I keep getting sick ever since I started taking Vitamin C

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orbitc

I keep getting sick ever since I started taking Vitamin C

Post Number:#1  Post by orbitc » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:52 pm

Hello, I have been taking Vitamin C for about 4 months now, taking it maybe twice a day as much as I need in powdered form mixed in water. Anywhere from 2-7 grams while healthy and 10-15 while sick. Morning and night and sometimes during the day, I sip as much as I need - you know, you can tell with the liquid when you've had enough.


Ever since I began, for the past 4 months, I have gotten sick more than I ever have in my life. Is this a coincidence? I have gotten many viral sicknesses as well, mild colds to bad colds, and also the flu, and a bacterial cough. I was on vitamin C the entire time this happened, taking basically as much as possible. Today I have gotten sick again. I have 3-10 day intervals where I get better, then I lapse into something else, once the vitamin C intake drops.


The only reason I am thinking this is first, the time correlation, and second, I know that if you don't take enough C once the body is used to taking it, that the body can become much more susceptible to viral illness. However, I was taking it fairly regularly, but this might have happened when the C intake naturally dropped.


I know it may sound pretty ridiculous, as vitamin C is supposed to prevent sickness, but I really wanted to ask people who take Vitamin C regularly if this was some sort of adverse phenomenon and how to avoid it.


Has this happened to anyone else? I actually don't want to stop taking it and have no idea how stop. After all, the vitamin C has many great daily benefits for me, increased energy, faster healing, and it really does help WHILE I am sick. I am just wondering if it is somehow either getting me sick or prolonging it somehow.


Also, if I do need to stop taking it, how would I go about that without getting sick? After all, stopping quickly would lower the immune system greatly.


I am not trying to bash Vitamin C or anything and I don't mean to scare anyone. I don't deny its amazing benefits such as suppressing most of the symptoms, and increased health and vitality during periods of health. I just need to find out if this is a coincidence or an actual phenomenon that others have experienced while taking C.


Thanks,
Sean

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Interesting

Post Number:#2  Post by ofonorow » Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:43 am

I'm sorry for your perpetual illness, but you present a very interesting case. I believe somethink like this probably happened to Dr. Stare (the "Big Name in Nutrition") who used to debate Linus Pauling. He reported something like this.

First, vitamin C does not act by itself, and irregular intakes can lead to artificially low serum levels most of the time that might be causing your difficulty. Third, as I have been very slow to find out (because Pauling recommended not supplementing) I now believe that perhaps the most important factor in winter illness is the lack of massive doses of vitamin D (D3) that you would otherwise be getting from sun exposure.

So here is my recommendation.

#1 - Follow Linus Pauling's regimen
as described in his 1986 (2006) book HOW TO LIVE LONGER AND FEEL BETTER. (This regimen is posted at this forum if you don't have the book - do a search). This includes vitamin A (important for the immune system), B-complex and vitamin E, mutli, etc. Low sugar/carbs helps make the vitamin C you take more bio-available.

#2 - Take your vitamin C consistently
, perhaps 500 mg every 4 hours. When you take high amounts, certain enzyme systems are activated that convert ascorbate into other substances, but then, if your intake drops, these enzymes systems are still active, and will convert the low amounts in your blood, making serum levels even lower, resulting in more infections. This is a clue that you require more on a daily basis. I've been taking 15,000 to 20,000 mg daily since 1986. If every 4 hours is too inconvenient, you can take more less frequently. For example, you might find that 9000 every 12 hours will help you avoid blood levels from getting to low. Basically, I'm saying that you may be suffering a "rebound" or "discontinuation" effect every few hours.

#3 - Add 2000 iu to 5000 iu daily of the cheap vitamin D(3). The one I am using comes as a white tablet in 1000 iu. This has been my most illness-free winter and I wish I had known about vitamin D(3) long ago!
Owen R. Fonorow
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Post Number:#3  Post by joiv » Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:47 am

I don't know why you got sick while on vitamin C, but I can think of some possible explanations:
1) your vitamin C intake is (too) irregular and/or infrequent (as Owen mentioned)
2) you are loaded with toxins and are detoxing too fast, thus your immune system gets weakened
3) you had a weak immune system to begin with, have been surrounded by sick people or some infectious source, and the vitamin C was just not enough to kill all the gremlins (see Owen's recommendation)
4) perhaps (this is just a wild guess) it is possible to ingest too little vitamin C to get well, but still inhibit antibody formation to some degree and that way prolong the duration of the illness? (I find that unlikely)
5) a combination of the above
6) none of the above

See Owen's recommendation.

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Post Number:#4  Post by rider » Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:45 am

Hmm it doesn't seem too way off of our experiences and of our friends aswell. We are frequently debating this; how is it possible to get sick when the intake 'should' be more than sufficient according to the bowel tolerance. We reckoned we took to 'much' on the intake-intervals. Now we made the intervals much shorter: we take a 0.5 l flask and fill this with 10-15 gr. of VC (in water or syrup) and take every hour (orso) a sip to keep the serumconcentration fairly constant & it is refreshing aswell! . Problems are solved completely sofar (1 month duration now). No more (much less!)gas also and no rumble anymore 'down-under' and feeling fitter allover during the day/evening.
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TC & have fun!

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Getting more sick when taking Vit C

Post Number:#5  Post by antioxidant_addict » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:44 am

I don't think its anything special. It happened to me. Just did bowel tolerance for a week...

My advice :
This is what I'd do.

1. DON'T stop taking the C !
2. Get a tub of pure Ascorbic Acid. Also buy some of those effervescent tubes usually 1000mg orange.
3. Mix a heaped teaspoon with a fizzy C and completely mix.
4. Down it and rinse your teeth with water/milk afterwards.
5. Do this every 4 hours if possible.(Dynamic Flow method)
6. Take 4000IU's of Vitamin D3
7. Follow the Linus Pauling regimen of other supplements.
8. Cut as much sugar/salt/processed food from your diet.
9. Get exercising. Start with 30 minutes of walking everyday. Find the time. Make time. (Throw the TV in the bin).Take somebody with you or the dog.
10. Get plenty of quality sleep. If this means getting a new bed - do it.
11. Eat plenty of whole foods. If you don't know who to cook - its easy - have a go! Get some instruction if you're clueless.
12. Steam veggies don't boil them.(all the C gets destroyed and more) Use Olive oil instead of marg/butter.
13. Don't drink caffeine after mid afternoon
14. Don't drink alcohol if you can help it...
15. Don't smoke /passive smoke.
16. Eat as much fruit and veg as you can.
17. Eat wholemeal everything (bread/Rice/add bran to food) - stop eating white flour.

This is just sample of the obvious things (maybe) that everybody should be doing.

You'll notice the difference. Live a pro-active healthy lifestyle and you will over time notice the difference.

THE MESSAGE : TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH - Doctor's can not be trusted to do it for you.(http://www.doctoryourself.com)

All the best,
Steve
Bury , UK

mcewena1

How much

Post Number:#6  Post by mcewena1 » Wed Apr 25, 2007 4:27 pm

I found a similar problem.
I am very vociferous about Vitamin C at the school where I work and would therefore be ashamed If I caught a cold. The trouble was If I caught a cold I could control it by taking large amounts of Vitamin C, often giving me diahrea ( spelling?)
When the level became lower The cold was back. This lasted for weeks.

Before taking Vitamin C I rarely had colds or sickness of any kind. I reasoned that the vitamin c was fighting the disease and not my body. What I do now is take 5000mg in the morning when I get up and let my body have chance to fight anything that gets through that for the rest of the day. It's worked fine for several months. I sometimes feel I might be getting a cold but it never lasts long

Andy

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Vitamin D in winter

Post Number:#7  Post by ofonorow » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:39 pm

Do not forget to supplement vitamin D, especially in winter. I really had no idea how important this was. I too was surprised by a severe flu last January (2006) but not a sniffle this winter with a UVB reptilte sun lamp 20 minutes daily. More throughout the forum on this.
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How Often

Post Number:#8  Post by Cis4me » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:44 pm

It seems like this year has been especially bad for colds and flu and things, at least in the eastern US where I live. I've seen people I know get 5-6 colds this year who hardly ever got sick at all. Some have had some cough or another for months. I've been sick twice, niether time was it that bad, but one time it lasted a week and just wouldn't go away until I started taking 1-2 grams of vitamin c every 20 minutes for about 2 days, 3 times what I could tolerate otherwise by taking say 6-8 grams or so and waiting till my stomach calmed down (usually at least 4 hours). So far with vitamin C I've been sick probably as often as without, but the big difference for me comes in much less severity for much shorter duration.

antioxidant_addict

Re: How much - take C through the day

Post Number:#9  Post by antioxidant_addict » Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:53 am

mcewena1 wrote:
What I do now is take 5000mg in the morning when I get up and let my body have chance to fight anything that gets through that for the rest of the day. It's worked fine for several months. I sometimes feel I might be getting a cold but it never lasts long

Andy



It's good to take 5000mg in the morning. However, after 4-6 hours, the levels are dropping to a low level again according to the book "Ascorbate" which is a book of truth if I ever read one... It appears that taking 2-4 grams every 4 hours is the way to keep blood plasma levels high all day. This affords maximum
protection from infection and toxicity of all kinds. I get through around 16-20k a day taken at regular intervals. Half of this is powder mixed with a fizzy C with vitamin B complex tablet.

DONT FORGET TO STUFF AS MUCH RAW FRUIT AND STEAMED VEG AS YOU CAN DOWN YOUR GULLET!!! This won't make you fat. Supplements are supposed to be supplements....If you eat right, you should be getting about 1500mg of C a day through your food.

Vitamin D3 is definately a cold preventer though. Nothing is 100% though. I try to go once a week for 9 minutes on a 180watt sunbed through the winter months. I didn't go on for 2 weeks in late Jan then "BAM" I got a nasty infection. Well I think it would have been if I hadn't been taking as much C as my body can handle...

If you have very fair skin, I'd restrict it to 3 minutes, and take a proper Vitamin D3 tablet (without calcium if possible)...

WATCH LEVY'S VIDEO ABOUT VITAMIN C VIRUSES AND TOXICITY
http://smartlifeforum.org/video/levy/part1.htm#anchor

Take care,
STE.

J.Lilinoe

irregular VC doses

Post Number:#10  Post by J.Lilinoe » Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:44 pm

Although I try to take my vitamin C daily, there are days that I have missed taking it
or don't take as large a dose as I usually do and despite all the ups and downs with
my doses, I have not caught bad colds or the flu ever since I joined this forum.
If anything, I usually have a head cold that lasts for 24 hours and then its gone.
So I am not so sure that just because someone misses a day or more of taking C
that one is going to come down with an illness because it sure doesn't happen to me.
We get a lot of Vit D from the sun here so I don't worry about taking or not taking
Vitamin D.
Your immune system seems to be shot. If you don't live in the tropics, maybe the Vit D is your answer.

Mazeroller

Post Number:#11  Post by Mazeroller » Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:09 pm

I take 12-15 grams a day spread out throughout the day. I feel I should not be catching colds or the flu but I find I am more succuptable to these than before. I have been on this regeime for over 3 years. I can stop the cold or flu with massive doses but I am wondering why I am getting the viruses in the first place. I don't plan to stop taking my vitamin c or my multi vitamin or B3 which I take reguarly. I will start taking vitamin D this Fall to see if that makes any difference.

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Vitamin D3

Post Number:#12  Post by ofonorow » Thu Aug 16, 2007 6:49 pm

Are you following Pauling's regimen in HTLLAFB? Including, and maybe espeically, the 25,000 of vitamin A? (The children in the third world who are saved by the 500,000 iui vitamin A shots would die of infection without vitamin A).

In my case, it was the missing vitamin D3/Sunlight, because Pauling did not recommend supplementing vitamin D. He was wrong about that.
Owen R. Fonorow
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Post Number:#13  Post by rider » Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:03 am

yesterday I read an (dutch) article, concerning the first topic, and statet that the white bloodcells use radicals to eradicate bacteria. The use of (much) VC would interact with this process hence.. bacteria don't get killed anymore coz VC could be a too strong radicalcatcher and interfere with the mentioned process...
Could explain some cases in which people (I know,) still get sick quite often, despite VC-intake up to BT..
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White Blood Cells

Post Number:#14  Post by ofonorow » Thu Oct 11, 2007 5:49 am

I believe Hickey/Roberts cover this in ASCORBATE as well as the RIDICULOUS DIETARY ALLOWANCE.

Our immune system uses a 'radical' (hydrogen peroxide) to kill bacteria.

White blood cells have special receptors and absorb much more ascorbate than regular cells. The ascorbate apparently protects these immune cells from the hydrogen peroxide, and if memory serves, vitamin C is crucial to the reaction which creates hydrogen peroxide. In other words, vitamin C helps to create the radicals used by the immune system.

By the way, the fact that white blood cells saturate at the 200 mg intake apparently "fooled" the NIH into accepting this intake level as the saturation point for the entire body.
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