A new paper is available: High-dose vitamin C and M.E. by Jodi Bassett
What are the benefits of high-dose vitamin C? What is the appropriate dose,
and form, of vitamin C for M.E.? How safe is high-dose vitamin C and how
well tolerated in M.E.? How does one titrate vitamin C to bowel tolerance?
An excerpt:
-------
High dose vitamin C is one of the most useful and widely-used treatments
for M.E.
Vitamin C (in an appropriate dose) is an antioxidant, antihistamine,
antitoxic, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, strengthens the
immune system (vitamin C is the master immune boosting nutrient), improves
blood flow to the brain, supports adrenals (which also supports the
thyroid), improves mitochondrial function, improves general wellbeing,
improves ability to cope with stress, reduces pain, improves asthma,
prevents teeth loss, promotes wound healing, supports healthy joints and
improves resistance to secondary diseases. High dose C can markedly improve
your tolerance of certain chemicals and also has many other additional
benefits.
What effects can high dose vitamin C have?
Some doctors claim vitamin C taken at a very high dose can greatly affect
the course of a disease or even be curative if taken in very early stages
where the virus infection is still active and there is little long term
bodily damage caused yet. For those who have not been ill with M.E. for very
long, this treatment should be seriously considered and may be of great
benefit or even curative, and the only risk (when the dose is raised slowly)
is temporary mild gastric upset. It's hard to find any reason why this
treatment should not be strongly recommended, or even mandatory, for anyone
in the acute early stages of M.E.
Some long-term M.E. patients report significant improvements with very high
dose vitamin C treatment also. It can cause feelings of intense physical
wellbeing and improvements in many different neurological, cardiac and other
symptoms. In addition to improvements in the condition generally, high dose
vitamin C is also worth considering in M.E. due to its ability to help fight
off secondary infections and reduce cancer risk and chemical sensitivities.
Again, it's very hard to find any reason why this treatment should not be
strongly recommended, or even mandatory, for anyone with long-term M.E.
There is much potential for benefit and the only risk (when the dose is
raised slowly) is temporary mild gastric upset.
Another significant benefit of high dose vitamin C is it may be a useful
treatment for many conditions misdiagnosed as M.E. or given a meaningless
'CFS' misdiagnosis. So it is still one to try where the diagnosis of M.E. is
not 100% certain, or if all a person has as yet is a bogus 'CFS' diagnosis,
while the search for a correct diagnosis continues. (Diseases which may
benefit from high dose vitamin C include Lupus, MS, Lyme disease, post-viral
fatigue syndromes, glandular fever/mononucleosis, Candida, sick building
syndrome, MCSS, hepatitis and cancer.)
Vitamin C is involved in almost every bodily process and helps our bodies
maintain homeostasis. Irwin Stone explains in his book on vitamin C that,
"Throughout the evolution of the vertebrates, including the mammals, Nature
has used ascorbic acid to maintain physiological homeostasis. In simple
nontechnical terms, this means that when stressful situations arose which
disturbed the biochemical equilibrium of the animal, ascorbic acid was
produced in increased quantities to get things running normal again. The
amount of ascorbic acid produced is related to the severity of the stresses
and if enough was produced soon enough, then the animal was able to survive
the bad biochemical effects of the stresses. If, however, the enzyme system
for producing ascorbic acid was overwhelmed or poisoned by the stresses and
too little ascorbic acid was produced, then the animal succumbed. Man,
unable to produce his own ascorbic acid, could not take advantage of this
natural protective process. Instead stresses only further depleted his low
stores of this vital metabolite. Now he can easily duplicate this
time-tested defensive mechanism by reaching for the bottle of ascorbic acid
and swallowing additional quantities whenever he is subjected to biochemical
stresses. In duplicating this normal process for combating stresses, man
has one great advantage over the other mammals -- he can get an unlimited
supply of ascorbic acid without being dependent upon an enzyme system which
may not produce enough, quickly enough. All man needs to know is how much
to take.
One of the outstanding attributes of ascorbic acid is its lack of
toxicity even when given in large doses over long periods of time. This has
been recognized since the 1930s, and ascorbic acid can be rated as one of
the least toxic substances known of comparable physiological activity."
Excerpt ends.
To read on see: http://www.hfme.org/researchvitamincandme.htm
Or download the full paper, included with 'Treating M.E.: The basics'
using any of these links:
http://www.hfme.org/Word/Treating_ME_The_Basics.doc
http://www.hfme.org/PDF/Treating_ME_The_Basics.pdf
http://www.hfme.org/LT/LT_Treating_ME_The_Basics.pdf
If you download the 'Treating M.E.' paper in Word or PDF format, you'll also
get a sneak peek at the semi-final draft of a new HFME paper entitled: 'A
quick start guide to treating and improving M.E. with aggressive rest
therapy, diet, toxic chemical avoidance, medications, supplements and
vitamins'
As always M.E. patients and experts are invited to submit comments and
constructive criticism (privately to HFME) by email.
Important notes:
1. For your own safety, please read this full paper, and the important
cautions and details therein, before beginning any new treatment. If
possible, please also discuss it with your doctor first.
2. Daily dosage recommendations given for vitamin C in M.E. and other
serious diseases vary widely. Failure to benefit from Vitamin C use is
usually due to inadequate amounts being used for too short a period of time,
say vitamin C experts. These same experts state that there is no syndrome or
disease which cannot benefit significantly from the right amount of high
dose vitamin C. Quantity, frequency and duration are the key.
Note that it may take a dose of 10 - 15 g or more (in divided doses) until
noticeable benefits from vitamin C therapy are felt in M.E. such as
improvements in chemical tolerance and overall wellbeing. Lack of benefit at
doses much lower than this should not be taken as an indication that high
dose vitamin C would be ineffective.
Best wishes,
Jodi Bassett
--
The Hummingbirds' Foundation
for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis:
www.hfme.org
--
"There are more than ten thousand published scientific papers that make it
quite clear that there is not one body process (such as what goes on inside
cells or tissues) and not one disease or syndrome (from the common cold to
leprosy) that is not influenced -- directly or indirectly -- by vitamin C."
Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin, Dr. Ringsdorf and Dr. Sisley in THE VITAMIN C
CONNECTION.
"Modern medicine is not scientific, it is full of prejudice, illogic and
susceptible to advertising. Doctors are not taught to reason, they are
programmed to believe in whatever their medical schools teach them and the
leading doctors tell them. Over the past 20 years the drug companies, with
their enormous wealth, have taken medicine over and now control its
research, what is taught and the information released to the public." Abram
Hoffer MD
"Modern drug based medicine is as incomplete as a novel written with three
vowels. As discordant as a symphony constructed using only some of the
notes. High dose nutritional therapy is the much needed missing part of our
vocabulary of healthcare. The fight against disease needs all the help it
can get." Andrew Saul PhD
'Vitamin C is the world's best natural antibiotic, antiviral, antitoxin and
antihistamine. This book's recurring emphasis on vitamin C might suggest
that I am offering a song with only one verse. Not so. As English literature
concentrates on Shakespeare, so orthomolecular (megavitamin) therapy
concentrates on vitamin C. Let the greats be given their due. The importance
of vitamin C cannot be overemphasised.' Andrew Saul PhD
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