You can get higher doses when using intravenous vitamin C or liposomal vitamin C.
As a general rule, the experts do not recommend high doses of vitamin C unless it is in liposomal form. They also do not recommend long-term or chronic high-dose vitamin C supplementation as this may cause nutritional imbalances.
For example, taking large doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) on a regular basis lowers the level of copper, so if deficient in copper and take high doses of vitamin C, you can actually compromise your immune system.
So, whereas temporarily taking megadoses of liposomal vitamin C to combat a case of the cold or flu will be helpful, for year-round support, get your vitamin C from food instead.
Kiwi fruits, for example, are exceptionally high in vitamin C.
Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that a kiwifruit-packed diet reduced the duration and severity of upper respiratory tract infections symptoms in older individuals.
Other foods high in vitamin C include: citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, papaya and sweet potatoes.
According to Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, a biochemist who was the 1st to isolate vitamin C and who received a Nobel Prize for his work with the vitamin, “health” occurs when there is an ample flow and interchange of electrons in your cells. Impaired or poor electron flow and interchange equals “disease,” and when the flow and interchange ceases entirely, your cells die.
Oxidation, caused by free radicals in your body, involves the loss of electrons.
Antioxidants counter the disease process caused by oxidation (loss of electrons) by supplying electrons.
Vitamin C is a major antioxidant, and perhaps the most important electron donor to maintain optimal electron flow in your cells.
As reported by Orthomolecular Medicine News Service: “High dose vitamin C is a remarkably safe and effective treatment for viral infections. In high doses, vitamin C neutralizes free radicals, helps kill viruses, and strengthens your body’s immune system. Taking supplemental vitamin C routinely helps prevent viral infections.”
For severe types of influenza, such as swine flu, very high dosages of intravenous vitamin C are recommended, typically between 200,000 to 300,000 milligrams or more. For this see a physician, and vitamin C, at saturation, can even replace antiviral drugs in many cases.
The importance of sleep also should not be underrated.
Studies show that not getting enough sleep, which for most adults is around 8ht hours per night, will quickly decrease your immune function, leaving your system wide-open for environmental influences, including cold and flu viruses.
Missing as little as just 1 hour of sleep per night increases the expression of genes associated with inflammation, immune excitability, diabetes, cancer and stress.
An interesting animal study published in Y 2012 found that the circadian clocks of mice control an essential immune system gene that helps their bodies sense and ward off bacteria and viruses. When the level of that particular gene, called toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), was at its highest, the mice were better able to withstand infections.
As noted by lead author Dr. Erol Fikrig from Yale University School of Medicine: “These findings not only unveil a novel, direct molecular link between circadian rhythms and the immune system, but also open a new paradigm in the biology of the overall immune response with important implications for the prevention and treatment of disease.”
