Vitamin C: Good for What Ails You

Did you know that some animals produce their own Vitamin C? They never get heart disease. No atherosclerosis. No heart attacks. Just singing a song all the day long.

Sad to report, humans aren’t part of that happy group. Heart disease runs rampant amongst humans. Hark, Sherlock, might that not ...Did you know that some animals produce their own Vitamin C? They never get heart disease. No atherosclerosis. No heart attacks. Just singing a song all the day long.

Sad to report, humans aren’t part of that happy group. Heart disease runs rampant amongst humans. Hark, Sherlock, might that not be a clue?

When things are this binary–produce Vitamin C and avoid heart disease vs. don’t produce Vitamin C and be in a world of heart disease hurt–it behooves us to check it out. (I cannot tell you how delighted I am to get the word ‘behooves’ in, but I digress.)

So here’s the simple answer: We have to take Vitamin C or suffer the consequences. Our inability to produce it on our own is supposed to be some kind of genetic defect. Who knew?

So let’s take a look-see here.

Well, as I just mentioned, Vitamin C protects the body from heart disease. Impressive, eh?

Vitamin C also helps the brain recover from anesthesia, so after any operation, stoke up on C. Better by IV, but do what you can.

And Vitamin C helps build collagen, the better to stave off the downside of aging, and I use the word ‘downside’ advisedly since everything heads south at an alarming rate. If you’re north of 25, be sure to take Vitamin C.

Not to mention that Vitamin C provides antioxidant benefits, which means if you eat, breathe or do anything else that creates free radicals, be sure to throw some Vitamin C down the hatch. Since antioxidants are death to free radicals, here’s to your health and all that.

And of course, there’s the old standby of taking tons of Vitamin C at the first signs of a cold.

And did you know Vitamin C helps the endocrine system–thyroid, adrenals, etc.? You betcha! The endocrine system craves nutrition. Drools over the thought even. If you could peer into your inner being, you might even see some slobbering going on. Very intense.

Plus, Vitamin C helps fight off anemia. Treatment for anemia should always include Vitamin C. Not all doctors know this.

This Vitamin C sounds like pretty good stuff.

Calling Linus Pauling! Calling Dr. Linus Pauling!

Some words of advice: Should you decide to take this wondrous substance, always take the complex, that is, Vitamin C with bioflavonoids. Vitamin C on its own can have a downside. And a little dab of Rose Hips ain’t bioflavonoids, though labels might make you think so.

Also, take a buffered form. Vitamin C is acidic; you do not want to make your body acidic. That way lies disease.

One good form of Vitamin C is EsterC. It’s naturally buffered, has some extra minerals to enhance its effects, and tends not to upset even the most delicate of stomachs. It’s just a little pricey, though. If not EsterC, get any buffered capsule in a health food store.

Start with, say, 250mg with a meal. After a few days, add another 250mg at another meal. Keep on keeping on that way. You’ll know when to stop because when your body reaches its limit, diarrhea sets in. Then you back off 250mg and maintain. After a few months of your body becoming used to the new regimen, raise it again and see how it goes.

Everybody differs in how much Vitamin C fills their needs. I personally take 6000mg a day (2000mg with each meal). Plus, I add 1000mg every four hours if I sense some dastardly germ seeking to do me in. (When you’re under any sort of stress attack, your body needs more C.)

Finally, don’t buy nutritional supplements anywhere but a health food store or an online equivalent.

People pay the big bucks for advice this good, so pay attention. Your heart–along with many other organs–will thank you.