Intravenous (IV) Vitamin C Therapy

By Damon Noto, MD

When a person consumes vitamin C through a pill, tablet, or liquid capsule
form, naturally the body will absorb it through the stomach only after going
through the entire digestive system. Due to this traditional absorption
process, people who suffer from any type of digestive disorders may have
problems absorbing vitamin C orally and may begin to have deficiencies of
vitamin C in the body.

The absorption of vitamin C in healthy individuals is also limited when taken
orally. The human body can only orally digest so much Vitamin C before it
starts to cause GI side effects such as diarrhea. Many people fall short of
consuming enough vitamin C to even realize its critically important effects on
the body. This is especially true for people with health ailments due to the
body’s increase need for more Vitamin C.

IV vitamin therapy differs from the normal way of consuming vitamin C by mouth due to
its far better absorption rate within the body and its immediate
bioavailability and directness. Also, there are no GI side effects from IV
vitamin therapy and the amount that can be given is several times greater then
what can be given orally.

Intravenous (IV) therapy is when a liquid solution is directly administered
into a person’s vein. IV Vitamin C Therapy means that vitamin C is directly
injected into your bloodstream intravenously rather than orally. Vitamin C is
essential for the human body but unfortunately our bodies cannot produce it on
their own. The reason vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is so effective in aiding
the body in treating diseases and health problems is due to its potent
antioxidant abilities that help protect the body against pollutants.

Nutritional scientists have recently discovered that vitamin C (also known as
ascorbic acid) and its antioxidant abilities not only help treat some of the
most common cold viruses but is now believed to be playing a huge role in
supporting many important functions of the body including the cardiovascular
system, kidneys, bones, respiratory system and much more.

In addition to maintaining important bodily functions, several recent studies
have shown the use of High Dose IV Vitamin C Therapy may be successfully used
to improve outcomes for cancer patients due to its biological reducing agent
and its ability to stop the rampant reproduction of unnatural cells. All of
this without harming the healthy cells of the body.

Studies show that high dosages of IV vitamin C therapy are toxic to certain
cancer cells and not to normal cells because high dosages generate hydrogen
peroxide to the extra-vascular tissues without making there way to the blood
stream. IV therapy is the only way to achieve these types of high plasma
concentrations of Vitamin C needed to aid in cancer treatment. Thus, possibly
giving the patient a longer survival time by increasing the life span of
immune cells and slowing down the growth of cancer cells.

In the informative book entitled Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases & Toxins
written by Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D, he says, “there are very few human
diseases or medical conditions that are not improved to at least some degree
by the regular dosing of optimal amounts of vitamin C. There is only rarely a
good reason for not immediately giving any patient large doses of vitamin
C.” He then says, “Ultimately it should become apparent to the reader that
vitamin C is the single most important nutrient substance for the body.”

Eliminate All Free Radicals

Stem Cell Usage in Breast Reconstruction

By Damon Noto, MD

After over ten years, Suzanne Somers finally found what she was looking for. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and losing the majority of her right breast, Somers declined conventional reconstruction methods with the notion that something better would eventually come along. This past August, her hopes of using a more natural reconstruction method finally came true. Along the way, Somers has helped pave the way for this new procedure to finally be used on women in the United States.

The breakthrough that Somers was looking for began its development in 2003 when a professor and surgeon at the University of Tokoyo in Japan began testing a new procedure called cell-assisted lipotransfer. Katoro Yoshimura, MD, developed a method in which stem cells derived from one’s own fat cells are injected with other fat cells to plump up or replace tissue. Yoshimura’s innovative use of a higher concentration of stem cells helped to prevent the normal problems associated with transporting fat alone. Stem cells allow for the preservation of fat cells that would normally have a risk of hardening after a transplant procedure. They also allow fat cells to regenerate as they stimulate the growth of blood vessels.

Although body fat already contains stem cells, Yoshimura needed a way to increase the concentration of these cells in the body fat to reduce post-operative atrophy. To do this, he used liposuction to remove fat from another part of the body. After isolating the stem cells from this fat, he combined them with the reserved fats to create a natural cosmetic filler that has been used in this procedure on over 400 women. Advantages of this method of breast reconstruction include no scarring and no implant being used.

After deciding to move forward with this surgery in 2008, Suzanne Somers had a big challenge ahead of her. Since no trials were underway in the United States, she would have to either leave the country for surgery or receive approval from an Institutional Review Board to have the procedure done stateside. Since she wanted to pave the way for other American women to have this procedure done, Somers decided to go through the necessary steps to have trial procedures approved in Los Angeles. After three years of struggling to get the procedure approved, the first official cell-assisted lipotransfer trial was launched and in August 2011, Suzanne Somers became the first of 100 participants to take part in the trial.

According to Somers the surgery was a success. Somers says she couldn’t be happier with the outcome of her procedure. The procedure took less than two hours to complete with the actual breast reconstruction taking around only ten minutes.

Cell-assisted lipotransfer is a valuable alternative to conventional breast reconstruction and shows one of the many benefits of stem cell usage.

Click to read more about the innovative procedure and Suzanne Somers’ story.