Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is one of the most talked about (and studied) vitamins on the planet. Yet, despite all the scientific evidence, many people are confused about its benefits – thanks to many misleading “nutritional” articles.
Vitamin C is absolutely essential to prevent infectious disease and deal with stress and toxins. It is the mother of all anti oxidants. We are among just a handful of animals on Earth who do NOT manufacture our own vitamin C internally. We rely on ingesting enough from plants and animals ( yes, liver contains vitamin C) as do bats, guinea pigs, capibarra and a suborder of primates: Tarsiers, monkeys, apes and humans.
Vitamin C is vital for cardiovascular and immune system health.In the 1980s, Nobel Prize-winning researcher Linus Pauling definitively linked vitamin C with heart health – and stressed the importance of sufficient intake daily. Now, integrative cardiologists – including Mathias Rath, M.D., and Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD – are continuing Pauling’s lifesaving work.
Vitamin C deficiency is associated with heart disease
In Linus Pauling’s theory, heart disease is actually a manifestation of vitamin C deficiency. And atherosclerosis – with its attendant plaque deposits – is the body’s attempt to heal the cracks in arteries caused by the vitamin C shortfall.Since the 1980s, a host of studies have helped to confirm Pauling’s theory.
Supplementation with high-dose vitamin C restores heart health in two ways.Vitamin C scavenges harmful free radicals that cause oxidative stress, while functioning as an important building block for collagen – a protein needed to promote healing, structure and stability in arteries.
In a paper published in Journal of Cardiology and Current Research, researchers reported that high-dose vitamin C reduces heart attack and stroke by up to 98 percent.
Unfortunately, too many conventionally-trained doctors view high-dosage vitamin C therapy with skepticism – no matter how impressive the results. There are great myths surrounding vitamin C which I aim to address.
Myth #1: There are no studies on vitamin C
In his book Primal Panacea, high-dosage vitamin C pioneer Dr. Levy calls this statement “medical malpractice” and says it would be understandable if voiced by a mechanic or stonemason – but not by a physician.
Dr. Levy points out that a simple PubMed search yields over 60,000 studies on vitamin C – many of them showing positive effects on human health.
A board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Levy has written extensively on vitamin C, including a landmark review of 650 peer-reviewed studies on the effect of oxidative stress on vitamin C levels – as well as on the ability of vitamin C to reverse atherosclerosis.
Myth #2: There is no evidence that vitamin C works
Again, this is absurd.
Dr. Levy references over 1,200 studies showing beneficial effects – and says this only “scratches the surface” of what is known about vitamin C’s therapeutic abilities.
And, there is a problem with what constitutes a “study.”
In order to be acknowledged by the medical community, says Dr. Levy, a study must be large, randomized, placebo-controlled and double-blind. Dr. Levy maintains that most prescription drugs currently in use lack this type of rigorous study! So why is vitamin C held to a stricter standard?
Dr. Levy points out that a group of patients being given intravenous (IV) high-dosage vitamin C under closely monitored (hospital) conditions “does not count” as a study – even if all patients are cured!
To see evidence of vitamin C’s powers, one need look no further than the astounding success of Dr. Paul Marik at Sentara Norfolk Hospital.Dr. Marik uses a mix of intravenous vitamin C, thiamine and corticosteroids to treat sepsis, a life-threatening systemic infection. To date, the groundbreaking therapy has saved 150 patients from almost certain death.
Myth #3: Vitamin C is unsafe
With a superlative safety profile (and no known lethal dose) vitamin C appears to be one of the safest substances ever. In fact, natural health experts note that plain water is more toxic than vitamin C. Obviously the truth of that statement would depend on the water supply, and be very true in the case of flouride and chlorine treated water, or ground water in conventional farming areas. Sad.
And, vitamin C seems to be free of dangerous side effects even at high doses.
In its use as a strong antibiotic, or in cases of acute poisoning or potential deadly infection, some natural therapists use doses of 250,000 mg to 300,000 mg a day. This is 3,000 times over the RDA – yet no serious adverse effects have been reported.
The SNAKE BITE treatment
Pat Colby is a famous Australian farmer for her use of vitamins and minerals to keep animals healthy and treat acute conditions. She writes of vitamin C :
"Early in 1930, an American, Dr Klenner did much research on the use of Vitamin C on humans. In turn a Californian Vet, Dr Wendell Bellfield, carried on the good work with impressive results on all sorts of dog ailments that are generally considered incurable or fatal. Today, in USA, there are now a significant number if Vets practicing alternative Medicine such as this. After studying the literature, I decided that I really had nothing to lose trying Vitamin C on my own farm animals. The first one was a pony, almost moribund, whose blood was later diagnosed as having the largest amount of Tiger Snake venom the Vet had ever seen in an animal. Within 24 hours of being unable to move, and also having considerable difficulty in breathing due to pneumonia, the pony was grazing happily in its owner’s garden, apparently quite healthy. I only had one 30ml bottle of Vitamin C, half of what I would have liked, so I put half of the bottle into each side of the neck by intramuscular injection. After that we treated sundry dogs, two cats and several goats including a stud buck. All recovered. A very valuable Alpaca which was being watched by its owner from her kitchen window went down to the dam to examine something. The owners, horrified, watched a large snake rise up and strike it on the nose - the worst place - and thanked her lucky stars the Vitamin C was in the fridge - not still on the shopping list. Rushing out with only 15 mls in the syringe - she injected the Alpaca before any symptoms arose. The snake had looked like a brown or a tiger, the result - happy ending. The great advantage of Vitamin C is that anaphylaxis does not occur and the variety of snake does not matter. Vitamin C is cheap, easy to store and taking it on a hunting trip is no problem. All you need is a 20 ml syringe, some largish needles - say No 18 - and the bottle of Vitamin C. It can all be carried in a small wallet on ones belt. In between times it should be kept in the fridge."
It’s worth pointing out: pharmaceutical medications administered in hospitals kill thousands of patients a year. In fact, a recent Johns Hopkins (U.S.A.) study reports that 250,000 people die every year from medical errors – making it the third leading cause of death in the nation, right behind heart disease and cancer!
So, one has to wonder, why all the “controversy” surrounding a non-toxic substance like, vitamin C?
Myth #4: Vitamin C causes kidney stones
Experts say that vitamin C can – under certain conditions and in certain forms – contribute to oxalate production, which can in turn contribute to kidney stones.
But, Dr. Levy notes that the presence of high oxalate is not enough to create kidney stones.For many, the matter was put to rest by a rigorous 14-year study of 85,557 women conducted by researchers at prestigious Harvard Medical School – in which the team found no link whatsoever between vitamin C intake and kidney stones.Vitamin C has been further vindicated by additional studies, showing that the nutrient actually lowers the incidence of kidney stones.
Sally K Norton is is an expert when it comes to the dangers of high oxylate foods which do in fact contribute to forming kidney stones. Oxylate is a toxin and anti nutrient found in many plants. The "plant based diet" is a cool sounding notion that doesn't stand up to scrutiny because sadly, nuts , beans, grains and seeds are full of toxins and anti nutrients which make them indigestible at best and a cumulative poison in the case of oxylate, which is not able to be broken down by culinary traditions, as soaking, fermenting and cooking .Phytates and lectins can be denatured by these practices but not oxylate. Spinach, silver beet, rainbow chard, chocolate, almonds, kiwi fruit and rhubarb are chockers with oxylate which can chelate minerals from our bones and use the robbed calcium to form sharp, hard crystals of nanno size which lodge in joints and many other sites ( heart, lungs, brain, liver) and accumulate into larger and larger crystals as hard as your teeth! Calcium oxylate crystals can lodge anywhere, but often occur at sites of tissue damage to wreke mayhem. So whatever of your body parts you use a lot are prone to accumulate these little daggers ! And you thought you had RSI, or failing thyroid, or digestive issues. The aches and pains of age may just be due to our ingesting quantities of oxylate day in day out. Here is a clip of Sally Norton speaking on the little known topic of oxylate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUUPrmqjbI I will blog on this in near future.
Myth #5: You can get enough vitamin C through diet
This is mostly true, unless you ferment! Read on....The current RDA for nonsmoking adults is a paltry 60 mg of vitamin C a day – roughly the amount in one small orange. Although this is enough to prevent the serious medical condition known as scurvy, natural health experts decry it as ridiculously low.
Of course, more vitamin C is required to combat atherosclerosis and heart disease. In fact, one study showed that it takes 1,500 mg per day to prevent or reverse atherosclerosis in 60 percent or more of the population.
My approach to vitamin C is to rely on dietary vitamin C intake which you can do by eating organic citrus fruits, red capsicum ( peeled and seeded to get rid of lectin) strawberries, cabbage,broccoli and more. Australian native foods can be very high. Fermented crucifers in the form of kim chee has 100s of times greater amount of vitamin C than fresh cabbage so go the sauerkraut or kimchee daily. Other natural super high C sources include rose hips, Merri Bee Organic Fizz Juice ( Lime, Lemonade and Lemon Kombucha)
and the super star of all, Gubinge ( aka Kakadu plum) https://www.academia.edu/28561849/Native_Australian_fruits_a_novel_source_of_antioxidants_for_food This research found Gubinge had 938 times more ascorbic acid ( vit C) than blueberry.
Natural sources contain the phenolic compounds and antioxidants that make the vitamin C more bio available.
I keep a bottle of buffered, tasteless sodium ascorbate powder for emergencies where the body needs massive doses of vit C . Examples of acute conditions include infection, physical and emotional stress, dental issues, smoking (thanks to prescribed burning) spider or snake bite. Others should use it if stressed from alcohol use, medications and environmental toxins – these will drain the body stores of vitamin C. Goats under stress have been measured to make 1000's of times their usual amount of vitamin C.
Myth #6: Excess amounts of vitamin C are excreted through urine
Vitamin C proponents say that this is akin to saying that water is excreted in urine – which means that it is unneeded by the body – a clearly misguided belief.The truth is, water performs many life-sustaining functions before being excreted – and the same is true of vitamin C. It is true that vitamin C is water-soluble – and, it is excreted through urine. But, not before it confers a host of cardiovascular and other system benefits.
So, myths aside, we know that vitamin C is effective, non-toxic and safe. With heart disease claiming 640,000 lives a year, it seems unsafe not to use vitamin C to avoid unwanted health outcomes.
