Dr Richard Cheng was reporting on trials using intravenous in China and so I had looked up their web site and then googled some of their reference articles.
http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v05n09.shtml
eg item 12 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1698293
The vitamin C megadose idea has been around for a while. I thought it had faded into oblivion, apparently not.
There was quite a stir when the great LInus Pauling backed vitamin C megadosing and his involvement was quite interesting. Pauling has the unique distinction of being the only person in history to be awarded two Nobel prizes in his own right (Chemistry and Peace). He had (still has posthumously) huge prestige. So when he backed megadosage everybody payed attention. The scientific world took notice and the press went nuts.
Sadly it turned out to lack supporting evidence. Initial studies were not as strong as first thought and follow up did not support it. Wikipedia has some good coverage of the broader issue under Vitamin C megadosage and Pauling’s involvement under his name.
It is good object lesson.
- It doesn’t matter how brilliant you are if you step outside your area of expertise you are no longer an expert.
- It doesn’t matter how big your name is in science if your data cannot be confirmed independently you have a curiosity not a solid explanation.
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Back in my youth, my mother thought she would give me huge dose of vitamin C to treat glandular fever…it made me sick.
I remember reading something many years later than it was believed that megadosing arose from Vitamin deficiency…deficiencies can lead to reduced immunity function…so it would make sense that more than normal would boost/enhance immunity function. Unfortunately, like almost all other nutrients and vitamins, when the body is given excess it usually passes straight through as the body doesn’t need it and it may also give side effects or complications.
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“The vitamin C megadose idea has been around for a while. I thought it had faded into oblivion, apparently not.”
You may recall that initially I was referring to dietary vitamin C. My reference to the China trials of high intravenous doses of Vitamin C to support the pulmonary health of COVID19 virus sufferers would appear to be gaining some traction. Clinical trials for administration of Vitamin C to COVID-19 patients have begun in China, Italy and Canada. No doubt it will take upto 12 months for published data.
Meanwhile there is a huge backlash against vit C and I suspect that is more the pharmaceutical industries lobbying to cash in on their own offerings and the scary picture of Bill Gates rubbing his hands in glee hoping to provide a vaccine ‘for the whole world.’ Personally as a person who has studied nutrition I prefer my medication to be whole foods.
Quite so, if you have a balanced diet of quality fresh food you don’t need vitamin pills.
Your mom’s idea was good the delivery proved wrong. The Epstein Barr virus most common presentation is glandular fever. Intravenous doses of vitamin C can alleviate symptoms and reduce antibody levels.
