Saturday, January 08, 2011
For years we've been told that we need to take calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and other vitamins, to protect our bones and slow bone loss. But do we need vitamin C also? These vitamin and minerals are key nutrients essential for bone collagen matrix. When we have a sufficient amount of collagen, in...
Dear Pam!
This is one of your best articles yet! But than all your articles are so excellent that it is difficult to say which is the best! I had talked about this a long time back in an article I posted on NOF but no positive results were expected at that time!
I am so glad you have brought up this topic again with a fresh outloo0k and fresh research. I am routinely taking 500+500 mg of Vit C daily after lunch these days to help ward off the cold and infections -- and they do seem to work. That these doses might be helping the bones also is another feather in the cap.
There was a great deal said about Vit D during the days of Prof Linus Pauling and his Institute still lauds its properties. I think it was when he began talking about Vit C and cancer that his theories did not find support and many also said that they did not cure or prevent colds!
I had gone so overboard with Vit C at the time that I was giving my dear father aged 60, sixteen tablets of Vit C per day totalling 16 X 500 = 8000 mg per day for years. He was so good that he took them uncomplainingly even though they gave him gas and he even choked on them while swallowing. I shall never forgive myself for that. He had prostate cancer and I thought these were helping eliminate that as Prof Pauling had said. I was in direct contact with him at the time. After 10 years an ultra sound showed that my father had no signs of prostate cancer at all!! I dont know what this was due to -- he was not on any medication except for half a tablet of stilbesterol phosphate tablets which were just estrogen. I dont know what I should think.
But your saying that it builds up the bones and tissues does make sense-- and we might be on the verge of an important discovery.I don think the Pauling Institute is doing any research on this -- you might wish to look up their site of that name!!
Thank you so much-- your article might yet put new life into osteoporosis patients who are all too wary of taking calcium and Vit D and Magnesium and even Vt K2.
Best wishes and thanks,
Yours,
Priya
Hi Priya, Thanks again for your support, your loyalty never ceases to amaze me.
Your father was an incredible man...Do you think the vitamin C cured the prostate cancer? Even if you don't know the answer to what happened, the story is astounding!
My mother was an ardent fan of Linus Pauling and had all his books. She had us taking large doses of C from a very early age. I'm not sure how it helped, but I know I rarely got a cold. I still take C, in fairly large doses, and I've always understood that it is important for our bones.
See this link to the Framingham Study on Osteoporosis and C which is dated 2009 - much more recent than the study I referred to in the article. I think you'll really like this study, be sure to read it - OK?
You're right there is a lot of evidence on the benefits of C and how great it was you were in direct contact with Pauling.
Thanks again...
Dear Pam,
Thank you for your kind reply. I am re-assured by your reply that I did not do wrong with my father by giving him large doses of Vit C - especially now that you mention your mother also taking high doses. You have said you also take large doses -- may I know how large? As large as mine -- at 1000 mg per day?
Thank you I shall go to the latest Framingham 2009 study! Your links are terrific!
Best wishes,
Yours,
Priya
Hi Priya, I usually take 1,000 mgs a day, but if I'm having sinus problems or feel like I'm getting a cold I take up to 5,000 mgs (btw the cold never happens just feels like it is). I do remember going over the 5,000 mgs when I had a cold, but that was a very long time ago. I really don't get them too often, like once every 10 years or so. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I don't have this problem too often.
When I was younger and got more colds, my mom thought taking 1,000 mgs every 4 hours or so was ok. I don't have to do that anymore. I wouldn't recommend this amount though since your system has to be able to tolerate it and mine does. Remember C is water-soluble.
It does help with allergies and sinus problems so that's what I use. When I'm just taking a normal dose it's 1,000-2,000 depending on how I feel. I also forget to take it too, so keep that in mind. My husband thinks I take too much and if he took that much it would cause excess elimination problems.
Dear Pam!
Many thanks again! I will now go on taking 1000 mg per day as you are doing on a maintenance basis! It is just the advice I needed! I am asking many others in the house to do it as well. Old followers of Linus Pauling do it all the time even here in India!! You and I are two such followers I would imagine! Thanks again!
Best wishes and warm regards,
Yours,
Priya