Fulda 2013 conference #7: Heavy metals and shift in redox potential in tumours (Dr John G Ionescu) – also why cancer patients should not have glutathione

The Christmas Market at Fulda:  German Schokokuss (chocolate-covered marshmallows)

This is one of a series of 10 talks given at an integrative conference held in Fulda, German in December 2013.  The conference was organised and sponsored by Dr Reinwald of Dr Reinwald Healthcare GmBH and manufacturers of Master Amino Acid Pattern (MAP-Product Info-Basic-E-Web (1) Copy), a nutritional supplement.

Dr John Ionescu graduated with a doctoral degree in medical biochemistry from the University of Saabrucken in 1983.  He was research director in a German dermatology clinic in 1985.  In 1986, he was the director of a clinic for nutritional and environmental medicine in Neukirchen.  He holds memberships in the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, German Society of Anti-Aging Medicine, European Academy of Environmental Medicine.  He is Associate Professor for integrative medicine and gerontology at the Carol Davila University (Bucharest), and lecturer in clinical nutrition at the Danube University Krems (Vienna).  Since 2009 he has been a member of the task force for environmental medicine at the German Ministry of Health (Berlin).

john.ionescu@gmx.com, www.spezialklinik-neukirchen.de

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I found this talk a steep learning curve in terms of technical knowledge, and had to dredge up my memories of ‘O’ level chemistry on chemical reactions – reduction and oxidation – and also to go onto YouTube for some refreshers.  I’m not sure if I’ve got to the bottom of the talk yet, so it’s a work-in-progress.

The IV C files #6 – Intravenous Vitamin C – lessons learned

Photo credit: enerchanges.com

If this post has helped you, please would you help me?  I am now fundraising for cancer treatments at GoFundMe http://www.gofundme.com/78jh2w or at JustGiving:  https://www.justgiving.com/goBananasforRona

Revised 7 April 2014 re. importance of oxygen supply to tumour

I’ve posted previously about IV C.

Despite adhering to a strict regime of 3 x 6 days a week of infusions plus twice weekly for another 3 months, and a near raw vegan diet with juicing, and a small fortune in supplements, the tumour grew.

(I did, however, feel generally well during that period so maybe it did some good.)

I’ve been thinking about why IV C didn’t work for me, and I’ve come up with the following possibilities:

The IV C files #4 – Still alive (and why you shouldn’t do intravenous vitamin C for cancer)

[updated 7 April 2014 – please also read my post Intravenous Vitamin C – Lessons Learned]

It’s been awhile since I last posted.

I wasn’t sure how to proceed.

When I first set up this blog it was to share my experiences with intravenous Vitamin C in resolving and healing Grade 1 breast cancer.

I was full of optimism, having talked to people for whom it worked.

However, the short of the matter is, the intravenous Vitamin C didn’t work for me.  The tumour didn’t break down.  In fact, it grew.

The (exhorbitant) cost of complementary therapies and a few ways to offset the cost

Updated 11 July 2016

I’ve noticed a lot of fundraising being done for people with Stage 4 cancer.  I understand that not everyone wants to sell or re-mortgage their house, or take out a loan, or run up huge bills on credit cards, or maybe they’ve already done so and have reached the limits of borrowing, or they’ve got families to think about and support and can’t stretch their finances any further.  Or maybe they just can’t imagine borrowing money in case they die.  But what I’ve noticed is that some of these people with Stage 4 who are fundraising, is well, by the time they meet their targets, it’s taken a month … two months (if they’re lucky) … and then they die before the money comes in because the cancer has become more aggressive and advanced.  What I want to say is:  if you’re Stage 4, don’t wait for the target to be reached.  Go now.  Time is critical if you’re Stage 4.  Run up the credit card bills.  Buy yourself that precious time.  And in the meanwhile, yes, fundraise like crazy.  Because the longer you live, the more money you will need to keep the cancer in remission.

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When I first started out with using complementary therapies as a means to heal myself of the cancer, I hadn’t realised it was going to be so expensive.

I understand that practitioners with skill and expertise should be fairly rewarded for their service, so before you jump into the world of complementary therapies, please note that complementary therapies are not as cheap as allopathic medicine because complementary practitioners believe that they can charge a fair market rate.  Often this equates what a doctor would charge in private practice.  Unlike free treatment on the NHS, all complementary therapies must be paid for out of your own pocket.

I’ll give you a quick idea of how expensive treatments can be.

The IV C files #3 – What an intravenous vitamin C infusion feels like

If you’ve ever had an intravenous infusion of anything, you probably know what intravenous vitamin C feels like.

An intravenous needle is just a way of breaking the skin into a vein, and the needle acts as a guide for the cannular (or fine tube) that allows the fluid to flow into the vein.  After the needle is inserted, the cannular follows and the needle is withdrawn.  Sounds simple?

The IV C files #2 – Intravenous Vitamin C treatment – the first week

The clinic I was receiving the intravenous vitamin C treatment had a regime of 18 sessions delivered over three weeks.   This would be followed by twice-weekly follow-up sessions for three months.

When I asked why three weeks and then three months, I was told that this replicated the protocol used by the alternative cancer treatment hopsital, the Oasis of Hope in Mexico.

I would also be having daily sessions of hyperthermia and ozone therapy.

The IV C files #1 – Intravenous Vitamin C – how it works

Just in case you’re wondering how Vitamin C (a seemingly-natural and innocuous substance) works for cancer treatment, here’s a summary from “Intravenous Vitamin C and Cancer” from http://orthomolecular.org/library/ivccancerpt.shtml

Why B is for Bananas …

The location:  A clinic in the UK, specialising in using metabolic therapy to treat cancer, with the focus on high-doses of intravenous Vitamin C and nutrition.

The science:  There are hits and myths about sugar feeding cancer but consensus is that sugar is a definite no-no.  This includes fruit which contains high-levels of fructose, a type of sugar.

Because of this, all of us at the clinic are on a strict diet which includes no fruit, only veg.

(I’m finding this challenging and so am slowly transitioning, still permitting myself an apple and two bananas a day as I find it promotes, er-hem … regularity. )

We’ve all had the same nutritionist, so a lot of our food taboos are the same:  no fruit, no wheat, no dairy, no coffee or tea, minimal meat etc. etc.

The nutritionist’s name is Shareen and when we’re gathered together for the intravenous vitamin C session, the discussion invariably drifts towards food, comparing notes on what we’re allowed and not, with the inevitable “Shareen says …”.

We waxed wistfully about the good-old-days when we could sit at a cafe and just indulge.

My fantasy was a scone, still warm from the oven, slathered in butter and sandwiched with a thick layer of clotted cream and jam.