IV Vitamin C alternative treatment

[Chieftart]

Hi everyone, I'm new on this site. I was wondering if anyone has gone down the integrative healing route of having IV Vit C treatment as a 'natural chemo' alternative to conventional carbo/taxol for OC?

I have had 8/15 of these treatments and am actually feeling worse than I did with conventional chemo at the moment. And that is really saying something as we all know how debilitating that is! Would love to hear from anyone who has considered this or benefited from it.

Best positive wishes to all x

[Yoshbosh]

Hi Chieftart,

Have you been monitoring your bloods etc at the same time? Are you seeing improvements to your CA125?

I've considered IV Vit C, but not as a substitute for chemo, but as a complementary therapy instead. I haven't done anything more than consider it though! There are a few groups on FB which explore alternatives to chemo, and a lot of people have used this on there. You might be able to get some more responses via that route, if we can't offer much help on here.

Sorry to hear you are feeling worse though 😕

Yosh x

[Chieftart in reply to Yoshbosh]

Hi Yosh, my CA125 marker has never been a good indication of what is going on in my body unfortunately! Even before my debunking op in 2014 it was only 136 and has consistently been under 35 through 2 lines of chemo. So it's CT scans for me. However all bloods have been normal since I started this treatment, apart from my HB which dropped considerably- interestingly my white, not red blood cells were a problem with chemo and I had to have boosting injections between sessions.

I also have heard that Vit C is used as a therapy alongside conventional chemo, but in the US, not here. I have also 90% changed my diet to vegan, as it appears to me that is the way to regain health, if at all possible, rather than accept what is dictated for us by our oncology specialists - well, mine anyway. I

Thank you Yosh for your kind thoughts and I wish you and everyone else the best health you can find.

[Yoshbosh in reply to Chieftart]

Interesting that you what you say about the availability of IV vit C in the US - in the U.K. it's really quite uncommon as a treatment. You have to look very hard for a practitioner and it's not really a recognised therapy. There's an almost 'underground' movement for it, but I imagine it will eventually become more mainstream as research shows the benefits.

Like you, I've made dietary changes - I'm not vegan, but I eat vegan a couple of days a week, and have built in more fish and less red meat etc. I feel better for it, so it must be doing some good!

I hope you start to feel better again very soon.

[Chieftart in reply to Yoshbosh]

Your kind words are helping, thank you 😊 It's incredibly supportive to exchange ideas and thoughts with others who understand stuff we go through without having to explain the nitty gritty. I expect I will have other topics to air on here before long - I can think of several already actually!

I hope you are feeling as well as you can too and I wish you every chance of continued health x

[Sherrym]

My friend refused chemo for inoperable breast cancer to try vit C & mistle treatments but I'm afraid it did not shrink the tumour, but chemo will she is told.

It may then be small enough to operate

[Chieftart in reply to Sherrym]

We all have our own choices to make regarding treatment, and I certainly wouldn't stand in judgement of anybody, whatever they decide. This is a tough path to travel as we all know.

Chemotherapy has proved it can shrink tumours to enable surgery, and vit c treatment is not scientifically proven - only anecdotal stories. No guarantees of a cure sadly. I do believe though that in time and with more research this 'natural chemo' will be better regarded by the medical profession, even if only to be used alongside conventional chemotherapy.

I hope your friend gets a positive response if she chooses chemo and I wish her everything good for the outcome.

[Sherrym in reply to Chieftart]

Thank u, & i wonder if perhaps ALONGSIDE conventional? I know in Germany many oncos prescribe mistletoe treatment.

It will all perhaps be perfected one day. For now, I am sticking with my drugs from the Oncology Clinic in London. It's seems every day Metformin & Statins are benefitting many conditions

We all choose our paths. For me it has been Penny Brohn, Odyssey & Oncology Clinic. Where next? Who knows, but thank u everyone for all the info I have gleaned here

[vans]

oh best wishes to your freind

[Spencer2016]

I am being treated in the US and haven't heard of a vitamin C IV. I am almost certain my onc would not be in favor of this, even as a supplement to chemo. How would vitamin C kill cancer cells? Not sure that makes sense to me, but don't know much about it.

[Chieftart in reply to Spencer2016]

Hi,

When I was looking for more natural ways to treat my cancer, and knowing that chemo only 'pushed it back' I came across several websites that suggested IV Vit c as a potentially potent ally in the fight against cancer. I've copied some information from a website called cancertutor.com which gave me a good idea of how it works.

''Vitamin C, when administered in high doses by intravenous (I.V.) infusions, can kill cancer cells. Vitamin C interacts with iron and other metals to create hydrogen peroxide. In high concentrations, hydrogen peroxide damages the DNA and mitochondria of cancer cells and shuts down their energy supply and kills them outright. Best of all — and unlike virtually all conventional chemotherapy drugs that destroy cancer cells — it is selectively toxic. No matter how high the concentration, Vitamin C does not harm healthy cells.''

So I decided to do it. It's only available privately in the UK at the moment but I would love to see more research into running it alongside conventional treatment- apparently it lessens the side effects of that too.

Hope that helps - I am hoping it will be what my body needs to help it heal itself, along with radical diet changes.

Best of wishes in your own journey x

[Sherrym in reply to Chieftart]

Many tx for that

[luluw]

Just a thought-if these alternative treatments worked, wouldn't our oncologists be using them? After all, their purpose in life is to make us better or, if they can't do that to extend our lives for as long as possible.

Surgery and chemotherapy have saved my life. I will always put my trust in scientifically sound and proven treatments.

[Agility in reply to luluw]

Hi our uk oncologists offer therapies that have been thru clinical trials. They might think a therapy could work but if there is no trial data, won't use or recommend. It's to do with evidence based medicine and professional liability.

[Chieftart in reply to Agility]

You put it better than me. Evidence based medicine is key here.

[Chieftart in reply to luluw]

Hi luluw

This is a tricky subject. When I chose not to have my 3rd course of chemo because of the toxic effect it had on my body, I asked my oncologist what other options there were. Her only suggestion was chemo, as nothing else had been scientifically proven. In doing a bit of research it would appear that this is due to costs to the massive pharmaceutical industry that supplies chemotherapy drugs,but that's not really a subject I want to discuss here as I'm not claiming that is true.

We all have our own choices to make, and I too followed my oncs advice at first without question. It's just that after having surgery and two cycles of chemo and knowing the effect it had on my body, I chose not to go down that route again. It's a hard choice, and my onc tried hard to convince me otherwise, giving me a very poor prognosis if I didn't have it. I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing, but I just want to give my body the tools it needs to help me through this and cure me if it can, rather than relying on conventional medicine. I'm following my gut here and trust that it will take me to a healthy outcome.

I wish you all the very best x

[Hidden]

I did Vitamin C the day before getting chemo..did that for 5 months and then stopped because my side effect was very swollen ankles and feet and I was only receiving 25g of Vitamin C (equal to 1000 oranges)...I even had the vitamin C infusion alone when I had a 6 week break from chemo and my CA 125 did not go down..

Lynne

[Chieftart in reply to Hidden]

Hi lynne - thanks for your input - interested to know...did you find the side effects from chemo were any less having had vit c infusions?

I know fluid retention can be a possible side effect of this treatment and I'm sorry to hear that's what happened to you.

[Hidden in reply to Chieftart]

I didn't notice any difference because when I stopped the IV Vitamin C, the following month I started immunotherapy, Avastin, as a single agent and the side effects there have been minimal until now..I've had 6 rounds of it and am just now getting side effects.

[Chieftart in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for that, I hope the side effects don't bring you down and you power through x

[85live4ever]

Hi Chieftart, at times it feel as if we are grabbing at straws. I have tried alsorts of things to try & keep this oc at bay so far nothing seems to be keeping it a way for very long. I am on my third line in 2 years at present but realise it's not going to cure me just try & give me some more time.

We all want to be cancer free easier said than done. I did look into IV vit C treatment but couldn't find out where you would have it done in the UK. I asked the onc but they only think chemo works & tend to be very blinkered in the fact that anything else could help. They have made it very clear that when there is no more treatment left to try then thats that. I don't get the impression they will be pulling a rabbit out of any hat just waving goodbye to me instead.

I have tried changing my diet having a smoothly every day containing 6 organic fruits & 4 vegetables & lots of different vitamins encluding golden paste. I did it for over 6 months but oc has still come back in all the old places & a few new ones as well.

I am feeling quite disillusioned lately if the rich & famous can't survive cancer what chance do we have. A part of me is still hopeful for a miracle but the other half is doubtful.

It's great we can come on here & discuss different ideas. I am sorry you are not feeling very well on trying this treatment please keep us up dated on how you get on. Take care Cindyxx

[Chieftart in reply to 85live4ever]

Hi Cindy

That's a personal and candid reply - nobody in the medical world has any real answers yet do they? If only! I just refuse to accept the perceived inevitability for us by the medical profession if chemo is refused. One of the reasons for that is that I read a book written by a lady who had ovarian cancer 16, no 17 years ago in which she details everything, from diagnosis to prognosis by her doctor, and her journey through fear of what may lie ahead. She refused any conventional treatment and instead cured herself by diet and herbal remedies. Now I know there are many 'self help' books out there but I have actually met this woman, she is the neighbour of a friend of mine, and there was no smoke and mirrors involved. I had a long discussion with her and in fact we are still in touch. There IS hope, but it does involve radical changes, not least believing that your body can heal itself. I'm no airy fairy peace and love hippie chick but I embrace this thought and it gives me comfort. Love to all Debs x

[85live4ever in reply to Chieftart]

Hi Chieftart, thank you for you reply. Like you I still have hope or I wouldn't be on here looking for answers. If I thought I didn't have a chance in hell of living longer I would of given up when the onc gave me only 6 months to live.

When I first found out I had oc I looked up miracle stories & it gave me something to strives towards. I changed everything my way of life, diet & attitude. I feel after 2 years I would be seeing something for all my hard work instead of being told I need more chemo.

I am glad you have this fight in you & I hope you the very best please keep us up dated in your progress. Take care Cindyxx

[Chieftart in reply to 85live4ever]

Hi Cindy, I know this is hard, and there are many times when I have shouted and screamed about how unfair this is when I'm trying everything to get better. All I can say to you is KEEP BELIEVING IN YOURSELF as I do and you will give yourself the very best chance of recovery. My warmest wishes to you Debs xx

[85live4ever in reply to Chieftart]

Hi Debs, thank you for your kind words. It's something we all need to do is believe in are selves. Take care Cindyxx