PTC IV Treatment
What Is PTC IV?
Phosphatidylcholine, or PTC, is a phospholipid — a specialized molecule which is an important part of cell membranes. It is also a precursor to acetylcholine which is an essential and important brain neurotransmitter. It must be consumed through diet because our bodies do not produce a sufficient amount of PTC. PTC IV is important because it is more readily absorbed by all parts the body, unlike oral supplementation.
Who Would Benefit from PTC Infusions?
PTC can be beneficial for many health related problems, such as:
- Toxic overload, including heavy metal and mold toxicity
- Neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and memory loss
- High cholesterol, heart, and vein disease
- Chronic and acute infection such as Lyme disease, Hepatitis C, Chronic fatigue syndrome, and PANDAS
- Fatty liver disease
- Recovery from stroke and brain injury/Trauma
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
What Is Phosphatidylcholine?
Every cell in your body is encapsulated by a membrane composed of a double layer of phospholipids (a class of fats with water-loving “head” containing phosphate and a water-hating “tail” of fatty acids joined together). The most abundant phospholipid is Phosphatidylcholine (PTC). Phosphatidylcholine is prevalent in healthy young cell membranes, but as we get older and/or ill this phospholipid becomes damaged or gets replaced with less beneficial lipids. Also, the lipid layer can trap and store many toxins. These toxins can impact cell membrane and mitochondrial function (cells energy production) as well as cellular communication. PC is incorporated into the cell membrane and improves its integrity and serves to improve the transport of nutrients and export toxins across the cell membrane.
Phosphatidylcholine is also a good source of choline, which is the main component used for the production of the memory enhancing neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is also an excellent fat emulsifier and thus is helpful to improve cholesterol profiles.
With oral application (capsules, powder, & liquid), only ~5-10% of Phosphatidylcholine reaches the blood stream. The other 90% ends up in the enterohepatic pathway and is almost fully incorporated into the liver cell membranes. This is wonderful for the liver, however, it does not help other parts of the body as much. Intravenous phosphatidylcholine allows 100% of the biologically active PC to be distributed throughout the body via the bloodstream.
Why Would You Want to Do This?
By replenishing your cell membranes with healthy phospholipids, you can expect improvement in overall cellular function, repair tight junctions in the intestinal lining, as well as improvement in transport of important nutrients into the cell and export common toxic compounds such as heavy metals, mycotoxins, organic pollutants and chemicals like PCBs and pesticides out of the cell. PTC can help detox fat-soluble toxins and biotoxin that have accumulated in our bodies over a lifetime.
Chronic illness is associated with poor cell membrane health. This impacts conditions such as vascular (blood flow to heart, brain and extremities) disease, high cholesterol, liver disease, autoimmune disease, mood disorders, migraines and neurodegenerative disorders such as MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia and memory loss. PTC has also been studied as a novel treatment for steroid-refractory and/or mesalamine-refractory ulcerative colitis.
We have found PTC incredibly helpful for headaches, brain fog, mold, Lyme, concussions, all forms of dementia and almost any neurological disorder. Many patients report increased mental vibrancy and deeper sleep and an overall improvement in their health.
Are There Any Significant Side Effects?
The only relatively common side effect is lowering of the blood pressure and temporary lightheadedness. This is not a dangerous situation and not a reason to discontinue the treatment. Good hydration helps to decrease risk. Other possible side effects may include nausea or loose stools until the body gets used to the infusion. Most patients have no complaints.
How Is PTC IV Administered?
Typically, a two-hour infusion of Phosphatidylcholine is given 1-2 times per week. A minimum of 10 treatments of PC are recommended. Standard doses start at 500 mg, then incrementally increases to 1,250 mg or more per infusion. (Sensitive patients or patients with a high toxin burden may elect to do a starting dose of 175 mg, and ramp up more slowly.) Usually, IV glutathione is given right after PC therapy for additional therapeutic benefit.
Most patients begin to notice significant health benefits between 8 to 10 treatments. This is why we recommend the initial 10 treatments in a 1-2 month timeframe, so that you and your provider can evaluate the therapy benefits in a timely fashion. On average, most patients find peak benefit after an average of 20 treatments.
Thereafter, some patients may elect to continue monthly maintenance doses for certain conditions such as high cholesterol, heart disease and/or neurologic conditions like Parkinson’s and MS.
