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Vitamin C for Immunity and More.
The kids are going back to school; the weather is changing and not
far behind is the scratchy throat and stuffy nose. The dreaded cold
season has begun.
So you reach for the vitamin C- you don't know why it works but it does.
It helps keep the bugs at bay and when they do get you it will make
the down time shorter. Good stuff that vitamin C so why do we limit
our intake to when we start feeling ill, isn't it true that prevention
is the best medicine? Did you know that a vitamin C deficiency in the
body could create more biochemical chaos than any other single nutrient?
Immune function, stress response, collagen formation, antitoxin/antioxidant
function, nervous system function, blood coagulation and cardiovascular
health are all dependent on an adequate supply of vitamin C. Translated
into tangible benefits, vitamin C is important for the healing of wounds,
bruises, fractures and capillary damage. Vitamin C is also necessary
for the formation of bones, teeth and cartilage. Because of the role
it plays in bonding proteins it is the ideal supplement for pre and
post surgery.
In The Vitamin C Connection, Cheraskin, Ringsdorf and Sisley
state that they chose to focus on vitamin C for two reasons. "(1)
Our lives depend on vitamin C. We can no more live without it than we
can live without oxygen. (2) 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."
With these ten thousand published scientific papers in mind, the authors
go on to outline the many wonderful effects vitamin C can have on the
body.
The following was taken from The Vitamin C Connection.
What Vitamin C Can Do. (This is not the complete list.)
· It does more than ward off the common cold.
Vitamin C enhances many immune mechanisms and protects against
the flu, bronchitis, respiratory problems and other virus infections.
· It safeguards hearts.
Vitamin C plays a vital role in the entire heart and vascular
system, including the arteries, veins and smaller capillaries.
It combats permeability and fragility; it inhibits the clumping
of blood; lowers fat and cholesterol levels; it improves circulation
and reduces cardiovascular abnormalities.
· It saves sight.
Vitamin C lowers the risk of developing increased pressure in
the eyeball (glaucoma), a principal cause of blindness.
· It helps you keep your "bite."
By inhibiting tartar formation, vitamin C prevents periodontal
damage- that is, gum, socket and jawbone problems that are far
more serious than cavities.
· It promotes wound healing.
Among its many biochemical reactions, vitamin C has been shown
to promote the healing of wounds, ranging from small nicks to
bad cuts.
· It "does something" about the weather.
The discomfort experienced by rapid fluctuations in temperature-
as well as prolonged extremes of hot or cold- can be reduced
by taking vitamin C. Vitamin C also relieves prickly heat and
other rashes suffered during hot spells.
· It is a detoxifier.
By ridding the body of accumulations of heavy metals (such as
lead, cadmium and nickel) and pollutants found in our air, food
and water, vitamin C acts as a useful environmental protector.
· It whips "fatigue."
Sufferers of so-called iron-poor blood enjoy renewed energy
when they fortify with vitamin C along with their iron supplement.
· It can counteract food allergies.
The antihistaminic action of vitamin C can enable people to
tolerate foods they otherwise could not eat.
· It keeps you "young" for a longer time.
With its antioxidant action at the cellular level, vitamin C
slows the development of aging symptoms.
· It protects against fractures and bone disease.
Mostly because of its direct effect on collagen, vitamin C has
shown a remarkable capacity to help knit bone.
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The research continues and the evidence mounts supporting the powerful
benefits of vitamin C supplementation. In a study appearing in the May
1992 issue of Epidemiology, the study compared those who eat adequate
vitamin C and take a vitamin C supplement with people who eat sufficient
vitamin C but do not take supplements. They found that during a 10-year
period there was a much lower death rate among the people who took supplements.
How much?
The RDA for vitamin C is 60mgs; this means with 60mgs a day of vitamin
C you will not develop scurvy, that's a good thing. But are you getting
any of the added benefits of having optimum levels of vitamin C circulating
through your body? Probably not.
Because the body does not store vitamin C and everyone uses it up at
different rates it is difficult to establish the optimum intake. One
of the most accurate ways to determine your individual dosage need is
by 'bowel tolerance.' This method requires you to continue to take vitamin
C throughout the day in 500mgs increments until the bowels become 'loose'
at this point it is best to reduce the dosage by 500mgs and use that
as your ideal dosage. Tolerance for vitamin C is not constant though
and the body will use much more when it is actively fighting an illness.
The scientist Linus Pauling, probably the most well-known name in vitamin
C research, noted that in animals that are able to produce their own
vitamin C that production was proportional to weight, so he suggests
approximately 1 gram (1,000mgs) of vitamin C for every 50 pounds of
body weight depending on the lifestyle. Another recommendation developed
by Dr. Robert Cathcart suggests 1 gram (1,000mgs) daily for every year
of life up to 10 years old. Then, 10 grams per day for life. With all
the above methods, the bowel tolerance is a good guide to let you know
when your life circumstances are requiring more or less vitamin C.
This article is not intended as a source of medical
advice, and any questions or individual use of Vitamin C, general or
specific, should be addressed to the reader's physician.
Vitamin C and ALL ONE
At ALL ONE we have known the importance
of vitamin C supplementation from the beginning and so when our multi
vitamin and mineral powders were developed we were sure to include
the standard baseline beneficial dosage recommended by the experts
of 1,000mgs. We also wanted to make it easy to increase your daily
intake for maximum benefit so we offer vitamin C in ascorbic acid
crystals ideal for easy dosage control and bioavailability with no
big tablets to swallow.
Click here for ALL ONE Vitamin C Crystals.
Add ALL ONE Vitamin C Crystals to your favorite ALL
ONE Multiple vitamin mineral supplement for the optimum
benefits vitamin C has to offer.
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