Wendell O. Belfield

Wendell O. Belfield
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana

Wendell O. Belfield: Veterinarian

*** read this link: http://www.belfield.com/pdfs/Hip_dysplasia.pdf ***


Wendell O. Belfield, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, is leading the way in revolutionizing veterinary practices. He attended McDonogh #35 High School, studied pharmacy at Xavier University, New Orleans and graduated with a Ph.D. of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee Institute. Dr. Belfield is owner and Director of Bel-Mar Orthomolecular Veterinary Hospital in San Jose, California. His hospital is the first veterinary hospital to practice orthomolecular medicine.

Dogs and cats are treated with varying concentrations of normal body substances which are required for health, rather than with toxic drugs and chemical foreign to the body. Clinical research conducted at Dr. Belfield's hospital resulted in the publication of new and unorthodox surgical procedures. Dramatic cures for distemper, hip dysplasia, allergies, epilepsy, etc., in sick dogs and cats have been obtained by simply injecting large does of sodium ascorbate (Vitamin C). Dr. Belfield describes in "Dysplasia's End" reading in a reprinted copy of the 1753 book A Treatise On Scurvy, by Captain James Lind (a surgeon in the British Royal Navy). The book described symptoms of scurvy as:
bleeding gums
loose teeth
foul breath
nose bleeding
swollen eyelids
brittle bones
Dr. Belfield compared these descriptions with the results of an autopsy report made in 1699 at St. Louis Hospital, Paris
"The ligaments of the joints were corroded and loose. Instead of finding in the cavities of the joint ere the usual sweet oil mucilage, there was only a greenish liquor; which by its caustic quality had corroded the ligaments."
The symptoms described in the autopsy report were similar to the conditions in dogs with hip dysplasia. Dr. Belfield hypothesized the condition to be a form of scurvy, which could be treated as a lack of Vitamin C. Belfield had learned about the use of ascorbic acid by Dr. Fred Klenner, who, faces with a polio epidemic and no available vaccine or cure, used Vitamin C in the 1940s for polio with some success. Yet, Vitamin C is synthesized naturally in a dog's liver, which should be able to provide sufficient quantities in healthy animals. In contrast, human livers do not synthesize Vitamin C but must acquire sufficient quantities through diet. Dr. Belfield used large doses of Vitamin C with positive results, suggesting that the ill animals were not able to heal normally without additional supplements. The dogs bodies were producing just enough Vitamin C to keep them at subchronic scurvy levels but not enough to return to normal health.

Aside: The Role of Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) in Biochemistry.
Vitamin C is involved in three hundred different functions in the biochemistry, in both animals and humans. An important job is the production of collagen, used to build muscle and bone tissue. In building bones, collagen forms the honeycomb structures holding minerals in place within the bones. Without sufficient Vitamin C, the quality of the manufactured collagen will be weak, thus causing the bones and muscle tissues to weaken.

A second function of ascorbic acid is to cope with the effects of stress on animal physiology. Ascorbic acid is used by the body to support adrenal gland functions and helping the body produce its own cortisone, which limits the production of histamines produced by dying cells.
Dr. Belfield has used insulin in ointment form to heal open wounds. This treatment eliminates scarring of wounded tissue.

Dr. Belfield also used large doses sodium ascorbate therapy to treat high fevers and distemper. The dose level was begun at one-half gram twice daily per pound of body weight administered intravenously. With dosages this high, Dr. Belfield uses the sodium ascorbate form of Vitamin C as opposed to the ascorbic acid form. The intravenous preparations used were made from crystals to avoid sodium bisulphate, a preservative in the commercially available intravenous products, which can cause nerve problems when given at high dosages. Dr. Belfield published his results in his first professional paper in 1967.

Having success with controlling fevers and distemper, Dr. Belfield began treating parvo virus with the same technique of vitamin and mineral supplement therapy. He is a proponent of nutritional therapy to achieve benefits of treatment without side effects. He has used B complex to cure seizures and treats liver and kidney problems with antioxidant vitamins, namely Vitamin A (beta-carotene), Vitamin C and Vitamin E; enzymes including glutathione peroxide, superoxide dismutase (S.O.D.), and catalase; and minerals selenium, manganese, and zinc, which act to promote enzyme metabolism.

Dr. Belfield and his colleagues are challenging traditional veterinary practices. They are introducing completely new methods of overcoming diseases. These methods are controversial and many scientists question the validity of these practices. However, Dr. Belfield can point to numerous examples of successful use of his methods. Although more research needs to de done, these advancements in veterinary medicine may lead to breakthroughs in human medicine.

Dr. Belfield was first encouraged to enter veterinary medicine by one of his professors, Dr. Charles Buggs who pioneered research in the use of streptomycin.

Selected Publications
Belfield WO. Chronic Subclinical Scurvy And Canine Hip Dysplasia.
Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician 1976 October 71 (10): 1399-403
ISSN: 0042-4889

Belfield WO. Canine Orchiopexy: Surgical Fixation, In The Scrotum, Of An Undescended Testicle.
Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician1975 February 70 (2): 157-61
ISSN: 0042-4889

Belfield WO. For A More Normal Life For A Pet: Partial Spay (Hysterectomy).
Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician 1972 November 67 (11): 1223-4
ISSN: 0042-4889

Belfield WO. The Dysplastic Dog. Can be Helped.
Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician 1971 September 66 (9): 883-6
ISSN: 0042-4889

Belfield WO; Golinsky S; Compton MD. The Use Of Insulin In Open-Wound Healing.
Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician 1970 May; 65 (5): 455-60
ISSN: 0042-4889

Belfield WO. Vitamin C In Treatment Of Canine And Feline Distemper Complex.
Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician 1967 April 62 (4): 345-8
ISSN: 0042-4889

Dr. Wendell Belfield and Martin Zucker co-authored two books on nutritional supplementation for pets
How To Have A Healthier Dog.
The Very Healthy Cat Book.

Observations On the Dose and Administration of Ascorbic Acid When Employed Beyond the Range Of A Vitamin In Human Pathology
Frederick R. Klenner, M.D., F.C.C.P.
URL: http://www.orthomed.com/klenner.htm
Journal of Applied Nutrition Vol. 23, No's 3 & 4, Winter 1971
Bibliography:
Blacks in Science: Astrophysicist to Zoologist.
Hattie Carwell. (Hicksville, N.Y.: Exposition Press), 1977. p. 64-65.

Wendell O. Belfield and Irving Stone.
Journal of the International Academy of Preventive Medicine. Vol.II, no.3 (1975)

Booklet produced by Dr. Belfield on the treatment of animals with Vitamin C.
Send $1.00 for more information:
Orthomolecular Specialities.
P.O. Box 32232, San Jose, CA 95152 (May, 1996)
Tele: (408) 277-9334
Fax: (408) 227-2732
Phone Hours: 10:30am-12:30pm PST & 2:00-3:00pm PST (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
VISA and MasterCard accepted

Your Animal's Health, with Wendell O. Belfield, DVM
Sponsored by Orthomolecular Specialities ... http://www.belfield.com
Suggested by Jeffrey P. Mainville, Human Dimensions ; e-mail communication (July 31, 1996)
Magazine Articles
Larry Mueller. Miracle Cure For Hip Dysplasia. Use Of Vitamin C In Dogs.
Outdoor Life (January, 1996), 197(1): 27+.

Larry Mueller. Kindness That Can Kill.
Outdoor Life (December 1990), 190(6): 56-59.

John Eckhouse. Why Pet-Food Labels Baffle Most Consumers.
The San Francisco Chronicle (February 20, 1990), Tuesday, Final Edition, B1.

Larry Mueller. Dysplasia's End.
Outdoor Life (April 1989), 183(2): 46,50.