The 'miracle' of high-dose fish oil

Last Updated Aug 2007

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.