Vitamin C

[aeon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpptUsJFCEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgLzQavQzw

ELECTRONS, TOXINS, AND DISEASE

Many scientific phenomena, perhaps a majority of them, ultimately obey or follow fairly simple laws of nature, once discovered and understood. The scientific concepts we understand the least are often cloaked in the most complex of language and theories. When any scientist cannot clearly explain his or her research to a layperson unschooled in that area, there usually exists a corresponding lack of complete understanding by that scientist. One can research the outer layer of an onion indefinitely without having any understanding of what is going on several layers deeper. Yet the onion as a whole can remain a mystery even though mountains of research data might have been generated on the outer layer.

While researching thousands of articles over the last few years in the preparation of my latest book on vitamin C (Levy, 2002), interesting patterns began to emerge. Even though the effects of vitamin C on over 25 different infectious diseases and over 100 different toxins were examined, common mechanisms of action became apparent. This was especially significant to me since I had long wondered how a single chemical entity (ascorbate, or vitamin C) could have such dramatically positive clinical effects on such a wide array of completely unrelated chemical compounds and infectious agents. Quite literally, there seemed to be no exceptions to this vitamin C effect. Even if vitamin C did not cure a given infection or toxic state, it always helped resolve such a condition to some degree.

Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, the brilliant scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1937 for his discovery of vitamin C, also advanced what I would call a true theory of life in two of his last publications. Szent-Gyorgyi (1978, 1980) asserted that energy exchange in the body can only occur when there is an imbalance of electrons among different molecules, assuring that electron flow must take place. Natural electron donators give up electrons to natural electron acceptors. Szent-Gyorgyi maintained that dead tissue had a full complement of electrons, a state in which no further exchange or flow of electrons could take place.

Another way of viewing this is that brisk electron flow and interchange equals health, impaired or poor electron flow and interchange equals disease, and cessation of flow and interchange equals death. Vitamin C, as the premier antioxidant in the body, is perhaps the most important ongoing electron donor to keep this electron flow at optimal levels.

Oxidation involves the loss of electrons, and an antioxidant counters this process by supplying electrons. Although vitamin C is the most important antioxidant in the body, there are many different antioxidants present in the body, and many of them work to keep the more important antioxidant substances in the body in the reduced state, which allows the donation of electrons. For example, vitamin E is an antioxidant that is fat soluble, which is important in allowing it to be the primary antioxidant present in the lipid-rich cell membranes of the body. Vitamin C, which is water soluble, helps to recharge oxidized vitamin E in those cell membranes back to the electron-rich reduced form. Even though vitamin C is not the primary antioxidant in the cell wall, it plays a vital role in maintaining the optimal levels of the metabolically active antioxidant, vitamin E, at that site.

It appears, then, that the local loss of electrons (oxidation) represents the primary degeneration, or metabolic breakdown, of the tissue or chemical substance losing the electrons. An antioxidant can serve to immediately restore this loss of electrons, resulting in a prompt "repair" of that acutely oxidized tissue. Also, an antioxidant can often neutralize the oxidizing agent before it gets a chance to oxidize, or damage, the tissue initially.

All of the vitamin C/toxin exposure studies reviewed showed one or more of the following findings or consequences in the test tube, tissue, intact animal, or human studied:

Decreased levels of vitamin C and other antioxidants in blood and/or the tissues most specifically affected.

Increased levels of oxidative stress in the test setting, indicating ongoing oxidation.

Increased liver production of vitamin C in those species capable of this, as an adaptive response.

Increased rates of consumption of vitamin C and other antioxidants.

A direct correlation between toxin activity and antioxidant levels, lower antioxidant levels, greater clinical toxicity.

The acute induction of scurvy or other clinical findings consistent with the acute depletion of vitamin C.

It is important to reemphasize that the above findings were always part of the toxin exposure situation regardless of the chemical structure of the toxin. One conclusion that can be reached from this information is simple, elegant, and very compelling:

All toxins poison by oxidizing enzymes and tissues.

There is also a compelling conclusion generated by this observation and supported by the vitamin C studies found in the scientific literature:

All toxic damage can be repaired by a high enough dose of antioxidants.

Of course, such therapy must be given in a timely fashion, before irreversible clinical consequences have occurred in the poisoned subject.

Interestingly, infectious diseases inflict their damage in essentially the same way as toxins. As virulent microbes grow inside a host, one or more of the same six findings as already listed above will reliably be observed. Basically, microbial growth is just another way to directly cause oxidative damage to the tissues most directly involved. Some of the most devastating infectious diseases also produce potent toxins that further increase the oxidative damage and stress to the infected host.

Chronic disease can be viewed as a process in which the oxidative stress proceeds at a much slower pace than is seen with acute infectious diseases and acute toxin exposures. Vigorous antioxidant therapy goes a long way in reversing the clinical manifestations of such diseases as well, as long as the dose administered supplies enough electrons on a daily basis to reverse the ongoing oxidative damage from the disease process.

[aeon]

https://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate ... e_1988.htm

http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n24.shtml

http://vitamincfoundation.org/www.ortho ... auling.pdf


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkkWDDSti_s


Robert Cathcart MD explains that mineral ascorbates may not be as effective, I noticed that it was not entirely clear that the dramatic effects are always with ascorbic acid orally and sodium ascorbate intravenously. I have not been able to achieve the ascorbate effect with mineral ascorbates orally. Mineral ascorbates are fine forms of vitamin C but when you are really sick, the mitochondria are failing in their refueling of the free radical scavengers with electrons.

The ascorbic acid carries 2 extra electrons per molecule where the mineral ascorbates seem to carry only one (plus per molecule the mineral ascorbates are heavier due to the mineral weighing more than the hydrogen the mineral replaces). So the mineral ascorbates are not potent enough to accomplish the ascorbate effect. There may be other reasons that we do not appreciate additionally.

Ascorbic acid (hydrogen ascorbate) is the form of vitamin C made in the livers (or kidneys) of most animals. This form is highly reactive and biologically active. While the vast majority of vitamin C experts recommend that only pure ascorbic acid be taken orally and warn that buffered forms are not as effective, a small number of experts do not make this same distinction and do recommend the buffered varieties. According to vitamin C expert Robert Cathcart MD, however, twice as much of any other form of the vitamin than ascorbic acid is required to achieve therapeutic results when taken by mouth.

Taking pure ascorbic acid can upset the stomach of some patients, however. Ascorbic acid tablets or capsules may be a better choice where the taste of ascorbic acid in water is intolerable but there are no problems once it reaches the stomach. These forms also protect tooth enamel.

For those that cannot tolerate plain ascorbic acid, adding bicarb soda is probably the easiest way to buffer the solution. The Vitamin C Foundation explains that the total mass of sodium bicarbonate in the blood of an adult human is typically around 10 g. Any excess sodium bicarbonate is excreted by the kidneys. Dissolving ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate in water yields a solution of sodium ascorbate and carbonic acid, which releases carbon dioxide into the water. (So you have sodium ascorbate in seltzer water.)

Sodium ascorbate has been administered intravenously in doses up to 50 g, without adverse affects. When bicarb soda is taken with ascorbic acid in the correct ratio, this mixture does not upset the pH of the blood. This is why it is important not to take more bicarb soda than is needed to neutralise the ascorbic acid. For every 1 teaspoon of ascorbic acid, roughly ½ a teaspoon of bicarb soda should be added. That is a 2:1 ratio, by mass. Sodium ascorbate is well tolerated because the sodium ion is plentiful in the bloodstream, more so than magnesium or calcium ions, for example.

Vitamin C expert Dr Thomas Levy explained in his article The Many Faces of Vitamin C, that:

Sodium ascorbate is probably the best and certainly the least expensive of the mineral ascorbates for regular supplementation at relatively high doses (six grams or more daily). Many doctors and patients fear the regular dosing of sodium, however, due to the long-standing medical admonition to minimize sodium intake, especially for hypertension and cardiac failure patients.

Buffered powders of vitamin C may well not be as effective, but if it is all that can be tolerated then it is still very much worth taking. When taking mineral ascorbates (buffered vitamin C), remember to take into account the amount of this mineral in working out overall intake. Taking very large amounts of calcium in particular will be problematic and should be strictly avoided. Potassium, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, and chromium ascorbates can also easily be taken at too high a dose when multi-gram doses of vitamin C are taken and so are only appropriate when taken at low doses. The best form is sodium ascorbate, followed by magnesium ascorbate.

Look for vitamin C powders that make claims about purity (100% pure and pharmaceutical grade), about being fine powders that are more easily dissolved, and that are free of common allergens and toxic chemicals etc.

[Ye Admin]

I need to look into how Vitamin C affects the efficiency of Lunesta.

[aeon]

https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php

https://treato.com/Lunesta,Vitamin+C/?a=s

Seems to be safe. They give the standard warning that Vitamin C up to 500 mgs is unlikely to alter drug effect but consult your pharmacist to be sure.