Dr. Steve Hickey & Dr. Hilary Roberts
2004
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Review
Interview

A simpler and less expensive version of this book:

Vitamin C: The Real Story
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2008

Steve Hickey, PhD
Andrew W. Saul, PhD

This is the first book-length explanation of how the "dynamic flow" principle of how Vitamin C works in the body, with particular emphasis on its use for treating and preventing disease. Most of the physicians and researchers who are responsible for the growing understanding of the importance of ascorbate to human health have reviewed or contributed to the manuscript. The explanation is grounded in the chemistry of the body, but has been simplified to a degree that a layperson can understand it with good attention. 

Personally, I am a big fan of Vitamin C and have observed that it has greatly diminished spider veins, reversed the beginnings of gum disease, prevents or heals bruising, and functions as an effective anthihistamine. It is tough to go completely against a medical system that has been ridiculing Vitamin C ever since the establishment attacked Linus Pauling, Nobel Prize-winner who wrote the textbook for Organic Chemistry. But if you read a book like this, or seek out all the information that's on the web, you'll be in a position to decide for yourself what makes sense.

The authors give an excellent summary of the purposes and methods of scientific testing, and in that context review the conflicting results of research studies on Vitamin C and explain how different outcomes have resulted from specific protocols. They point out what is often forgotten in the fog of disinformation about inexpensive nutritional remedies—Vitamin C is a GRAS substance, labeled by the FDA as “Generally Recognized as Safe.” That makes it a much safer alternative than any over-the-counter or prescription drug.

Vitamin C is of course a necessary nutrient, the prolonged deficiency of which causes a disease called scurvy. Scurvy symptoms are “progressive body weakness, soft and spongy gums, and loose teeth. Blood vessels rupture and, in extreme cases, whole organs seem to be mixed together, with an appearance similar to that of an invasive tumour. The loss of blood through ruptured vessels leads to severe anemia. Scurvy has clinical effects similar to infectious diseases such as polio, or even the haemorrhagic fevers caused by emerging viruses such as the dreaded Ebola. Many of the symptoms of scurvy arise because the body needs vitamin C to help make its most abundant protein, collagen. Collagen is a large string-like molecule, used throughout the body to tie components together, for example in tendons and blood vessel walls. Without collagen, our bones would be brittle, and we would collapse into an unstructured heap of cells.” (p.20)

Hickey and Roberts make the useful distinction between a “nutritional dose” of ascorbate and a “therapeutic dose,” where one is treating a disease. The requirements of the body for ascorbate increase dramatically when the body is stressed or diseased. Animal studies have demonstrated this because all other animals except guinea pigs and primates manufacture their own C.

The authors include a clear explanation of the oxidation theory of disease, and show how Vitamin C’s unique action as an anti-oxidant supports many different body systems. They propose what they call the “dynamic flow” model to explain how Vitamin C acts when large doses are used, which produces a therapeutic effect rather than a nutritional effect, and which makes sense of the many clinical observations of the varying effects of ascorbate.

The salient points are these:

• Vitamin C is used quickly by the body, so a suffcient dose needs to be taken regularly, at least 3-4 times over the course of the day to keep blood levels high.
• A normal dose for a healthy person would be in the range of 5 to 15 grams, or 5,000 to 15,000 mg., best taken in divided doses through the day.
• There is only one undisputed "side effect" for these optimal doses of vitamin C, which is diarrhea. The dose needed to produce this effect is variable, depending on individual requirements and the state of health. The level at which diarrhea occurs is called "bowel tolerance level," and this can be used to indicate the amount needed at that time for supplementation. A daily dose that maintains levels slightly below bowel tolerance is the maximally effective dose that can be taken by mouth.
• For acute infectious illness or serious disease such as cancer, the body can use up to 200 grams per day for fighting the disease, but since the digestive system usually cannot tolerate that amount, ascorbate is made into a solution that can be given intravenously under medical supervision.
• [A note about diarrhea: Diarrhea is usually associated with nausea, food poisoning, flu, and other unpleasant conditions, so that many people may regard this as a serious side effect. Diarrhea produced by ascorbate is just loose stools. It is a very effective laxative and can function to wash out the bowel. Bowel tolerance levels of ascorbate are usually accompanied by a feeling of well-being. It can be an inconvenience, but it is nothing to fear or avoid.]

They include chapters on the use of C to treat heart disease, infectious diseases, and cancer. (However, they also have a more recent book devoted to cancer which would be a better choice if that is your concern.) They include 30 pages of reference notes if you want to refer to the research studies. See also the chapter from Linus Pauling’s book which includes the table of doses of C for different conditions, and other Vitamin C links.

The book is somewhat expensive, but I recommend it highly if you want a clear, comprehensive explanation of how ascorbate works to keep the body healthy. Of course any therapy involving C is extremely controversial, which is interesting, considering that C has an established reputation for safety, and case studies and research have validated many therapeutic results for decades. You can also get access to an inexpensive online, non-printable version here.

NEWS on Vitamin C:  lipospheric, or ascorbate encapsulated in phospholipid molecules, is now available.

This fat-soluble form of C is higly bio-availalble and is rapidly absorbed through the small intestine directly into the bloodstream, which makes it for practical purposes as good as IV Vitamin C, and much more easily obtained -- you do not have to fight with your conventional doctor! 1,000 mgs of lipospheric C is equal to 5-7 grams of regular C .Licensed practitioners can buy it wholesale. I do not recommend paying $40 per package, which is is what they charge on the site - if you want to try one box, Google for resellers who sell it for less.

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