction of inflammation. The body is not able to make Vitamin C on its own and also doesn’t store it. It is therefore important to include plenty of Vitamin C containing foods in our daily diet. Vitamin C is also needed to form an important protein used to make & repair skin, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels, to heal wounds and form scar tissue, repair and maintain cartilage, bones and teeth, and to aid in the absorption of iron.

Vitamin C also builds the immune system. It is found in high concentrations in immune cells, enhancing chemotaxis & phagocytosis, thereby having an antimicrobial effect. It is also needed in the removal of neutrophils from sites of infection, thereby decreasing potential cell damage. It also promotes increased production in the fighter cells of our bodies (B and T cell lymphocytes) due to its gene regulating effects. Vitamin C deficiency results in an impaired immunity and higher susceptibility to infections. Infections further reduce vitamin C levels due to increased inflammation and metabolic demand on the body.

Vitamin C functions as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that protect the body’s cells against free radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) created during cellular metabolism. Vitamin C reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals which cause damage to cells. Free radicals are produced during basic metabolic processes like the break down of food, and especially in energy (ATP) production. Environmental factors like exposure to smoke, radiation such as x-rays, air pollution and even cancer treatments also produce free radicals. Free radicals damage the cells DNA, as well as the fatty acids and proteins in the body, which can lead to cell death. This cellular and DNA damage increases the risk of getting cancer, heart disease, stroke, as well as cognitive impairments such as dementia, Parkinsons etc.

Our blog today is about the value and health benefit of a progressive therapy – high dose IV vitamin C. It was difficult to avoid medical lingo/terminology while still offering sufficient evidence for the value of this effective treatment, which is just beginning to gain ground here in South Africa. We are hoping the medical jargon doesn’t deter from your enjoyment and learning.

In high doses administered via IV drip, Vitamin C functions as a pro-oxidant (rather than an anti-oxidant) in the treatment and management of pathological conditions such as cancer ( and associated high Inflammatory markers).

High dose Vitamin C is recognized as anything above 10 000 mg/10g in any one treatment. Vitamin C above 10 000mg can only be administered intravenously, and must be preceded by a G6PD test to evaluate sensitivity.

A personal encounter:

On the 07 June 2021, I popped into Dr Sonia Doubell’s office in the medical centre where the DripBar Cambridge Crossing is situated to have her look at an inflamed sebaceous cyst in my groin. For those of you that know me, I’m an avid cyclist and train/ride on average 12-14 hours per week. These inflamed sebaceous glands are not unfamiliar to me, and usually respond to local application of essential oil. Occasionally, there may be a stubborn one that needs to be lanced..which is precisely what I was thinking when I visited Dr Sonia that day. She took one look and said she wasn’t happy lancing the pea sized inflammation as she described it as feeling ‘tethered’. She suggested I see a specialist asap. She enquired if I felt well otherwise and I casually responded, mentioning a runny tummy of some weeks which I attributed to ridiculous amounts of stress in the last few months. She suggested bloods and the running of a few standard tests. I left her office thinking nothing of the situ, only about how I was going to resolve my ‘inflamed & tethered’ sebaceous gland ahead of my long ride scheduled for the weekend.

Tuesday 08 June 2021: Dr Sonia calls me into her office. My blood tests have revealed high cancer markers for Gut and /or pancreas. My CA 119 markers are 109 and should be below 35. Talk about freaking out. Shocked and horrified, I quickly turned into a blithering wreck…the only place i felt safe and calm was in the bath, and numbing my thoughts and my mind with mindless series on Netflix. So this is exactly what I did. If I wasn’t undergoing a test or seeing a doctor, I was in the bath or in my PJ’s on the couch with Netflix. It was all so horrible – scary. I felt so vulnerable. How was this diagnosis even possible? I live the cleanest life of anyone I know – I eat a whole foods high micronutrient plant-based diet with little to no processed food, additives, flavorants, colourants or preservatives; I have little to no plastic exposure; I use organic skin and haircare products; I use non toxic household cleaning products; I filter all my water; I don’t use medication of any sort; and regularly detoxify. I am also a passionate evangelist for lifestyle medicine! This diagnosis made a mockery of my work as a functional and lifestyle medicine coach. I was doing everything from a lifestyle point of view that on a daily, basis I advise my clients to do in order to manage and even reverse their chronic illnesses, and here I was with high cancer markers. I felt like a fraud. The next three days were emotional and mental torture for me as I grappled with a cacophony of thoughts, and underwent a colonoscopy, gastroscopy, cat scan, specialist visits…& impatiently and anxiously awaited results. I think I aged 10 years just in those four days.

In the end, I am very grateful and beyond blessed to say that no actual cancer was found, and every other test for anything else that could have spiked the cancer markers, like bilharzia, was negative. Although relieved on the one hand, this was on the other hand, also very stressful…the not knowing, the wondering if they had missed something. When I had calmed down enough to be sufficiently and meaningfully introspective, I realised that my stress of the last few months was completely out of control and unmanaged. Stress is a killer…it can sneak up on you, and before you know it, can be wreaking havoc on your health. It raises the inflammatory & stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and fires up the sympathetic nervous system, which is our fight/flight response. For weeks, I had been sleeping poorly, experiencing daily heart palpitations and high anxiety and drinking more coffee and wine than usual – one as an upper and the other as a downer, while at the same time training/riding harder than usual as an escape or ‘stress release’. The cause of the stress: General LIFE!

Regardless of the reasons for our stress, actively and effectively managing it is absolutely critical and essential in achieving and maintaining optimal health. The scales are hugely weighted in favor of stress…I am a prime example of this: even if you exercise and eat well, avoid toxins and work as a functional & lifestyle medicine practitioner and evangelist for healthy living, if your stress remains unmanaged for any length of time, inflammation and subsequent illness and disease is guaranteed.

Despite being advised to repeat the blood tests to check the cancer markers at the beginning of July, I could only muster up the courage to repeat them last week…very very relieved that they’re down from 109 to 60. Almost half!! To what do I attribute this decrease: a committed and dedicated focus on stress management: daily meditation, daily vagal nerve stimulation techniques, HRV monitoring, mindful breathing throughout the day and of course, high dose IV vitamin C twice a week. The high dose pro-oxidant Vitamin C treatment increased the toxicity of the cells producing my elevated cancer markers – to the point where these cells were sufficiently damaged and eventually died off. A more detailed explanation follows:

Vitamin C as a pro-oxidant in the treatment of cancer

In high doses (above 10 000mg/10g), Vitamin C has a switch over role from being an anti-oxidant in physiological conditions, to being a pro-oxidant in pathological conditions. Cancer cells (and inflamed cells) have naturally higher ROS (reactive oxygen species or free radical) levels compared to normal cells. This unique feature of these pathological cells is now being ‘exploited’ for targeted therapies such as high dose Vitamin C. A relatively increased ROS within a cell promotes tumorigenesis, metastasis and angiogenesis ie an increase in active cancer or inflamed cells. However, in complete contrast, an excessive accumulation of ROS induces apoptosis or cell death. An additional surge in ROS (free radicals) can be produced by pro-oxidants (high dose Vitamin C) and is shown to cause cancer (inflamed) cells to reach their oxidative stress threshold sooner than normal cells, resulting in oxidative stress induced cancer  (inflamed) cell death.

The research of Vitamin C as a pro-oxidant shows that cancer cells cannot handle sudden bursts of free radicals caused by pro-oxidants and therefore become severely injured, and die. This cytotoxicity of cancer cells through the generation of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) also blocks the energy supply to cancer cells, particularly in the colon and pancreas, thereby inducing anti -proliferation, cytotoxic and genotoxic effects.

How does high dose Vitamin C further support the management and treatment of cancer?

Studies have shown that patients with a more advanced stage of cancer have lowered overall levels of Vitamin C due to the increased demand for Vitamin C by the body.

Not only will these reduced levels of Vitamin C affect immunity and cellular repair, both essential for the body to ‘fight’ the cancer but will inhibit the unique ability of Vitamin C can to target three vulnerabilities of cancer cells – 1.) redox imbalances (oxidative stress that overwhelms the immune system) 2.) epigenetic reprogramming (what cells may or may not develop into) and 3.) oxygen sensing regulation (a cells ability to understand its own need for oxygen).

As cancer is an inflammatory disease, high dose IV Vitamin C is most effective when used in conjunction with an anti- inflammatory diet and lifestyle.For more information, contact Functional and Lifestyle Medicine Coach, Chantal Du Chenne, at info@thedripbar.co.za.

Blog post written by Chantal Du Chenne, Gut Health advocate and Functional Medicine Health and Lifestyle Coach. Co-authored with Raeesa Hussain (Clinical Associate)

BIO: Chantal is a B.Sc.Hons Allied Health with an international diploma in Nutrition and Sports Nutrition. Chantal is a passionate Gut Health advocate & Functional Medicine Health & Lifestyle Coach, specialising in the improvement and management of the chronic diseases of lifestyle, the illnesses and diseases associated with dietary excess and their relationship to leaky gut and dysbiosis (imbalance) of the gut microbiome. These conditions include IBS, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight, obesity, acne, eczema, depression, anxiety, auto-immune, hormone imbalance, cancer, cognitive decline etc.

Over her 25 year career, Chantal has held various positions within the health and wellness industry – including 10 years as the Executive Head of Vodacom’s corporate wellness & mobile health programs. Chantal is the owner/ founder of the DripBar which offers vitamin and mineral drip therapy in improving micronutrient deficiencies related to lifestyle, underlying conditions & chronic medication. She is also the founder/owner of a Kombucha brewery which produces the brand of organic green tea ‘booch’ called theFarmacy.

Chantal is a competitive cyclist, a plant strong vegan and mom to two grown up girls.

To book a health coaching session: info@thedripbar.co.za or chantal@healthtrac.global

This blog post contains information that is not designed to take the place of,
substitute, or replace any form and method of professional or medical advice
and treatment or medicine. All content is the author’s opinion and is not
intended to diagnose and remedy. The facts and figures contained in this
document are presented solely for informational and educational purposes
only.