Vitamin C has kept me from getting the flu for a long time

mike,

How much vit c do you regularly take before you get a cold?

I don’t regularly take vit c, though I should. I take loads of it only when I feel that I’m catching a cold.

Hi Mike,

That’s just what Linus Pauling proposed. You should watch your water intake, though, just to be on the safe side regarding your kidneys health. Vit C -being an acid- helps precipitate uric acid and oxalates within the kidneys, which in turn may damage the renal tissue.
Just drink lots of water when taking Vit C, especially in such large dosages.

Take care,

Well since i started bodybuilding , I´ve been taking vit C , and so far , not even one cold has bothered me. I also take vitamin E , that is essential for good skin maintenance so i think it can help in PE as well.

I’ve had a cold for a couple of days now and I need to get off of it ASAP. My girlfriend won’t kiss me when I’m sick!! She’s afraid of catching it.

I just bought a bottle of 1,000 mg Vitamin C. So far I’ve taken 15 tablets. Would that help speed up my recovery?

:p All kidding aside I’ve taken 2,000 mg. I know the recommended amount is 1,000 mg a day but I am currently sick. I don’t feel bad at all but I have an occasional cough and sore throat. I have never taken Vit C before but I now plan to take it from now on. I’m not taking any cold medication. I drink a lot of water every day, but I’m not keeping track of the amount.

What can I do to be completely healthy. I have also just added lifting to my work out routine and from what I read so far it may be bad for the immune system in the short term. Are there any exercises I can do that will help or anything in general?

I also drink a glass of OJ every morning. I started a couple years ago and have’nt had a cold since. Or the flu. Good stuff maynard :sun:

I took 2000-4000mg of C for about 10 years and enjoyed excellent health and freedom from colds/flu.

One day I fell to the ground in agony. A few months and six kidney stones later, my doctor suggested I stop taking the ascorbic acid.

Although I still have occasional pain (stones that haven’t passed yet), the screaming and pissing blood have stopped.

Megadoses of Vitamin C are great for certain benefits, but harmful for some people.

It’s been a while since I read this, but I think I remember correctly that magnesium can prevent kidney stones in those that may get them. If anyone is taking vitamin c and concerned, then magnesium tablets may be a good addition (not to be confused with milk of magnesium that is for consitpation). Magnesium is a mineral that is said to have many health benefits. I’ve been taking it off and on for a few years because I tend to get some back trouble and it helps relax muscles. Drinking plenty of water is a good idea also. I think there are studies that didn’t show a link between vit c and kidney stones, but if enough people are saying they believe it cause stones, then those studies can be wrong.

I only take 500gms daily. But, definitely, vitamin C works wonderfully against flu and other bronchial illnesess.

I take a multi-vitamin, B vitamins, Calcium-Magnesium-Zinc Combo, and various herbs etc. I think I get enough vitamin C from my diet alone. I also rarely get sick.

Great posts EveryOne,

Here’s a bit more to consider about Vitamin C. Because Vitamin C has such a short half-life in the system once injested, to get your plasma concentration up and keep it up be sure to take your vitamin C in divided doses spread out during the day. Also, be sure to get AlphaLipoic Acid (ALA) which is both a lipid and aqueous soluble antioxidant, say 250 mg 2x per day. ALA boosts the heck out of the effectiveness of your vitamin c. For those folks that have low bowel tolerance for vitamin c, using sodium ascorbate helps and the ALA boosts vitamin c effectiveness so much that lower doses of c can still provide great benefits together with ALA.

Also, ref Vitamin E, be sure to get natural vitamin E that has all of the various fractions in it, especially the Gamma and Delta topcopherol fractions. A lot of vitamin E that is sold is synthetic (the alpha topcopherol) so it doesn’t contain the beneficial fractions and the tocotrionols are important, too. Vitamin C and ALA working together protect and regenerate vitamin E in your body. And those that take fish oil and/or borage oil to get the omega 3 EFAs be sure to take those oils together with vitamin E and ALA to keep those fragile oils from oxidizing.

Some Medical Doctors like Cathcart, Rierdon, Levy, and others are using vitamin c via IV drip to help treat certain cancers. Dr Klenner used vitamin C via IV infusion to treat 60 cases of polio and many other infectious diseases from 1950-1972.

Dr Thomas Levy wrote a terrific book about vitamin c based on Klenners case studies. Any of the names I mention here can be found via Google ref vitamin c. If we had a bioterrorist attack, do you think we have the vaccines and infrastructure to stop it? I think not - yet, stockpiles of very cheap sodium ascorbate with IV bottles and needles that any trained nurse could use even in a persons home could go a long way to help reign in an epidemic, in my opinion - even smallpox.

What’s funny about vitamin c is that the Navy surgeon in England that discovered that citrus like limes and oranges could cure and prevent scurvy, labored for all of his life in vain to get the British Admiralty to supply their ships with fresh produce. It was cheaper to replace the dead and dying sailors than buy what was then very expensive citrus. After 50 years with the knowledge that foods could stop scurvy Captain Cook helped change the Admiralty around (stupid bureaucrats and bean counter mentality).

When you think about scurvy, think about bleeding gums, blood spots, and bruises that do not heal. Yeah, supplements help tremendously, especially if taken in the right combinations. Vitamin C and ALA are a big part of my diet.

All the Best,

MrTiPS