Vitamin C vs. the unseen Scurvy Epidemic

I have believed for years that there is a chronic shortage of Vitamin C in the average modern diet, leading to a host of ills associated with incipient scurvy.

If the lack of Vitamin C is only 10% of what is necessary to create an obvious case of scurvy, the liklihood of adverse effects is high, and the liklihood that they will be subtle is even higher.

The same way Vitamin D protects against cancer, Vitamin C protects against viruses. It strengthens the immune system. A person who maintains a high intake of Vitamin C is usually immune to the common cold and similar maladies.

But it doesn't stop there:

The Never-Ending War Against Vitamin C

 

I use to fly ALOT, and one thing an acquaintance of mine told me was 'since you are in a plane in a confined space and people board planes with all kinds of bacteria, its a good idea to put 'Emergence C' in your water bottle to help fight off infections.
It has a 1000% of the RDA for Vit C and lots of B vitamins. (good for hangovers as well) I have never gotten sick traveling and I think its due to vitamin C overload =)

 

A dentist told me about 30 years ago that several thousand milligrams / day of Vit C will allow gums to pack up tightly against the teeth, helping to prevent gum disease.

My teeth are uneven, crowded, and people with that condition are somewhat more predisposed to gum disease than those with nice straight pie biters. Was told I could benefit from daily doses of Vit C. With the exception of one molar I still have all of my natural teeth at age 62. Looks like it was sound advice.

I rarely get colds/flu, although this year was definitely an exception. It's been quite a bad year for flu here.

 

I believe that C and D are important ,but I also believe that watching one's PH is equally important .
Too much acidity weakens one and makes one more vulnerable to cancer and other issues.
adding baking soda can rebalance the body chemistry. ( I think its a teaspoon in a gallon of water)

 

Since I have started taking vit C a few years back I have not gotten sick once. I used to get sick once per year or more with the local flu or cold or what ever vaccine was going around at the time. Now I am working in the public with children, in a new place with new bugs, and I have not gotten any of them. I have had days where I felt under the weather and I attribute that to my body going out and kicking some new virii ass.

 

During the Lewis and Clark Expedition, some of their initially hardy volunteers came down with a number of malnutrition-related ailments, some of them life-threatening, the worst of which was scurvy. They were saved when they were taught by their Indian guides to drink pine needle tea, one of the best sources of bio-available vitamin C on the planet. It's a good thing to remember in case any of us needs to bug out to the woods without our vitamin C stash.

 

How is everyone ingesting Vit C , Vit- D Im a milker , 1L/qt -day winter , summer 2L/qt day , My C intake is BUCK Orange's when there on sale . right now were on apples of 2 /day ..

 

I agree - pine tree needles, fir, hemlock are all chock full of vitamin C and available in much of the world.

 

I'm a fan of appropriate amounts of Vitamin C in the diet, more so if you are healing from an injury.

Too much can lead to some severe problems. I had a 45 slug sized kidney stone that was caused by ---- yup, too much C in the diet....

 

Perhaps caused by not enough water intake?

 

I freebase mine or use the crack pipe... no wait, pill and juice form. Sorry got those mixed up...

 

I live across from an orange grove, and have citrus growing only place as well.
No lack for the access to vitamin C .
Kidney stone are usually calcium and minerals that do not dissolve in the body. I can't imagine vitamins C having any thing to do with it.

 

Oddly - it is a thing in men..

High-dose vitamin C linked to kidney stones in men - Harvard Health Blog

Medscape: Medscape Access

High Doses of Vitamin C May Raise Risk of Kidney Stones - MedicineNet


You can find just as many articles on the opposite - Vit C doesn't lead to kidney stones. That's why they call it Practicing medicine....

 

The average American gets way too much calcium... and other vitamins. I highly doubt that you can have too much vitamin C. Others form deposits and cause heart attack and stones etc. Personal experience is always best. People's bodies absorb different vitamins at a different rate. My brothers wife will die if you give her iron. Others need it. The secret is to slow down and listen to your body. It will tell you what you need. You can also look at the evolutionary use of things. Milk was something only babies drank for millions of years. Recently it has been a lot more available. Our bodies have not adjusted fast enough to handle the massive amounts in our diets from cheese, milk, bread, etc. Calcium is added to everything and if you have too much it causes bones to become brittle because your body produces an enzyme to get rid of it. If it doesn't they form into stones. Cleanse, fast, listen to your body and for the love of pete, get some exercise. Go outside.

Many Americans May Be Taking Too Much Vitamin D
Are You Taking Too Much Calcium, A or D? – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic
Office of Dietary Supplements - Calcium

 

I eat a fair amount of lambsquarter from spring to late fall. I should be good.

 

Years ago my son was working in a 7000 man construction camp in the far north. Long turn arounds. Everybody was always sick. They were packed into buses from the camp and back from the construction site. I told him to eat a clove of raw garlic everyday. He never caught any bugs, or colds all the time he was there. Maybe just because nobody likes the smell of raw garlic? But it is also loaded with Sulphur and vit c and other stuff. I learned that years ago.

 

Camus bulbs look similar to garlic and do the same thing. the NW and most grasslands are covered with the camus flower in the spring. Just don't eat the clear or milky bulbs. It's kill ya

Camas Bulb