In my experience, mainstream medicine acts inside the following paradigms:
1) Chronic, non-infectious diseases do not involve bacteria
2) Vitamins beyond 1 RDA can not prevent or cure disease
Both paradigms are currently unsupportable. By definition, following a paradigm is not malpractice. If you’re inside a paradigm, you can’t know. I’m confident that if physicians were trained to use vitamins, they would find them to be invaluable tools. The best example I have found supporting my view is Abbott Labs baby formulas. Abbott has recently introduced a special formula for pre-term infants called NeoSure. The new formula almost doubles vitamin doses vs. the other formulas. A controlled trial showed that pre-term babies gained more weight on NeoSure vs. ordinary formula.
Lyme disease, ulcers, arthritis, and specific rare cancers are all examples of diseases that mainstream medicine treats with antibiotics.
Vitamins and antibiotics are safe. If you’re not feeling well, in addition to going to the doctor, there’s much to gain and almost nothing to lose by giving antibiotics and vitamins a try. If the treatment restores your health, then you have no more reason to visit the doctor and undergo testing to justify the use of relatively dangerous prescription drugs. If the treatment doesn’t restore your health, nothing has been lost, and you can proceed with testing, prescription drugs, and/or surgery knowing that inexpensive, safe, and effective antibiotics and vitamins will not solve your health problems. Very often it will be the case that the vitamins and antibiotics improve, but do not completely restore health. In many cases, the antibiotics, vitamins, prescription drugs, and surgery all working together will provide a full cure.
If you’re not feeling well, here’s a strategy:
1) Attack any difficult to detect bacterium with an antibiotic like tetracycline meant to attack mycobacteria
2) Boost the immune system with extra vitamins
3) Accelerate wound healing with extra vitamin C and niacin
4) Start the tests necessary to diagnosis the cause of your problem and to justify the use of drugs and/or surgery
There’s much to gain and little to lose by giving this strategy a try.
Hi, Steve — sorry to ask this question here, but I wasn't sure how to reach you otherwise.
I have a question about your Jan 6, 2007, post, "Curing Small Children With Pale Faces And Dark Circles Under The Eyes".
I would like to use the suggestions for Vitamin C, multivitamin, and niacin with my daughter, but I wanted to double check that the doses were appropriate for her. She's 7 and weighs 48 lbs — should she take higher doses of vitamin c and niacin, or would the recommended amounts be enough for her?
I understand if you're unable to answer this — I thought I would give it a try, though!
Thank you!
Dear LeaDFW,
I'm happy to answer your question. My best guess is that optimal vitamin doses are independent of age. The limited evidence I've studied suggests that the UL (no adverse effect threshold) is also independent of age.
Please don't hesitate to ask me more questions. What's important is to get your daughter to thrive. I hope she's doing well today and every day.
Steve
Dear LeaDFW,
I reread my 2007 comlumn and I still think my recommendations there are a very good starting point.
Plenty of sunshine (vitamin D)
2000 mg of vitamin C, twice a day
125 mg of time release niacin (once a day)
1 multivitamin
I recommended using the 500 mg, orange flavored chewable vitamin C tablets (4 in the morning and 4 in the evening) because most kids really like them. I never found a chewable multivitamin that my kids really really liked. They switched to swallowing pills as soon as they were able.
These doses are just a starting point. If, for any reason (ineffectiveness or side effects)you have concerns, don't hesitate to come on back with questions.
Steve
I was diagnosed with low vitamin d at 19-20. My calcium was also at the high normal.
I tried taking vitamin d supplements and I absolutely cant tolerate them. I also can't tolerate the sun either. I get dizzy, rashes and high heart rate.
I have all the symptoms associated with low vitamin d including hypertension.
I was started on Benicar for the high blood pressure. BP is down but i have some interesting side effects. Teeth pain and can't tolerate the sun even more. I was reading about this Marshall Protocol and it said to take antibiotics and avoid vitamin d?
Are you actually suggesting this too? As crazy as this MArshall protocol sounds, it sounds like it might be my solution.
By the way I have cardiomyopathy and I had a MRI of the heart and it showed possible sarcoid. I will now be worked up for sarcoidoisis.
Discount Dental,
You are right to bring up the Marshall protocol. The folks behind the Marshall protocol believe that many chronic diseases are caused by bacterium, and the protocol relies heavily on antibiotics.
Based partly on their work, but also on the work of many others, I also believe that bacteria are causing alot more problems than the conventional view. So – taking antibiotics looks to me like a really good idea.
I don't really understand the Marshall Protocol argument about vitamin D – and I don't know how general it is.
Yours is the first report I've gotten about serious vitamin D related side effects from moderate sun exposure. So – your case is unusual. I really don't know what to advise. Under the circumstances, I see your logic about following the Marshall protocol.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. I hope you're feeling better soon and sorry that you are in such unusual circumstances.
Good luck again,
Steve
Taking dietary supplements is a personal choice, but for me it's still best to get nutrition from fruits and vegetables.