AVIAN (BIRD) FLU

Treatment of the Bird Flu with massive doses of ascorbate would be the same as any other flu except that the severity of the disease indicates that it may take unusually massive doses of ascorbic acid orally or even intravenous sodium ascorbate.  (Why the dose needed is somewhat proportional to the severity of the disease being treated is discussed in my paper published in 1981, Titrating to Bowel Tolerance, Anascorbemia, and Acute Induced Scurvy.)  I have not seen any flu yet that was not cured or markedly ameliorated by massive doses of vitamin C but it is possible that the bird flu may require even higher doses such as 150 to 300 grams a day.  Additionally, this flu could be primarily respiratory.  This means that hospitalization might be necessary.  If massive doses of ascorbate are not used, they may not be adequate.  Most hospitals will not allow adequate doses of ascorbate to be given.   Therefore, it may be up to the individual patient to have materials available for their own use.  These doses are easily tolerated by most but are much higher than doses thought high by 99.9% of the population.  Therefore, be very careful to read and understand this site.  If you want to use this ascorbate treatment in case you come down with this flu, please read all this now and be prepared.  I have seen runs on the market before with flues and you might not be able to buy ascorbic acid or have some physician give you sodium ascorbate intravenously when you need it.  Also, if you are not experienced with taking massive doses of ascorbic acid, practice before you have to.  Ascorbic acid is usually well tolerated by young people but it may be that if you have the slightest thing the matter with your stomach, esophagus or intestines, you better work with this before a crisis occurs and you have problems that you find too late.  Some people will have minimal gastritis that is no symptomatic and not even know it.  So practice and get help if you need it before a crisis.

The probable reason that birds carry this virus but it does not kill all of them is because birds make their own ascorbate.  It does kill some of the birds because this H5N1 strain is very toxic and exceeds the ability of the birds to make sufficient ascorbate in these fatal cases.  Humans do not make ascorbate.  However, in our chemical plants we can make more ascorbate than a bird.  We just have to know how to use it properly and adequately. 

Serum levels of ascorbate should be tested because they will be found to be zero.  Then it should be obvious that massive doses of ascorbate should be used.

Because of the "cytokine cascade" which is described as massive in cases of bird flu, the initial doses of ascorbic acid should also be massive.  I would suggest like 12 grams every 15 minutes until diarrhea is produced.  Then, however, doses should be reduced but not much.  Listen to your body.  If there are many symptoms, keep taking doses that cause a little diarrhea.  You do not want constant runs because it is the amount you absorb that is important, not the amount you put in your mouth.  Since all flues have some cytokine cascade and since I have not hospitalized a single patient with a flu, it is hard to believe that massive doses of ascorbate would not be extremely helpful in suppressing the cytokine cascade in a bird flu pandemic.  However, the disease will have to be hit hard and fast to prevent serious respiratory difficulties because the first target is the lungs and respiratory difficulties may have to be treated with a respirator which will not be available in adequate numbers in case of a pandemic.

 

 

ROBERT F. CATHCART III, M.D.
ALLERGY, ENVIRONMENTAL & ORTHOMOLECULAR MEDICINE
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Publications by Robert F. Cathcart, M.D.