My Experience with Megascorbate Therapy [Long]

[Guest guest]

I want to report my recent experience with megadosing vitamin C to treat

a cold. I seem to get 1 to 3 colds per year, despite being a very

healthy and athletic person, and I'm always miserable when I get a cold.

My signs and symptoms seem stronger than most people's (although

according to one school of thought that means my immune system is

stronger) and a cold will always last at least five days if not two

weeks. Well, I'm happy to report that I came down with a full-blown cold

on Tuesday and now, Friday, I'm all better. Unprecedented for me!

My treatment consisted of: hydrogen peroxide in ears, zinc lozenges, and

megascorbate therapy.

MONDAY: Telltale first signs of cold, slightly sore throat, a few aches

maybe, but I was busy and ignored them. Should have started moderate

vitamin C and hydrogen peroxide. Took a zinc lozenge or two.

TUESDAY: By afternoon I was sniffling and sneezing. Started hydrogen

peroxide in ears, did it twice and once Wednesday morning. Started

taking zinc lozenges regularly. Went to bed early.

WEDNESDAY: Came home from work at 3:00. Still taking zinc. Started

megascorbate therapy in the evening. In a glass I mixed about 16g of

ascorbic acid and about 7g of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and added

water. It was ironic because I was studying for a chemistry exam this

night and I used my knowledge to calculate the proper mole/mole ratio of

the acid and the base. Sodium ascorbate tastes pretty bad so I made

the vit. C-to-baking soda ratio slightly larger to keep a nice lemony

taste rather than a dry salty taste. I think I made and consumed 4 or 5

batches (4-5 hours) before hitting the sack.

THURSDAY: Woke up after only 6 hours of sleep to finish studying and my

head was quite clear. I contined 16g of C per hour for two more hours

and then stopped to allow my bowels to settle down. Took my chem exam,

went to work, where I took a little more ascorbic acid (probably just a

few grams per hour) to taper off. I was essentially all better and went

out to dinner and a concert with my parents. Woo-hoo!

I'm happy because although I've taken megadoses of C before, this is the

first time where I really stuck to it religiously and saw the immediate

and definitive results. Of course, the zinc and H2O2 are confounding

variables but I've never had such fantastic results with them so I don't

think they could explain the bulk of my recovery.

For several years I haven't taken any daily supplements owing to my

belief that I should be spending my money on good food, not supplements.

But now I think I'm going to take a small (1-10g) dose of C daily,

especially in the colder months. Ascorbic acid is very cheap, and

there's no evidence that Ester C or other forms are better absorbed.

To clarify, the recipe I came up with to satisfy the 16g Vitamin C per

hour was: add slightly less than 4 teaspoons of ascorbic acid powder and

a scant half tablespoon (1.5 teaspoons) of baking soda to an empty cup.

Add 1 cup or more of water and stir. It fizzes like alka seltzer due to

the acid/base reaction. Then drink this solution over the next hour, as

evenly spread out as possible. Your goal is to have a constant flow of

vitamin C to your body. When it's gone, make up the next batch and

repeat. The dosing recommendation I got from the Vitamin C Foundation,

who says take 8g every half hour to treat colds.

The only drawbacks are having to constantly check to make sure you're

drinking enough vit. C, and then of course the effect on your GI tract.

But hey, a day of gurgly bowels and watery anal discharge (it's not as

bad as it sounds) is nothing compared to two weeks of snotty misery! But

if you can catch a cold in the earliest stages you will avoid having to

deal with that since you won't need as much C and for not as long.

I love how hardcore megadoses of C are. To think, the USRDA is 60

milligrams per day, and here you are taking 16 GRAMS per hour! But if

you look at it as a macronutrient, 16g isn't all that much. The

Wikipedia entry on vitamin C provides a good overview and mentions the

notion that C could more properly be considered a macronutrient than a

vitamin in humans. It's really fascinating that we can't produce vitamin

C, unlike almost every other animal and plant, and it's amazing that we

can do as well as we can without endogenous vitamin C synthesis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_c

Tom