Vitamin C and Avian Flu

[Guest guest]

 

Patrick Holford [info]

20 October 2005 16:59

Kebbell, Jo

Can Vitamin C Kill Bird Flu?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can Vitamin C Kill Bird Flu?

 

 

By Patrick Holford

 

 

In the July issue of my newsletter I interviewed Dr Thomas Levy, who

has provided the definitive proof in his book ' Vitamin C, Infectious

Diseases and Toxins: Curing the Incurable'.[click here to read the Levy

interview] He is one of the world's experts in effects of vitamin C on

viruses. Here's what he says " Regarding the bird flu, I have not found any

virus for which vitamin C does not exert a virucidal effect, as long as

enough vitamin C reaches the virus, such as in any acute infection. I don't

know about Tamiflu, but the vitamin C is virtually devoid of negative side

effects. "

 

Although there no studies yet published specifically treating Asian

bird flu with vitamin C, immune expert Dr Robert Cathcart, who has treated

thousands of cases of life threatening infectious diseases with high dose

vitamin C says " Treatment of the bird flu with massive doses of ascorbate

would be the same as any other flu except that the severity of the disease

indicates that it may take unusually massive doses of ascorbic acid orally

or even intravenous sodium ascorbate. I have not seen any flu yet that was

not cured or markedly ameliorated by massive doses of vitamin C. "

 

Antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, work by inhibiting something called

neuraminidase, produced by viruses and essential for their ability to

replicate. So too does vitamin C but this is only one of more than ten ways

that vitamin C knocks out viruses, both by inhibiting the virus itself, and

by strengthening the body's own immune response, for example by improving

the number of function of immune cells (eg macrophages, lymphocytes and

neutrophils), upping interferon and nitric oxide and making more antibodies

which target viruses. Vitamin C also has direct antiviral effects and has

been shown to inhibit viral replication in laboratory studies, such as

HIV-infected immune cells. In the case of HIV viral infection was inhibited

by 99% within four days, according to research published by the National

Academy of Sciences. (It is really a tragedy that this research hasn't been

followed up with a large scale human trials, but the sad truth is that, even

though vitamin C has been shown to outperform AZT in lab studies , there's

no money in it. So it appears that there is sufficient biological

plausibility for its role against the flu, but since we don't have the

controlled human trials, it's not proven. It's a tragedy that these studies

aren't done for life-threatening diseases such as HIV and bird flu, but the

sad truth is there's no money in it because vitamin C is cheap to make and

not patentable - unlike drugs such as Tamiflu. Vitamin C, in high doses, has

been well proven to be non-toxic in both adults and children over many

years. The same cannot be said for this new generation of antiviral drugs.

 

However, we do know that vitamin C reduces the severitiy of colds and

flu. Over 20 controlled trials using at least 1 gram a day against the

common cold have been published, showing that the duration is typically

decreased by about 25% and symptoms are much less severe. You are going to

need much more than this if you contract any kind of flu. One recent human

trial found that students who took hourly doses of 1,000 mg of vitamin C for

the first 6 hours and then 3 times daily had a decrease in symptoms of 85%

compared to students in the control group. In the case of bird flu that

might well be the difference between life and death.

 

It's highly likely that vitamin C would be effective against bird flu

if you can get the dose high enough. Dr Mark Levine, who works for the

National Institutes of Health in the US, has shown that you can get plasma

levels up to 200mcmol/l with 3 grams of vitamin C six times a day, at which

point vitamin C becomes profoundly anti-viral. However, with intravenous

infusion of 100g a day concentration goes up to 15,000mcmol/l. No virus has

yet been shown to survive at that level.

 

The ideal amount of vitamin C for any flu is up to 'bowel tolerance'.

Start with 1 gram an hour. If you get diarrhoea halve this dose. If you don'

t, double it. There are some forms of vitamin C, notably sodium ascorbate

with riboperine, and lipospheric vitamin C that allow even more to be

absorbed without reaching bowel tolerance. They are marginally better than

straight ascorbic acid. Some people find ascorbic acid too acidic, in which

case an ascorbate, such as sodium ascorbate, can be taken. It might be

useful to have a supply at hand if an epidemic does break out. There is no

harm in having 100 grams a day short-term, stopping once all symptoms are

gone. If even this didn't stop the flu I'd find a doctor who could

administer intravenous sodium ascorbate. The trick with any infection is not

to get it in the first place by keeping your immune system strong. I take 1

gram of vitamin C twice a day. If Asian flu breaks out I'm doubling that to

4 grams - one every 6 or so hours, and taking 1 gram an hour if I get any

symptoms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information read my book Boost Your Immune System

 

Wishing you the best of health,

 

 

 

 

 

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