Stunning Success! Vitamin C Saves People Dying of Sepsis

This is great news!!!

Stunning Success! Vitamin C Saves People Dying of Sepsis

Dr. Paul Marik, chief of pulmonary and critical care at Eastern Virginia Medical School, came up with the idea on little more than a whim.

His patient, 48-year-old Valerie Hobbs, was succumbing to sepsis and he had run out of options to save her. It was a desperation shot in the dark: Vitamin C. It worked. Beautifully. Again and again.

It wasn't really a "whim," because there is much medical research and literature to recommend IV Vitamin C therapy for sepsis, so I would say it was more of an informed and educated decision, although sadly not yet approved by the greater medical establishment. But his reasoning was sound -- as proven by his patients!

Not long before that, Dr. Marik had been reading about the healing powers of Vitamin C. On a hunch, he gave 1.5 grams of it to Valerie intravenously (because the body can only absorb 500 milligrams when taken orally), along with the steroid hydrocortisone, to reduce inflammation. He would later add Vitamin B to the mixture three patients later.

"I went home not expecting that she would survive," Dr. Marik admitted, "The next morning when I got to work, she was off the blood pressure medication and she was off the ventilator two hours later and actually left the ICU three days later. So it was quite astonishing."

The specific protocol treatment the doctor followed can be found here:

A cure for sepsis?

The B vitamin used was Thiamine, which is known to be deficient in sepsis patients. Although I read several articles about this doctors success, no specific type(s) of infection was identified. It may not matter though, as Vitamin C is known to be antiviral, antibacterial and antiseptic, and could/would be effective on most -- if not all. And the dosage administered is known to be within safe levels. It was a last resort, but it could do no harm either, so the patients had nothing to lose and everything to gain -- literally. To put this in perspective:

Every year, severe sepsis strikes more than a million Americans. It’s been estimated that between 28 and 50 percent of these people die—far more than the number of U.S. deaths from prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined.

The number of sepsis cases per year has been on the rise in the United States. This is likely due to a combination of factors, including increased awareness and tracking of the condition, an aging population, the increased longevity of people with chronic diseases, the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms, an upsurge in invasive procedures and broader use of immunosuppressive and chemotherapeutic agents.

Dr. Frederick R. Klenner was an early proponent of Vitamin C as medicine, using exceptionally high doses intravenously in the form of sodium ascorbate... and we're talking crazy high doses up to 300,000 mgs, compared to the recommended daily allowance of 60 mg! Dr. Klenner started doing this back in the 1940s. Irwin Stone and Dr. Linus Pauling were also huge proponents of Vitamin C as medicine, with Linus Pauling having the remarkable honor of winning two Nobel Peace prizes, and the Oregon State University has honored his work with the Linus Pauling Institute. But they all had their detractors and deriders in the mainstream medical establishment. Subsequent medical research has proven the efficacy of Vitamin C as a medicine, including recent studies which show how intravenous Vitamin C works in successfully fighting cancer, as opposed to Vitamin C taken orally which has shown mixed results.

When I was reading related peer-reviewed published clinical studies at PubMed, I was very happy to learn that the National Institutes of Health had funded some of these studies, hopefully and presumably in the best interests of the public who fund these institutes! But the dark side of this wonderful news is that we have created a backwards medical system which not only allows for, but demands, that the best interests of the corporation -- i.e., profit -- are put before the best interests of the public. Even to the extent that we are denied -- even criminalized -- for using the fruits of the earth to treat ourselves. And it's shameful and unconscionable and a literal crime against all humanity.

This is accomplished in various nefarious ways, starting with laws requiring corporations to act in the best interests of their shareholders, whose only interest is $$$, so these big pharmaceutical corporations have no interest in or obligation to provide the least expensive medicine, not even the best medicine! By law, they must work for the biggest bucks possible... and specifically via government granted patents that give them complete control over the manufacture, distribution and cost of their products -- our medicines. Vitamin C, as a natural substance occurring in abundance, that is very inexpensive and cannot be patented, so there is no incentive for corporations to research and promote Vitamin C as a medicine... but there is every incentive to do the opposite. And perhaps with the help of FDA revolving-door employees, like this:

FDA Quietly Removed Access to Life or Death Hospital Equipment

Townsend Letter in June of 2014 describes a critical shortage of IV bags. “One of the great ironies is that while health authorities have called for curtailment of manufacturing by the compounding pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies have not been able to meet the drug and medical supply requirements of hospitals and clinics. What the letter does not mention is that this situation may have begun to occur after the FDA banning the mass production of IV vitamin C (the pre-prepared bags).

These are issues that we very much need to focus on in the national debate as we proceed with the presumed repeal and replace of Obamacare. We don't need health insurance... we need health care. We need medical research performed with the best interests of the people in mind -- not the best financial interests of corporate shareholders. We need greater focus on educating folks on how to take care of themselves, including treating their health issues appropriately as necessary. We need more and better control and choices in our healthcare. We need a Patients Bill of Rights.

No corporation's "right" to a profit, nor any government's authority to regulate commerce, supersedes our natural inalienable and absolute right to healthcare and that includes all the fruits of the earth. Nor is there any virtue in allowing -- nay, forcing! -- people to die or even suffer in the name of "protecting" us. Nothing and no one has the "right" to stand in the way of our absolute right to provide our own healthcare alone or with other ready, willing and able adults.

Articles I read for this post -- both those linked above and more
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Has sepsis met its match?

pilotonline.com... l/health/a-norfolk-doctor-found-a-treatment-for-sepsis-now-he/article_7a3063e5-24cf-56c1-b25c-142731604196.html

A Norfolk doctor found a treatment for sepsis. Now he's trying to get the ICU world to listen.

Sepsis Fact Sheet

Hydrocortisone, Vitamin C and Thiamine for the Treatment of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock: A Retrospective Before-After Study.

Mechanism of action of vitamin C in sepsis: Ascorbate modulates redox signaling in endothelium -- (this one was way over my head! I include it for those interested who can understand it)

Researchers find that using vitamin C correctly in high doses kills cancer cells

How Vitamin C Stops Cancer

Mainstream researchers finally admit vitamin C kills cancer

Klenner Vitamin C Paper

Linus Pauling Biography

The Healing Factor Vitamin C Against Disease

Vitamin C has been Known to Fight 30 Major Diseases... for Over 50 Years

Vitamin C

FDA Quietly Removed Access to Life or Death Hospital Equipment

We have a lot of diseases out there that are caused by deficiencies that Americans have. We have lost nourishment in some of our foods and are eating well yet starving to death.

Vitamin C has lots of medicinal properties, it is good for helping us with some sorts of cancer too. It is not a stand alone supplement and high doses should not be taken continually.

Respek Vit C!

originally posted by: rickymouse
We have a lot of diseases out there that are caused by deficiencies that Americans have. We have lost nourishment in some of our foods and are eating well yet starving to death.

Vitamin C has lots of medicinal properties, it is good for helping us with some sorts of cancer too. It is not a stand alone supplement and high doses should not be taken continually.

This is where I think educating the public is so valuable. It is important for people to be able to do as much for themselves as possible when appropriate and necessary, and to know when they need professional help. And I think that people can do far more for themselves without professional help if we were taught how to and allowed to.

a reply to: Boadicea

There is one huge problem with the screaming from the mountain tops about this supposed great silver bullet. It's cheap, and no Dr. will use it.

Edit: and when they do use it the researchers/Dr.s will use orally given. And say see it doesn't work. Mayo Clinic/Pauling.

Have you seen this ATS thread??

Lots of info here: I make my own liposomal vit C. This stuff is frickin AMAZING!!!!!

The "summary" thread has been closed but lots of links there too.

Liposomal C is the way to go. I am not certain about making it but back a few years ago... yeah, probably would have tried to!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Thank you for sharing that link -- no, I hadn't seen that. I'm still reading to see if anyone else made their own liposomal C and reported their results...

For those who are not familiar with liposomal Vitamin C, it is basically regular water-soluble Vitamin C -- such as ascorbic acid -- which has been encapsulated with lecithin, which is fat soluble, thereby making the normally water-soluble C fat soluble. The advantage of this is that more of the C is absorbed into the blood, and therefore providing greater health and healing benefits.

I did little checking on clinical studies for absorption/bioavailability of liposomal Vitamin C vs other types, and there seems to be plenty of studies, but I haven't found what I'm looking for... although I did find this:

The data indicate that oral delivery of 4 g of vitamin C encapsulated in liposomes (1) produces circulating concentrations of vitamin C that are greater than unencapsulated oral but less than intravenous administration...

Liposomal-encapsulated Ascorbic Acid: Influence on Vitamin C Bioavailability and Capacity to Protect Against Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

And this:

Orally delivered liposomal carriers can enhance drug solubility and protect the encapsulated theraputic agents from the extreme conditions found in the GI tract. Liposomes, with their fluid lipid bilayer membrane and their nanoscale size, can significantly improve oral absorption. Unfortunately, the clinical applications of conventional liposomes have been hindered due to their poor stability and availability under the harsh conditions typically presented in the GI tract. To overcome this problem, the surface modification of liposomes has been investigated. Although liposome surface modification has been extensively studied for oral drug delivery, no review exists so far that adequately covers this topic. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and critically analyze emerging trends in liposome surface modification for oral drug delivery.

So it seems promising! Liposomal Vitamin C is proven more effective than oral Vitamin C, but more research needs to be done, obviously, including the best methods/substances with which to encapsulate the ascorbic acid.

This isn't so promising though:

Despite the marketing material created by such companies as LivOn Labs liposomes are actually very easy to make. You don’t need a high pressure injection system, or even an ultrasound machine!

LivOn Labs recently purchased the US patent number 20120171280A1 that is snappily named ‘Method of making liposomes, liposome compositions made by the methods, and methods of using the same’. It describes a method of making better liposomes than LivOn Labs without the need for any specialized equipment!

The inventor, Yuanpeng Zhang, has a long history of working with liposomes and has a number of related patents to his name.

The summary of his invention is that high quality liposomes may be created using only a blender, water, alcohol and vitamin C - and that these liposomes are better than the ones produced by LivOn Labs!

There is more information at the link about making your own liposomal C without an ultrasonic cleaner.

ETA: Some cautions about making your own liposomal Vitamin C. Lecithin is commonly from soy, which is a phytoestrogen and endocrine disrupter, so sunflower lecithin may be a better option.

Also, some recipes call for sodium ascorbate as the form of Vitamin C, but this could be a problem for anyone on low-sodium diets or similar needs, so ascorbic acid may be a better choice.

And, finally, from what I'm reading, even liposomal Vitamin C made in a blender provides increased bioavailability, though using an ultrasonic cleaner may provide even greater bioavailability.

originally posted by: Boadicea

originally posted by: rickymouse
We have a lot of diseases out there that are caused by deficiencies that Americans have. We have lost nourishment in some of our foods and are eating well yet starving to death.

Vitamin C has lots of medicinal properties, it is good for helping us with some sorts of cancer too. It is not a stand alone supplement and high doses should not be taken continually.

This is where I think educating the public is so valuable. It is important for people to be able to do as much for themselves as possible when appropriate and necessary, and to know when they need professional help. And I think that people can do far more for themselves without professional help if we were taught how to and allowed to.

That probably isn't going to happen in this reality we have formed lately here in the USA. Maybe someday we will have real medicine, one where people do not profit from people's illnesses.

a reply to: rickymouse

That probably isn't going to happen in this reality we have formed lately here in the USA. Maybe someday we will have real medicine, one where people do not profit from people's illnesses.

It's definitely not where we've been headed... but the greed and avarice is going to implode this system sooner or later. As fewer and fewer people can afford health care, or trust their healthcare providers, or can even get access to the healthcare system, they are turning to alternative medicine -- and many with great results. Especially in situations where modern medicine does not have any cures. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Back in (I believe) 2007, I read that more people were turning to natural alternative medicines before going to mainstream medicine.... and it was soon after that the healthcare reform efforts went into overdrive.... giving us Obamacare. I haven't been able to find any numbers for today, and it may be because I'm not using the right keywords or looking the right places, but I'd bet those numbers have only gone up since Obamacare. Ideally, we could benefit from a more integrated approach, using natural supplements and substances where appropriate, and more advanced technology where necessary.