Primal Panacea - ORTHOMOLECULAR LIVING

ORTHOMOLECULAR LIVING

Search

Primal Panacea, Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D. (notes)

[primal: 1. Being first in time; original; primeval. 2. Of first importance; primary.] [panacea: A remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all.]
"Overwhelming documentation proves that in high enough doses vitamin C prevents and cures cancer, heart disease, infection, and degenerative diseases, and can neutralize and even reverse damage from virtually all toxins, venoms, and even radiation!" -- from the cover
Dr. Garry Gordon, M.D. (Forward) It's all about money -- and control. Most drugs only mask symptoms, ignoring the real underlying causes of disease, all the while generating new illnesses and conditions that will require another drug. The drug companies know this, and knowingly hide it from you. p6 ...more than a quarter of U.S. kids and teens are taking a prescription medication on a chronic basis, with nearly 7% of those on two or more drugs....half of all Americans take drugs on a consistent basis; approximately one-third use two or more pharmaceutical drugs daily, and more than 10% of all Americans are frequently on five or more drugs at a time. In light of those statistics, it should come as no surprise that...fatal adverse drug reactions are now the leading cause of death in the U.S. today. p6-7 The unsavory relationship between government control, mainstream medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry, has been uncovered by none other than Harvard Medical School's Dr. Marcia Angell, who is also the former Editor-in-Chief at the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most respected medical journals on earth....Revealing the financially-driven corrupt ties between current healthcare practices in the U.S. and industry-backed clinical research, she wrote: "No one knows the total amount provided by drug companies to physicians, but I estimate...that it comes to tens of billions of dollars a year in North America alone. By such means, the pharmaceutical industry has gained enormous control over how doctors evaluate and use its own products. Its extensive ties to physicians, particularly senior faculty at prestigious medical schools, affect the results of research, the way medicine is practiced, and even the definition of what constitutes a disease." p7 Mainstream medicine and the media, under the control of the FDA and their pharmaceutical company "clients," have done everything in their power to keep things like vitamin C...from being routinely used as the first line of response to any health issue we encounter....They do not want the public to know the unbelievable power that high doses of oral and intravenous vitamin C...provide, to help mankind deal with some of our most challenging chronic and acute health problems. p8 ...all these amazingly effective, virtually non-toxic therapies that are all too frequently utilized in America only after all "standard" medical approaches have failed. p9 There is no question in my mind that vitamin C is truly as close to a cure-all that we have today. Every health problem will respond to treatment and recover better when patients are receiving adequate levels of vitamin C. p9
...Dr. Hal Huggins (a dentist), a true medical pioneer who fully realized that many illnesses begin in the dental chair....He had concrete evidence that many standard dental procedures profoundly and negatively impact the general health of the body. p12 Advanced cases of multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease....I had never seen, or even heard of, such patients showing significant clinical improvement -- regardless of the protocol or intervention. p13 Dr. Huggins consistently demonstrated a vastly greater knowledge of physiology and chemistry than any physician I had even known... p13 ...vitamin C....marked the beginning of my second, and certainly most important, medical education.... ironically, a dentist taught me more about clinical medicine and physiology than all the medical doctors in my life combined....It is arguably the most important nutrient that we can ingest. p15 Contrary to the blindly repeated mantra of the mainstream medical community that "there are no studies," I discovered a wealth of information, much of it in the most accepted and respected medical journals. Study after study demonstrated vitamin C's ability to singularly eradicate, neutralize, or otherwise cure, an incredibly large and diverse array of infectious diseases, especially viral diseases. Furthermore, there appeared to be no type of poisoning or toxin exposure that a high enough amount of properly administered vitamin C could not remedy. p15 In the 1940's, Frederick Klenner, M.D., pioneered the use of mega-gram intravenous doses of vitamin C to effectively treat, and often cure, many different infections. These included ones even now considered to be incurable, such as polio, tetanus, and encephalitis. He also led the way in demonstrating the ability of vitamin C to act as the ultimate antidote in reversing the toxicity of otherwise fatal doses of agents such as carbon monoxide, pesticides, barbiturates, and even heavy metals. p15 ...I have successfully treated a number of conditions that modern medicine still approaches only with bed rest, supportive care, and the guarded optimism that the immune system may eventually prevail....Even Lyme disease has shown great response to vitamin C therapy....With Lyme and other chronic infections such as AIDS and chronic hepatitis C, vitamin C can often restore the patient to a symptomless or near-symptomless state. This state can allow them to "coexist" indefinitely with their infections and even enjoy a normal lifespan....Infections rarely have the opportunity to take hold when vitamin C levels are normal in the body. Similarly, most cancers begin when there are areas of increased oxidative stress in certain tissues, which is another way of saying that not enough vitamin C is present in those areas....it is also a deficiency of vitamin C in the inner lining of the coronary arteries ("focal scurvy") that provokes and allows the development of blockages leading to a heart attack. p16-7 In 2009, intravenous vitamin C, cured a comatose swine flu patient who was literally at the point of being removed from life support. He had also been diagnosed with whiteout pneumonia and "hairy-cell" leukemia....New Zealand....The attending doctors had wanted to "pull the plug" that had been sustaining the patient's life for the prior month, but the family insisted that Klenner-sized doses of vitamin C be tried first. The clinical response was quick and stunning. Almost immediately, the patient's lungs began to clear, and he recovered enough to be taken off life support. Furthermore, his leukemia appeared to have resolved along with the swine flu. Even with this miraculous turnaround, and no other explanation, nearly all of the doctors reviewing the case concluded that his recovery was a coincidence -- that his healing had nothing to do with the infusions of vitamin C. p17-8 After over 15 years of researching and personal observation, I can categorically say that high-dose vitamin C is a clinical miracle when compared to all of our modern drugs. Furthermore, volumes of studies exist that say it works. It's one of the safest substances known to man -- we have yet to discover a toxic dose for vitamin C, a bit of a miracle in itself. Even when hundreds of grams have been administered within a few days, the only side effect is good health. Its cost is microscopic compared to the cost of most prescription drugs and therapies. Many of the diseases and conditions that vitamin C has been shown to cure remain "incurable" with conventional medications. So why is there an almost universal refusal to consider the merits of high-dose vitamin C, or even to look at the evidence for it? I'll leave it to the reader to answer that question. But regardless of motive, this is inexcusable! Unless and until the public forces the medical profession to be the noble profession it pretends to be, nothing will change....vitamin C, ask yourself why such a therapy is not better known and more extensively used. The evidence unequivocally shows that mega-gram doses of vitamin C can prevent and cure a vast list of conditions that plague mankind. It is both inexpensive and completely safe. My conclusion: vitamin C is the "Primal Panacea." p18 Consult the medical reference book found in the office of most MD's and you'll find there is "no effective treatment" for the majority of, if not all, viral infections.... How criminal...when one of the * Most studied * Safest * Least expensive * Wildly effective antimicrobials has been available for decades! High dose vitamin C has been proven to be a successful treatment -- and in many cases a complete cure -- for most viral and many bacterial infections. So why does it continue to be ignored?...ridiculed?... shunned?...penalized? Unfortunately, there are four deadly conditions that seem to be unaffected by high-dose vitamin C: * Ignorance * Cynicism * Fear of being proven wrong * Greed. p26 Why the doctors resumed vitamin C at a dose that was only ten percent of the earlier beneficial dose defies logic, if Mr. Smith's welfare was the only significant concern. When Mr. Smith [New Zealand] improved to the point that he could be moved to a hospital closer to home, the new set of doctors again discontinued vitamin C therapy. Predictably, Allan started to worsen. This time the family had to hire an attorney to force a resumption of the C therapy....To the doctor's amazement, Allan walked out of the hospital several weeks before they thought it possible. Furthermore, there was no longer any evidence of hairy cell leukemia....Perhaps the most amazing part of this story is that those in the medical community with bedside seats to this amazing drama were unconvinced that vitamin C had any part in Allan Smith's return to health! p27-8 "People are dying because of the attitude of the medical profession." (Dr. Ian Brighthope) p29 [Semmelweis!] I went before the hospital board to try and get Vitamin C administered to him intravenously. I was told that they were sure it was a good treatment, but they knew nothing about it, and they did not allow treatments of which they had no knowledge." (Maureen Kennedy Salaman, President of the National Health Federation) p31 ...sepsis...claims the lives of one American every 2.5 minutes. Other victims of sepsis are "saved" through amputation....Every day high-dose vitamin C could be saving the lives of sepsis victims. Every day countless fingers, toes, hands, feet, arms, and legs, could remain attached and healthy if the medical community would simply hear and respond to the facts with scientific integrity. p32 Vitamin C has been shown to prevent, put in remission, and even cure, many viral infections. Here is a partial listing: * AIDS/HIV * Ebola * Encephalitis * Hepatitis * Herpes * Pneumonia * Polio * Shingles * Swine Flu On the other hand, drug companies have yet to develop any drugs that will reliably kill viruses. Instead, vaccination is modern medicine's answer to viral infections....this strategy is not without significant health risks. In addition....this year's flu vaccine -- which was created from last year's virus -- may have little or no effect against the flu virus currently making the rounds. p32-3 Given the fact that modern medicine has no effective therapy for all viral and many bacterial infectious diseases, why aren't doctors turning to high-dose vitamin C to save the lives of their patients? For decades, men in places of influence have tried to keep the knowledge of high-dose vitamin C locked away. When that has not worked, they have tried to discredit it. p33 ...polio....During the late 1940's and early 1950's...it rose to epidemic proportions. Many of the polio victims "fortunate" enough to survive their acute infection spent the remainder of their lives crippled.... high-dose vitamin C. The clinical results were awe-inspiring and the response of the medical community was totally dumbfounding! On June 10, 1949, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Frederick Klenner, MD, presented a summarization of his polio work at the Annual Session of the American Medical Association (AMA). At that time he had cured 60 out of 60 cases of polio with high-dose injectable vitamin C. He made the following remarks: "It might be interesting to learn how poliomyelitis was treated in Reidsville, N.C., during the 1948 epidemic. In the past seven years, virus infections have been treated and cured in a period of 72 hours by the employment of massive frequent injections of ascorbic acid [I assume Klenner meant buffered with sodium bicarbonate!], or vitamin C. I believe that if vitamin C in these massive doses -- 6,000 to 20,000mg in a twenty-four hour period -- is given to these patients with poliomyelitis, none will be paralyzed and there will be no further maiming or epidemics of poliomyelitis." (Note: These doses were used on infants and small children, equating to doses well in excess of 100 grams daily for an adult.) Polio cured! 72 hours of less! Simple injection of vitamin C! No further maiming! No more epidemics! Shockingly, there were no questions, no challenges, no suggestions to investigate the protocol ... not even a question from those doctors in attendance!. p33-4 I can hardly describe the flood of emotions that came over me when I first came across Dr. Frederick Klenner's work with polio patients....What overwhelmed me now was the new realization that vitamin C had been shown to cure this disease BEFORE countless people had been killed or crippled by it. Even now...I get angry! If just a few in the medical community would have opened their eyes, it could have been much different. This criminal negligence should cause the researchers, politicians, drug company executives, government officials, and physicians, who have fought to keep vitamin C out of the mainstream, to hang their heads in shame. p35 ...study of high-dose vitamin C and shingles was published in 1950. The researcher reported a complete resolution in 327 out of 327 shingles patients treated with intravenous vitamin C -- all within 72 hours from the start of treatment. What are the chances your doctor will recommend high-dose vitamin C if you were to walk into his office with a full-blown case of shingles? If your doctor is a traditionally trained MD, I can safely say there's no chance. Why?...Because...he doesn't know. p36 He asserted that any AIDS patient could be put into remission if enough vitamin C were taken to neutralize the toxicity produced by the virus, and adequately treat any secondary infections. Basically, Dr. Cathcart routinely contained the HIV infection, allowing most of his patients to live out a normal lifespan in an asymptomatic state. Although not technically a cure, his patients peacefully coexisted with their infections. p37 Vitamin C can also prevent and cure non-viral infections....bacterial, parasitic, and other non-viral infections... p37 ...all pathogens produce excessive oxidative stress, depleting available blood and tissue levels of vitamin C in the process....when extremely large doses of vitamin C are used to combat the infection, immediate and curative results almost always ensue. And even when small doses are employed, vitamin C will often noticeably improve the patient's condition. Furthermore, it is clear, that a certain blood concentration or tissue saturation of vitamin C is always needed before a positive clinical response can be observed. So, when tiny doses have been tested against many different infections, researchers often report that vitamin C had no positive clinical effect. Many seemingly unethical studies appear to have employed this fact to discredit vitamin C's efficacy by purposely testing with very small amounts. The researchers then conclude that vitamin C was of no value at all, rather than just ineffective at a tiny dose. p38 ...the traditional medical community flat-out refuses to use vitamin C. Some researchers and clinicians claim there is a purposeful "stonewalling" against this natural substance. As Dr. Klenner said, "Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is the safest and the most valuable substance available to the physician. Many headaches and many heartaches will be avoided with it proper use." p39 Klenner....In discussing the dramatic effects of vitamin C on barbiturate poisoning (and carbon monoxide poisoning)...commented that "the results are so dramatic that it borders on malpractice to deny this therapy. Dr. Klenner's assertion that it "borders" on malpractice was much too kind. The scientifically proven efficacy of vitamin C...screams "criminal negligence" when such therapy is ignored. But the herd mentality of most physicians provides great comfort and legal security in the world of medical incompetence. p44 Like his results with polio, Dr. Klenner's many successes using vitamin C as an antitoxin were met with deafening silence. But it is not just Klenner that has been ignored. Thousands of articles about the truly remarkable properties of vitamin C have been ignored as well....Even worse, many supporters of "traditional" medicine consistently attack vitamin C -- they not only belittle its value, but they also question the intelligence of anyone who would dare to promote its values. Unfortunately, this unforgivable and even malicious negligence means countless men, women, and children will continue to die needless, and often horribly painful deaths. p45 ...there are no examples in the literature of an antibiotic effectively neutralizing a deadly toxin....We'll never know how many mushroom-poisoning victims have left this world writhing in pain because emergency physicians were (and continue to be) ignorant of vitamin C. p46 ...statistics show that the vast majority of people will never be victims of an acute, potentially fatal, poisoning crisis....We all face a much different challenge: a very slow, minute-by-minute, microgram-by-microgram, poisoning from an array of other sources....the toxicity of our modern world....Vitamin C has the proven ability to neutralize virtually any toxic substance, and even the dangerous effects of radiation. Arguably, it is the safest substance on the planet. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that copious vitamin C supplementation should be part of everyone's defense against the daily onslaught of environmental toxins. It's not complicated. Credible science proves a direct correlation between vitamin C blood levels and mortality rates. p47 But rather than follow the science, our government, with the backing of the medical establishment, pushes a totally unfounded mantra: "The average dietary intake provides 100% of our requirement for vitamin C, and much more just creates expensive urine." p48 ...vitamin C...is a safe...life-saving strategy, as long as you give enough of it, for a long enough time. p48 A change in the way healthcare institutions treat patients is long overdue. The needed change will NOT be initiated by drug companies, politicians, government bureaucrats, medical schools, insurance companies, hospital administrators, or mainstream medical practitioners....Until then, personal vitamin C supplementation is more than an option; it's an opportunity that will pay huge dividends. p49 A large population study at Cambridge University supports the conclusion that much of the illness, seen in our sickly populations, is related to low vitamin C levels in the blood. The Cambridge study showed that individuals with the highest blood levels of vitamin C had nearly half the death rate of those with the lowest levels -- from all causes. In other words, high vitamin C levels slashed the number of deaths from cancer; deaths from heart disease, deaths from infectious diseases; deaths from kidney or liver failure; deaths from brain disease ... deaths from all causes ... by nearly 50%! The study doesn't reveal...if still higher levels might even produce better results... p51-2 ...vitamin C....An adult goat, with a body size roughly that of an adult human, makes about 13,000 mg daily. And the US government still advises a recommended daily allowance (RDA) of only 75 to 90 mg! Furthermore, when under a significant challenge, C-making animals can push output to 10 times (or more) beyond baseline levels. When faced with life-threatening diseases or severe toxic challenges, goats can produce as much as 100,000 mg of vitamin C a day! This natural increase in vitamin C output, in the face of disease and toxin overload, explains why so many wild animals tend to remain vibrantly healthy until they succumb to old age. It also highlights the human need to supplement vitamin C.with variable daily amounts based on current health status -- low challenges and minimal stress call for lower daily intake, while progressively greater levels of illness and stress require increasingly more. p53-4 Many doctors will not even believe their own eyes when it threatens what their textbooks dictate. p56 All coronary arterial blockages have a solitary root cause! What is this root cause? Is it excessively high triglycerides or fats in the blood? No. These are only indicators of disease risk since they play an important role in the worsening of arterial narrowings -- but only after the disease has taken hold. What about high serum cholesterol or high blood pressure? No. These too, are only factors that worsen rather than initiate blockages. Currently there are over 20 commonly accepted risk factors for this major killer ... but none of them, individually, or in combination, initiate coronary heart disease....the solitary root cause of all coronary arterial blockages is a vitamin C deficiency in the coronary arteries! p57-9 For decades, "traditional" medicine has addressed coronary heart disease by treating symptoms and attempting to limit risk factors without addressing, or even acknowledging, its root cause: a focal scurvy of the coronary arteries. p59 A thorough review of the scientific evidence indicates that coronary arteries with uninterrupted, abundant access to vitamin C would NEVER develop artery-plugging plaques. If all of us maintained a C-rich environment in our coronary arteries, the massively lucrative heart disease industry would dry up over night. p60 ...all of the accepted risk factors for coronary heart disease contribute to a vitamin C deficiency and/or are made worse by it. p63 Root canals cause more heart disease and cancer than any other single factor....Of course, dentists who perform root canals believe the procedure is completely safe. At least, that is what they say. They have been taught to discredit any challenges as being silly, radical, uninformed, and even ridiculous. p65 The continual and severe vitamin C deficiency caused by diabetes is responsible for most of this disease's negative impact on the body. p69 **Vitamin C deficiency in the coronary arteries is the SOLITARY ROOT CAUSE of all coronary heart disease. p69 Vitamin C alone, and in combination with other supplements, has reversed arterial blockages. p70 Don't expect "traditional" medicine to embrace and promote vitamin C....Shiploads of ego and unimaginable quantities of money stand behind maintaining established heart disease treatment methods....Yet, an even greater resistance -- more money and greater ego -- oppose the proper use of vitamin C against cancer... p70 ...vitamin C selectively kills cancer cells and simultaneously strengthens healthy cells. No other substance can make these claims, thus proving that ... Nature's Powerful Cancer Answer is High-Dose Vitamin C p74 Vitamin C Inhibits Both Tumor Growth and Cancer Spread p78 One of the amazing properties of vitamin C is that it can protect healthy cells while simultaneously and selectively causing rapid cell death in cancer cells....this seemingly contradictory function... p79 Vitamin C is the ultimate chemotherapeutic agent: It improves and protects the health of normal cells while producing the most toxic of substances inside the cancer cells! p80 A few studies have failed to confirm earlier findings of vitamin C's efficacy in the treatment of cancer. However, all of these studies used inadequate doses of vitamin C... p81 As in the treatment of infectious diseases and serious toxin exposure, a dose size that is too small will guarantee unsatisfactory results. Since vitamin C is inexpensive and completely safe -- even at intravenous doses of 300 grams -- there is absolutely no reason to skimp. That is, unless one wants the therapy to fail, as in the Allan Smith case discussed earlier** [New Zealand]. p82 Vitamin C has been shown to prevent cancer and to selectively kill cancer in both the laboratory and the body....Vitamin C is safe, inexpensive, easy to use, and prevents, mitigates, and even cures a mind-numbing list of diseases and conditions. p82 It is a law of nature and a law of science that all things lose energy and eventually disintegrate. When it happens to iron-containing metals, it's called rust; as it becomes visible in humans, we call it aging. The primary force in the aging process -- and all the degenerative diseases associated with aging -- is a process called oxidation. By direct and indirect mechanisms, all of vitamin C's ability to prevent and control degenerative diseases -- as well as infectious diseases and toxic exposures -- is tied to its powerful ability to counteract oxidation. p83 Molecules consist of two or more atoms held together through a sharing of their electrons. In simple terms, oxidation occurs when a molecule loses one or more of its shared electrons....This electron deficit is so destabilizing to some molecules that they initiate a vigorous chain reaction of stealing electrons from all the molecules around them. These highly reactive electron thieves are called free radicals and they inflict damage via what is called oxidative stress. Ultimately, all pathogens and all toxins cause their damage by initiating and increasing oxidative stress within the cells of the body. And at a minimum, oxidative stress is a major factor in every degenerative disease known to man. On the other hand, molecules that can donate electrons are called antioxidants. By contributing electrons to unstable, electron-depleted free radicals, antioxidants can neutralize them, defuse the attack, and often reverse the damage that had already been inflicted. When an antioxidant has its full complement of electrons, it is said to be in the reduced form. When an antioxidant has lost its free electrons, it is in the oxidized form. p84 It is scientifically established that oxidative stress initiates many, but worsens all, chronic degenerative diseases. p84-5 There are countless sources of oxidizing agents. The agent could be a toxin like mercury, a pathogen such as strep, or a free radical generated by an earlier oxidizing process -- including necessary metabolic functions such as breathing or the cellular conversion of glucose into energy. p85 The body has an elaborate defense system for neutralizing oxidative stress by synthesizing an antioxidant like glutathione and an antioxidant enzyme like sodium superoxide dismutase....A continuous exposure to certain toxins [and/]or pathogens, however, can overwhelm our natural antioxidant defenses, ultimately resulting in a chronic, degenerative disease. As the body grows older, its production of antioxidants diminishes, thereby further increasing the risk of damage through oxidative stress and inadequate antioxidant intake. p86 The pill-for-every-ill, lessen-the-symptom-until-the patient-dies protocol promoted by the medical establishment, unashamedly admits defeat from the start. Instead of prevention or cure, we're given a handful of prescriptions for expensive maintenance drugs. These non-nutritive foreign substances supply their own toxic, disease-promoting effects. p86 The fact that the causes and promoters of degenerative disease are directly tied to oxidative stress is well-established. It logically follows that these diseases can be more effectively treated and often prevented by maintaining sufficient antioxidant levels throughout the body. Vitamin C is not only a universal antimicrobial and ultimate antidote, it is also a particularly important antioxidant. p86-7 ...women who took vitamin C supplements had greater bone mineral deposits....Proper blood levels of vitamin C are essential to bone health. It is so important that I believe existing research could easily conclude that osteoporosis is a focal scurvy of the bones. p89 There is no credible argument disputing that oxidative stress is the major culprit in the development of osteoarthritis, polyarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis....the relationship between vitamin C deficiency and arthritis is clear cut. p90 ...in "PubMed"....In the mix of studies...are a few that attempt to discourage vitamin C's use in prevention and treatment....It's not hard to conclude that researchers exploit this anti-vitamin C bias to promote their sponsor's costly prescription drugs. p91 Unfortunately, peer-reviewed medical journals are littered with...pseudo-scientific rubbish where vitamin C is concerned. p92 However, there are well designed studies that do show us that Alzheimer's disease and the other dementia related diseases involve high levels of oxidative stress....Vitamin C is highly concentrated in the brain....Antioxidants do make a big difference in preventing and slowing the development of Alzheimer's. p93 Excess oxidative stress exerts a pathological effect wherever it is found in the body. Left unchecked, it results in degenerative disease. Nature has provided a universally effective remedy to combat these increasing concentrations of pro-oxidants: vitamin C, the primary anti-aging antioxidant! And, without a doubt, the powerful antioxidant capacity of vitamin C is the main reason that it can prevent, and often reverse, the oxidative damage characteristic of ALL degenerative diseases. p93-4 Vitamin C plays a crucial role in maintaining normal biochemistry everywhere in the body. To summarize, vitamin C has always been the universal antimicrobial, the ultimate antidote, the prime protector of arteries, nature's cancer answer, and primary anti-aging antioxidant. In other words, Vitamin C is the Primal Panacea....The exciting news is: Intelligent, high-dose supplementation can come close to achieving the same level of health seen in wild animals that synthesize whatever vitamin C they need. p94 Unfortunately, some who profit from the big business of "treating" diseases, work to keep the truth about high-dose vitamin C little-appreciated and little-utilized. This is accomplished in several ways. The first way involves the propagation of lies -- lies that keep people sick; lies that doom people to pre-mature death. p94 Lie #1: There are no vitamin C studies. Medical professionals are quick to justify their disinterest in high-dose vitamin C with this fable. This statement, or any like it, is so absurdly false, and so easy to disprove, that it boggles the mind why any educated medical practitioner would repeat it!...for a person trained in the healing sciences, this degree of ignorance -- or dishonesty -- borders on the criminal! It is undoubtedly the most flagrant display of medical malpractice. p95 ...the medical community....define the word "study" very narrowly. By their clever definition, a published, peer-reviewed finding only counts as a study when it is a large, randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind clinical trial....For example, if 500 people have a confirmed case of herpes, all are given large IV drips of vitamin C in a hospital, all are closely monitored, and all are cured within 72 hours, the data does not count as a study for many doctors. The fact that there's not a drug anywhere that has ever cured any case of herpes in any amount of time does not appear to be relevant to the general medical community....how vigorously medicine resists and blocks change that does not come from its traditional channels. p96-7 The tight definition of "study" eliminates all but a tiny portion of scientifically valid research. Never mind the fact that large, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials rarely exist to justify the use of many, if not most, prescription drugs. The fact remains: there are over 50,000 studies in the medical literature indexed by the U.S. government's "PubMed" medical library on the impressive qualities of vitamin C. Even if all the studies were unimpressive -- and they're not by even the most perverse stretching of the truth -- it remains a bald-faced lie to say there are no studies concerning vitamin C. The claims in this book are backed by well over a thousand published peer-reviewed studies. p97-8 Vitamin C is held to a much higher standard than all of the prescription drugs. And even when that standard is met, the results are largely ignored, with the ever recurring refrain of "more studies are needed" punctuating the end of so many dramatic studies. p98 ...millions upon millions of lives could have been spared and hundreds of billions, or even trillions of dollars saved, if the population was supplementing with adequate doses of vitamin C, and doctors were using it in their treatment protocols. But, sadly, I believe this is exactly why vitamin C is yet to be properly embraced, and may never be. In a nutshell, it would ruin the big business of medicine. p98 Lie #2: No Evidence that Vitamin C Works. Are they totally blind? Yes!...How can any health professional say "No evidence," when studies published in medical journals show vitamin C cured 60 out of 60 polio victims without any lingering complications within five days... resolved 327 out of 327 cases of shingles in three days... cured 7 of 7 cases of rheumatic fever just as quickly... and on and on? This is only three of many cases of a 100% success rate. Shouldn't these studies merit -- at a minimum -- a second look? As far as I can tell, none of these particular results have been retested or challenged in a published study. In the drug-approval realm, a demonstration of a very slight improvement is enough for rave reviews. But a 100% cure rate gets no attention... no questions... no follow-up studies. This...for the use of a completely non-toxic substance -- one that has cured disfiguring diseases still considered incurable... p98-9 Perhaps some can find "no evidence" because it is easier to travel with the herd -- to accept and repeat a lie -- than it is to search for the truth. Myths and lies eventually become accepted as truth when repeated often enough. I've personally witnessed hundreds of "medical miracles" as a response to high-dose vitamin C. Doctors all over the globe have told me of similar experiences. This book references hundred of studies that show vitamin C works. Truth is, there is plenty of evidence for anyone who is willing to see it! p99 Regardless of any claims to the contrary, no one who has done a critical appraisal of the scientific literature can say anything other than, "Vitamin C is one of the safest substances on earth." p101 Lie #4: Vitamin C Supplementation Causes Kidney Stones The "vitamin C causes kidney stones" myth... p101~ ...a study was conducted by Harvard Medical School, keeping it from being automatically undermined and discredited. A large population of women (85,557 to be exact) with no history of kidney stones was monitored for 14 years. The researchers concluded that "vitamin C intake was not associated with risk" of kidney stone formation....Previously, another large scale study found that: the intake of high-doses of vitamin C does not increase the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones." In fact, the members of the group with the highest vitamin C intake "had a lower risk of kidney stones" than those with the lowest intake. p102 ...high-dose vitamin C has been administered all over the globe for decades with no noticeable increase in the incidence of kidney stones. p102 The medical community has continued to stonewall the use of vitamin C for decades because it doesn't fit into their "treat but don't cure" model. p106-7 ...the vast majority of "negative" studies are only negative in the sense that vitamin C was determined to be ineffective. Often conclusions are so broad that they leave out important facts. Instead of conveying a dose-specific truth such as, "A daily vitamin C dose of 50 mg was found to be ineffective in the treatment of lung cancer," the researchers and media will convey what is effectively a lie by saying, "Vitamin C is ineffective in the treatment of lung cancer." Since successful treatment is ALWAYS dose-dependent, this omission of dose in the conclusion is misleading at best, and basically dishonest....Does this happen? Yes! And frequently. p107 From my own experience, exhaustive research in the medical literature, and thorough consultation with doctors in this country and throughout the world, I am absolutely convinced of one thing -- when enough vitamin C is given, in the right form, and for a long enough time, vitamin C helps virtually every condition, resolves many of them, and prevents still others....Furthermore, I have never found a single article showing properly dosed and administered vitamin C to fail to improve the status of a toxic or infected patient. p108 All the objections against using vitamin C are clearly myths that are easily debunked. The resistance from the "traditional" medical community against vitamin C will not be so easily thwarted. Trillions of dollars per year are dependent upon maintenance of the status quo. Decades of propaganda have blinded physicians and patients to the truth. Unfortunately, millions of lives -- and even the financial solvency of our nation -- are in the balance. The time has come for people to insist on science-based medicine structured to improve the health of patients rather than the bottom line of huge, multi-national pharmaceutical corporations. p109 ...either the FDA is grossly incompetent or it has another agenda. Or maybe some of both? p110 ...official FDA policy allows...advisors to have a continuing financial interest (consulting fees, stock ownership, etc.) in the companies that are submitting new drugs for approval. Anyway you look at it, this arrangement cannot be considered anything other than a classical conflict of interest, regardless of the motives of the people involved. p113 ...a substance like vitamin C that can render better results -- without side effects -- for a fraction of the cost [and therefore] puts the whole drug money-making monopoly in jeopardy. Studies...clearly indicate that the incidence of heart disease, strokes, cancer, and chronic degenerative diseases could drop by 50% or more if the entire population was taking high-dose vitamin C. It is extremely doubtful that the current pharmaceutical industry could survive such a bitter pill. So, when a nutrient, like high-dose vitamin C, clearly has the potential to eliminate much of the enormous revenues of a whole host of drugs, wouldn't there be a tremendous temptation to discredit, disparage, and even destroy such a threat? Certainly the spawning and spreading of "Lies that Kill" would be a powerful strategy. p114-5 Because Big Pharma has huge amounts of money at its fingertips, they fight the war on many fronts, including influencing public opinion. Drug companies spend billions on medical school scholarships and research grants. Billions are also spent on advertising (TV, newspapers, magazines, as well as ads in peer-reviewed journals). No matter how benevolent the advertising appears, this money directly and indirectly influences medical school curricula, health news content, researchers and research directions, popular opinion, the way doctors practice medicine, and the way the FDA processes new drug applications. p115 Might this huge pharmaceutical industry influence explain why medical students get almost no training in nutrition? Might it also explain why thousands of studies showing the effectiveness of vitamin C are totally ignored by the "gold standards" of medical information, Cecil Medicine and Harrison's Principles of Internal medicine? In a world where money talks, the drug propaganda is understandable but never forgivable. p115 The Big Pharma-controlled FDA has a history of blatant Gestapo-style "enforcement" activities that occurs purely for the protection of Big Pharma's turf. Some of these actions of our pro-pharmaceutical government against the public are so terrifying that it is hard to believe that they still occur in freedom-loving America. p115 To maintain their lucrative monopolies, Big Pharma, the FDA, and the National Cancer Institute simply have to protect the cancer drug business....they will go to very great lengths to keep a legitimate cancer cure away from the public. Millions upon millions have died who could have been cured during the 28 years that the FDA -- in an attempt to protect the pharmaceutical industry's wildly profitable cancer cartel -- tried to lock Dr. Burzynski away forever. This is far beyond criminal. In any other context, causing the death of millions of people is called GENOCIDE! p121 Vitamin C is uniquely suited to kill pathogens, neutralize toxins, and supercharge the immune system. It serves well in not only preventing cancer and heart disease, but also in treating, arresting, and even resolving pre-existing heart disease and cancer. Even when diseases are beyond the point of reversal and cure, vitamin C will always reduce symptomatology and improve the quality of life. It usually extends the length of life as well. Its antioxidant capabilities fight oxidative stress and the degenerative diseases caused by that stress in ways that put it in a class by itself. We know that people who have the highest levels of vitamin C have much lower mortality rates because it keeps them from getting sick in the first place. p126 Why is this one substance so effective and important? Because the intended role of vitamin C has always been the Primal Panacea! Man's body was designed to function best with high blood and cellular levels of vitamin C -- synthesized as needed by the liver. Due to an inborn error of metabolism, the vast majority of us no longer have the ability to make it, but that does not lessen our need for vitamin C or the benefits derived from it. p 126-7 Unfortunately, the use of high-dose vitamin C is at cross-purposes with an industry that CANNOT EXIST without a chronically ill population. Don't be fooled. The government and the traditional medical industry are looking for cures about as diligently as crack dealers search for a non-addictive form of cocaine. Even though the traditional medical world is starting to give lip service to "health and wellness," the truth is that sickness and disease pay the bills. p127 ...what if just 25% of the population was significantly healthier? How would that impact the medical system? One would hope it would rejoice -- but it couldn't! Would any pharmaceutical company embrace a cure for heart disease or cancer when their financial existence depends on selling heart and cancer drugs? How could the current medical establishment not see the Primal Panacea as a threat? Fortunately for them, many people will never know about the power of high-dose vitamin C, and will never avail themselves of its benefits. The myths will continue to circulate and the masses will continue to believe. But what about those of us who do know?...we need to learn the best ways to drink from this wonderful life-giving fountain. p127 Vitamin C is the Primal Panacea -- the primary defense in man's constant fight against toxins, pathogens, and oxidative stress. Because man must replace the vitamin C he once synthesized in abundance, this substance occupies an especially important position in the body's list of required nutrients. p128 ...bowel tolerance....a watery diarrhea, called a C-flush....Daily bowel tolerance dosing can be inconvenient, but a good strategy includes periodic utilization of this type of vitamin C supplementation.... A C-flush will cleanse the bowel and minimize its contribution to the body's toxin exposure as well. p132-3 Sodium ascorbate powder is inexpensive and easy to use -- preferred over all other non-liposomal forms. p133 Bioflavonoids are good antioxidant nutrients -- although they can help vitamin C improve the antioxidant capacity of the body, they are not necessary for this. A "natural vitamin C complex" is really just a marketing ploy that needlessly increases the price of vitamin C supplementation. p134 Ester C is mainly composed of calcium ascorbate (which I do not recommend for other reasons) and may slightly improve absorption. The other components make it needlessly expensive. p134 Supplementation of vitamin C is essential. It will; protect people from dreaded pathogens, provide an inexpensive yet effective treatment for many diseases, and neutralize toxins of every kind. It can also provide an effective answer to some of the difficult challenges that currently threaten our nation. Good health and effective medicine do not have to bankrupt our system. People don't have to spend their last decades in line at the pharmacy picking up a handful of expensive maintenance prescriptions. The nursing home doesn't have to be the last stop before the grave. High-dose vitamin C, the Primal Panacea, can change these outcomes for the vast majority of people. Prove it for yourself -- and then share your discovery with others. p134-5 　 All infections and all toxins cause their damage by increasing oxidative stress. No exceptions! There is not a single infection (viral, bacterial, or other), or a single toxin, which does not generate substances known as "reactive oxygen species (ROS)."...ROS can only do one thing (and they do it well), and that is to damage biological molecules by the process of oxidation. The same basic process that rusts away metal outside of the body breaks down biomolecules inside the body. p139-40 Oxidation: The process of a substance losing electrons. Reduction: The process of a substance gaining electrons, or having them restored. All toxins are pro-oxidants, meaning they oxidize (or cause to be oxidized by ROS they generate) biomolecules, taking away enough of their electrons to impair or completely prevent their normal function. p140 Vitamin C is an especially useful antioxidant since its simple chemical structure allows it access to nearly all parts of the body, including inside the cell as well as inside the cell's subcellular compartments. p142 ...some basic laws of physiology: * Electrons are the fuel of life. The "combustion" of this fuel is simply the flow (exchange) of electrons by biomolecules * All excess oxidative stress causes electron depletion and inhibits optimal electron flow * All toxic effects are caused by excess oxidative stress That's it. There is no other way in which a toxin can be toxic beyond the impairment of electron supply and flow in the biomolecules of the affected tissues. And this is precisely why properly-dosed vitamin C, before the point of irreversible tissue damage, will neutralize the toxicity of any toxin exposure or poisoning encountered. It doesn't matter what chemical structure or molecular type the toxin is. Big, small, water-soluble, fat-soluble, ionic, neutral -- it doesn't matter. p142-3 More potent toxins can produce larger amounts of oxidative stress by generating ROS or free radicals that initiate chain reactions, rather than just producing increased ROS, molecule for molecule. p143 ...any clinical poisoning or toxin exposure can be rapidly remedied by getting enough vitamin C...in the areas of toxin concentration as rapidly as possible. When this is achieved, health, at least in the short term, can always be restored. Toxins that are difficult to reach and/or have already caused a great deal of damage when the vitamin C is first administered will be the most difficult to treat effectively. Also, when a toxin has an immediate and profound impact on biochemical pathways immediately critical to life (as with cyanide poisoning, for example), the patient may die before enough vitamin C can be administered. However, research shows that even with such profoundly toxic substances like cyanide, life can probably still be preserved if enough vitamin C **and other antioxidants are present when the toxin is first encountered. p143-4 In order to cure infections, an agent is needed to neutralize ongoing oxidative stress, repair oxidized molecules, and kill the pathogens, or at least render them more susceptible to eradication by a healthy immune system. Vitamin C does all of these things. p144 The hydroxyl radical....is the most toxic substance know to science. p146 It should also be mentioned that the ability of vitamin C to stimulate the Fenton reaction is the singular reason why there are so many studies in the literature claiming that vitamin C, in certain experimental situations, can "damage" biomolecules, cause genetic damage, or even promote the growth of cancer. Tiny doses of vitamin C in the presence of enough ferric iron and hydrogen peroxide, will always result in the production of the hydroxyl radical and result in a great deal of oxidation stress. However, large doses of vitamin C...will always result in a net antioxidant, never pro-oxidant, effect in the tissues. Even when a small part of the vitamin C (milligrams) might be stimulating the Fenton reaction, the rest of the vitamin C (grams) "mops up" the oxidative stress generated very rapidly. p147 Cancer cells, like pathogens, are also especially susceptible to the generation of hydroxyl radicals and oxidative stress to the point of cell death via the vitamin C-stimulated Fenton reaction. p149 The typical cancer cell....characteristics are not shared by normal cells, which are being strengthened by the influx of vitamin C at the same time the cancer cells are being killed. Furthermore the vitamin C has many different mechanisms of stimulating the immune system while the cancer cells are attacked and the normal cells improve their antioxidant capacity. p150-1 ...the extracellular matrix, which is the substance that contains and surrounds cells in connective tissue....The restoration of a normal extracellular matrix by vitamin C is important in reverting cells to their normal state, aside from the vitamin C-mediated killing of cancer cells... p151 As a practical point, the lack of toxicity from vitamin C, combined with its support of the immune system, along with the bolstering of the antioxidant capacity of normal cells, should be reason enough to include sizable doses of vitamin C as part of any cancer treatment protocol. Even if a traditional oncologist simply will not accept the ability of vitamin C to kill cancer cells, its benefits are still many. p151-2 ...vitamin C by itself can serve as the perfect "chemotherapy" for very many cases of cancer....vitamin C can always be expected to improve the long-term outcome. p152 ...the power of vitamin C resulting from its incredible ability to donate electrons as an antioxidant....it is this very attribute of vitamin C that accounts for most of its potent antimicrobial and toxin-neutralizing qualities. However, no other antioxidant can perform the many additional physiological and biological roles that vitamin C fills. p153 Vitamin C detoxifies histamine. This antihistamine effect... p156 Vitamin C supplementation helps prevent bone loss. p160 Supplementation with vitamin C provides a dose-dependent protection against bone fractures in the elderly -- the higher the dose, the fewer the fractures. p161 Vitamin C not only helps eliminate or neutralize the offending allergens and toxins, it also neutralizes the toxic effects of the histamine itself -- functioning as a natural antihistamine. p161 ...arterial narrowings and blockages. Studies show that high blood pressure requires** an accompanying lack of arterial vitamin C to initiate these damaging effects. Sufficient vitamin C must be taken on a regular basis to keep the collagen content in all three layers of the blood vessel at a level that will maintain arterial integrity. It is the progressive lack of wall integrity that prompts the body's compensatory response of stabilizing the arterial structure by building up with atherosclerotic plaques. Many studies help to demonstrate these conclusions. Here are a few: * ...antioxidant supplementation...reduces blood pressure * Vitamin C is effective as a monotherapy in lowering the blood pressure of hypertensive patients * Higher blood levels of vitamin C relate to lower blood pressure in humans * Vitamin C deficiency plays an integral role in the actual causation and sustaining of high blood pressure. p163-4 One of cholesterols many functions in the body is to neutralize or inactivate toxins. As a result, cholesterol levels are routinely elevated in conditions of increased toxin exposure. p164 A triglyceride, like cholesterol, is another lipid...that has been linked to heart disease....Vitamin C greatly limits, and can even prevent, the negative impact of cholesterol and triglycerides on the development of atherosclerosis. Many studies are consistent with this finding. Here are a few: * Cholesterol neutralizes a large number of different bacterial toxins capable of causing direct cellular damage * Elevated serum cholesterols are seen as a marker of, if not a direct response to, a variety of toxic exposures * Cell membrane bound cholesterol in the arterial walls binds bacterial toxins, becoming a focus of reactive immune activity, and promoting atherosclerotic damage * Increase toxic pesticide exposures correlate with increased cholesterol levels * Striking increases in cholesterol are seen in animals exposed to lead * Vitamin C deficiency results in the development of atherosclerosis -- under this deficiency, cholesterol and triglycerides accumulate in plaques, even without adding cholesterol to the diet * Injected vitamin C demonstrates a protective effect against the development of atherosclerosis in guinea pigs fed increased amounts of cholesterol * Vitamin C administration reduces the incidence and severity of atherosclerosis in rabbits fed a diet high in cholesterol and hydrogenated fat * Some form of injury to a blood vessel is needed to initiate cholesterol deposition in the vessel -- this injury is accompanied by a localized deficiency of vitamin C * Presence of vitamin C limits cholesterol penetration into blood vessels, and increases release of cholesterol already in the vessel * Vitamin C deficiency leads to increased blood levels of cholesterol * Daily vitamin C supplementation decreases cholesterol levels in humans As vitamin C blood levels increase, triglyceride levels drop... p165-7 Research shows that...inflammation-induced vasoconstriction can be corrected by injecting vitamin C directly into the artery. A vitamin C deficiency...stimulates the inflammation process... p168 Vitamin C is effective in treating autoimmune disease. p170 A regimen of vitamin C and lysine dramatically reduced anginal chest pains in three cases studies. Vitamin C restores impaired blood flow throughout the small blood vessels of the heart... p172 Diabetes....appears to exert much, if not most, of its negative impact on the body, by virtue of the associated chronic deficiency of vitamin C found in both the tissues and the blood. p172-3 ...the unique interrelationship between insulin and vitamin C...offers strong evidence that the chronic diabetic state is both the result of vitamin C deficiency, and a very strong contributor to a continuing state of significant vitamin C deficiency. p173 Greater amounts of vitamin C in platelets, directly lessen their tendency to aggregate or lessen or initiate the focus of a blood clot....Vitamin C administration has a powerful protective effect against abnormal blood clotting. p174 Administration of vitamin C to children with significant gum disease clearly improves the condition. p176 Vitamin C pre-treatment "almost entirely prevented" smoke-exposure-induced clumping of white blood cells, and a subsequent tendency to adhere to blood vessel walls... p177 Vitamin C supplementation (1,000 mg) substantially increases the ability to dissolve blood clots in healthy individuals as well as those with coronary heart disease -- this effect persists only as long as the increase of vitamin C in the blood is maintained. p178 Sometimes an individual is suffering from a medical condition that is not likely to show substantial improvement until a major portion of accumulated toxins have been mobilized and excreted. p183 ...the root canal procedure is the most important single factor in the causation of chronic degenerative diseases, especially cancer and coronary heart disease. p184 Many toxins of the same variety and toxicity level as can be seen in root canal-treated teeth are generated in substantial quantity in the sluggish, constipated gut. p185 Studies show: AIDS and HIV infection are preventable and reversible with aggressive vitamin C therapy continued for a long enough time. Clinical improvement is proportional to vitamin C dosage size -- a patient can be put into remission if enough vitamin C is administered....Vitamin C inhibits the ability of HIV to replicate in chronically infected T-lymphocytes with a mechanism not* characteristic of antioxidants in general. Vitamin C concentrations not directly toxic to HIV-infected cells are still able to inhibit virus reproduction inside the cells. p194 The major toxicity associated with ethanol [alcohol] consumption springs from the breakdown of alcohol into acetaldehyde....Vitamin C not only reduces the production of acetaldehyde, but it also appears to reduce the loss of perception and motor skills that accompany acute ethanol consumption. Studies Show: * Motor coordination and color discrimination are significantly better in men supplementing Vitamin C for 2 weeks prior to alcohol consumption...alcohol elimination from the blood is also improved by vitamin C * A vitamin C dose (equivalent to 4,400 mg dose for a 150-pound person) produces no clear improvement in motor coordination in alcohol-intoxicated lab animals; while high-dose vitamin C (equivalent to 35,000 mg for a 150-pound person) completely prevented motor coordination loss * Alcoholics both metabolize and eliminate vitamin C more quickly, indicating a much greater need for supplementation * Vitamin C blood levels are reduced by 12-15% from "moderate" alcohol consumption * Supplementation with only 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily for 3 days prior to alcohol consumption decreases the associated acetaldehyde-mediated poisoning * Vitamin C given 90 minutes before an otherwise fatal injection of acetaldehyde significantly reduces mortality in mice * Pretreatment with vitamin C lessens alcohol-induced oxidative stress, and blocks the otherwise expected DNA damage * High-dose vitamin C (equivalent to 140 grams for a 150-pound person) clearly reduces alcohol-induced poisoning in rats * Guinea pigs receiving a 5-week pretreatment with large amounts of vitamin C are able to metabolize ingested alcohol much more quickly than those receiving minimal amounts * Administration of "large amounts" of vitamin C accelerates the metabolism of both ethanol and acetaldehyde, while reducing some of their adverse heart effects * The alcohol-induced increase in blood fats is significantly reduced with supplemental vitamin C in guinea pigs * A thorough review of the literature demonstrates that adequately dosed vitamin C is the best way to detoxify alcohol, prevent future alcohol-induced damage, and repair past alcohol- induced damage. p196-7 Dementia....Its incidence increases with age. It is generally accepted that oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species (ROS) is largely responsible for the genesis and progression of dementia diseases. Studies Show: * Animal studies validate an important role for vitamin C in preventing and reducing excess oxidative stress in models of neurodegenerative diseases * A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study concludes that Alzheimer's patients who received an antioxidant formula, including vitamin C, demonstrated significantly improved cognitive scores. p200 High-dose vitamin C administration reduces extremity arthritis and its associated inflammatory edema, as well as the infiltration of the inflammatory cells into the synovial tissue in arthritic rats. p203 Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells displays uncontrolled growth, invading and sometimes destroying adjacent tissues. In its advanced stages it frequently metastasizes or spreads to other locations in the body via lymph or blood. These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which do not rapidly proliferate, invade, or metastasize. Studies Show: * Case studies demonstrate success treating and even completely resolving various cancers with high-dose vitamin C * In advanced cancer patients, high-dose vitamin C therapy compared to conventional therapy at one facility over a 3-year period shows: - 75% better breast cancer survivor rate - 867% better lung cancer survivor rate - 107% better colorectal cancer survivor rate - When breast cancer patients made this facility their first treatment option, the 3- year survival rate improved by 134%. p209 Description: Cholesterol is manufactured by the body, and it is also supplied via dietary intake. It is necessary for the neutralization of several different toxins and it is a natural anti-inflammatory agent. Unlike cholesterol linked with high-density lipoprotein (HDL, "the good cholesterol") that is transported to the liver for excretion, the cholesterol linked with low-density lipoprotein (LDL, "the bad cholesterol") is transported into arterial walls during times of a focal vitamin C deficiency in the coronary arteries, facilitating plaque formation. Traditional Approach: Statin drugs are used as "first-line therapy for lowering LDL cholesterol in patients with diabetes" as well as for other patients with high levels of LDL cholesterol. Studies Show: * Serum cholesterol levels increase with a vitamin C deficiency * Excessive cholesterol depletes vitamin C * High-dose vitamin C stimulates cholesterol transformation into bile * Vitamin C protects arteries from plaque buildup even in the presence of high serum cholesterol. p212 Description: Also called an upper respiratory infection, the common cold is caused by a virus that is passed from human to human. Irritation and swelling of the nasal passages and sinuses, scratchy throat, and cough are associated symptoms. Although the cold is considered to be incurable, it is self-limiting, meaning it eventually runs its course. Secondary infection is common, and this can be serious to life-threatening in the very young and the elderly. Studies Show: * Vitamin C shortens the duration of the common cold * The common cold requires much more vitamin C than previously suggested -- a mild cold requires 30,000 to 60,000 mg; a severe cold requires 60,000 to 100,000 mg * Early loading of vitamin C at the first sign of symptoms reduces cold and flu symptoms by 85% * Vitamin C lessens the severity and duration of the common cold * Vitamin C alleviates cold-like symptoms, delays the onset of disease, and decreases chances of death from infection p214 Studies Show: * Vitamin C deficiency has been shown to play an integral role in the actual causation and sustaining of high blood pressure. * Higher blood levels of vitamin C are related to lower blood pressure in humans * Vitamin C alone is effective in lowering the blood pressure of hypertensive patients, as established in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. p226 Description: For most people, the biggest exposure to mercury comes from amalgam dental fillings. Other sources include vaccinations and seafood. When certain types of seafood are eaten regularly, this can result in a large amount of mercury intake. Intoxication can cause brain, kidney, and lung damage, and it can lead to several diseases. Traditional Approach: "Treatment is primarily symptomatic and supportive." (Translation: There is no effective treatment.) Studies Show: * Vitamin C infusions ranging from 35,000 to 50,000 mg lessen and often completely block the acute toxic effects of mercury when amalgam fillings were being removed -- lesser doses (25,000 mg) would occasionally allow some symptoms of acute mercury toxicity to emerge * ...vitamin C in larger doses provides more pronounced protective effects against mercury toxicity * Pre-treatment with vitamin C prevents kidney damage otherwise sustained by administration of mercuric chloride in rats * A moderate pre-treatment dose of vitamin C allows 40% of guinea pigs to survive an otherwise 100% lethal dose of mercury cyanide * Testing with 100% lethal doses of mercury chloride given to guinea pigs shows a: - 100% survival with vitamin C pretreatment and continuation of vitamin C for 20 days - Almost complete survival with pretreatment only - 64% survival with no pretreatment and daily vitamin C treatment for 20 days after lethal injection - 68% survival with a single large vitamin C dose after lethal injection - Vitamin C biodegrades organic mercury compounds in rat livers (biodegradation of mercury greatly lessens mercury toxicity in the body) p233-4 Description: Mononucleosis is a viral infection that is usually passed from human to human in saliva. Classically, fever, sore throat, and swollen glands characterize infectious mononucleosis. Other common symptoms include headache, malaise, and loss of appetite. Enlargement of the spleen and/or liver may occur. Typically the fever lasts about 10 days, and the swollen spleen and lymph nodes return to normal in about four weeks. Fatigue may remain for up to three months. Traditional Approach: "The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms. Medicines...have little or no benefit." (Translation: There is no effective treatment.) Studies Show: * Large oral doses (20,000 to 30,000 mg daily) of vitamin C resolve mononucleosis in weeks rather than months * Mononucleosis symptoms completely resolved with 1 week with 3 daily vitamin C injections * High-dose vitamin C given intravenously has a "striking" influence on the typically prolonged course of infectious mononucleosis. p235 Studies Show: * Vitamin C supplementation appears to reduce the bone loss of osteoporosis * Dietary intake of vitamin C provides no significant protection from fracture risk, whereas supplementation does significantly lower fracture risk -- the higher the dose, the lower the risk of fractures * Postmenopausal women taking vitamin C supplements had greater bone mineral density * Women between the ages of 55 and 64 years of age who had taken vitamin C supplements for 10 years or more -- and had NOT taken estrogens -- had a higher bone mineral density than those who had not taken them. p245 60 out of 60 cases of polio cured within 72 hours with high-dose injections of vitamin C (6,000 to 20,000 mg per day) with no residual effects. p256 Vitamin C successfully treats 327 of 327 shingle cases -- complete resolution of the disease in all patients was seen within 72 hours of the first injection. p265 Vitamin C renders Staphylococcus-related toxin harmless. p266 Intravenous vitamin C...cures "hemolytic streptococcus" infections. p267