I've not formatted the text below. The original includes a text-image of the testimonial that Dr. Makis received which prompted his post.

https://makisw.substack.com/p/sodium-bicarbonate-and-honey-testimonial

My Take… I’ve heard a number of these stories but this one landed in my Inbox recently so I thought I’d share it.

So what’s the research on this?

2016 (Chao et al - China) This is the most famous research paper of Sodium Bicarbonate in Cancer

Human trial of 57 patients with liver cancer (HCC) and large tumors

Patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with or without Sodium bicarbonate local infusion into tumor’s blood supply

Sodium bicarbonate showed 80% improvement in killing tumor

(with bicarbonate 5-7% of tumor remained alive, without bicarbonate 25-46% of tumor stayed alive)

100% of patients with bicarbonate had a good response, only 64% without bicarbonate had a good response

patients with bicarbonate lived longer (median survival 41 months vs 14 months)

These human outcomes are impressive, especially because the clinical trial was a randomized controlled trial.

2020 (Yang et al - China) - Does Baking Soda function as a Magic Bullet for Patients with Cancer? A Mini Review Highlights:

Acidic Microenvironment Promotes Tumor Development

An acidic extracellular pH (pHe) ranging from 6.5 to 6.9 exists in various malignant tumors,7 whereas the pHe of normal tissue is within the physiological range (pHe = 7.2-7.4).

Origin of tumor acidosis starts from the unique metabolic patterns of tumor cells, which is closely associated with the distance from the blood vessels.8

Capillaries have a quite limited range of oxygen supply, so the cells in the area far away from the vessels suffer severe hypoxia.9

According to the oxygen supply, the tumor mass can be roughly divided into the following 3 parts.

In the region of deep hypoxia, the cancer cells can only utilize glycolysis to produce energy and the main metabolites are lactate and H+ ions.10

In the moderate hypoxic region, there are a variety of substrates, including glutamine, fatty acid, as well as lactate from cells with enhanced glycolysis. Through oxidative phosphorylation, the cancer cells make the most of the oxygen in this environment to generate energy.11,12 As a result, CO2 diffuses out of the cells.13

In the normoxic area near the blood vessels, even with adequate oxygen, the tumor cells still tend to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) through enhanced glycolysis, known as the Warburg effect.14

In summary, the primary metabolites in the tumor microenvironment include H+ ions, lactate, and CO2. Due to lactic acid, free H+ ions and CO2 hydration, it is common to see that the pHe of solid tumors is acidic.

Numerous scholars have proposed that the acidic microenvironment is a weapon for the tumor to protect itself and attack normal tissues and immune cells.

Its pro-tumorigenic effects involve local invasion,15-17 angiogenesis,18 and distant metastasis.19-21 Moreover, the initiation and development of a tumor, to a large extent, are attributed to the suppression of the immune system.

utilization of sodium bicarbonate to neutralize the acidity and increase the tumor pHe might control cancer cells progression

Sodium bicarbonate reduces the formation of spontaneous metastases and the rate of lymph node involvement in mouse models of metastatic breast cancer

2009 Silva et al - a paper by Brazilian researchers includes the following anecdote:

we include the experience of a 79-year-old man with widely metastatic renal cancer at the Moffitt Cancer Center. After failing first-line treatment, he discontinued conventional therapy and began a self-administered course of vitamins, supplements, and 60 g of bicarbonate mixed in water daily.

As of this submission, he has remained well with stable tumor for 10 months.

We must emphasize that baking soda alone without any other anticancer therapies is only effective for some cancer cell lines with less aggressiveness, such as breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line and prostate cancer PC3M cell line,15,20,24 while mice bearing tumors with more aggressive phenotypes, like B16 melanoma and Panc02 pancreatic cancer, died of a substantial tumor burden after a short time

What is the proper use of baking soda as an auxiliary medication in the clinic?

A phase 1 clinical trial (NCT02531919) launched by Robey started in August 2015, and was completed in April 2016. This study intended to explore the practicability and tolerance of 0.5 g/kg/day sodium bicarbonate administered for a short-term (10 days) or a long-term (90 days) period. The results have not yet been published. The optimal dose of sodium bicarbonate for humans is still in dispute. Moreover, during the administration of the medication, both urine and blood pH must be monitored to prevent health hazards, such as renal complications and indigestion.

Apart from neutralization of acidity, suppression of H+ ion discharge can also elevate the tumor pHe. Thus, the inhibitor of the proton pump, such as omeprazole (Losec) or esomeprazole (Nexium), which potently hamper the export of H+ from the tumor cells to the extracellular space, could be used for anticancer treatment.44

According to the results of a phase III clinical trial, an intermittent high dose of esomeprazole enhances the effects of docetaxel-cisplatin on metastatic breast cancer in patients, without additional toxicity.45

A retrospective study suggested that omeprazole exerts a synergetic effect with chemoradiotherapy and decreases recurrence of rectal cancer.46

2024 (Li et al - China) Combination treatment of sodium bicarbonate and Olaparib exerts synergistic cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells in vitro.

Compared to single treatment, the combinatorial treatment shows good biosafety and inhibits ovarian cancer growth in mice models.

The combinatorial approach increases in M1 macrophage in tumors, enhancing the antitumor response.

high metabolic requirements of cancer cells result in excess accumulation of H+ in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, the extracellular pH of solid tumors is acidic, whereas the pH of normal tissues is more alkaline.

The acidic tumor environment is correlated with tumor metastasis, immune escape, and chemoresistance, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.

Herein, we demonstrate that sodium bicarbonate, a weakly alkaline compound, induces cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells and hinders cancer migration and invasion in vitro. The anti-cancer efficacy of Olaparib can be significantly augmented when combined with sodium bicarbonate.

It is widely recognized that the excessive extracellular acidity of solid tumors plays a critical role in maintaining an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, promoting angiogenesis and facilitating malignant progression[23]. Besides, this acidic environment can suppress the host’s immune response and hinder the effectiveness of tumor immunotherapy

In the 1930s, Otto Heinrich Warburg discovered that cancer cells reprogram their energy metabolism and prefer anaerobic glycolysis, even under sufficient oxygen supply conditions, a phenomenon now recognized as one of the hallmarks of cancer cells[1], [2].

In addition to the enhanced glucose metabolism, this metabolic shift also leads to high lactate acid production, which acidifies the tumor microenvironment to a pH ranging from 6.5 to 6.9, compared to the extracellular pH of 7.2–7.5 in normal differentiated cells[3].

This acid-base imbalance may create a “perfect storm” conducive to tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis[3]. Additionally, lactic acid may be correlated with immune escape by suppressing lymphocytes activity and lactate-induced resistance to immunotherapy poses a significant obstacle in eliminating malignancies[4], [5]

CONCLUSION: In this testimonial, a prostate cancer patient used 12 grams of Sodium Bicarbonate (2 teaspoons), dissolved in water & tablespoon of honey for 12 days

In the 2009 paper by Silva, a 79 year old man with Stage 4 Renal Cancer at Moffit Cancer Center used 60 grams (3 tablespoons) of Sodium Bicarbonate daily and his cancer was stable for 10+ months

A Phase I Clinical Trial done at University of Arizona tested feasibility of 0.5g/kg/day of Sodium Bicarbonate over 10 days and 90 days. So for a 80kg person that would be 40 grams which is just over 2 tablespoons

Most studies on this have been done in China.

Acid Reflux medications, Proton Pump Inhibitors like Prilosec or Losec, Nexium can also increase tumor pH and potentially inhibit cancer growth and spread

Sodium Bicarbonate does seem to shrink tumors, the question is which types of cancer and what is the safe way to take it.