Without entering into the realm of religious discussion, the question of whether or not blood transfusion is analogous to feeding has been debated before in these forums and I don't think I could express it any better than a post by jgrossberg in March 2007 (I'm sure Jan won't mind me quoting it again here):

Treatment of a Jehovah's Witness using a transfusion-free autologous stem cell tra...

"Transfusion not nutrition?

"Perhaps because there has been a great deal of attention focused on the presence and function of the red blood cell and its clearly vital oxygen-carrying capacity, there has been a tendency to forget what blood really is. I wish to broaden the focus and remind you that blood is composed of virtually thousands of substances that are being transported to and from body cells to provide nutrients. Oxygen is essential for energy production at the cellular level, as are many hundreds of other nutrients. However, it is quite simply a nutrient without which ALL nourishment of the body fails (without available oxygen, the Krebs cycle grinds to a halt, resulting in anaerobic metabolism, which leads rapidly to metabolic acidosis - ultimately fatal). Perhaps oxygen should be called the body's primary nutrient. As such, any transfusion of any component of blood is, first and foremost, nourishing the body in some way, at some level. Because it is not "chewed and swallowed" it is no less utilized than the juicy steak discussed above.

"Of course, blood also carries away the by-products of nutrients that have been broken down, their needed portions utilized by the cell, and these remnants are metabolized in either the liver, kidneys, and spleen. The blood gets them to these recycling/eliminating organs. It also carries away undesirable organisims that are phagocytized by the immune system; carries hormones to their target organs; facilitates the immune response; and provides a mechanism for fluid balance in the body.

"Because the body cannot obtain nutrients at the cellular level without blood, therefore, a transfusion of blood is absolutely analogous to eating, although by a different route. This is achieved also by IV infusion of nutrient mixtures other than blood, or by tube feeding through a surgically implanted abdominal port, in those who are physically unable to chew and swallow.

I hope this reminder is helpful to those who question whether or not blood is given as a source of nutrients."

Definition of "nutrient": "A nutrient is food or chemicals that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment."-- Wikipedia Nutrient - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Further confirmation of this analogy is found on the Franklyn Institute website Blood - The Human Heart: An Online Exploration from The Franklin Institute, made possible by Unisys It says:

"The average adult has about five liters of blood living inside of their body, coursing through their vessels, delivering essential elements, and removing harmful wastes. Without blood, the human body would stop working.

"Blood is the fluid of life, transporting oxygen from the lungs to body tissue and carbon dioxide from body tissue to the lungs. Blood is the fluid of growth, transporting nourishment from digestion and hormones from glands throughout the body. Blood is the fluid of health, transporting disease fighting substances to the tissue and waste to the kidneys.

"Because it contains living cells, blood is alive. Red blood cells and white blood cells are responsible for nourishing and cleansing the body. Since the cells are alive, they too need nourishment."

Any one have information on the latest help for leukemia or hemophilia patients who refuse blood transfusions? This physician Bible student thinks that the child left to die without transfusions is not the way the Creator would want it.

Canadian Journal of Anesthesia 55:47-51 (2008)
© Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, 2008

Case Reports/Case Series
A Jehovah’s Witness child with hemophilia B and factor IX inhibitors undergoing scoliosis surgery

[Chirurgie de la scoliose chez un enfant Témoin de Jéhovah souffrant d’hémophilie B et présentant des inhibiteurs du facteur IX]

Anthony Chau, ACPR*, John Wu, FRCPC*,, Mark Ansermino, FRCPC*,, Stephen Tredwell, FRCSC*, and Robert Purdy, FRCP(C)*, * From the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia; the
Division of Hematology and Oncology, the
Department of Anesthesia, and the
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Robert Purdy, Staff Anesthesiologist, Department of Pediatric Anesthesia, Room 1L7, British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital, 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3V4, Canada. E-mail: rpurdy@cw.bc.ca


Purpose: To describe the successful perioperative hemostatic management of a Jehovah’s Witness patient with hemophilia B and anaphylactic inhibitors to factor IX, undergoing scoliosis surgery.
Clinical features: A 14 -yr-old boy with severe hemophilia B who had a history of anaphylactic inhibitors to factor IX was scheduled to undergo corrective scoliosis surgery. He was initially started on epoetin alfa and iron supplementation to maximize preoperative red cell mass. Additionally, he was placed on a desensitization protocol of recombinant coagulation factor IX (rFIX) and was then treated with activated recombinant coagulation factor VII (rFVIIa) during the postoperative period. Tranexamic acid was given concomitantly. The intraoperative blood loss was approximately 350 mL. The nadir hemoglobin concentration was 111 g·L–1 on postoperative days one and two. On postoperative day 11, the patient was stable and discharged home with a hemoglobin of 138 g·L–1. He did not require blood transfusion and no adverse events were observed.
Conclusions: The use of rFIX, rFVIIa, erythropoetin, iron, and tranexamic acid before, during and after scoliosis surgery may be a viable and safe option for hemophilia patients with inhibitors, who refuse blood products.

J Clin Oncol. 2002 May 15;20(10):2486-94

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of recombinant human erythropoietin, epoetin Beta, in hematologic malignancies.

Osterborg A, Brandberg Y, Molostova V, Iosava G, Abdulkadyrov K, Hedenus M, Messinger D; Epoetin Beta Hematology Study Group.
Department of Oncology (Radiumhemmet), Karolinska Hospital, S-17176 Stockholm, Sweden. anders.osterborg@ks.se

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin beta) on anemia, transfusion need, and quality of life (QOL) in severely anemic patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), or multiple myeloma (MM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Transfusion-dependent patients with NHL (n = 106), CLL (n = 126), or MM (n = 117) and a low serum erythropoietin concentration were randomized to receive epoetin beta 150 IU/kg or placebo subcutaneously three times a week for 16 weeks. Primary efficacy criteria were transfusion-free and transfusion- and severe anemia-free survival (hemoglobin [Hb] > 8.5 g/dL) between weeks 5 to 16. Response was defined as an increase in Hb > or = 2 g/dL with elimination of transfusion need. QOL was assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy scale. RESULTS: Transfusion-free (P =.0012) survival and transfusion- and severe anemia-free survival (P =.0001) were significantly greater in the epoetin beta group versus placebo (Wald chi(2) test), giving a relative risk reduction of 43% and 51%, respectively. The response rate was 67% and 27% in the epoetin beta versus the placebo group, respectively (P <.0001). After 12 and 16 weeks of treatment, QOL significantly improved in the epoetin beta group compared with placebo (P <.05); this improvement correlated with an increase in Hb concentration (> or = 2 g/dL). A target Hb that could be generally recommended could not be identified. CONCLUSION: Many severely anemic and transfusion-dependent patients with advanced MM, NHL, and CLL and a low performance status benefited from epoetin therapy, with elimination of severe anemia and transfusion need, and improvement in QOL.

PMID: 12011126 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

As to treatments...

The studies for adults are not always used in pediatric patients. This limits the available treatments. However....

There are numerous studies on boosting glutathione (GSH) and in these studies, when looking at blood, it was found that it likewise boosted blood counts.

The studies that looked at novel use of both cysteine and NAC found positive outcomes.

Note that this is not the cystine that body builders use. It is the one found in the Physicians Desk Reference and is used to decrease chemo therapy symptoms, decrease radiation treatment symptoms, stop chronic muscle wasting, and a treatment for lead poisoning.

Well, surprise, it seems it also works for numerous types of leukemia's. This is because GSH has numerous functions, perhaps dozens that it does at the cellular level. Of the actual types of leukemia treated, I do not know which they were. However, since GSH is in every cell of our body it can logically have a positive effect no matter which type of leukemia the patient is faced with.

Some patients have as a result opted for treatment with this modality. This is being done both under physician treatment and as self medication.

This is an off label use of both products. To my knowledge, there are no high level pediatric studies and it is possible that NAC is not used in pediatric treatments.

However the bonded whey protein cysteine is used in both adults and pediatric patients with no or very minor untoward side effects. The side effects usually resolve in a short time.


The people who have used it have used up to 7 grams daily for several months and then drop to a maintenance dose of 2 grams per day. Although medicare approved, it may not be paid for in adult usage in your state. However, it usually is for pediatric patients.

This is a unique situation that your faced with. It is doctors who get passionate about such issues that end up carrying the torch for advancing the frontiers of knowledge.

How you present this to him is key to his listening.

If GSH should be of interest to him as a possible treatment option, it would be good for him to speak to the experts, many also MD’s.

If there is interest, I can put him in touch with Dr. Bunos who has published numerous studies or Dr. Jimmy Gutman who has authored many books on GSH.

A web site for you to learn more can be found at The Glutathione Disease Cure, Health Wellness, Anti-aging, Natural Cure Resource

For the doctor, suggest he do a search on PubMed.