On this week’s show with Dr. Andrew Saul, The MegaVitamin Man, you’ll learn how to take your health into your own hands with inexpensive, readily available, and easy-to-use vitamins.
A few months ago, I was stung by an Arizona bark scorpion.
I quickly learned that the little bugger is the most venomous scorpion in North America.
It got me good, stinging me mercilessly multiple times right around my kidney.
Breaking into a cold sweat, I immediately started convulsing when I tried to lay down. I was in excruciating pain.
Fortunately, we had plenty of Vitamin C on-hand, which acts as a potent anti-toxin. I plowed through that stuff with reckless abandon for weeks.
Now, I don’t believe in “miracle cures” or silver bullets, but high-dose Vitamins sure come close.
Wouldn’t it be great if your doctor would teach you how to use common Vitamins for healing chronic illness, reversing disease and injury, or just for maintaining health? But most can’t… or won’t—and there’s a surprising reason why. You’ll get the answer in this week’s podcast.
If you’re suffering from a chronic disease or have ever fought the flu… if you have small children, a compromised immune system, or if you just want to stay healthy without breaking the bank, listen in to this show. You’ll learn:
- How to upgrade your health with high-dose Vitamins
- The surprising benefits of Vitamin C
- Why “a grandmother is worth two doctors”
- What to do when you’re stung by a scorpion
- And much more…
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Vitamin C: A New Look At A Proven Cure
Dr. Andrew Saul, “The MegaVitamin Man”, has 40 years of experience in natural health education. His peer-reviewed website, www.DoctorYourself.com, is one of the largest non-commercial natural health resources on the internet. This is a unique opportunity to gain some insight on vitamins from someone who has no commercial connection.
Abel: Welcome to the show! To start, what should people know about the potential of vitamins to heal the body and for overall health?
They’ll save your life, for starters. Vitamins will improve the quality of your life. They’ll help the entire world to be happier, more productive, and healthier.
Abel: A lot of people don’t trust the efficacy of Vitamins. But what is it about vitamins that most people don’t know?
Medical doctors have been using high doses of vitamins to cure disease for over 70 years. The media, reporters, politicians, and doctors say “it sounds promising, but there’s not enough evidence that high doses of vitamins will cure disease.”
That’s completely false.
Medical doctors have been stopping and curing Polio with high doses of Vitamin C since the 1930’s. In the 1860’s and 70’s they were curing pneumonia with Vitamin C therapy.
We’re talking ½ million to 2 million milligrams of Vitamin C a day. That’s a whole lot of Vitamin C!
When we’re talking about antibiotics, doctors are very dose-specific. When it comes to vitamins, you’ve been told that dose has little to do with it. But if you amp up your dose of Vitamin C, you’re taking it to bowel tolerance—yes that’s exactly how it sounds.
At this level, Vitamin C works very much like an:
- Antibiotic
- Antihistamine
- Antitoxin
- Antipyretic
- Antidepressant
- And will even curb your appetite
There’s a study published regarding smokers that quit smoking using Vitamin C spray—the amazing thing was that they didn’t turn to food to replace their craving and didn’t gain weight!
Media, Money & The Politics of Vitamin Therapy
Abel: I’m always fascinated by how many people, even in the health industry, don’t take vitamins themselves. What is preventing us from taking vitamins day to day?
It’s a belief system. If you believe something you’re probably not going to look into the other options.
You go to a medical doctor who went to medical school, has a medical degree, prescribes medicine, and is basically funded by the pharmaceutical industry from the moment they enter med school to the moment they hang up their stethoscope…
“I think you should be the manager of your own case and use your doctor the way you use any other skilled employee.”
In many instances you can prevent the problem, and a good mechanic will tell you to keep an eye on this and you won’t have a problem at all. This is what a good doctor will do. We learn by experience.
“People are not convinced by argument, they’re convinced by experience.” -Will Rogers
All you have to do is be the example. I’m just not going to deal with this nonsense anymore. Instead of antibiotics, you might be able to take high doses of vitamin C!
How To Take High Doses Of Vitamin C
When you’re taking a high dose of vitamin C, you can’t take it all in one dose. The simplest buffer is to put stuff in your stomach—water will reduce the acidity. Food. And if you have a really sensitive stomach you can get buffered Vitamin C.
If you start to get the rumble “down there” in your gut, that’s the point. That’s called loose stool. At this level, you’re at oral saturation and that’s where Vitamin C has its therapeutic benefit.
Take enough Vitamin C to feel great, to get well, and that’s a dynamic amount. @AndrewSaulPhD Share on XIf you’re healthy, 15,000 mg a day is great. If you’re sick as a dog, then take more.
Vitamin C comes in chewables, pills, liquid—and even intravenous, which has been used to treat ovarian, pancreatic, and bowel cancer. Those particular cancers are very hard to treat, but there’s a very high cure rate. Vitamin C is not THE answer, but it’s an awful big part of the answer.
Abel: I started taking daily Vitamin C when my wife’s mom kept just putting it out there for us. After doing it for a few years, your body starts to associate it with feeling better and you start to crave the right things. It seems like some days you want a certain amount, other days you might want more or less.
A few months ago I was stung by an Arizona Bark Scorpion. I took an ungodly amount of vitamin C during that whole ordeal and I’m sure that’s what kept me alive.
Biochemically, why does Vitamin C work so powerfully in the body to improve health?
Vitamin C is an incredibly effective antitoxin. Dr. Tom Levy goes over exactly how it works in his book, Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins. It’s a coenzyme and an antioxidant and an antitoxin and more. How can one vitamin be all those Anti’s all at once?
Your body knows how to do a lot of things with a relatively low number of building blocks. Think about what your body can do with just water? The same is true for Vitamin C.
If your body can do all these things with one building block, imagine what happens when it’s not there?
Vitamin therapy has even worked to heal symptoms for AIDS/HIV patients. Dr. Robert Cathcart was treating AIDS patients who became symptom-free on 200,000 mg of Vitamin C a day.
I personally worked with a woman who had HIV, drug addiction, alcoholism, you name it. I told her to consider really shoveling in the Vitamin C, quit drugs and drinking, and clean up her diet. Well, she got off of drugs and eventually the alcohol. She tried to clean up her diet, and she took an awful lot of vitamin C. I ran into her 20 years later and she told me that the last three times she was tested for HIV they couldn’t find any.
Abel: What is the thing that’s holding traditional medicine back from embracing these alternatives, vitamins in particular?
It could have something to do with money.
Plus, belief system. Doctors are pretty indoctrinated by the time they finish med school. Med school is not nutritional school. They’re not reading the thousands of good studies every year proving that diet and vitamins are the safest, most cost effective, patient and doctor friendly way to treat illness.
One vitamin can cure so many things because the deficiency of one vitamin can cause so many things.
Abel: Every night I’m scooping 3 heaping spoonfuls of Vitamin C into my water, and sometimes also magnesium. How do you get your Vitamin C?
A teaspoon is between 4,000 – 5000 mg. It might energize you because it helps you use the energy in your body—but that’s why it helps curb your appetite.
If you’re fat, you’re full of stored energy. @AndrewSaulPhD Share on XDivide the dose. A lot of people are willing to take their Vitamin C at night or in the morning, but try to take it throughout the day.
A few years ago I was very sick. I went to an internist and was diagnosed with viral pneumonia and given an antibiotic, “In case you get a secondary bacterial infection.”
I had been taking Vitamin C, but had never done the rip-roaring doses. I lined up Vitamin C tablets and every 6 minutes I took 2,000 mg. That’s 20,000 mg an hour. My fever came down 3 degrees in two hours and my cough stopped.
If you do it, it works. If you don’t do it, it won’t. @AndrewSaulPhD Share on X“You have a free choice every day about what you eat and if you move your body. If you fail to make the choice, you’ve made the choice.”
There is a whole body of knowledge out there. For example, the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine contains thousands of articles about Vitamin therapy—the archive is online and it’s free. Doctors say, “I haven’t seen evidence.” That doctor is honest—that doctor hasn’t seen it. Well I haven’t seen Antarctica, but I’m sure it’s there.
What you’re being told is to not try. The media is warning off the very thing that will help you.
Vitamins are only 1% of the pharmaceutical companies profits—that’s why.
C Vitamins are 400 times cheaper than Vitamin C from an orange. I think it’s a good thing to eat your fruits and veggies, but what if you’re broke? What if you’re sick? I’m interested in results. I’ve taught chemistry, cell biology, nutrition—I’m interested in seeing people get well, and you’re one of them.
If your doctor’s too busy to learn, you need to fire your doctor. @AndrewSaulPhD Share on XCan We Just Get Our Vitamins From Food?
Abel: If you start taking bioavailable vitamins every day, your energy goes up and you start feeling better. I’m definitely a convert when it comes to taking vitamins.
But why can’t we get all the vitamins we need from food in our modern world?
The first reason is dose. If you are sick, you have to throw the idea of food source vitamins out the window because you can’t afford it and you can’t get enough.
If people think they can get enough Vitamin C from a 500 mg tablet or a couple glasses of orange juice, they’re wrong. If you want to see results, then you take enough to get well.
If you’re healthy you can take 18,000 mg a day. If you’re sick, you need to take a whole lot more.
The second reason is this: Food today is kind of crappy. A lot of foods are grown on poor soils. GMO foods I think are highly questionable and should be avoided.
“My personal feeling is that nature is smarter than we are, and I would not tinker with what’s worked for the last 100 million years.”
We’ve had a long time to work out the evolutionary details of natural, unprocessed whole foods. And what do we do? We eat junk food, load up on sugar, and pour chemicals down our throats.
Plato said, “We’ve made of ourselves living cesspools and driven doctors to invent names for our diseases.”
That’s it. So your food today, unless you go all organic and are really close to the land and watch it, you are getting a diet that’s substandard.
When you are sick, you’re not gonna come close to enough vitamins from food. For preventative maintenance a good diet might come close, but probably not.
The scary thing is that the same government that tells us we need an RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of 100 mg of Vitamin C a day publishes the guidelines for animals—you are supposed to give your guinea pigs and monkeys 10 – 15 times more! That doesn’t even pass the straight face test.
There’s a myth that Vitamin C causes kidney stones. It does NOT. A Vitamin C kidney stone is a lot like a unicorn—it doesn’t exist. Vitamin C actually blocks the union of calcium and oxoid. It dissolves magnesium-based stones and can actually dissolve most kidney stones.
The biggest problem with Vitamin C is failure to take enough of it.
Abel: What about flatulence and stomach upset when you start taking Vitamin C or take too much too soon?
I recommend people start small and work up. Keep working your way up until there’s no more added benefit. If you’re healthy, you can start by taking 500 mg at each meal and go from there. But if you have influenza, you can’t do that.
The dynamic flow is—quantity, frequency, duration. Increase the quantity to oral tolerance. Take it regularly. Take it until you get better.
What we have here is a technology that’s cheap, safe, and effective and we’ve all been told that anything that’s cheap can’t be effective. Anything that’s safe, can’t be effective. And anything that’s all three, must be a figment of the imagination.
But people who look into this never go back.
I became a vitamin nut when I had my first born son at the age of 22… I held him in my arms and thought, “This is no longer academic. It’s not a game. It’s not a drill. This little baby depends on me for his life and I better know what I’m doing.”
I made it my business to find out and I have never regretted it. I raised my children into college and they never had a single dose of antibiotic. Good diet had a lot to do with it, but so did Vitamin C.
It’s so well established. It isn’t guesswork. Doctors, real doctors, have been using high dose Vitamin C therapy for 65 – 70 years. If your doctor does not use vitamin therapy, you’ve got an old fashioned doctor.
Where To Find Dr. Saul
You can find books, articles, and information on the web site www.doctoryourself.com and vitamin therapy courses at www.andrewsaul.com. Follow Dr. Saul on Facebook and Twitter.
LEARN HOW TO DROP 20 POUNDS IN 40 DAYS WITH REAL FOOD
Before You Go…
Here’s the review of the week:
If you’ve changed your body and life and want to let me know, go ahead and leave a review on iTunes. I always love hearing from you.
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Did you enjoy this interview? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts! And don’t forget to share this free show with your friends.
Abel,
I love all of your shows and this one was a nice change of pace. I enjoyed listening to Dr Saul and his advice brings a great deal of relief. Living in Wyoming it’s hard get fresh, raw, nutrient rich food year round (I am now a Thrive Market customer thanks to you). It’s so nice to hear a simple solution every once in a while. Thanks for putting your knowledge, contacts and information out there for the rest of us to benefit from.
Much respect,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the kind words and glad you enjoyed this show. Getting fresh food 100% of the time just isn’t realistic for everyone (although it’s a wonderful ideal). Sometimes it’s important to bridge the gap with good old-fashioned Vitamins. It might not be the sexiest “miracle cure,” but science again and again proves that simply taking things like Vitamin C on a regular basis can dramatically transform our health. Cheers!
Abel, you are really rocking the podcasts…. this one with Dr. Saul is one that I am going to listen to two more times. Maybe then it will sink in for longer! When you go away on vacation, let this podcast be the one you broadcast. Vitamin C, So important, so overlooked, so easy to comply with. Thank you so much! I SO appreciate you and all that you do!
Where can we hear your music?
a fellow musician health nut…
Lynda
Hey Lynda,
A fellow musician and health nut? That’s music to my ears!
I’m so glad you’re finding value in this show. I couldn’t do it without awesome listeners like you! 🙂
Hi Lynda,
Abel has a new album coming out very soon. So stay tuned for that.
In the mean time, you can listen to him jam here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78wsqor3xl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqSThcmGX1E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwvJu5H-bbM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfwIpm1Q1yc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG2jKjyP_98
Enjoy! Thanks for listening to the show!
Abel – great show! Ironically I just came down with a head cold this morning, so the timing of this podcast was great. I appreciate that Dr Andrew Saul doesn’t have an ulterior motive by pushing his brand of vitamins, but I’d be curious to hear your opinion – what’s a good, quality source of Vitamin C powder? I just went to my local healthfood store and unforunately they had nothing in stock. Thanks, Timmy C from Mass.
Great timing indeed! Sorry to hear you’re feeling under the weather, Timmy.
Most vitamin C on the market is derived from GMO corn, so it’s best to do a little homework before buying.
We’ve been taking Bronson’s vitamin C for years with great results–it’s derived from non-GMO corn, and you can get a pound for about $22: http://bit.ly/BronsonsVitC
Inspired by this show, I looked around the web for a source of vitamin C that’s derived from fruit, and found a few brands that we just ordered to try out…
http://amzn.to/1ZrTYHa
http://amzn.to/1jiRA5h
http://camupure.com/vitamin-c/
Those seem pretty good–we’ll let you know what we like best.
Here’s an update on the other brands of C we’ve been testing out…
Pure Radiance C (http://amzn.to/1ZrTYHa): 1 tsp has only 480mg of C.
Sari Foods Acerola Cherries Organic Vitamin C Powder (http://amzn.to/1jiRA5h): 1 tsp has only 500mg of vitamin C.
Amazon Origins Vitamin C (http://camupure.com/vitamin-c/): 1 serving (4 capsules) has only 146mg of vitamin C.
I couldn’t find the dosages on those products until I purchased them, which is too bad. But hopefully we’ve saved you the trouble of making the same mistake.
Here are the 2 brands we like so far (both derived from non-GMO corn):
Bronson’s Vitamin C Crystals (http://bit.ly/BronsonsVitC#sthash.5DjYLtiZ.dpuf): 1 tsp has 4000mg of vitamin C.
Designs for Health C+ BioFizz (http://bit.ly/biofizz#sthash.5DjYLtiZ.dpuf): 1 tsp has 2569mg of vitamin C — this is a good one if you need it to be tasty (for kids).
Ebay. I prefer non-gmo ascorbic acid powder(vitamin c powder, same thing).
Hi Abel, Above its stated “I recommend people start small and work up. Keep working your way up until there’s no more added benefit. If you’re healthy, you can start by taking 500 mg at each meal and go from there. But if you have influenza, you can’t do that.”
So the’re saying ‘NO’ Vitimin C if you have the flu? Any reason behind this statement…. I always thought it was a good thing!
Thanks!
Hey Dave, great question. That was worded a little funny. To clarify, when he says “you can’t do that,” he means, you can’t just take 500mg. You have to take more. You have to “shovel it in” as Dr. Saul puts it.
When you’re healthy and you start with 500mg, 1000mg or 2000mg with breakfast, and you might get a little tummy rumble. Whereas starting off with 4,000mg or 8,000mg might give you the runs. But if you’re sick, your body is using the vitamin C, so you might be able to take 20,000mg throughout the day without getting the runs.
Your bowel tolerance is a great indicator. When we’re sick, we take vitamin c until we get the runs. That’s when you know you’ve had a good amount.
Also, for healthy people, you can start with 500 – 2000mg (once or multiple times per day), and then work your way up to taking more. If I don’t take C for a while, I’ll take 2,000mg twice a day and then work my way back up to 4,000mg twice a day. That’s a good amount for me. You may need more. Just experiment.
People need to take all this with grains of sodium. I’d like to see some significant data that suggests some of the claims he’s making are true.
Where are all the old studies he’s referencing?
The one thing that is interesting to me is the changes in bowel tolerance. Perhaps there’s something to it; just be careful and don’t believe everything you hear. If it’s easily proven then prove it.
He absolutely does have a financial steak in promoting Megadoses of vitamins; that’s his job.
Thanks for requesting the studies. You can find all of clinical research (and tons more) on Dr. Saul’s website: http://www.doctoryourself.com/
And here’s a list of clinical research and articles we found especially interesting:
Vitamin C for virus and infections.
Vitamin C and immune function
Vitamin C function in the brain
Vitamin C is an important cofactor for both adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla
Ascorbic acid and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
The Gift of Vitamin C
The Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease
Importance of Vitamin C
Read years worth of full-text papers from the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine for free at http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/
Hi Alyson,
I believe I have some sort of stealth infection that was kept under wraps for about 2 years with mega does of Liposomal Vitamin C. My symptoms virtually disappeared and I felt so blessed to have a solution. However, almost overnight, I started to get heart racing symptoms and ended up with arrhythmia. Eventually, my previous symptoms returned and I needed to take vitamin c again, however, even small doses of sodium ascorbate (Source Naturals 1/8 of teaspoon) will make my heart begin to race. I can eat red peppers and I have been able to take some RAW vitamin c. I still need to take more and I am wondering if you have any idea why all of a sudden my heart began reacting. I am wondering which of the natural Vitamin c brands you have found to be effective as I think I will need a naturally sourced product. I need one that is low in acid if possible.
I would so appreciate any insight you might have on these issues.
Thank you so much for all your helpful information,
Nancy
Hi Nancy, sorry to hear about that. This may be an issue to discuss with your doctor.
I can’t give any medical advice, but here’s a non-acidic vitamin c powder that might be worth checking out: http://bit.ly/29DgwmI
Hope that helps!
Ask your doctor to test your blood for Iron levels. Vitamin C will cause iron which is stored to be absorbed so if you have too much iron stored it can be released too quickly by vit C and cause palpitations or heart probs.
awesome topic! Any guidelines for children? At what age would you start supplementing with vitamin c? How much when they’re healthy vs how much can they take when they’re sick? I have a 1 yr old daughter and 4.5 yr old son and with cold season upon us I’m definitely interested in anything I can do for them! Thanks so much!
My mom started me on vitamin C minutes after I was born. She just put a dab on my tongue. I just asked her and here’s what she says: For a 1 year old, I’d say 500mg twice a day. Rule of thumb is to bowel tolerance or about 1000mg for each year old up to about 8 years old.
She’s not a doctor, but she is a grandma with 7 children and 20 grandchildren. 🙂
Very interesting- I remember Charles Poliquin saying the exact same thing a while back. He got bitten by a spider, took IV megadoses of vitamin C as treatment, and lost a ton of body fat as a result. I tried to replicate that with oral vitamin C, but stopped when it gave me diarrhea. I’ll try gradually increasing the dosage like he recommends- any idea how gradual it has to be for the stomach to have time to get used to it?
I’m not a doctor so I can’t make recommendations, but I when I go off C for a while I’ll start back up by taking 1000-2000mg twice a day with food and then increase by 1000mg every week or so till I’m taking 4000mg twice a day (which is a good amount for my body). Hope that helps.
I decided to go with the Bronson’s powder. In the podcast he mentioned giving chewable tablets to his kids, and having the kids look forward to it as a treat. There are hundreds of options to choose from on amazon. Any advice on what tablets are a good brand for young children (safe for kids and have a sweet taste). Or should I use the bronsons and try out the guide your mom uses? Thanks! You guys are awesome!
That’s a good choice. I just got the Sari Foods and the Pure Synergy brand of vitamin C powders in the mail, and for the higher price you’re getting less vitamin C. The Pure Synergy C only has 480mg of vitamin C per teaspoon and the Sari Foods brand only has 500mg per teaspoon. Whereas with the Bronson vitamin C powder, you’re getting 4000mg per teaspoon.
We’ve also used Designs for Health C BioFizz which is a great option for kids. It tastes delicious and gets all fizzy in your water. The vitamin C in C BioFizz is also derived from non-GMO corn, and you’ll be getting 2569mg of C per teaspoon. http://bit.ly/biofizz
Try that, or just give them the Bronsons C. It’s tasty dissolved in green smoothies, or you can dissolve it in water. It’s got an interesting sour flavor. My mom would also coat apple slices in vitamin C powder and put those in our school lunches.
thanks so much for the suggestions on giving to kids! Do you have any opinions on Source Naturals brand of vitamin c powder? It seems to be pretty similar to the Bronson’s you mentioned but a little more affordable. Thanks!
Source Naturals looks pretty good! They have a couple different non-gmo options. The lowest price I could find for a 60 tablet bottle is $6.49–each tablet is 1000mg–so you’re getting 60,000mg for $6.49 (or about $1.08 per 10,000 mg).
As a price comparison, a 1-pound container of Bronson’s Vitamin C has 454,000mg for $22 ( or about $0.49 per 10,000mg). So, Bronson’s is actually a better price.
Also, I like the vitamin c powder better because you can dissolve it in water or smoothies and it doesn’t have the “Other Ingredients” like Source Naturals does (probably to make it stay in tablet form), including microcrystalline cellulose, stearic acid, hydroxypropyl cellulose, modified cellulose gum, magnesium stearate, and silica.
Hi,
I am currently thirteen weeks pregnant and have read that pregnant women shouldn’t consume more than 2000mg of Vitamin C total in a day. I am assuming this is old, under-researched knowledge but wanted to ask what you think would be a good level for a healthy person in pregnancy to work up to? Thanks!
I went through Dr. Sauls’ links looking for pregnancy-related topics, and here’s what I found:
– http://bit.ly/1MfljSW (scroll down to “Submitted by: Angie McLean” on this page to read her experience)
– http://bit.ly/1k5VLRJ
– http://bit.ly/1GucZm8
– http://vitamincfoundation.org/stone/ch26-30/chap26.htm#C28
– http://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/2003/pdf/2003-v18n0304-p187.pdf (skip to page 189)
Also, I asked my mom for you, and she says…
“It’s good if she feels comfortable taking that amount (2000mg a day). It’s also very important for her to take a good multi/mineral vitamin. Vit C helps the body use its vitamins and minerals so a person can get low on important vitamins and minerals. It’s also good to continue giving the baby Vitamin C after it’s born. After my babies got the hang of nursing, I would put a small amount of vitamin c on my nipple several times a day when the baby would go to breast feed.”
Hope that helps!
Earlier this year I had a miserable cold. I had the strong intuition that I needed vitamin C and OJ wasn’t cutting it. I purchased a vitamin C supplement packaged as emergency relief of colds. I was surprised at how quickly I improved. I continued to finish off the bottle of pills even after my cold was long gone because I noticed a big improvement with my skin without any change other than having taken the C supplement. I mentioned this to my holistic practitioner and she said that vitamin c can help if you have issues with detoxing. Soon after I received results of a test (taken prior to dosing with vitamin c) that showed I did not have any issues with detox. I thought nothing more of taking it again until listening to this episode. I finished listening to this episode on my way to work this morning and drove right to the grocery store to buy some vitamin C instead of going directly to my office. I’m very curious to see what benefits I could get from the recommendations mentioned in this episode! Thanks!
What about Vitamin C and resistance training? It is a known fact that it interferes with the hypertrophy produced by the adaptive stress of a training session. What would be the protocol to enjoy the wonders of Vitamin C without it screwing with one’s training?
Abel,
Long time listener, first time poster.
What is your vitamin regimen?
Hey Abel! Just finished listening to this episode. Definitely going to give Vit C a shot to see how I feel and to see if it helps my chronic sinus issues. Question though – What are your thoughts on high doses of Vitamin D3? Have you done an episode on that yet? I’ve been taking higher doses of D3 for about 3 years now. I’m currently taking 30,000 iu in the winter months and between 10,000 – 20,000 iu in the summer depending on how much time I spend in the sun. If I feel a cold coming on I up my dose to 50,000 iu for 3 straight days and its pretty effective at killing the virus. I’m also taking K2 with the D3 in order to prevent Calcium issues. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks! and love your show!
Hey Sal – thanks for the question. We recently had Dr. Steven Gundry on the show, and he talks about high dose vitamin D3.
You can watch, listen or read that interview here: https://fatburningman.com/dr-steven-gundry-longevity-elimination-diets-the-benefits-of-snake-oil/
And here’s a quote from Dr. Gundry in that interview…
“We are really, really deficient in vitamin D3.
And I can’t tell people how important vitamin D is to us. Vitamin D is not produced in your body at all.
For instance, in The Longevity Paradox, we know that people with the highest levels of vitamin D have the longest telomeres, those little caps on the end of chromosomes.
And if you like the telomere theory of aging, then why wouldn’t you want long caps on your telomeres?
So the higher the level of vitamin D, the longer your telomeres.
Number two, almost every person who walks through my door with autoimmune disease has a low vitamin D level, and I don’t stop until I get their vitamin D levels 100-120 nanograms per milliliter.
Vitamin D is essential to stimulate stem cell production in the lining of our gut, and I talk about that in the book.
Lastly, the University of California in San Diego showed dramatically that most people with cancer have low levels of vitamin D.”
Read more here: https://fatburningman.com/dr-steven-gundry-longevity-elimination-diets-the-benefits-of-snake-oil/
Where does one find a good brand of Vitamin C that won’t cause constipation Please , the one I have constipates me.Thank you Carol
I also listened to this video and knew much of this already I have a chiropractor that has prescribed several vitamins to me, I also agree with this video and will listen to it again, and would like to purchase it. Thank You I appreciate this information.
Carol,
Vitamin C, for the most part, is Vitamin C. You could try taking higher doses of Vitamin C, in order to break the logjam. Or, you could try adding a teaspoon of magnesium powder and slowly work-up to a few teaspoons a day.
Higher doses of Vitamin C and/or Magnesium will have a laxative effect at higher levels. Once things “loosen-up,” back-down the doses until everything is normal.
Happy Pooping!
Hans
Hi Abel!
In this podcast you said that you put 3 tea spoons of vit C in a glass of water. I take 1 tea spoon of pure l-ascorbic acid (4-5g) in a 500ml of water and it is really sour. I cannot imagine putting two more spoons into it 🙂 So i can barely take 20g of vit c in a day. Any advice how to take more? I also have a 1250mg tablets (1g of vit C, some calcium..) but are quite expensive compering to l-ascorbic acid.
Thanks!
Hi Abel & Alyson,
Found you through My Diet is better than yours. Love… love…love your nonsense approach to health and now even my 12 year son in on board for the wild diet and loves to listen to your podcasts with me. Greatly appreciative mom :} Can you advise what daily supplements you take and timings? Thank you Abel & Aylson…. keep up the excellent work!
This is such awesome information – and very timely as I’m fighting off a cold.
As an aside Abel can you comment on how high doses like this affect iron absorption. Especially for men who have an issue with storing too much iron. Is there a particular protocol of taking the C, or another supplement to take alongside?
Thank you for the great podcast.
Very informative. I can’t say enough how much I look forward to listening to your podcast. Great topics, great interview, and great info. Waiting for the next podcast. Keep it up please.
Abel,
Some studies show that taking viitamin C inhibits mitochondrial biogenesis which negatively affects aerobic conditioning. Have you noticed any running performance gains or losses related to taking vitamin C?
Abel,
I really enjoyed this article. In fact, I rushed over to my natural foods store and bought myself the highest quality vitamin C supplement they had to offer. The information that you provide your listeners is absolutely priceless and I am very grateful to find this resource. However, I do have an issue with the section of this article regarding the woman who allegedly got her HIV under control using vitamin C.
There is no mention of whether or not the woman who has HIV is on antiretroviral therapy. Certainly, if she lives in America and has been living this long with the disease, she is on antiretroviral therapy. I guarantee it. The Doctor makes no mention of this, at all. I’m less concerned with the ethical issue of him taking credit for not only clearing up her symptoms, or with him claiming his Vitamin C prescription has somehow made her “undetectable.” It is clearly implied that this is the case with his omission of her being on an antiretroviral therapy regime under the care of an HIV specialist. The issue that I have with this claim is that it perpetuates the stigma HIV positive people live with. Nearly every person who begins treatment with antiretroviral becomes undetectable. Without treatment, nearly every person who has HIV will develope symptoms and eventually get sick from an opportunistic disease. This very rarely happens in America any longer because people have access to HIV medication. They have normal life expectancy that is similar to those who do not live with HIV. Vitamin C therapy WILL NOT ALONE GET A PERSON TO AN UNDETECATBLE STATUS. If it did, then it would be a treatment that doctors prescribe. The doctor is playing on the lack of understanding the general population has regarding HIV, which is deplorable, medically negligent, and only discredits everything else he has to say. As a medical doctor, he certainly knows this is the case so I find it upsetting that he is playing on the lack of understanding your listeners might have regarding HIV facts. If someone who has HIV reads this and doesn’t know about the importance of getting on antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible–and instead tries to treat with vitamin C therapy–they will suffer irreparable damage to their immune system regardless of whether or not they eventually receive proper antiretroviral therapy. If this happens to even one person, you have truly made a terrible mistake by being a part of it. Moreover, a lot of people live with HIV that are not drug addicts…it is hurtful to those living with HIV to evoke this type of stereotype and only works to suggest that people who live with HIV are drug addicts who make poor choices. Magic Johnson openly lives with HIV, and has done so for several decades because he is on antiretroviral medication. So do many of my friends. People who live with HIV are often healthily individuals who lead very productive lives.
Again, I want to thank you for the service you provide to all of us who are seeking to live a more healthy life. I have learned so much and have used this as a resource to make tremendously positive changes to my life.
Where to buy 2,000milligrams of vitamin C
Is there a degree in going to school for nutrition I have always been interested in becoming a natural pathic dr but don’t know we’re to start?
This interview answered my question and I’m going to begin immediately! Thank you for making it available. ❤
I skimmed the comments, but didn’t see anything addressing teeth. Should I worry about enamel erosion if I supplement vitamin c powder at these doses into drinks throughout the day? Thank you!
Dave
Off the subject of Vit C…What brand multivitamin do you take?
Take time release Vit C, you can take 10,000 mg and it spread over 6-8 hours and you don’t get the laxative effect.
This is what the whole world should be taking. This makes it simple
I am a petite woman and have been taking liposomal vitamin c to help treat my breast cancer. Unfortunately for me I have been losing weight at 1/2 – 1 # a day. I do not need to lose weight, so I have stopped taking the vit. c. Am I taking too much?
Currently following the 30 Day Fat Loss System. Which MultiVitamin would you recommend to a 37 year old male following the Wild Diet? Thank You in advance. Absolutely love the “DIET” and all of the podcasts
Mega doses of Vitamin C. Wow there is just so much stuff about the harm from too high doses of vitamins. Just look on internet check vitamin C. Kidney issues…Wow.. I think a follow on this would be coo.
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What is this – some kind if ad? What does it have to do with vitamins? I suggest it be taken down.
I love the science, and am a believer, but I’m also nterested in managing the weight gain I seem to experience each time I use sodium based vitamin C in 20g a day type doses.
It has to be water weight and it goes when I stop the sodium, but some days it climbs and climbs and seriously depresses me after a really good year of weight management.
So I’ve swapped sodium for calcium and tried the ester-c variety.
I feel slightly more tired (I think) and my weight does not flare up so much, but there is still a noticeable but slow weight gain. And very little bowel tolerance effect thus far, so also not sure how much to go for.
I’m tempted to go back to good old style (and cheap) sodium ascorbate, but it seriously sucks when my weight goes up 8-10 pounds over 3-4 days, until I panic and fast it off and ditch the C.
Would you live with the gains temporarily for the great benefits of vitamin-C or look for yet another source?
I dont think I’m alone with this weight thing, but clearly doesn’t affact the majority.
Maybe I have a faulty gene, or faulty jeans lol
thanks
Hi,
I have 2 questions (even though I am a “little” late on commenting here ; ):
I noticed that there is no difference being made between ascorbic acid (which most vitaminC supplements are made of) and natural vitamin C, as it occurs in Camu Camu for example.
I have read quite often lately that synthetic vitamin C can have bad effects on the body. At least very different ones compared to natural vitamin C.
QUESTION 1: Is synthetic as good as natural Vitamin C for the body?
And what I haven’t understood up to now: it is said that high doses Vitamin C are just flushed out of the body, because it can only retain/use a certain amount at a time, even if you take several doses over the day.
QUESTION 2:
Can the body “USE” these high dosages at all?
(Sorry for my english, not a native speaker)
Maybe you have an idea, I would appreciate your answer.
Thanks, Ava
Vitamin C is good nutrition, they are abundant in oranges that we often eat. But if you add too much vitamin C to your body, it’s not good, even harmful. Once, the doctor told me like that, Dr Andrew
I understand you know the correct dosage by watching your output. My situation is different. I am 63 and have an ileostomy for 39 years. I get a rush of watery stool when I take powdered Vit C. It reminds me of a shiver – a shock to my system. What would be a good indicator for me to know when enough is enough? Thanks for any answer provided —
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What a great podcast! The information is truly helpful. Thank you very much for sharing and keep up the good work.
I have the Synergy Pure Radiance C capsules. These are only such low dose 120g capsule, and recommended 1 a day. What dose would I start at.
Just wondered if anyone is familiar with the heart technology recommended through the Linus Pauling institute. I’m not sure if their products are a good price or if I should go with a basic vitamin C powder.