In the early 1960s, Dr. Hans Nieper, a German physician, developed a compound known as calcium EAP. It is also known as calcium-2-aminoethyl phosphate, calcium AEP, and calcium orotate. Thousands of people have apparently been treated with this compound. Most information about calcium EAP is available only from literature by Dr. Nieper (who died in 1998) or organizations affiliated with him.
Calcium EAP is one component of an approach to MS referred to as the “Nieper regimen.” It is believed that calcium EAP allows necessary chemicals to interact with nerve cells and protects nerve cells from injury by the immune system and by toxins. Several other principles underlie the Nieper regimen, including claims that milk and several minerals (chlorine, chromium, fluoride, platinum) play an important role in MS.
The Nieper program recommends calcium EAP treatment along with other measures. Calcium EAP is initially given intravenously in a dosage of 500 milligrams per day for five days per week. It is then given long-term as a pill or as an every-other-day intravenous dose of 400 milligrams. Other recommendations include steroid treatment with prednisone (five to eight milligrams daily); vitamin and mineral supplements (some at high doses), including selenium and vitamins C, D, and E; avoidance of bright sunlight, alcohol, milk and milk products, evening primrose oil, aluminum, fluoride, and drinks that contain phosphoric acid or quinine; avoidance of water in the environment by not using waterbeds and hiring a dowser to be certain there is no underground water near one’s bedroom; consumption of olive oil and raw food because of their “Kirlian positivity.”
The first person was treated with calcium EAP in Europe in 1964; the first person was treated in the United States in 1972. No well-designed clinical trials of calcium EAP have been published. A document written by Dr. Nieper in 1968 describes the treatment of 167 people with MS. Beneficial effects were observed in 46 percent with mild disease, 33 percent with moderate disease, and 16 percent with severe disease. The overall benefit was 32 percent. Importantly, there was no placebo group in this study. Other literature by Dr. Nieper claims benefits in 85 to 90 percent of people with MS. Overall, there are no well-designed studies to indicate a beneficial effect of calcium EAP for people with MS.
The safety of calcium EAP has not been established. Of concern is a 1990 report in which a 53-year-old woman with MS had an abrupt cessation of heart and lung function (cardiopulmonary arrest) during intravenous administration of calcium EAP. She was resuscitated and subsequently developed serious kidney, liver, and bleeding complications.
By Dr. Nieper’s account, 1 in 10 animals treated with calcium EAP develop kidney stones. Also, females gain weight and males became aggressive. Apparently, these side effects have not been observed in people. Some people treated with calcium EAP develop headaches and chills.
In conclusion, there is no rigorous published evidence that calcium EAP has beneficial effects. Calcium EAP may be very costly. There is one report of serious complications with intravenous use, and there are no studies documenting the safety of long-term use.