Pangaea Clinic of Naturopathic Medicine
interventional natural medicine for rapid, lasting health
Pangaea Clinic of Naturopathic Medicine
#120 - 12011 Second Ave
Richmond, BC
V7E 3L6
(604) 275 - 0163
(604) 677 - 5910 (fax)
The information presented within this web site is solely for education. It is copyrighted and protected as intellectual property. As all physicians have their unique opinions, this information is not to be taken as the opinion of any association or regulatory body. This website is not a substitute for personalized care by Dr Eric Chan or Dr Tawnya Ward; liability is excluded for misuse.
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Intravenous Sodium Bicarbonate Therapy
I have received many inquiries from not only Vancouver and Richmond patients, but worldwide, about the use of sodium bicarbonate in adjunctive cancer therapy recently. This is largely due to the claims of an Italian oncologist, Dr. Simoncini, whose website is at http://www.curenaturalicancro.com . It should be noted that Dr. Simoncini is very adamant about the cause of cancer being a fungal infection, and believes sodium bicarbonate is only useful because it is a treatment that kills the fungal infection. While the majority of naturopathic treatments described on this website are classified as "alternative," I believe that intravenous sodium bicarbonate can be useful as an adjunctive natural treatment in cancer because of its alkalinizing properties. In other words, it decreases the acidic environment of cancer (and many other diseases) and promotes a non-acidic, alkaline environment. I do not agree that cancer is caused by a fungus.
The idea that the body functions best in a non-acidic (or in other words, alkaline) environment is not new. This is the premise behind many people who believe in alkaline or oxygenated water. Fruits and vegetables increase the alkaline ash residue in the body. It is in an alkaline environment that is being generated by the high fruit and vegetable diet that is part of the Gerson therapy, one of the most commonly used and helpful diets in cancer patients.
I have used intravenous sodium bicarbonate therapy mostly as a naturopathic treatment for patients who consistently react to allergens or that have chemical sensitivities. This is a great therapy during the Vancouver allergy seasons of spring and fall. The alkalinizing sodium bicarbonate IV can often immediately stop an allergic reaction, or asthmatic attack, since such reactions cannot persist in an alkaline environment. Some of my patients also get benefit from taking an alkalinizing drink every night to reduce their chemical sensitivity symptoms.
The use of sodium bicarbonate in cancer therapy, according to one protocol by Dr. Simoncini, uses 500 mls of a 5% sodium bicarbonate solution for patients over 50 kg of weight. This treatment is given for about 6 days on, and then 6 days off, and is repeated for 3-4 cycles. Preferentially, the sodium bicarbonate is also given directly onto the mass of the tumor.
500 mls of 5% sodium bicarbonate is on the upper end of dosing for this medicine, and in conventional medicine is only used in severe cases where the blood is in danger of becoming too acidic. Administered slowly, in cancer and other naturopathic patients who retain their ability to adjust to changes in blood acid / base balance, it is a safe therapy. All of my Vancouver and Richmond patients have tolerated this therapy markedly well.
Uniformly, in ill patients, increasing the alkaline buffer of the tissues makes patients feel better. As mentioned above, this is particularly true in chemically sensitive patients, and can actually be a "cure" in the sense that we are increasing the body's ability to react in a healthy way to noxious stimuli. If I use the intravenous sodium bicarbonate in such patients, it is usually given twice a week for a period of 4-5 weeks.
Why an alkaline tissue (not blood!) environment is conducive to health
When the tissues get acidic, the body relies on more and more minerals to function as it normally used to. The hydrogen ions from excess acidity are positively charged, and thus it is very difficult for other positively charged minerals to permeate the cell (like charges repel each other, though this is a major simplication). Furthermore, the over-reaction to noxious stimuli that is present in many chemically sensitive patients, including those with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, is exagerrated because of the acidity. This is why many patients do well on higher levels of minerals, including magnesium in the Myer's injection. In terms of cancer, many theorize that cancer cells prefer an acidic environment to function. While I have not been able to find solid data on that, it is absolutely true that the immune cells that fight cancer fight much better in an alkaline environment, as the alkaline, non-acidic environment is needed for the oxygen free-radicals used in fighting cancer. In fact, ozone therapy and ultraviolet blood irradiation are excellent naturopathic therapies that promote the immune system activity that fights cancer, and can be done immediately after the sodium bicarbonate IV drip. This type of immune system therapy is detailed in my chronic fatigue syndrome naturopathic protocol.
The use of intravenous sodium bicarbonate is a direct means of decreasing the hydrogen ions and excess acid. In conjunction with consuming a diet that generates less acid, and is rich in alkalinizing minerals and nutrients; avoiding pesticide and toxin laden exposures; and supporting detoxification, the intravenous sodium bicarbonate is a very effective way of directly improving celllular health by making the tissue more alkaline.
If you think you may be a candidate for this treatment, please email me with any questions.
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