The Cure We Ignored

Dr. Klenner, Vitamin C, and the Case Against Endless Vaccines

There are some physicians who would stand by and see their patient die rather than use ascorbic acid—because in their finite minds it exists only as a vitamin.[1]

—Fred R. Klenner, B.S., M.S., M.D., F.C.C.P., 1957

Although the continued availability of the [poliomyelitis] vaccine may not be in immediate jeopardy, any possible doubts, whether or not well founded, about the safety of the vaccine cannot be allowed to exist in view of the need to assure that the vaccine will continue to be used to the maximum extent consistent with the nation's public health objectives.[2]

—Federal Register, June 1, 1984

Modern medicine reveres the “V” word—Vaccine—as a cornerstone of infectious disease prevention, while often dismissing and even ridiculing the other “V” word—Vitamin. Yet in 1949—over 75 years ago—Dr. Fred R. Klenner published a groundbreaking clinical report demonstrating that high-dose vitamin C, administered as a therapeutic agent, showed rapid and often complete recovery across a wide range of illnesses—including polio, measles, herpes zoster, diphtheria, chickenpox, mumps, influenza, and even encephalitis. Delivered in frequent, massive doses intravenously or intramuscularly, vitamin C acted with antibiotic-like efficacy, reversing severe symptoms in hours or days. Although largely overlooked by mainstream medicine, Klenner's findings challenge our assumptions about what constitutes effective treatment in these diseases.

Poliomyelitis Treatment:

During the 1948 North Carolina polio epidemic, Dr. Klenner treated 60 patients using high-dose vitamin C administered every 2–4 hours by injection. Symptoms included high fever, severe pain, nausea, and constipation. After initial doses of 1000–2000 mg (adjusted by age), fevers subsided within hours, and all patients fully recovered within 72 hours.

In the poliomyelitis epidemic in North Carolina in 1948, 60 cases of this disease came under our care. These patients presented all or almost all of these signs and symptoms: Fever of 101 to 104.6°, headache, pain at the back of the eyes, conjunctivitis, scarlet throat; pain between the shoulders, the back of the neck, one or more extremity, the lumbar back; nausea, vomiting and constipation…

The treatment employed was vitamin C in massive doses. It was given like any other antibiotic every two to four hours. The initial dose was 1000 to 2000 mg., depending on age. Children up to four years received the injections intramuscularly…

After this time the fever was consistently down, so the drug was given 1000 to 2000 mg. every six hours for the next 48 hours. All patients were clinically well after 72 hours.[3]

Measles Prevention and Treatment:

In a measles outbreak, Klenner used vitamin C both to prevent and treat infection. Prophylactic doses of 1000 mg every six hours by injection offered complete protection. Oral dosing required round-the-clock administration to be effective. For active infections, increasing oral doses to 12 times daily rapidly resolved symptoms, with complete recovery typically in 48 hours.

During an epidemic [of measles], vitamin C was used prophylactically, and all those who received as much as 1000 mg. every six hours, by vein or muscle, were protected from the virus. Given by mouth, 1000 mg. in fruit juice every two hours was not protective unless it was given around the clock. It was further found that 1000 mg. by mouth, four to six times each day, would modify the attack; with the appearance of Koplik’s spots and fever, if the administration was increased to 12 doses each 24 hours, all signs and symptoms would disappear in 48 hours.[4]

Herpes Zoster (Shingles):

Eight adult cases of shingles were treated with high-dose vitamin C, combining intravenous and oral administration. Seven experienced complete pain relief within two hours of the first injection, with vesicles drying up in 24 hours and clearing within 72 hours. Even severe cases responded swiftly, highlighting vitamin C’s rapid analgesic and antiviral effects in zoster.

In herpes zoster 2000 to 3000 mg. of vitamin C was given every 12 hours, this supplemented by 3000 mg. in fruit juice by mouth every two hours. Eight cases were treated in this series, all of adults. Seven experienced cessation of pain within two hours of the first injection and remained so without the use of any other analgesic medication. Seven of these cases showed drying of the vesicles within 24 hours and were clear of lesions within 72 hours... One of the patients, a man of 65, came to the office doubled up with abdominal pain... He was given 3000 mg. of vitamin C intravenously and directed to return to the office in four to five hours... He returned in four hours completely free of pain. He was given an additional 2000 mg. of vitamin C, and following the schedule given above he recovered completely in three days.[5]

Diphtheria Treatment:

Klenner confirmed and expanded on earlier findings that vitamin C inactivates diphtheria toxin. He reported curing diphtheria in humans with frequent, high-dose vitamin C injections, with recovery occurring in half the time required by antitoxin therapy. Unlike antitoxins, vitamin C caused membrane lysis (not sloughing) and carried no risk of serum reactions.

Harde et al. reported that diphtheria toxin is inactivated by vitamin C in vitro and to a lesser extent in vivo. I have confirmed this finding, indeed extended it. Diphtheria can be cured in man by the administration of massive frequent doses of hexuronic acid (vitamin C) given intravenously and/or intramuscularly. To the synthetic drug, by mouth, there is little response, even when 1000 to 2000 mg. is used every two hours. This cure in diphtheria is brought about in half the time required to remove the membrane and give negative smears by antitoxin. This membrane is removed by lysis when “C” is given, rather than by sloughing as results with the use of the anti­toxin. An advantage of this form of therapy is that the danger of serum reaction is eliminated. The only disadvantage of the ascorbic acid therapy is the inconvenience of the multiple injections. This concept of the action of vitamin C against certain toxins has led to treating other diseases producing exotoxins.[6]

Herpes Simplex, Chickenpox, Influenza, and Encephalitis:

Vitamin C treatment needed to be sustained for at least 72 hours in herpes simplex cases to prevent recurrence. Local topical application was ineffective, but when combined with riboflavin (vitamin B2), healing appeared faster. Chickenpox responded similarly to herpes, with vesicles crusting in 24 hours and recovery in 3–4 days. Influenza outcomes depended on fever severity and required proportional dosing. Most notably, viral encephalitis showed a “dramatic” response to high-dose ascorbic acid therapy.

In herpes simplex it is important to continue the treatment for at least 72 hours. We have seen “fever blisters” that appeared healed after two injections recur when therapy was discontinued after 24 hours. Vitamin C in a strength of 1000 mg. per 10 c.c. of buffered solution gave no response when applied locally. This was true no matter how often the applications were made. In several cases 10 mg. of riboflavin by mouth t.i.d. in conjunction with the vitamin C injections appeared to cause faster healing…

Chickenpox gave equally good response, the vesicles responding in the same manner as did those of herpes. These vesicles were crusted after the first 24 hours, and the patient well in three to four days. We interpreted this similarity of response in these three diseases to suggest that the viruses responsible were closely related to one another…

Many cases of influenza were treated with vitamin C. The size of the dose and the number of injections required were in direct proportion to the fever curve and to the duration of the illness. Forcing of fruit juice was always recommended, because of the frequency and ease of reinfection during certain periods of the year.

The response of virus encephalitis to ascorbic acid therapy was dramatic. Six cases of virus encephalitis were treated and cured with vitamin C injections. Two cases were associated with virus pneumonia; one followed chickenpox, one mumps, one measles and one a combination of measles and mumps.[7]

Final Thoughts

Dr. Klenner’s groundbreaking work on vitamin C, published more than seventy-five years ago, offered a revolutionary view of healing—one centered not on complex pharmaceuticals or elaborate vaccination schedules, but on a single, powerful nutrient. His findings showed that vitamin C, administered in high and frequent doses, had the potential to treat a remarkable range of infectious diseases: polio, measles, herpes zoster, diphtheria, chickenpox, mumps, influenza, and even viral encephalitis. In a later paper from 1957, he reported that vitamin C and calcium gluconate effectively neutralize the venom of a black widow spider bite.

Dr. Fred Klenner briefly reviews the physiology and environment of black widow spiders and discusses the diagnosis and treatment of their bites. There is wide variability in severity of bites. He recommends 350 mg of ascorbic acid per Kg of body weight administered intravenously along with a single dose of calcium gluconate by needle as the method of choice.[8]

Now, imagine if this body of research had been embraced instead of buried—if physicians had been trained not only in pharmaceuticals but in the healing potential of nutrients. Imagine hospitals where patients with colds, flus, or childhood illnesses were met with intravenous vitamin C instead of isolation and fear. Parents would have simple, effective protocols at home. Public health would be rooted in nourishment rather than panic.

The world might be vastly different: fewer chronic illnesses, less medical debt, less reliance on an ever-growing vaccine schedule, and perhaps most of all, a healthcare system devoted to true healing—not just disease management. In such a world, health wouldn't be a multi-trillion-dollar industry—it would be a birthright, preserved and protected with wisdom from pioneers like Dr. Klenner, whose work remains as vital today as it was generations ago.

Many mothers and caregivers today feel helpless when a child falls ill, believing their only option is a rushed visit to the pediatrician. But decades ago, Dr. Fred Klenner offered a powerful gift—the knowledge that vitamin C, when used properly, could be a safe and effective healing tool right in their own hands.

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[1] Fred R. Klenner, B.S., M.S., M.D., F.C.C.P., “The Black Widow Spider: Case History,” Tri-State Medical Journal, December 1957, Vol. 5, No. 10, pp. 15–18., https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CP/Klenner_1957_BlackWidowSpider.pdf

[2] Federal Register, Friday, June 1, 1984, Rules and Regulations, p. 23607, https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr049/fr049107/fr049107.pdf

[3] Fred R. Klenner, M.D., “The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C,” Southern Medicine and Surgery, vol. 111, no. 7, July 1949, pp. 209–214, https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CP/Klenner_1949_Polio.pdf

[4] Fred R. Klenner, M.D., “The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C,” Southern Medicine and Surgery, vol. 111, no. 7, July 1949, pp. 209–214, https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CP/Klenner_1949_Polio.pdf

[5] Fred R. Klenner, M.D., “The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C,” Southern Medicine and Surgery, vol. 111, no. 7, July 1949, pp. 209–214, https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CP/Klenner_1949_Polio.pdf

[6] Fred R. Klenner, M.D., “The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C,” Southern Medicine and Surgery, vol. 111, no. 7, July 1949, pp. 209–214, https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CP/Klenner_1949_Polio.pdf

[7] Fred R. Klenner, M.D., “The Treatment of Poliomyelitis and Other Virus Diseases with Vitamin C,” Southern Medicine and Surgery, vol. 111, no. 7, July 1949, pp. 209–214, https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CP/Klenner_1949_Polio.pdf

[8] Fred R. Klenner, B.S., M.S., M.D., F.C.C.P., “The Black Widow Spider: Case History,” Tri-State Medical Journal, December 1957, Vol. 5, No. 10, pp. 15–18., https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CP/Klenner_1957_BlackWidowSpider.pdf