The following is from J.P. Saleeby, MD, of Savannah, Georgia (Contact info at the end – for further info, his practice is on our site directory at www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com). Below are comments from several emails he sent, plus an article he wrote on this remedy.
I have been having success treating schizophrenia with intravenous use of a “Myers’ Cocktail.” Also found some success in bipolar disorder with this cocktail.
The basic composition of the Myers Cocktail is:
B complex: 1 cc
Vitamin C: 1-10 cc or more, usually 222 mg/cc or 500 mg/cc
Magnesium: 1-4 cc either 20% chloride or 50% sulfate
Dexpanthenol (B5): 1-2cc
Calcium: 1-4cc (sometimes not given in cardiac problems or in older patients)
I use additional B6 and B12 (in the m-B12 or methylcobolamine form) and trace elements in TR-5 and occasionally reduced Glutathione 500 to 1000mg (buffered), depending on the patient.
MYERS’ COCKTAIL INFUSION
There is a treatment of rapid intravenous infusion containing high dose vitamins and minerals for the treatment of a variety of ailments. It is becoming wildly popular and that sparked my attention some years ago. There are hundreds of physicians in this country that use it as a stand-alone therapy or also as replacement therapy for those receiving chelation therapy. This infusion is something referred to as the “Myers’ Cocktail” or the “Gaby-Wright Cocktail.”
As fate would have it, I attended a symposium in February 2001 in New York City entitled “Nutritional Therapy in Medical Practice” given by non other than Dr. Alan R. Gaby. This symposium was sponsored by the Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Its focus was on nutritional therapies and nutritional medicine. Of the five hundred or so in attendance from around the country I was hoping to bring back some real pearls of wisdom to Savannah, GA. This most fascinating course included many lectures on the importance of nutrition in daily life and in treating and preventing disease. Every lecture was supported and referenced by evidence found in the medical literature both in this country and abroad. Alan R. Gaby, MD as well as Jonathan V. Wright, MD are both luminaries in the field of nutritional / integrative medicine and the conference was illustrative.
Dr. Gaby would speak often of the Myers’ Cocktail uses in his clinical practice. First introduced by Dr. John Myers of Maryland in the mid 20th century and then forgotten until it was re-introduced by Drs. Gaby and Wright a decade ago, it is a mixture of relatively high doses of five vitamins and two minerals. Very often it is customized with varying doses of each agent and can also include Adrenal cortical extract (ACE), Glyceron (an extract from the licorice plant named glycerrhizin, which by the way has been shown by recent studies in the Orient as one of the best ways to treat SARS) and Glutathione (a potent antioxidant).
It is quickly (within 30 minutes) infused through an IV and in some patients the effects may last weeks. The theory behind high dose and quick infusions is that these vitamins and minerals are forced into the cells by sheer overload and are hence “trapped” intracellularly, where their effects last long beyond the expected short time following the slow infusion. Recently Dr. Gaby and Dr. Harry Adelson have conducting a pilot study into the effects of the Myers’ Cocktail at the Naturopathic Medical Center at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT. Independently, my center is also collecting data on hundreds of infusions in my patients. The prospects are exciting. Will the data back up the case studies and anecdotal claims that have been made over the decades? Double blinded placebo controlled studies have yet to be performed, however, case studies speak loudly in favor of this therapy.
The treatment is recommended and has been used with great success in treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Depression, Fibromyalgia, Asthma (both acute flair-ups and the chronic condition), Urticaria, Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis, Chronic Sinusitis, Congestive Heart Failure, Ischemic Vascular Disease, Dementia, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Bronchitis, Interstitial Cystitis, Multiple Sclerosis and especially Acute Viral and Bacterial infections. I have used this therapy to recover people quickly from the flu, acute Hepatitis A and B infections and Infectious Mononucleosis. It has also be used to quicken the recovery phase in elite athletes in training and during competition. This therapy is also being used post-DMSA chelation of heavy metals to replace the good minerals and trace elements lost in this therapy.
(Dr. J.P. Saleeby is medical director of the integrative medical center SLI in downtown Savannah, GA. He currently is resident expert on the use of Myers’ Cocktail infusions in the treatment of disease. He can be reached for comment at: jpsaleeby@aol.com)