The 'miracle' of high-dose fish
oil
In what most
people are describing as a medical miracle, Randall McCloy
Jr., the only surviving miner from the Sago mine disaster, has
returned home. When rescued from the Sago mine nearly four
months ago, he had brain failure, heart failure, kidney
failure, and liver failure. Needless to say, his outlook
appeared very bleak. He was immediately transferred to one of
the 30 brain trauma centers in the United States located at
the West Virginia School of Medicine to be under the care of
Dr. Julian Bailes.
Dr. Bailes called upon Dr. Barry
Sears, one of the leading authorities in high-dose fish oil in
the United States, to see if there was anything Dr. Sears
might suggest.
"Barry's our hero," Bailes said
Friday. "For me, Barry is one of the main reasons why I got
interested in the whole essential fatty acid area. I've read
everything he's written, and he convinced me that DHA could
play a role in Mr. McCloy's recovery. He sent me his product,
which was the main source in his treatments."
Dr. Sears suggested administering
30 grams per day of the fish oil concentrate he developed,
OmegaRx, that would provide 18 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) via tube feeding. The oil
was sent from Dr. Sears' lab via Federal Express and for the
next several months was an integral daily part of Randall
McCloy's treatment.
Because this was a very high dose
of EPA and DHA, McCloy's blood levels were constantly
monitored to ensure that the levels of these fatty acids (EPA
and DHA) fell within a certain therapeutic range. Bailes said
the blood test numbers were "right on the money".
The EPA was needed to reduce the
inflammation caused by the lack of oxygen within the organs,
and the DHA was required to rebuild the brain, Dr. Sears said.
Today the damage to his heart,
kidneys, and liver has been reversed, and he is home with his
family. A miracle it is, but a miracle that Dr. Bailes
believes was considerably helped by high-dose fish
oil.
"I certainly think it played a big
role, Bailes said. "How can he rebuild his brain, if he
doesn't have the substrate to do it?"
Dr. Sears said he plans to continue
to do studies, through his nonprofit Inflammation Research
Foundation, with Dr. Bailes on the impact of high-dose fish
oil on brain trauma patients. |
