The Vitamin-C Requirements Skyrocket

Animal experiments indicate that during severe stress the vitamin-C requirements increase fantastically, often as much as 70 times more than needed during health. If a similar increase occurs in humans, approximately 5,000 milligrams would be needed daily during acute illnesses. This vitamin is nontoxic, 31 and taking massive quantities has sometimes resulted in amazing recoveries, but large amounts are rarely needed more than a few days.

Vitamin C is available in powder form and in tablets supplying 100, 250, and 500 milligrams each. During an acute infection, 500 milligrams every two or three hours taken in addition to the antis tress formula is usually ample, though perhaps 250 milligrams extra are needed with each dose of medication. Should bruises, bleeding gums, or nosebleeds occur, the quantities of both vitamins C and E should be immediately increased. When health is fully achieved, 75 milligrams of vitamin C daily is considered adequate by the National Research Council.

The Bioflavonoids

New laboratory methods have shown that the bioflavonoids, formerly thought to aid vitamin C, have no value in this respect. Some still unidentified nutrient associated with them--perhaps pectin--has apparently been responsible for improvement reported in hundreds of studies.

The richest source of this unidentified nutrient appears to be the pulp of citrus fruit, and especially the white of orange rind; hence eating whole citrus fruits or unstrained juice is preferable to drinking strained juice.

Vitamin D

Though vitamin D is formed in the oil on the skin by summer sunshine, this oil is readily washed off even by cold water. Winter sunshine produces no vitamin D; and this vitamin does not occur in ordinary foods. Healthy persons working indoors during the summer have been found to have no vitamin D in their blood. Yet this vitamin is essential to maintaining well-mineralized teeth and bones. The only good natural sources are fish-liver oils, though vitamin D is readily formed when vegetable oils are irradiated.

Physicians have given patients with arthritis such excessive amounts of vitamin D–100,000 to 500,000 units daily --that weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, demineralization of bones, and calcification of soft tissues have resulted; and in some instances, the toxicity has been fatal. Women given 25,000 units daily because of porous bones have developed toxic symptoms, which disappeared within two weeks after the vitamin was withdrawn. Toxicity has occurred in infants receiving approximately 4,000 units daily. Even moderate amounts taken during pregnancy have been suspected of causing infants to be mentally defective, though it seems more likely that this abnormality may have resulted from a lack of vitamin E.

Vitamin-D toxicity can be prevented if vitamin A, cholin, and particularly vitamin Care adequate. Furthermore, the natural vitamin D obtained from fish-liver oils is much less toxic even in huge amounts than small quantities formed by irradiating oils; and any vitamin D is less toxic if given in oil rather than dispersed in water. The fear of toxicity has become so great that I feel there is grave danger of getting too little rather than too much. The 400 units daily recommended by the National Research Council has been shown to be inadequate for adolescent girls and for persons with porous bones; and during illness, the need for vitamin D is increased by stress.

The ideal vitamin-D intake is unknown. Research indicates that 2,500 to 5,000 units daily is advantageous for adults. Although I now rarely recommend more than 2,500 units daily and that only from fish-liver oil supplying 25,000 units of vitamin A as well, my daughter and I take 5,000 units daily. Since vitamin C detoxifies any excess, fearful persons could take the two together. Capsules supplying more than 5,000 units of vitamin D are now sold only on prescription; hence danger of toxicity has become remote.

About The Author
David Crawford is the CEO and owner of a Natural Male Enhancement company known as Male Enhancement Group which is dedicated to researching and comparing male enhancement products in order to determine which male enhancement product is safer and more effective than other products on the market. Copyright 2010 David Crawford of Male Enhancement Pills This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.