Re: Food-based Laetrile -- Nutrient that Reduces Cancer Risk

On Jun 3, 11:40 am, drcee...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Jun 3, 12:50 am, PeterB <p...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I notice that your link still refers to the error that Laetrile
contains cyanide.  The   rile in Laetrile comes from the fact that the
compound in question is a nitrile, a c-cn grouping, and not the
inorganic ion CN.
Only enzymatic degradation can release the C-CN grouping as a
cyanide.  Typical chemical reactions will not release the inorganic
ion CN.

DrCee
You cannot restore nor secure health with pus or poisons.

Hi Pus4Brains.

Bull***.

Eur J Emerg Med. 2005 Oct;12(5):257-8. Links
Severe cyanide toxicity from 'vitamin supplements'.O'Brien B, Quigg C,
Leong T.
Department of Anaesthesia, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children,
Dublin, Ireland. drbobrien@xxxxxxxxxxx

The use of alternative medicines is increasing and poorly regulated.
We describe a case of severe cyanide poisoning arising from amygdalin,
a putative vitamin supplement. A 32-year-old woman arrived in the
emergency department by ambulance unresponsive, shocked and with fixed
dilated pupils. She was hypothermic and tachycardic but was breathing
spontaneously. Despite her age, she had documented breast cancer with
hepatic metastases. Conventional treatment having failed, she only
took 'vitamin supplements' bought on the Internet, her father said.
Over the next 6 h she required mechanical ventilation and increasing
doses of inotropes. Diabetes insipidus developed. As the
appropriateness of further treatment was considered, a relative
arrived with her medications including 'vitamin B 17' or amygdalin. An
Internet search identified this as a debunked cancer remedy and
cyanogen. Serum thiocyanate level was markedly elevated. She recovered
fully over 8 h. While various antidotes to cyanide exist, in this case
supportive therapy alone proved effective.


Ann Pharmacother. 2005 Sep;39(9):1566-9. Epub 2005 Jul 12. Links
Life-threatening interaction between complementary medicines: cyanide
toxicity following ingestion of amygdalin and vitamin C.Bromley J,
Hughes BG, Leong DC, Buckley NA.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Canberra
Hospital, Garran, Australia. jonathan.bromley@xxxxxxxxxx

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of severe accidental cyanide poisoning
following a single ingestion of amygdalin with therapeutic intent.
CASE SUMMARY: A 68-year-old patient with cancer presented to the
emergency department shortly after her first dose (3 g) of amygdalin
with a reduced Glasgow Coma Score, seizures, and severe lactic
acidosis requiring intubation and ventilation. The patient also
ingested 4800 mg of vitamin C per day. She responded rapidly to
hydroxocobalamin treatment. The adverse drug reaction was rated
probable on the Naranjo probability scale. DISCUSSION: Amygdalin and
laetrile (a synthetic form of amygdalin) are commonly used as
complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) for the treatment of
cancer. Vitamin C is known to increase the in vitro conversion of
amygdalin to cyanide and reduce body stores of cysteine, which is used
to detoxify cyanide. Amygdalin has been used for decades by patients
with cancer who are seeking alternative therapies, and severe
reactions have not been reported with this dose. An interaction with
vitamin C is a plausible explanation for this life-threatening
response. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the fact that CAMs can
produce life-threatening toxicity. This case also adds a further note
of caution, namely, the potential for serious interactions between
CAMs, particularly where there is no tradition of concomitant use.


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