Frequently Asked Questions About the Cancer Program
Frequently asked questions about the Cancer Program:
My oncologist doesn’t want me on any vitamins, what should I do?
The treatments that we prescribe in the office are only given if there is evidence based medicine to support their use. We ask that you bring in a detailed list of any medications and supplements that you are taking along with your original pathology report, scans, other diagnostics, notes and blood work. All prescriptions will be searched through the National Library of Medicine for proof of efficacy and will be cross-referenced with your medications through two different databases to ensure there is no negative interaction.
If you do not have copies of relevant tests, we will ask you to fill out a “Release of Records Form” to help obtain them from your physician’s office or hospital.
If necessary, we will provide you with a research/information summary to bring to your oncologist. We can also speak directly with your oncologist if they are open and willing to discussing your case. If you would like us to do this, please provide us with their contact information. This is the ideal approach, as everyone remains on the same page and your care becomes truly integrated.
My oncologist specifically told me NOT to take high dose vitamin C, but I have heard very positive things about it. Why is my doctor telling me NOT to do it?
There is a common misconception that low dose oral vitamin C has the same action in the body as high doses of intravenous vitamin C. In order for vitamin C to act as a cancer cell killing agent, very high doses (50-100 grams) must be given. Can you take this dose orally? No. While everyone is different, most individuals would experience diarrhea if they tried to take this dose orally. The absorption into the bloodstream is much less via the oral route as well.
Here is a simple explanation of how Vitamin C may help in a patient diagnosed with cancer:
- In low doses (less than 25g) vitamin C works as an antioxidant. In high doses, vitamin C is actually a pro-oxidant, and creates a buildup of hydrogen peroxide capable of killing a cell that is not able to rid itself of the excess. This is what happens inside the cancer cell which is deficient in an enzyme (responsible for breaking down hydrogen peroxide) called catalase. Normal, healthy cells remain unharmed because they are not catalase deficient.
2. There is also some research on high dose ascorbate as an anti-angiogenic (anti-blood vessel growth to tumour cells).
Here are some links to the relevant research abstracts:
http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/9/1/25
http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/6/1/50
http://ict.sagepub.com/content/4/1/32.abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17564322
The hospital pharmacist mentioned that high dose vitamin C can contribute to kidney stones. Should I be concerned?
Intravenous vitamin C is a very safe therapy. While this side effect has been reported in the literature (in a small number of cases), there is a very low risk of this happening. In 8 years of practice, I have not seen it happen once. We pre-screen our patients with a number of blood tests prior to starting intravenous vitamin C. We look at kidney function to make sure that the patient can tolerate the fluid volume, and a G6PD screen (enzyme test) is done as well.
Will these natural treatments put me into remission?
Practitioners cannot make any claims to cure. Based on the current best research, a plan will be put together to ensure that you are taking the most appropriate, natural agents for your type of cancer.
