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This article may be reprinted free of charge provided 1) that there is clear attribution to the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, and 2) that both the OMNS free subscription link http://orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html and also the OMNS archive link http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml are included. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
How to Improve Medical Care: Include Treatment with Nutritional Supplements
by Michael Passwater and Richard Cheng, MD, PhDOMNS (April 28, 2023) A recent Gallup poll showed the majority of American adults feel the quality of healthcare in the US is unfavorable. [1] The US has the greatest healthcare expense per person in the world at $12,914 per person. That's more than $5,000 per person higher than the next most expensive country (Germany, $7,383 per person), and more than double the average expense per person among wealthy nations. The US spends $4.3 trillion per year on medical care (mostly on "rescue care" interventions). These expenses do not count the cost of medical buildings, medical equipment, and medical research. [2,3] The US also leads the world in per capita spending for retail prescription drugs, totaling $378 billion per year. [4] In spite of all of this spending, the 2022 Commonwealth Fund report reveals that among wealthy nations, the US has the highest infant mortality, maternal mortality related to childbirth, deaths from drug overdoses, obesity prevalence, and prevalence of people with multiple chronic conditions, and the lowest life expectancy at birth. [5] The public, and many medical providers, are seeking a better way to pursue health. The answer to better health care can include adequate nutritional supplements. Although supplements of essential nutrients are effective and widely used, they represent a tiny fraction of health care expenditures. Surveys indicate that 77 - 86% of Americans take at least one of the over 29,000 dietary supplements on the market. Vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3, Coenzyme Q10, and multivitamin supplements are the most commonly purchased dietary supplements. Approximately one third of Americans take vitamin C supplements. People with increased age, wealth, and education are more likely to use dietary supplements. Americans spend $30 billion per year on dietary supplements. Yet this expenditure is actually less than 1% (0.7%) of the money spent annually on "healthcare," and less than 10% (7.9%) of the money spent on retail prescription drugs). [6] Approximately 40,000 of the 209,000 family practice physicians in the US have invested in continuing education related to integrative medicine. [7] Orthomolecular Medicine in ActionHere are a few snapshots from around the world showing glimpses of other approaches to care for some disease conditions. This list is not at all exhaustive, and is not meant to imply that perfect solutions have been found for these ailments. Hopefully they will stimulate discussion and provide encouragement that nutritional therapy supporting the body's natural defenses and metabolism can help produce safe, effective, and less expensive outcomes. Together, we can keep finding better ways to care for one another. A mother and her infant son sought treatment at a hospital for an upper respiratory infection while traveling in Astana, Kazakhstan. Covid-19 tests were negative. The mother was given IV vitamin C and ultraviolet light (UVB) treatment to stimulate vitamin D production. Both mother and child were prescribed vitamin C, vitamin D, and a decongestant. [Personal communication] A 60-year diabetic man with severe Covid-19 and rapidly deteriorating disease recovered quickly after receiving antioxidant therapies including high dose vitamin C, vitamin D3 and glutathione. http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v18n03.shtml An elderly woman in China was in the ICU diagnosed with acute liver failure when her American daughter received notice from the hospital of her life-threatening condition. The patient received high dose IV vitamin C and liposomal vitamin C and recovered within days. [Practice, RZ Cheng] In December 2022, when China suddenly relaxed its lockdown policy, a 5-year old boy with a high temperature (39.5C/103F) was diagnosed with Covid-19, but was unable to be admitted to a hospital due to a shortage of hospital beds. The boy received high dose antioxidant therapy including vitamin C, and recovered the next morning. [Practice, RZ Cheng] An 86-year man with metastatic prostate cancer lived 6 more years on a ketogenic diet and nutritional supplementation including high dose IV Vit C. When he eventually passed away, there was no sign of his cancer. [Practice, RZ Cheng] A young Norwegian man who had chest lymphoma found that the lymphoma disappeared after adopting a restrictive-ketogenic diet and nutritional supplementation including high dose vitamin C. http://www.drwlc.com/blog/2022/11/01/2351 A 62 year man with symptomatic CTA-confirmed atherosclerotic coronary artery stenosis saw his stenosis completely resolve after 20 months on a low carbohydrate diet and nutritional therapy including high dose vitamin C. [Practice, RZ Cheng] A 63 year man with carotid artery stenosis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis (with elevated autoantibodies) , cholecystitis changes on ultrasound, as well as multiple other health problems received an integrative protocol including low carbohydrate/ketogenic diet, detox and nutritional therapy including high dose vitamin C, saw carotid artery stenosis disappear (CT confirmed) in 8 months. His thyroid autoantibodies became normal and inflammatory changes in his gallbladder went away as well. [Practice, RZ Cheng] Many patients with autoimmune diseases have seen their disease improve or reverse, including Hashimoto cases, psoriasis [8], vitiligo, eczema, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), and inflammatory bowel diseases. http://www.drwlc.com/blog/2022/05/20/reversing-hashimotos-thyroiditis-with-orthomolecular-medicine The Baylor College of Medicine reported a 44 year old woman with a life-threatening case of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), with ADAMTS-13 function < 10% of normal and ADAMTS-13 inhibitors present, was refractory to standard treatments and remained in a coma after 12 days of intensive care treatment. She became fully awake and responsive 18 hours after receiving 150 mg/Kg IV N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), a precursor to glutathione, on day 13 of her hospitalization. IV NAC was continued for 10 days along with ongoing standard treatment, and she was discharged in good condition 31 days after admission. The ADAMTS-13 levels improved to 65% on day 28, and her platelet count and hemoglobin level normalized 7 days after discharge from the hospital (day 38 of treatment). [9] During the Ebola epidemic in Liberia in 2014, Dr. Jerry Brown and his team of "Ebola Fighters" at the ELWA Hospital were recognized as Time Magazine's "Person of the Year". Dr. Brown was the last physician remaining in the area, and used an approach centered around isolation, hydration, multivitamins, and selenium supplements to keep his team healthy and to care for as many people as possible. More recently, as medical director for the 14th Military Hospital in Liberia, he again emphasized multivitamins and selenium supplements to help with Covid-19 outbreaks in the area. [10] Dr. Marik, founder of the HAT (hydrocortisone, ascobic acid, and thiamine) treatment protocol for sepsis, and MATH+ (methylprednisolone, ascorbic acid, thiamine, heparin) treatment protocol for acute COVID-19, and 2022 recipient of a unanimous commendation from the Virginia House of Commons in 2022 for "his courageous treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients and his philanthropic efforts to share his effective treatment protocols with physicians around the world." discusses his vision for healthcare in an interview with Dr. Mercola:
[11] ConclusionIn the cases reported above, serious illness was successfully treated and/or reversed using high doses of nutritional supplements. The rationale for this life-saving treatment is that serious illness depletes the body's essential nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals). When essential nutrients are depleted, the body organs that rely on those nutrients cannot function and will often proceed to dysfunction and death. But with adequate levels of vitamins and minerals, the body shows its amazing power for recuperation. In cases where symptoms are mild and not life-threatening, higher levels of vitamins and minerals than the minimum (e.g. MDR) are helpful for optimum health. Healthcare in the USA could be greatly improved with the inclusion of nutritional supplements in adequate individualized doses and duration into the "standard care" given by medical professionals. "Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself, that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them." ― Thomas Jefferson Education and free speech, not censorship, are the antidotes to misinformation. Real learning and progress, including medical progress, depends on keeping an open mind, following the evidence, and sharing positive outcomes. The practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body - Orthomolecular Medicine - continues to provide a solid foundation for wellness and healing around the globe. [12] References1. McPhillips D (2023) New poll shows jump in adults who rate the quality of US health care as 'poor'. CNN https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/health/us-health-care-poll-gallup/index.html 2. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, National Health Expenditure data fact sheet. (2021) https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/statistics-trends-and-reports/nationalhealthexpenddata/nhe-fact-sheet 3. McGouth M, Telesford I, Rakshit S, et al. (2023) "How does health spending in the U.S. compare to other countries? " Health System Tracker. Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries 4. Prescription drug expenditure in the United States from 1960 to 2021. Statista, accessed 4/10/2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/184914/prescription-drug-expenditures-in-the-us-since-1960 5. U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2023/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2022 6. Zippia. (2023) 25 Fascinating Supplements Industry Statistics (2023) Data + Trends. Zippia.com. https://www.zippia.com/advice/supplements-industry-statistics 7. Ventola CL (2010) Current Issues Regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the United States Part 1: The Widespread Use of CAM and the Need for Better-Informed Health Care Professionals to Provide Patient Counseling. P T. 35:461-468. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20844696 8. McCullough PJ, McCullough WP, Lehrer D, et al. (2021) Oral and Topical Vitamin D, Sunshine, and UVB Phototherapy Safely Control Psoriasis in Patients with Normal Pretreatment Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations: A Literature Review and Discussion of Health Implications. Nutrients 13:1511. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33947070 9. Tokpah WN (2020) Liberia: COVID-19 Cases Decline, Dr. Jerry Brown Discloses As Insurance Company of Africa Donates Supplement to Battle the Virus. Front Page Africa. https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-covid-19-cases-decline-dr-jerry-brown-discloses-as-insurance-company-of-africa-donates-supplement-to-battle-the-virus 10. Li GW, Rombally S, Kamboj J, et al. (2014) Treatment of refractory thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura with N-acetylcysteine: a case report. Transfusion 54:1221-1224. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24117464 11. Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) https://covid19criticalcare.com/experts/paul-e-marik 12. Orthomolecular.org Therapeutic Nutrition Based Upon Biochemical Individuality. Accessed 4/10/2023. http://orthomolecular.org/library/definition/index.shtml Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular MedicineOrthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org Find a DoctorTo locate an orthomolecular physician near you: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n09.shtml The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource. Editorial Review Board:
Albert G. B. Amoa, MB.Ch.B, Ph.D. (Ghana)
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