Vitamin C - Just about the Cheapest Antioxidant You Can Buy for Cirrhosis

Although Jake didn’t really use this much in the beginning (except for when I’d occasionally put it in his shakes), I want to put it on the list simply because it is just about the cheapest antioxidant supplement you can buy, and you can get it at any drug store or health food store. Because it is water soluble, it’s generally considered safe for most people to take. I once read in a discussion thread that one guy (with liver disease) had great results with vitamin C. 

I once heard someone say that the amount a person should take is just enough so it doesn’t give you diarrhea.  If you are on a super tight budget and can't afford a detox water machine right now, I would recommend using Vitamin C, asap.

I found two helpful pages about Vitamin C: 

The first one can be seen HERE.

This is the part I think you will want to read (highlighted):

Vincent Zannoni at the University of Michigan Medical School has shown that vitamin C protects the liver.  Even doses as low as 500 milligrams daily helps prevent fatty buildup and cirrhosis. 

5,000 mg of vitamin C per day appears to actually flush fats from the liver. (Ritter, M. "Study Says Vitamin C Could Cut Liver Damage," Associated Press, October 11, 1986)  And vitamin C over 50,000 mg/day (not a misprint) results in patients feeling better in just a few days, and actually eliminates jaundice in under a week. (Cathcart, Robert F. III (1981) 

The method of determining proper doses of vitamin C for the treatment of disease by titrating to bowel tolerance. Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry. 10:125-132.)  Frederick Klenner, MD, found that such huge doses of vitamin C had his patients recovered and back to work in under a week. (Klenner, Frederick R. (1971) Observations on the dose of administration of ascorbic acid when employed beyond the range of a vitamin in human pathology. Journal of Applied Nutrition. 23(3 and 4), pp 61-68, Winter.) These and additional references are found in the highly-recommended book by Melvyn Werbach, M.D. (1988) Nutritional Influences on Illness. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing. 

Immediate and detailed information on vitamin C dosage and administration, written by medical doctors, will be found at 

http://www.doctoryourself.com/titration.html  
http://www.doctoryourself.com/ortho_c.html  
http://www.doctoryourself.com/klenner_table.html  
http://www.doctoryourself.com/klennerpaper.html  
   

This was another great article, which you can find on THIS PAGE. 

I'm highlighting the parts I think you will want to read, below:

VITAMIN C: THE WONDER NUTRIENT Hans Larsen states: Vitamin C was first isolated in 1928 by the Hungarian biochemist and Nobel Prize winner Dr. Syent-Gyorgijc. Vitamin C plays an important role as a component of enzymes involved in the synthesis of collagen and carnitine. Vitamin C intake markedly reduces the severity of a cold; it also effectively prevents secondary viral and bacterial complications. Vitamin C works by stimulating the immune system and protecting against damage by the free radicals released by the body in its fight against infection. (54) Drs. Pauling and Cameron pioneered the use of large doses of Vitamin C (more than 10 grams a day) in the treatment of cancer patients. From their experiments at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Scotland, they concluded that terminal cancer patients who received large daily doses of Vitamin C, along with the regular treatment, lived much longer than patients who did not receive Vitamin C. These patients also had less pain, and in general, a much-improved quality of life. Larsen continues: Vitamin C is truly a wonder nutrient and there is no doubt that many of the serious degenerative diseases plaguing the civilized world today can be prevented or even reversed through an adequate intake of this essential vitamin. A scientific advising panel to the U.S. government recently recommended that all healthy adults increase their Vitamin C intake to 250-1000 mg. a day. A daily intake of 250-1000 mg. of Vitamin C may be adequate for preventive purposes, but far larger quantities are required in halting or reversing cancer and heart disease and hepatitis C. Although there has been some concern that people suffering from hemochromatosis (a tendency to iron overload) may be sensitive to high doses of Vitamin C, most researchers agree that Vitamin C is entirely safe in daily quantities of 10 grams or more. An adequate intake of Vitamin C is surely the best and most cost efficient health insurance available today. The official Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is sixty mg. per day. How much do we need? To answer this question it is crucial to realize that the RDA is not, in any way, based on what is required for optimum health. The RDA is simply the amount required to avoid scurvy, the most obvious deficiency disease. Actually the RDA is based on the Vitamin C content of the average diet. The logic goes somewhat like this: The average "healthy" North American diet provides about 60 mg. per day of Vitamin C, so since scurvy is virtually unknown in the USA today, 60 mg. per day must be adequate. So much for "science." High-potency Vitamin C produces dramatic healing in many hepatitis C patients. I used C Aspa Scorb by Progressive Laboratories, Inc. It comes in powder form and the dose recommended is one teaspoon, three times a day or approximately fourteen thousand (14,000) mg. This product also contains selenium 270 mg. You mix a teaspoon full in a small amount of distilled water or juice. Research papers have reported that RNA viruses, including hepatitis C, encode selenium-dependent glutathione peroxide genes. Research indicates that selenium may act like a "birth control pill" for the virus. When I first employed Dr. D for my liver problem, his first diagnosis was hemochromatosis. This was, according to him, an inherited disease. He asked if any of my relatives had ever had this disease. Most of my relatives were dead from cancer, so I didn't know. I experienced a horrendous iron overload in my liver. Chronic hepatitis C does cause iron overload, mostly in male patients, and there are several known adverse effects. I'm sure a lot of unknown problems result from iron overload. That is why Dr. D prescribed phlebotomies or bloodletting for me, in order to leach the iron from my liver. My bloodletting is what led to the blood bank discovering my hepatitis C. Drinking distilled water helps leach out iron and other toxic overloads from the liver. All chronic hepatitis C patients should drink distilled water during the night. (Note from Ellie - this is a great article but I would recommend detox water instead, as I heard distilled water can make people sick (Please read THIS ARTICLE). It's probably fine for just a day or two but I would not recommend distilled water on a regular basis).  As long as we're on the topic of iron retention, it is important for hepatitis C patients to avoid all iron supplements. Carefully read the ingredients in supplements because iron is added needlessly in all sorts of pills and other types of supplements such as super-foods and in particular supplements designed for women. If you have hepatitis C and don't know if you're retaining iron in your liver, get tested. A simple blood test will reveal your iron binding content. If you have a liver biopsy, be sure to remind your doctor to have an iron test done at the same time. Not all doctors know or remember to do this. In my case they did do it, but they lost it. I wasn't about to visit Dr. "Pocahontas" a second time. In order to get enough Vitamin C in my diet, I consumed at least two lemons everyday. They should be fresh and organic. Use them in tea, to marinate meat, in stir-fry, and to make lemonade, lemon honey, and distilled water. Put a slice of lemon in your glass of water; it makes water more exciting. There are live enzymes and bioflavonoids in fresh squeezed fruit that just aren't found in pills, powder, or processed supplements. Also, lemons are a good source of the mineral magnesium, which helps maintain the mineral balance in the body. Maud Grieve, a modern herbalist said, "It is probable that the lemon is the most valuable of all fruit for preserving health." (55) Vitamin C leaches calcium out of the body so it is necessary to supplement your body with calcium. Coral Complex, a pure coral from the coral reefs near Japan, has an extra benefit over the standard calcium supplements. Coral Complex aquatic nutrients causes an alkaline balance in the blood. Viruses, tumors and cancers do not like alkaline conditions. There are also 72 trace minerals in this product as well. During my treatment I took:7000 mg. of vitamin C two times per day for three months. Vitamin C can leach calcium out of your body. I suggest taking coral calcium with vitamin C as it helps promote an alkaline PH. The vitamin C powder I used contained selenium. Today, I suggest 400 mcgs of selenium per day from all sources.

We usually get our Vitamin C from Costco (the Kirkland brand), but you can get Vitamin C at any drugstore, any health food store, or online. The cheapest deal I could find for it is on Amazon (you can see it with this link):

BulkSupplements Pure Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Powder - USP Grade

Some people may prefer not to use the powdered form but I can tell you from experience that getting it in the powdered form makes it easy to put into shakes. I used to put it our spinach shakes and when you use orange juice, orange concentrate, or even TANG, it doesn't taste bitter. Without the orange flavor it would be horrible, but with it, it's great.

Ellie