Written by Steve on 14 September 2010
Most cancer patients are searching for something else they can do in addition to what their doctors are prescribing to increase their odds of survival. Some are looking for something to try instead of what their doctors have proposed. This is because they know that the therapies their doctors are prescribing frequently fail. For these patients this search is a matter of life and death.
I understand this mindset completely, and search night and day for the same thing for a family member who is trying to survive cancer.
And, every once in awhile the information I plow through comes together in my mind to form an idea that I think might really work to buy time for some cancer patients.
What I’m about to tell you is one of those ideas.
I emphasize that this is only a theory. I have no hard data that says it will work. You won’t find it written about anywhere else. You won’t find clinical trial data for it. People will undoubtedly question it and tell you it won’t work.
If you decide to try it you’ll truly be running what I call a ‘Clinical Trial of One’, and you’ll be assuming responsibility for the outcomes – good or bad.
But, I’ve checked, double checked, and rechecked the information that this theory is based upon – and if I had cancer and was trying to buy time for myself I would absolutely be adding this idea to my treatment plan. I’d try it as an adjunct to traditional treatments to help get me into remission, I’d try it on its own to see if I could get myself into remission, I’d definately use it to try to keep myself in remission. In other words, I believe.
I say this with the caveat that – as always – you MUST let your physician know what you’re doing. The goal is to present options and the supporting information and to recruit his/her assistance and support – not to do things behind her/his back.
Please note – having given you the caveat above – I feel strongly enough about this one that I will tell you that – unless the docs can point out something I’ve missed and convince me that they know what they’re talking about – I’d try this even if my doc didn’t approve. I’m not telling you you should. I’m telling you that’s what I would do. But, keep in mind - we KNOW I’m ‘Crazy’.
We’ve talked previously about the Canadian physician (Evangelos D Michelakis, MD) and the team at the University of Alberta that believes DCA (dichlroacetate) can cause many cancer cells to die because it can return the cancer cells’ mitochondria to proper function, which then enables the cells to recognize they’re supposed to kill themselves.
A search of the literature for dichloroacetate’s use to return mitochondria to proper function will bring you to many references of its use for the treatment of children with a hereditary disease that results in mitochondria that don’t work right.
If you take a look at who the pioneering researcher was for many of those studies you’ll find a man named Peter Stacpoole, MD PhD.
I submit for your consideration that Doctor Stacpoole’s research and the research being done in Canada relative to using DCA to improve the function of mitochondria converge with each other. Different diseases, but the same goal – get the mitochondria working again.
So, what is Doctor Stacpoole involved with now? Same thing. Trying to get the mitochondria to work – only this time he’s involved in a Phase III clinical trial of the use of CoEnzyme Q10 to upregulate the mitochondria and reverse these kids’ disease. You can find a copy of the clinical trial info at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00432744?term=coenzyme+q10&rank=34. The dose they’re using is 10 mg/kg (or 10mg/2.2 pounds) up to a maximum dose of 400mg.
(It’s critical to note that – as far as I can tell – the form of CoQ10 that they’re using for Doctor Stacpoole’s stucy is ubiquiNOL, not the more commonly available ubiquiNONE. UbiquiNOL is absorbed from your gut much better than ubiquiNONE – with reports indicating that ubiquiNOL is absorbed from 6 to 8 times better. Regardless of which form you use, split the daily doses up so you’re taking a dose multiple times per day. I think the product they’re using for the study is LiQ-NOL™. Another product that you could use is Liquid QH™. Both are highly concentrated formulations of ubiquiNOL. Both are available online.)
Anyway, I think this information is extremely interesting.
We already know that CoQ10 is associated with mitochondrial function, and that deficiencies of CoQ10 cause reduced mitochondrial function. We also know – if you believe the data coming out of the Canadian labs and clinical trial – that increasing mitochondrial function with DCA improves cancer treatment outcomes. You can find info on the completed clinical trial at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00540176?term=dichloroacetate&rank=4.
Now that a team has had the courage to push forward with this idea you’ll find a lot of other clinical trials recruiting patients. (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=dichloroacetate) Funny how that works, isn’t it?
Anyway, you’ll also find – if you do a literature search on PubMed and Google around a bit – that CoQ10 is being tried for several disease states, and has been approved by the FDA on an orphan drug basis for the treatment of a few.
However, reading through the trials data you will find that sometimes it works well, and other times it doesn’t work well at all.
This indicates to me that CoEnzyme Q10 is not the whole story. There must be something else that is needed for the CoQ10 to work right.
This brings us to niacinamide.
Remember, Dr Gerson put his patients on high doses of Niacin when he started treating their cancers – and remember that niacin is converted in the human body to niacinamide. So, high doses of niacin = high doses of niacinamide.
And niacinamide is noted in several studies to be able to upregulate mitochondrial function and protect mitochondria from chemical attack. In fact, some studies suggest that it works better than CoQ10 in some ways.
More interesting data, but what we’re looking for is more than upregulation of mitochondria and/or protection from poisons. We’re looking for significant increases in the production of ATP.
Which brings us to a study that I found referenced in a book written by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. titled ‘Excitotoxins – The Taste That Kills’. On pages 236-237 Doctor Blaylock tells us that this study found that combining CoQ10 and niaciniamide caused a ‘significant increase in brain cell ATP levels’. The reference for this study is listed as Beal MF, et al. Coenzyme Q10 and niacinamide are neuroprotective against mitochondrial toxins in vivo. Neurology (supplement 2) A177, 1994.
I’d give you the link to this document, but there’s a problem. I can’t find it. I’ve looked really hard. I’ve had reference librarians at two medical libraries look for it. I’ve had my daughter – who works for a drug development company – look for it. It can’t be found. I can find similar work by Doctor Beal. I just can’t find this article.
This brings us to a judgement call. I can believe Dr Blaylock really has read this paper and is smart enough to summarize its findings, or I can throw the reference and associated information out. In my searches for this article I’ve found it referenced by several other authors. Maybe they didn’t read it either. I simply can’t explain it – and I have moved on to other searches. But I will tell you that – based on my review of other work by this professor and the documents that have referenced the article in question – I believe.
Which finally brings me to propose that if I had cancer I would add CoEnzyme Q10 and niacinamide to my daily regimen. EXCEPT from 5 days before to 3 days after a chemotherapy or radiation session. During that time period I would not take either CoEnzyme Q10 or niacinamide unless my physician told me it was ok.
Since no one has tried this before as far as I can tell, the doses are going to be completely pulled out of my you-know-what. But, I suspect high doses are good doses for this application.
For Dr Stacpoole’s study they’re using a maximum dose of 400mg of CoQ10 (ubiquiNOL)per day. I’d spread it out over two or three doses (e.g. 200mg twice a day), but – based on human trials data that I’ve reviewed – I don’t think it really matters. I’ve read abstracts and summaries of studies that used 300 mg of CoQ10 (ubiquiNONE) per day to positively impact breast cancer outcomes (see the article link it my previous post on CoEnzyme Q10). There are references for the use of doses of a German brand of nano-particular CoQ10 (ubiquiNONE) all the way up to 1200 mg/day (for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease – http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/supplements/a/CoenzymeQ10.htm). At that dose I’d definately spread the doses out.
Niacinamide dosing is something I’m still studying. But, I’m currently taking 1000 mg/day with no ill effects. I found reference to using up to 5000 mg/day to treat joint problems (http://www.doctoryourself.com/kaufman5.html). I’d start at 500 mg twice a day and slowly increase my dose – while watching out for bad side effects/reactions – till I got near 4000 – 5000 mg/day. Bigger doses might be OK. I will have to research more. Anyway, keep your physician in the loop and rely on him/her to make sure you’re tolerating the niacinamide well. Oh yeah, in the reference they state that they got better results if they broke the doses into several smaller doses per day. I’d try to take partial doses every 4-6 hours.
So, I’ll close by reminding you that Pharmacists Pharmacist, Physicians Physician. Keep your doc in the loop and make sure you’re being properly monitored. Again, I remind you… I’m telling you what I would do, not what you should do. Talk it over with your doc. Print out the references and provide them to your doc. And DON’T take either niacinamide or CoQ10 within the pre and post chemo/radiation timeframes I talked about above unless your physician specifically says it’s OK.
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