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Vitamin C
The
following reprinted by permission from Dusty R. Green, M.Ed., Author of
Smart Eats, Smart Supplements, and Smart Exercise
The first clinical experiment with vitamin C dates back
to the 1750's when a British doctor put limes, which for foodstuffs are rich in
vitamin C, in the rations of a group of sailors. He then compared this group to
another group that received the same rations but without limes. The limeless
group developed scurvy (wounds would not heal, gums bled, skin was rough, and
muscles shrank). The lime group did not get scurvy and became known as
"limeys" because they took limes with them on long voyages.
Robert Fulton Cathcart
III, M.D., has more clinical experience with vitamin C than probably anyone
else. In the early 1970's after reading Dr. Linus Pauling's book, Vitamin
C and the Common Cold, Dr. Cathcart cured inner ear and respiratory
infections he had since childhood with vitamin C. It was about that time
that he decided to give up his practice as an orthopedic surgeon and become a
general practitioner concerned with infectious diseases and their relationship
to varying doses of vitamin C. By 1981, he was able to report his
observations on 9,000 patients he treated with vitamin C.
Like so many of the other vitamins, it is water soluble (your
body stores it for a short period of time). We can increase the blood
levels by taking it throughout the day everyday. Dr. Cathcart found that
we all have a bowel tolerance limit of vitamin C (the onset of diarrhea).
His patients who had very low blood levels of vitamin C (the severely ill)
could tolerate more than 200 gms. (not mgs.) per day before the onset of
diarrhea. As the patients' illnesses improved, the amount of vitamin C
could be lowered because of the increased levels of it in the blood (serum
level). The amount would then be lowered toward the normal 4-15 gm. per
day range.
Your bowel tolerance limit is your barometer of vitamin C
intake if you happen to contract any of the conditions listed below. Of
course, water
consumption (distilled or reverse osmosis . . . such that you urinate every
three hours) is highly recommended, even if you do not induce diarrhea with
vitamin C. Soft drinks and coffee provide water but add calories,
caffeine, sugar, and an acid ph. Most foods have water content as do
fruit juices but, because of the extra calories, do not rely on them to quench
your thirst.
The following table shows the the conditions Dr. Cathcart
discovered could be treated with varying amounts of vitamin C based on his
observations on 9,000 patients.
|
Condition |
Grams/24
hours |
Doses/24
hours |
|
Normal |
4-15 |
3-4 |
|
Mild cold |
30-60 |
6-10 |
|
Severe
cold |
60-100 |
8-15 |
|
Influenza |
100-150 |
8-20 |
|
ECHO,
coxsackievirus |
100-150 |
8-20 |
|
Mononucleosis |
150-200+ |
12-25 |
|
Viral
pneumonia |
100-200+ |
12-25 |
|
Hay
fever, asthma |
15-50 |
4-8 |
|
Environmental
and food allergies |
0.5-50 |
4-8 |
|
Burn,
injury, surgery |
25-150 |
6-20 |
|
Anxiety,
exercise, and other stress |
15-25 |
4-6 |
|
Cancer |
15-100 |
4-15 |
|
Ankylosing
spondylitis |
15-100 |
4-15 |
|
Reiter's
syndrome |
15-60 |
4-10 |
|
Acute
anterior uveitis |
30-100 |
4-15 |
|
Rheumatoid
arthritis |
15-100 |
4-15 |
|
Bacterial
infections |
30-200+ |
10-25 |
|
Infectious
hepatitis |
30-100 |
6-15 |
|
Candida
infections |
15-200+ |
6-25 |
Dr. Cathcart's success has been replicated many times over
in studies done by Dr. Linus Pauling,
Irwin Stone, Dr.
Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, and many others.
The above chart is from Medical Hypothesis, 1981, 7:1359-1376
-- used by permission.
Vitamin C has been researched extensively concerning
connective tissue strength (tendons, ligaments, arterial, and vein
strength). Vitamin C is crucial for the proper function of the
enzyme protocollagen hydroxylase, which produces collagen, the primary
constituent of the granulation tissue that heals a wound and the key component
in blood vessel walls. A recently published review stated that vitamin C
plays a variety of roles in the prevention and treatment of cancer, including stimulating
the immune system and enhancing wound healing. Wound healing requires
more vitamin C than diet alone can easily provide. It must be replenished
daily because it is water-soluble, and any excess is excreted rather than
stored. The scientific literature is replete with information showing
Vitamin C to be therapeutic in amounts of at least 4 grams per day (divided
doses throughout the day are best). Less than 4 grams per day consumption
does not show significant benefits concerning the prevention of most illnesses
known to man.
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