8 Vitamin C Benefits (and Some Common Side Effects)

I started taking increased doses of Vitamin C a number of years ago at my doctor's recommendation for a tendency to bruise easily. One of the other unexpected benefits is that my sinuses cleared up. I used to wake up sneezing and would continue throughout the morning, sometimes through the entire day, year round. After experimenting with different dosages, I am now on a maintenance level of 2000 mg of Vitamin C daily and this keeps my allergies under control usually 50-51 weeks out of the year. Occasionally, I may have a flare-up and need something else. When that happens, I stir 1 teaspoon of ground Turmeric into an 8 oz. glass of water and drink it. Within 15 minutes, I am breathing freely once again and no more sneezing!

What vitamin c did you use? I am so happy you found a solution; I need one, too.

Linus Pauling discovered from his own research on Vitamin C that only about 15% of any oral dose with water was ever absorbed into the blood. Pauling took huge daily amounts -- 20 grams a day!! So if you calculate how much of this 20 grams of vitamin c actually reached the blood and tissues -- then the calculation is 0.15 x 20 = 3 grams only. Therefore if you take 20 grams of vitamin c by the ordinary oral route then 17 grams ends up being excreted which is extremely wasteful. Moreover, if you take the recommended 75 mgs RDA for vitamin c (for instance via a multivitamin pill) then, with only 15% of this absorbed into the blood, this absorbed vitamin c value actually works out at only 11.25 mgs. Yes I know -- quite laughable isn't it ? I doubt if 11.25 mgs would satisfy the whole body needs of a guinea pig let alone a human.

Taking the Liposomal form of vitamin c is a much more efficient way of delivering large amounts vitamin c safely to the blood, cells and tissues. This method entails a preparation using granulated lecithin and to use the oil therein to encapsulate the vitamin c into micro-fat droplets. When you take the lipo-vitamin c form it is not absorbed into the body via the ascorbic acid pathway but is instead absorbed as fat droplets via the fat pathway which is also much quicker. When this fat droplet makes contact with a cell -- which is made out of the same phospholipids as the lecithin oil -- the fat droplet containing the vitamin c sticks, blends and then opens up -- thus delivering ascorbate directly to the cell.

Another disadvantage of taking ordinary oral vitamin c is that it is removed from the body within 2 hours, no matter what quantity you take. This means that you must take ordinary oral vitamin c in many doses per day to achieve a constant high level in the blood. With the lipo-vitamin c form this is not the case. Think of this form as the the slow release form because the lipo-vitamin c is actually treated as a fat in the blood -- and fats are removed far more slowly. Therefore taking say 3 x 1000mg doses of lipo-vitamin c per day would be enough to attain the same levels in the blood as Linus Pauling did by taking 20 grams of ordinary oral vitamin c with water.

You can also buy lipo-vitamin c easily on the internet or at any health store. You can also make it yourself -- I prefer making the ascorbate form. All you need is a blender, ultrasonic cleaner, ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate :

How to Make Liposomal Vitamin C

Steph: Sun seems to be superior to Soy but either will work. There are many different methods for making LET, but try to keep it simple and you'll be OK.

For me, I use 32oz PowerAid plastic bottles. I get good premix by shaking several times. I add a few pinches of Sea Salt to purified water, shake, then add Ascorbic Acid and shake several times, then add 3 spoons of Sun lecithin or 6 spoons of Soy lecithin and shake many times, chill in fridge then shake some more and finally sonicate for 3 minutes and stir almost constantly.

As for the herbals, you will need to repeat the Black Walnut Complex several times and also keep doing other herbs like Garlic, Oregano Oil, Black Cumin Seed Oil, and occasional Turpentine, fallowed by Zapping to keep the infection levels down and your blood up.

As for building the Liver an herbal combination of Milk thistle, Artichoke, and Turmeric plus Cooked or Raw Liver plus Alpha Lipoic Acid.

HI U GOOD FOLKS DOIN, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Going into an area (Lypospheric Vitamin C) that I have no clue except what I've read. I have done many Vit C IV's but this is supposed to be more better and you can do it at home. I got all the stuff to getter done. All I need to do is to do it.

Can any of you birds shed any light on this subject? Will give you a few days and then I take the plunge. Hey, I'm on the shady side of the mountain so what have I got to lose?

What make me so sad about this site is that most just want others to tell them what to do. Few take charge and research and tell others. It's like Limbaugh says, the 51% want the 49 % to take care of them.

I'll keep playing this game and if I learn something I'll tell all. That means I don't have to help pay your medical bill.

======OLE ROBERT HENRY =====

Here are the directions I used to make Liposomal C. http://www.pdazzler.com/archives/62

At the end of the page he compares amounts of liposomal C to IV C.

I am certain you will not be disappointed as you grow in the LET of nutrition. Don't forget Linus Pauling recommends Lysine w/ Vit-C for antiviral and the cleaning of arteries. (although you may be in good shape w/ all the IV chelation therapy).

I ran out of a batch of GTH/CoQ10 and let it go for a couple weeks and started a new batch yesterday and the results is obvious and amazing energy. I simply cannot recommend oral capsules or softgels of CoQ10/Ubiquinol as I have been using for many yrs w/ very little a difference in energy as compared to the LET GTH/CoQ10.

As you are looking to restore youthful energy it is certainly worth researching and trying the safe, healthy & beneficial DMG. DMG is readily absorbed in digestion so is not needed to LET.

Waiting for reports of your "second wind"!!!

I make my own liposomal Vit C and use sunflower lecithin in the powder form... I get mine from swanson vitamins; it's about the same price as the soy.... and from what I've been told, it does not potentially produce the estrogenic problems that accompany soy products.

For those of you who are scientifically inclined, here is a video about making something more potent than liposomal Vitamin C using a blender, a lot of zucchini peelings, a bit of Knox gelatin and ascorbic acid crystals. It's about 45 minutes long but I haven't watched it all the way through (I get easily distracted and/or bored! ).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKBhz7OCB4&feature=youtu.be

Bear in mind that this man has a company called ReCverin with products to sell - although he seemed very genuine and has data to back up the information about the DIY DHAA using products most people have in their kitchen.

I suppose it would be great if you have a garden full of zucchinis. Think of how much potent Vitamin C you can have!

Cheers, Bess

I used sunflower lecithin for a long time making liposomal Vit C.

Hello, I had extensive blood work done and found that I was low on vitamin c, d, and b vitamins. I just started with the c vitamin (absorbic acid) with rosehips at 1000 mg and the Dr. wants me up to 3000 mg. Well at 1000mg of vitamin C, I am so tired. I don't understand. I am on day 7 of the vitamin c (and today I had to really nap) as I am waiting in the mail for my b's and d.

I do take Effexor xr and Klonopin. All my other blood work was okay except for vitamin deficiencies and epstein bar virus old antibodies that are high. Anyone know if 1000 mg of vitamin c is just too much for me? Thanks. It seems like there is people out there that have this side effect but it does not seem common when I google it.

Trying experimenting with different vitamin C complex.

Full spectrum vitamin C contains

Ascorbic Acid
ascorbinogen
bioflavonoids
rutin
tyrosinase
Factor J
Factor K
Factor P

WARNING!

For months, my family and I have been drinking without problems--tea infused with our local white pine needles as we understood that the needles provided Vitamin C. Two days ago, I inadvertently left a pot of tea water with needles on the stove until all water steamed out, burning the needles, sending smoke into my kitchen. Since it's cold outside, all my kitchen windows were closed. I immediately turned on the kitchen vent and despite the cold, opened the door to fan the smoke outside. Less than one hour later, I developed a headache, which, became severe. I therefore went to bed early.

The next morning I awoke to a severely spinning room. I felt like I was riding a fast merry-go-round. I was seriously off-balance, needed assistance walking. I realized that yesterday's incident meant I breathed in toxic fumes. I immediately put myself on a juice/water fast (so my body could direct all resources to healing), drinking constantly throughout the day. Over an 8-hour period, I also took 1 Tbsp of Bentonite Clay (a detoxing agent) every two hours. I drank 8 drops or 50mg of Lugol's Iodine, again, in a full glass of water on an empty stomach—another detoxing agent. The profound dizziness led to dry retching. It must be true—what is written—about expelling toxins—that toxins stored in tissues are also stored with emotions attached. After the first four hours of utter misery, I suddenly became overwhelmed with feelings of dread, despair, fear, panic—a huge wave of feelings that just took me over, I simply couldn't stop them. My body started shaking. I deeply wailed and cried. After 5 minutes of dealing with these emotions, I got control of myself and calmed down. However, this emotional experience proved to be a turning point. From then on, I felt the worst was over. The worst dizziness stopped. I was no longer nauseous. If I did not bend over or turn suddenly, I was OK.

This morning, I've awakened to a low-grade tension headache over my entire head and worse behind my eyes and forehead. I am stronger, walking OK, but, don't feel sure of myself. I believe after another day of partial fasting, taking 1 dose of Bentonite Clay and my usual 50mg of Lugol's Iodine, I should be on the mend. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

I'm writing this to alert everyone that recent studies confirm that burning pine needles are toxic. Studies continue. My own experience using these pine needles in an enclosed kitchen is proof of their toxicity. Hence, regardless of what is written about Vitamin C in pine needles, I doubt that I'll be using them again for tea. I certainly won't be burning them in any outdoor fires.

By the way, this pine tree toxicity is another concern for forestry. As the burning of woods was considered a necessary recycling of life in nature (suggesting planned burnings by forestry officials to avoid uncontrolled forest fires), it's now understood that burning also sends toxic fumes into the air. Hence, be warned, if you are in an area when any burning takes place, I strongly suggest that you leave the area and not come back until smoldering stops and fumes are gone.

Have suffered for years with IBS, in my case diarrhoea.

I tried to discover what I was taking that could be making this worse. It suddenly came to me that something I take, every day (because it is good for me, so I thought) is 1000mg of Vitamin C. I know too much can give you diarrhoea, but it never occured to me this could be too much.

Anyway I have stopped taking it and all those gripey pains have gone. This of course won't apply to everyone but if you are taking it as a supplement it could be the answer.

A PS: I meant to add this link I just ran across today, which seems to explain things well:

Why A Sick Body Needs So Much Vitamin C

http://www.doctoryourself.com/cathcart_thirdface.html

Hi Alan, I buy my vitamin C in bulk in the form of ascorbic acid powder. There are no fillers whatsoever and it's certified so. In fact I get 1.5 kilo at once and it lasts me a LONG time (more than a year).

Not sure if EC will allow to post this portion but I get mine from purebulk.com and it is delivered to my house in Brazil. They ship right away and do an excellent job shipping it quickly. Good luck.

Is food grade Citric Acid powder a viable type of vitamin C supplement? I bought this thinking it was a healthy alternative to tablets, capsules and then realized that maybe ascobic acid was really what I wanted. Is there any benefits from citric acid or a way to take it for supplementation?

Hi Broken Hearted... In answer to your questions:

My main reason of writing this, is what I read on the negative effects of high doses of vit. c on the following minerals:

CALCIUM, NICKEL, COPPER, ZINC, MANGANESE.

It is true that Vitamin C is a chelator of metals so the best way to counter this effect is to take Fulvic/Humic acid drops seperately every day with the vitamin C. This contains about 60 essential body macro- and micro- minerals and makes these minerals highly bioavailable. I haven't got enough room to describe the many further huge benefits of Fulvic/Humic acid, so here is a link that covers it all:

Properties of Fulvic Acid

Also I wish to know if I can take the following: Silymarin, Methylsulfonylmethane, Selenium, Magnesium, Calcium Citrate, Potessium Iodide during treatment with BHT, and what can be regarded as the needed daily dosage, considering the daily usage of 8grams of vit.c..."

I have taken Silymarin, MSM, Selenium and Magnesium Citrate all at the same time, usually at meals, without any side-effects or problems. I don't take potassium iodide -- I take lugols iodine or aqueous iodine because I think it is more beneficial overall than KI(which is also useful). The various glands and organs of the body absorb Iodine in different ways. Potassium Iodide and Iodine are different substances with different properties. It is absorbed, for instance, as only iodide by the thyroid. But the breasts and prostate can only absorb the iodine form. And in other areas of the body, both the iodide and iodine forms are happily absorbed. So, in my opinion, to get the full benefit to the body, lugol's (which contains both potassium iodide and iodine) is the best form to take because it covers all the necessary ground. I also understand that some people are quite sensitive to lugols iodine, so instead, Nascent Iodine or Atomidine (as Edgar Cayce recommended) is perhaps more useful and kinder to the body, but is also more expensive.

Regarding Calcium Citrate, I agree with Ted -- the western diet is over-fortified with calcium now, so no need to take any calcium at all -- more important to take magnesium to get rid of the excess calcium in your body. This is a bit tricky though -- and will depend on how much calcium you actually ingest, how old you are and how much processed food you are eating.

I usually take between 1 - 3 grams of vitamin c per day plus I eat fruits. Linus Pauling, a Nobel Prize winning chemist, took 10 -- 20 GRAMS of Vit C a day usually in ascorbate form and he lived till 93 y o. He also researched Vit C and discovered that most mammals like cows, goats, dogs, cats etc self-manufacture their own Vit C in fairly large amounts but that humans, bats and guinea pigs have to get their vitamin c from an external food source because they cannot self-manufacture vit c. In his own research, he also mentions that a small goat produces 12 GRAMS of vitamn c a day from their liver. And in times of stress, the little goat is capable of producing up to 18 grams of vit c. A goat is also way smaller than a human being. So how does this large daily dose for a small goat stack up against the recommended RDA dose of 75 MILLIgrams a day ? This means that the goat's daily Vit C intake is exactly 160 times higher than the human RDA for vitamin c.

I have read much research on BHT. Dr Denham Harman, the discoverer of the anti-oxidant nature of vitamins, regarded BHT as a super-anti-oxidant because, in his famous experiment in 1962, he found that BHT added to mice diets, when measured against a placebo control group, worked to extend the average lifespan of the mice taking BHT by 45%. See the research here:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/25/8/839.full.pdf

Other options for you and daily dosages for most of the above, are given in a recent reply post of mine here:

https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/remedy-combinations.html#BHOOO

Just to finally add that that Hep C will not become resistant to these remedies because:

* Both aspirin/lysine as well as BHT act to dissolve the lipid outer viral envelope of the Hep C virus which allows the immune system to attack and destroy the now de-cloaked virus. Thus there is no time for the virus to adjust to this protocol.

* The Berkson Triple Anti-Oxidant Protocol works to attack the Hep C virus by anti-oxidant action while at the same time helping to repair liver damage and is a successful therapy involving regular oral intake of Alpha Lipoic Acid, Selenium and Milk Thistle.

* Chanca Piedra(1000 mgs taken at mealtimes) acts to both protect liver hepatocytes(worker liver cells) and to inhibit the Reverse Transcriptase enzyme in the Hep B & Hep C virus, thus completely preventing the virus from replicating, mutating and becoming resistant to the action of Chanca Piedra.

I found that taking 4000mg of buffered VitC powder robbed my body of magnesium. Maybe because of the calcium in the buffered form. High dosage of VitC has also been reported to cause cystitus, contribute to kidney stones & to kill off intestinal flora (acidophillus). I have tried taking ascorbic acid with some added bicarb but still find it irritates my system over 1000mg a day. I am now switching to fulvic acid, a strong anitoxidant, recommended by Ted, I'll keep you posted.

Regarding the story about the sewage treatment plant. While I agree about taking vitamin powder (I use vit C powder exclusively)- that story stinks of pharma-propaganda. I know there are dissolve-rate tests that are done on various supplements and some are much better than others.

However!!! 'multi-colored pills'??? I suggest that he was seeing pharmaceuticals. Those are the most 'colored' pills. Most of my vitamins are white or tannish. People often flush pills (Rx meds) down the toilet!

Just my thoughts. Great thread!!

Hi, I looked at the AlacerCorp website FAQ about Emergen-C, and it claims this:

Is aspartic acid the same as aspartame?

• No, aspartame is a chemically formed sugar substitute that bonds L-phenylalanine to aspartic acid. On the other hand, the aspartic acid which we use in Emergen-C, is an amino acid readily found in foods such as fish, legumes, dairy, whole grains, eggs, meats, nuts, and seeds. We use this pure L-Aspartic Acid which has the same structure as that found in foods.

  I just wanted to throw this out for discussion. The claim above makes it sound like there is nothing to fear from the form of L-Aspartic acid they use, but I'd be interested in hearing more perspectives on this, as I do take Emergen-C. Thanks!

Thank you for the advise....

vitamin C solution for complexion

I have sensitive skin that reacts badly to most products, even herbal/organic ones. I have had success with making vitamin C solution using the powdered L-ascorbic acid that is often recommended here on Earthclinic.

In a small container, mix 1/4 teaspoon of the powder in 1 teaspoon of water -- watch out, it will fizz! -- and then add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin (available at any health food store.) Keep this in a small brown glass bottle, or at least make sure it is away from light and heat. The smaller the bottle, the better, since air in the bottle will destroy its potency. Once it turns yellowish, it is no longer effective, so you'll need to remake it (a few days or even over a week later, depending on storage conditions). Just smooth it onto your face. It has reduced wrinkles and pore size, and seems to have helped the rosacea as well.

Hi Rupa,

I was suffering from hairfall for almost 2 years. I read on the internet that 5,000 mcg of Biotin daily is helpful and started having it. Initially hairfall reduced but started again after 4 months.

So I went to the doctor and he asked me to take iron, folic acid and multivitamin for 6 months. he said hairfall will stop in these 6 months but it did not, though it did reduce.

Finally I went to Homeopathy doctor. From the 1st month itself my hairfall reduced drastically and stopped completely in 7-8 months. I think homeopathy was very effective and my hair has also grown back. People have commented that my hair is looking thicker than before.

I was not paying attention and bought sodium ascorbate crystals instead of ascorbic acid crystals! (I had been mixing the ascorbic acid with baking soda and adding water per the video by Deirdre) Can I use the sodium ascorbate the same way? I just was using this as a vitamin c supplements, I have no serious health issues.

Suzy, sodium ascorbate IS ascorbic acid (vitamin C) mixed with sodium bicarbonate.

I was fighting a sinus infection last week after landing in California and went to a Whole Foods to get some Vitamin C. I decided to get Emergen-C to add to water because it had a really tempting fruity flavor. Immediately after taking my first packet (which was delicious), I felt a weird sensation in my head and then I got really edgy (as in bad mood edgy). I read the ingredients on the box and sure enough, the vitamin C used in this brand is Aspartic acid, an excitotoxin. The Emergen-C also contained "natural flavors", aka MSG. I waited 24 hours and tried again to see if I would have the same side effects. Again, within a minute of drinking the packet, I got the same sensation in my head. My question is, are you doing more good or harm to the body when you take this form of vitamin c?!! Also, does Whole Foods know what they're selling? I thought they had stricter standards than most health food stores about supplements! I now need to check the ingredients on the dissolvable vitamin c from Trader Joe's that I have at home to see if it's the same stuff. GRRRR!!!

Thank you Catherine in Seattle for sharing this. I would not have known -- just goes to show that a person needs to read the label on everything -- even "trusted" products that seem healthy. I would like to give everyone a heads up on two other problem products within our food supply. There may be a few of you that have not heard that there is yet another reason to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup -- mercury! Here is a link I found -- http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/1/26/132619/467 --but go ahead and google this yourself. Also, to my horror, I purchased a bottle of Balsamic vinegar the other day, used some and then noticed on the label, A LEAD WARNING! I am still researching this, but wanted to share a link with you http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/18/why-is-there-lead-in-my-balsamic-vinegar/

Evidently a person would have to consume a lot of vinegar to reach the lead level in California's Proposition 65. Even so, I feel that I don't need any extra lead :), so I am going to start buying certified lead free vinegar. I know that I am probably ingesting other toxic things in my food, but what is a person to do? I just say a little prayer over my food and try to do the best I can with what I know.

emergen-c caused a herpes simplex outbreak. I was shopping at Trader Joes and I picked up a pack of emergen-c. thinking that it will supply me with needed vit-c. I took one packet right at the store with water that I bought there. I felt really weird after taking it. I read the ingredients and I noticed natural flavors and natural sucrose. I know from previous time that anything edible containing natural flavours it is MSG. No sooner did I get into my car to leave,my lip became inflamed and I had the start of a cold sore. I returned to the store and got my money back. I later spoke to the manager about the situation and he said he cannot pull anything off the shelf. It has to be done by headquarters. Now I only depend on good quality Vit C. Emergen-C is on my not-to-buy-list!

hi, Dianne. Yes, they've been adding aspartame to Airborne since the teacher who invented the formula sold it to a big pharma company (if I am recalling this correctly). Amazing how they try and hide the toxic ingredients with all sorts of other names! We all really have to keep up with the latest research in order to notice the changing names.

Have been reading your Vitamin C section; I do so wish you would have a link to Dr. Klenner's paper on Vitamin C, particularly the pregnancy section. Dr. K. was able to help expectant mothers who would have died otherwise by prescribing Vitamin C for them. In fact, the mothers who took Dr. Klenner's prescribed doses of Vitamin C had no stretch marks and easy births.

Sometimes you need an objective health professional to tell you whether taking Vitamin C is related to symptoms that you are experiencing. Or is it a component of the Vitamin C, such as aspartic acid, or the type of Vitamin C you are taking? E.g. taking straight ascorbic acid in water can corrode your digestive tract because Vitamin C is an acid. That's why it's usually buffered with sodium. If you take calcium ascorbate, be sure to balance it with magnesium citrated (magnesium oxide is not readily absorbed).

As for a person being "allergic" to Vitamin C, that is impossible. Vitamin C is a universal detoxifier. High doses of Vitamin C are used to stop hayfever. It has to be a component of the tablet, not the Vitamin C, that is causing an allergic reaction.

Here's another paper by Dr. Klenner "Observations On the Dose and Administration of Ascorbic Acid When Employed Beyond the Range Of A Vitamin In Human Pathology" http://yost.com/health/klenner/klenner-1971.pdf

Regina you're right .i've been witnessing my brother suffering from the result of too much drinking liquor (wine). As his brain tissue was very much affected by acidic tension and crush its normal function down to earth level (became FOOL) ,as being poor in status living, things go hopeless and devastating. Having so many empathetic and sympathetic experiences, i give him ____ C 10,000 mg or 20 capsules of it. After taking it, a remarkable result had shown automatically in a couple of minutes.Thanks to ____, my brother now is in good condition(good health) and strong through it. He's now including it in his daily meal.

in my opinion...it's important to learn and study vitamin c in very simple way by using an alkaline tester (acid tester used by doctors) in order to know the veracity (truth) on your vitamin c supplements and also put your supplements in in a clear glass of water and observe it thouroughly, anything made it muddy or foggy or dirty looks are SYNTHETICS or acidic. In many ways, make sure your supplements are Alkaline based not acidic base by knowing the PH factor that our body requires.

hope it ads something on you and please do not criticise my English workmanship or my weakness in words, for such experience cannot be question by someone like you. thanks

I have used vitamin c for years for bleeding gums, bad nosebleeds and any other bleeding problems. I either take a stress vitamin with 500vit c or just a vit. c by itself -preferably a chewable one. Especially during menopause -taking 500 vit c every 3-4 hours will stop hemoraging and blot clots and normalize the flow. You must take it every 3-4 hrs. or it will start up again. It is better if at least one of the doses is a stress b vit with 500 added vit.c in it. I fell and hit my head on a concrete wall and opened a 4 inch gapin my scalp with excessive bleeding. I chewed 2 500 vit. c and immediately the bleeding completely stopped, helping me on the inside and outside of my head. I didn't have to have any drainage from fluid buildup inside my head and the wound healed very fast. Vit c normalizes the blood-helps with blood clots that are already there to help dissolve them and is so important is excessive bleeding that no one should ever go to the dentist or go into surgery without taking it if you bleed easily. It could save your life. I used to literally take a sheet to bed with me after haveing a tooth pulled to wipe the blood on. After I learned about vit c and took it before i went to the dentist, the bleeding stopped before I got off the parking lot. I really think I could have even done better without the cotton! Hope this helps someone keep from having an hysterectomy or other complications. I have used vit c for these things for over 30 years. I don't take it on a regular basis, mostly if I get sick with a cold or stomach flu which about 10 grams -I take it in peanut butter and syrup- the powdered vit c. Take 2 doses about a hour apart sometimes will kill stomach flu completely out if you catch it in time. Thanks.

I recently had a shingles, which I never knew anything about until now. This web site was a big help in helping me understand the disease and what I could do about it.

I actually used multiple remedies to help cure shingles and the excruciating pain that went along with it. I went to a doctor to find out what it was and he confirmed that it was shingles and prescribed Valtrex an antiviral pill (which will not kill the virus), 1 per day for 10 days. I did take it but it didn't do a thing for the outbreak or the pain.

First thing I did was start taking Vitamin C 1000 mg fizzy packets x 3 every hour, by the fourth or fifth hour, I had diarrhea. Not a problem, cut it back to 1000 mg every 3 hours for the next 2 days. This helps to jump start the immune system and Vitamin C doesn't build up in the body and you can't get enough from fruits and vegetables. I also started taking l-lysine 2 tablets in the morning and 2 before bed (1500 mg each time). This also helps to boost immune system and kill the virus. Unfortunately, I did have to take some ibuprofen for the pain from time to time but that was only one or sometimes twice a day for a few days. I also took twice a day 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar mixed with either orange juice or grape juice (not at the same time as the vitamins) until the outbreak was gone.

For the outbreak, I tried putting zinc oxide cream (the worst thing to do) on the outbreak, it did nothing and it was painful to get off because it is made with petroleum. I also tried honey for its' ability to heal, it may have helped but it was messy and I didn't see any results. I did put tea tree oil on for a full day and it seemed to keep it from spreading but I did not see a lot of healing. I then took and put apple cider vinegar directly on the sores and wrapped them in cellophane to keep from drying out and left on for 2 hours. It was painful but it really brought out the sores. I then took baking soda and sea salt mixed with water and applied with a wet wash cloth and let sit on for an hour and then reapplied a few times. This felt great because it had a cooling effect on the sores and took away a lot of the pain. I used to have acne as a teenager and we would go to the beach in the summer and every year, my acne clear up like I had none at all, so I tried it and immediately the sores began to heal. I only needed to use for one to two days for the baking soda and salt water and only once for the apple cider vinegar. Once everything was dried up, I put some calamine lotion on for help with itching and I was surprised when it eliminated the dark marks from where the sores were. For the pain that continued after the sores, I thought it would go away, but unfortunately, it hung around a while and made life tough. I finally tried vitamin E d-alpha, not dl-alpha 1200 IU's twice a day and the pain went away after 2 days. I read that Vitamin C and Vitamin E should be taken together so I took 1000 mg of Vitamin C with the Vitamin E at the same time.

Also, watch your diet and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. There are some that say the virus uses foods like nuts and chocolate as food to grow and survive, so starve it and you have a better chance that the natural remedies will kill and eat the virus.

Good Luck and I hope this helps someone because many of these same things worked for others and I know that they helped me a lot. Thanks to those that shared.

Im Erdz of cebu.... I really appreciate the effects of vit. C especially when I knew the latest Vit. C (daily C) bopered [buffered] Non Acidic Vitamin C... I haven much daily C evn in mega Dosing... becuase i have the fever and flue... more than that my friend told me that daily c is ati [anti] oxidant and nutralizer [pH neutralizing] ...so ive observed that few days...my acidity was not able to bodered [bother] me anymore..eventually i drink softdrinks... so finally i really thankful right now becuase taking mega dose of daily C which is sodium Ascorbate (non Acidic Vitamin C) is advantage than other vit. C we know from the market...(ascorbic Acid) we are prone to sickness and pro-oxidant.

I think that you are adding your own "science" to ascorbic acid. There is strong evidence that Vitamin C's real effects come from its property as a Hydrogen donor ie: its properties as an acid. Neutralizing the acid may remove its benefit. In fact, this entire website is way too biased toward turning everything "alkaline". Without the H dontaion from acids (H donation is literally the definition of an acid) you'd burn up with free radical oxidation. H is literally what quenches the hydroxyl free radical. Its like water on a fire. Ask any chemist, alkaline burns in the lab are much, much worse than acid burns. Acids(hydrogen donors) are what cool your body down from free readical oxidation.

I agree this website is too skewed about turning everything alkaline. Stomach acid needs to be acidic or it won't digest food properly and minerals won't be properly absorbed.

I started taking Vitamin C because I heard that mega-dosing on it helped with remyelination of nerve cells. Two other side effects resulted. First I lost about 20 pounds in two months. I didn't really change my diet or exercise any more than usual. Also, I noticed that I was not suffering from my seasonal allergies. Normally I get seasonal allergies in May and late summer. This past may I only took one over the counter pill. So far this summer I haven't had to take any.

I was reading where high Cholesterol can be fixed by taking 3000-5000 mg of vitamin C per day. The theory is cholesterol attaches itself to lesions in your blood vessels. The Vitamin C repairs the lesions thus allowing the body to flush the cholesterol that is not needed naturally. Further the articles stated Cholesterol is needed to heal nerves that get damaged. The statin drugs stop the body from making cholesterol thus the nerves don't get healed. I took a fall 2 years ago and no one can figure out why I am in pain. I have been on statin drugs for 4 years. My theory is I damaged nerves in the fall and the lack of cholesterol is not allowing my nerves to heal. I weaned myself off the Lipitor. And am taking 1500 mg 3 times a day of vitamin C. I don't know if it will work I hope so. But I have noticed my memory is getting better

Hi Chuck, I didn't see anything mentioned about the cause of your pain, but if it started after the fall 2 years ago, at this stage it will probably be called traumatic arthritis.

I would suggest two things for that pain if it started shortly after the fall. The first one is MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), Now you know why it is known as MSM. The second one is old Edgar Cayce's castor oil packs. When you research on MSM you will find that it is most frequently used by holisitic practitioners to keep down inflammation and promote cellular regrowth. It is also a first cousin to sulphur (a natural mineral in our bodies) and what our bodies metabolize DMSO to. I think between the two, you will find the pain, much less, if not totally gone within 2 weeks after starting them.

Don't worry about MSM causing a reaction if you are allergic to sulfa drugs. I cannot take sulfa drugs without feeling worse after 3 days of it than I was before starting it for an infection. However I can take the MSM without problems, and I have plenty of allergic problems.

Hi Chuck,

You can type in "Lipitor co-enzyme Q10" in Google and will get several articles related to muscle pain and the Statins (Lipitor, Sinvastain, Mevacore [lovastatin], etc.).

A brief summary: Lovastatin (and other statins) do lower cholesterol, BUT they also lower Co-enzyme Q10. Without enough Co-enzyme Q10 the muscles in the body weaken (the heart is a muscle).

Merck, the drug company that makes Lovastatin (similar to Lipitor) has had a patent on a combination of Lovastatin and Co-enzyme Q10 since 1989 . K. Folkers is the doctor who has done the most research on Co-enzyme Q10. He was an employee of Merck, working out of the University of Texas. Since Merck has the patent on the Lovastatin/C0-enzyme Q10 drug combo, no one else can market it and for money reasons Merck won't market it, nor have they alerted the public to the benefits of Co-enzyme Q10.

A local friend of mine had been taking Lipitor for a few years and developed severe muscle pain in her legs. She simply stopped taking it and the pain went away. She hasn't taken it since.

If you are worried about your cholesterol, you might look at the Cholesterol section on this web site. At the top of the page, click on Ailments, then C, then Cholesterol. Some good remedies, especially Apple Cider Vinegar.