Often sick, how much vitamin C should I take?

This forum will focus on the interesting topic of titrating oral vitamin C intake to so-called bowel tolerance, the point just prior to the onset of diarrhea

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ofonorow
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Often sick, how much vitamin C should I take?

Post Number:#1  Post by ofonorow » Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:51 am

I just received your vitamin C powder by mail. I am often sick, recovering, or getting sick. I would like to use it on a daily basis. How much should I take?? I weigh 140lbs. And what is the ratio if I want to add baking powder as its sooo acidy. And if I use baking powder will its still do the same work?? Thank you for your answer.

I see I was just in time as its back ordered now. ;)
Lina


Re: How much to take. We are all different. And our requirements for vitamin C vary by large amounts, however, we all generally require more when ill. See Robert Cathcart's Titrating to Bowel Tolerance paper to understand this http://www.orthomed.com/titrate.htm and Johnwen's formula for calculating a minimum intake based on body weight and other factors: http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7593

Our Foundation recommends everyone take at least 3000 mg of vitamin C
daily. http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/vitcrda.shtml

And we know that taking it (at least 500 mg) every 3 to 4 hours keeps blood levels at their maximum. See: ASCORBATE: The Science of Vitamin C, Hickey&Roberts, http://lulu.com/ascorbate

For one who is sick, I would start with 500 mg every 3 hours, and work up until you reach bowel tolerance. (Here is a link for those starting the Pauling heart protocol, and lysine isn't a bad idea, as it helps fight viral infections: http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=8026

Re: Always Being sick. Furthermore, I have learned, over time taking lots of vitamin C, that while vitamin C is necessary, especially as tissues are drained fighting an illness, the most important vitamin for preventing sickness altogether is vitamin D(3), and in my case, getting sunshine on as much exposed skin from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for at least 20 minutes, in addition to vitamin D3 pills. Long story.


viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9058&p=25686&hilit=UV%2FB+reptile+lamp#p25686

ofonorow wrote:Even though I take a ton of C - average 15 to 20 g since 1986, I still got colds/flu in winter. A great article from Weston-Price around 2006 about how Ultra Violet Light, the B range in sunlight creates vitamin D on the skin, made me decide to try a reptile light in winter. (At latitudes above Atlanta, with the sun lower, the UV/B does not penetrate the atmosphere. In summer, generally from April to October, you can get UV/B (thus vitamin D) from 20 minutes on as much exposed skin as possible between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. But not at my latitude in Winter, so I bought a reptile UV/B light. Figured it had to work, because these creatures also need this light to produce the vitamin D they need to exist. I turned it on for 20-30 minutes daily starting in late Sept, and for the first winter, maybe ever, not even a sniffle! Same thing next year, 2007 I believe. Not even sniffle, much less a cold or flu. Then in 2008 - same lamp/bulb and procedure - but I got sick! (I bought a UV/B meter and realized that these lamps can stop producing UV/B - even though they still light! Makes one feel sorry for the poor reptiles whose owners don't realize this. One should buy a new lamp every winter (which I do now, and use the previous years on my feet for good measure!)


Re: making your intake less acidic: Linus Pauling himself added some baking soda, and never specified how much. I'd guess from half a teaspoon to a full teaspoon for his 9000 mg twice a day drink.
Owen R. Fonorow
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American Scientist's Invention Could Prevent 350,000 Heart Bypass Operations a year

VanCanada

Re: Often sick, how much vitamin C should I take?

Post Number:#2  Post by VanCanada » Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:01 pm

ofonorow wrote:And we know that taking it (at least 500 mg) every 3 to 4 hours keeps blood levels at their maximum.
I'm glad to see you are including a dose frequency recommendation when you advise people. The pharmacokinetics of a compound are important, even with something as safe as vitamin C - in this case not for the safety, but for the efficacy of the dosing regimen.

Well done. Please continue to include this information when talking with people.


For one who is sick, I would start with 500 mg every 3 hours, and work up until you reach bowel tolerance.

Not much over two grams per dose can be absorbed by the average sized person at one time. I think Levine did those studies if I'm not mistaken. If one does not reach bowel tolerance after "x" doses per day (at up to two grams per dose), then it would be prudent to increase the number of doses per day (maximum two grams each), rather than trying to increase the mass of each dose.

With something as safe as vitamin C, it doesn't really matter, but if efficacy is important and convenience is relatively less important, then limiting each dose to two grams only makes sense.

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Re: Often sick, how much vitamin C should I take?

Post Number:#3  Post by ofonorow » Tue Aug 21, 2012 8:13 am

I'm glad to see you are including a dose frequency recommendation when you advise people. The pharmacokinetics of a compound are important, even with something as safe as vitamin C - in this case not for the safety, but for the efficacy of the dosing regimen.


I disagree. I think dosing is generally a relatively minor issue with Vitamin C. The frequency recommendation makes it more complicated.

Until recently, I followed Linus Pauling's simple example, and took 9000 mg twice a day. (If I forgot, the throat tickle would start.) After reading Hickey/Roberts, I tried the 500 mg to 1 g every 4 hours - but would always forget. So now I am back to Pauling's approach.

The important thing is, as Pauling said, not to miss even a single day.

In this case, the person is "always sick" so this presents a special condition, so we mentioned the optimal timing.

For the absorption - see http://www.orthomed.com/titrate.htm - Catchart reports that almost everyone can take 4000 mg daily. The basic idea of our graduated approach http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=8026 is to find the most one can take at one time, and then the most one can take during the day.
Owen R. Fonorow
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VanCanada

Re: Often sick, how much vitamin C should I take?

Post Number:#4  Post by VanCanada » Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:32 pm

There is no good reason not to include the dosing frequency. If you are a health care practitioner or acting as such then you are remiss not to do that. That's a big black in my book for anyone not doing so. We have the research from Hickey. Perhaps Pauling did not have access to that kind of information in his day so he can be forgiven for his twice per day recommendation.

If the person writing to you is in good health and is inquiring about health maintenance (i.e. the "second face" of vitamin C [according to {Klenner?}]) then by all means tell them the dosing frequency but add that it is not that important. (BTW the "first face" is the 60 mg daily needed to prevent acute scurvy.)

However almost all the people writing to you on this forum are inquiring about how to treat their maladies (the "third face" of vitamin C). In these cases you should include the dosing frequency. If not, I guess I'll have to waste my time and try to clean up after you - and post that information instead of you. :roll:

It's not complicated. It's anything but. It may be inconvenient (at first), but it's not complicated - if they have the I.Q. to find vitamin C and swallow it by themselves then they have the I.Q. to dose it properly too.

As I have written before, if five doses daily is too inconvenient then try four because the more frequent, the better. If four doses per day is not that doable on an ongoing basis then try three. And so on.

It's not really rocket science.

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Re: Often sick, how much vitamin C should I take?

Post Number:#5  Post by ofonorow » Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:49 am

You are free to make any recommendations that you wish @ this forum.

I am definitely not a "healthcare practioner" as you say.

I am simply filling the vacuum that is caused by the medical profession ignoring vitamin C.
Owen R. Fonorow
HeartCURE.Info
American Scientist's Invention Could Prevent 350,000 Heart Bypass Operations a year

Jacquie
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Re: Often sick, how much vitamin C should I take?

Post Number:#6  Post by Jacquie » Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:38 am

Dosing frequently more closely mimics the 24/7 work the liver/kidneys do in other animals, but it's a hell of an inconvenience. Time-release pills help immensely with this. Most brands release for at least 4 hours, and some up to 8, so you can get 3 doses a day giving 24 hour coverage. They're a good option for busy or forgetful people.


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