Vitamin C....?

[Celeste22]

I realize there are other posts here on this subject, but from a chemist's authoritive point of view, could vitamin C really be this exceptional?

 

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/198x/smith-lh-clinical_guide_1988.htm

http://www.netsci-journal.com/97v4/97014/vitc2.html

http://www.chemistry-school.info/vitamin_c_and_citrates.htm

 

I personally take up to 20,000 mgs daily and have seen my overall health and well being improve dramatically without any prescription drugs. ie., My high blood pressure has returned to normal, no more asmtha, my arrythmia's have subsided, cold went away in a day, etc etc. Placebo effect? or does it really work?

[Douglas]

I've taken 1000 Mg a day for decades. I've read that I should take 2000 Mg per day. Since I've taken it for so long, I really don't know what it's doing for me, but I know I'm healthy.

 

20 grams a day seems a little excessive, but hey, if it works for you, keep it up.

 

And yes, I think C really works.

[Celeste22]

Thanks for the reply Douglas.

 

I use the powdered crystals so it's easy to get that high of a dose in 3 divided doses. I started the mega dose after battling whooping cough with prescription drugs for months with no relief. Three days after starting the C, the cough let up.

I plan on cutting back to about 7,000mgs a day for life over the next week or two.

 

I'm glad to hear that someone with chemistry knowledge thinks C really does work.

[Molotov]

What form is the best to take?

 

Ive always heard taking plain ascorbic acid won't give you much benefit because it loses its bioavability with time.

[Douglas]

I'm glad to hear that someone with chemistry knowledge thinks C really does work.

Errr Celeste, the only thing I know about chemistry is that ascorbic acid is Vit C and acetylsalicylic acid is aspirin.

 

I started taking Vit C after a friend of mine told me that he had made a miraculous recovery from some debilitating disease (like lupis, I forgot), after taking massive doses of vit C for some period of time.

[akcapr]

i hear its an antioxidant too i think

[Douglas]

What form is the best to take?

 

Ive always heard taking plain ascorbic acid won't give you much benefit because it loses its bioavability with time.

I take the pill form.

I don't know what the half life of ascorbic acid is. However, it has a "use by" date, not sure what that really means.

 

If you're taking massive doses of Vit C, I guess the only choice is ascorbic acid.

The RDA for vit C is 60 Mg. I just checked the OJ in my fridge, it says 120% RDA, or around 72 Mg per 8 oz glass. Celeste takes 20,000 Mg, which is about 278 glasses of my Orange juice per day......that's a lot of peeing in a day....

 

Makes one wonder if the loss of potency of ascorbic is less than the loss of C in the OJ due to the fast through-put

[Douglas]

i hear its an antioxidant too i think

Yes, I guess a lot of people take it for that reason.

[Celeste22]

Errr Celeste, the only thing I know about chemistry is that ascorbic acid is Vit C and acetylsalicylic acid is aspirin.

 

Whoops, sorry Douglas. Still appreciate your replies however.

 

I started taking Vit C after a friend of mine told me that he had made a miraculous recovery from some debilitating disease (like lupis, I forgot), after taking massive doses of vit C for some period of time.

 

These stories are exactly what started me on the mega doses. I'm just wondering how something so powerful is so over looked by the majority.

Put aside the major drug companies not being able to patent it, I still don't understand the lack of studies being done on large groups to see how well it really does work!!??

 

What form is the best to take?

 

I would have to suggest powdered or capsules like the ones from Pure Encapulations. Pills are filled with binders and other unneeded things like Sorbitol, Crospovidone, Talc, dyes, etc. and some can lose some of their bioavailabilty during digestion. The powered or capsules really don't cost that much more either.

 

I started out with chewable ones, but my teeth started getting sensitive to heat and they did cause some stomach irritation, mainly heartburn after 8,000mg's or so. I switched to a ultra-potency buffered Vitamin C drink mix that has 5000 mg. per tsp., because it's buffered, it is also easily absorbed without stomach upset.

 

Ive always heard taking plain ascorbic acid won't give you much benefit because it loses its bioavability with time.

 

That's why it's usually suggested that you take divided doses during the day, there's also time release formula's. I just mix a tsp. into my juices or yogurt a few times a day.

[Douglas]

still don't understand the lack of studies being done on large groups to see how well it really does work!!??

Well, the large pharmaceuticals aren't interested (no money there). And nobody will do it as a freebie.

I noticed that Bayer is pushing their aspirin as a blood thinner to prevent strokes, and I think Zycam uses Zinc as their base ingredient for cold prevention. But for the most part, you're on your own in determining what these vitamins and herbs do for you.

 

I would have to suggest powdered or capsules like the ones from Pure Encapulations.

I didn't know these existed, I'm going to check them out.....Thanks.

Robert Cathcart, III, MD (orthomed.com) :

My clinical experience would indicate that vitamin C increases iron absorption when iron is needed. It seems to increase excretion of iron when there is an excessive amount of iron. Therefore, vitamin C might be a good treatment of hemochromatosis.

Interesting observation, and probably true. I've notice that psyllium husks have a duel purpose of preventing both constipation and diarrhea.

[ecoli]

I wonder how much C you need to take to risk overdose. 20 grams seems like a hell of a lot.

[RyanJ]

I wonder how much C you need to take to risk overdose. 20 grams seems like a hell of a lot.

 

Vitamin C is water soluble and is regularly excreted by the body. Therefore, toxicity is very rare. Amounts greater than 2,000 mg/day, however, are not recommended because such high doses can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea.

 

So its probably best they you don't take too much

 

So thats about 20 times the reccomended limit.

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[Celeste22]

Originally Posted by Ecoli

I wonder how much C you need to take to risk overdose. 20 grams seems like a hell of a lot.

 

Though 20 grams seems like alot, it is small in comparison to what has been used without toxicity. According to researchers and the Poison Control Center, there has been one alleged death from Vitamin C. However, the medical evidence never proved that the death was directly attributed to an overdose of vitamin C. If I remember correctly, the person that died was in late stage renal failure beforehand.

 

Robert Cathcart III, MD, reports that patients tolerate more than 200,000 mg (200 g) of vitamin C per day without diarrhea when they had mononucleosis, viral pneumonia, and bacterial infections. Dr. Robert Cathcart believes the ideal intake for any individual is the highest level they can tolerate without loose bowels. On the basis of his experience with 11,000 patients over 14 years this bowel tolerance level may be 10 to 15 grams in a healthy person, 30 to 60 grams in a person with a cold, and over 199 grams per day in a person with a serious infectious illness. During an infectious illness the best clinical results have been achieved by maintaining high vitamin C levels in the blood through 3 or more grams every four hours. http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/mega_1_1.html#HOLFORD

 

Fred R. Klenner, M.D.: Ascorbic acid has many important functions. It is a powerful oxidizer and when given in massive amounts; that is, 50 grams to 150 grams, intravenously, for certain pathological conditions, and "run in" as fast as 20 Gauge needle will allow, it acts as a "Flash Oxidizer,"[4] often correcting the pathology within minutes. Ascorbic acid is also a powerful reducing agent. Its neutralizing action on certain toxins, exotoxins, virus infections, endotoxins and histamine is in direct proportion to the amount of the lethal factor involved and the amount of ascorbic acid given. At times it is necessary to use ascorbic acid intramuscularly. It should always be used orally, when possible, along with the needle.

http://www.cforyourself.com/Overview/Primer/Klenner/klenner.html#refbib4_1

 

Other then some heartburn and sensitivity in my teeth with the chewable C,

(switched to powder C) I haven't had one symptom of toxicity and I feel better then ever.

[Aardvark]

If you want scientific information about nutrition then this is a good link.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/index.html

 

It's for the Linus Pauling institute, he won a Nobel prize for his work on vitamin C and the institute is set up to continue his research into the health benefits of different nutrients.