VITAMIN C PREVENTS AND TREATS THE COMMON COLD

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VITAMIN C PREVENTS AND TREATS THE COMMON COLD

 

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, January 25, 2006

 

VITAMIN C PREVENTS AND TREATS THE COMMON COLD

 

Overwhelming evidence shows that vitamin C prevents common colds and

reduces a cold’s severity and duration.

 

(OMNS) Twice Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling found that ascorbate

(vitamin C) in a daily amount of 1,000 mg was repeatedly reported in

double-blind controlled studies to decrease the incidence of colds by

about 45%, and the integrated morbidity (duration) by about 63%. (1)

Dr. Pauling, a strong proponent of using vitamin C to prevent and

treat colds, wrote the definitive book on the subject. (2) Dr. Pauling

quoted chest specialist Frederick R. Klenner, M.D., who for 27 years

had used ascorbic acid for the treatment of virus infections: “I

have several hundred patients who have taken 10 grams or more of

vitamin C daily for three to fifteen years. Ninety percent of these

never have colds; the others need additional ascorbic acid (vitamin

C).†(3)

 

In the years since Pauling and Klenner, research has reconfirmed that

vitamin C is the safest, cheapest and most effective way to fight the

common cold. (4) Gorton and Jarvis conducted a controlled study of 715

subjects to investigate the effect of mega dose vitamin C in

preventing and relieving cold and flu symptoms. When the test group

presented with symptoms, they were treated with hourly doses of 1,000

mg of vitamin C for the first 6 hours and then 3 times daily

thereafter. Those not presenting any symptoms were given 1,000 mg dose

of vitamin C three times a day. The results of this study were that

flu and cold symptoms in the test group decreased by 85% compared to

the control group. The authors also mentioned that, “For more than

30 years vitamin C in mega dose quantities has been recognized as an

effective agent against colds and flu.†(5)

 

Even more recently, Van Straten and Josling found that subjects

receiving a vitamin C supplement for 60 days during winter C had

significantly fewer colds as compared to placebo. And if they did get

a cold, it was of shorter duration and less severe than those in the

placebo group. The authors concluded that vitamin C was effective. (6)

 

How to Stop a Cold

 

The best way to prevent a cold is to take plenty of vitamin C.

Avoiding dietary refined sugar is also helpful. (7) One popular

preventive method is to take 1,000 mg of vitamin C every eight hours.

If you feel a cold coming on, take 2,000 mg of vitamin C every waking

hour and continue this dosage until the cold is gone. (8) Many people

successfully use even more frequent doses. If you arrive at bowel

tolerance with vitamin C (loose stool), reduce the dosage by 50 per

cent. Taking large quantities of vitamin C lessens the duration of the

cold and its symptoms. The higher the total daily dose, the better the

result.

 

Why It Works

 

Vitamin C strengthens connective tissue, increasing resistance to

viral invasion. Vitamin C also strengthens the body’s immune system,

neutralizes free radicals, and kills viruses (9, 10). These four

important functions of vitamin C work together to safely and

effectively reduce the frequency, severity, and duration of a cold.

 

References:

 

1. Pauling L. The significance of the evidence about ascorbic acid and

the common cold. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 68, No. 11, p

2678-2681, November 1971.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed & pubmedid=4941984

 

2. Pauling L. Vitamin C and the common cold. W. H. Freeman, 1970.

 

3. Pauling L. Ascorbic acid and the common cold.

http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/MM/B/B/G/V/_/mmbbgv.pdf

 

4. Hemila H. Vitamin c and the common cold. Br J Nutr. 1992

Jan;67(1):3-16.

 

5. Gorton HC and Jarvis K. The effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing

and relieving the symptoms of virus-induced respiratory infections.

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 1999; 22(8): 530-3

 

6. Van Straten M and Josling P. Preventing the common cold with a

vitamin C supplement: a double-blind, placebo-controlled survey. Adv

Ther.

2002 May-Jun;19(3):151-9.

 

7. Ely JT. Ascorbic acid and some other modern analogs of the germ

theory. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, 1999; Vol 14 (3): 143-56.

http://faculty.washington.edu/ely/JOM4.html

 

8. Cathcart RF. Vitamin C, titrating to bowel tolerance, asascorbemia

and acute induced scurvy. Medical Hypotheses, 1981. 7:1359-1376.

http://www.orthomed.com/titrate.htm

 

9. Klenner FR. Significance of high daily intake of ascorbic acid in

preventive medicine. Megascorbic therapies: Vitamin C in medicine: Vol 1,

1. http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/news.htm

 

10. Klenner FR. Clinical guide to the use of vitamin C.

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/198x/smith-lh-clinical_guide_1988.htm

 

 

What is Orthomolecular Medicine?

 

Linus Pauling defined orthomolecular medicine as " the treatment of

disease by the provision of the optimum molecular environment,

especially the optimum concentrations of substances normally present

in the human body. " Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective

nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information:

http://www.orthomolecular.org

 

Take the Orthomolecular Quiz at

http://www.orthomolecular.org/quiz/index.shtml

 

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Editorial Review Board:

 

Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.

Harold D. Foster, Ph.D.

Bradford Weeks, M.D.

Carolyn Dean, M.D. N.D.

Erik Paterson, M.D.

Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D.

 

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., editor. Email: omns

 

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