Most people know that Vitamin C is good for the immune system-but did you know that it also helps with the production of new Fascia ?
So what is 'fascia' ?
Fascia is the tensional, continuous fibrillar network within the body, extending from the surface of the skin to the nucleus of the cell. This global network is mobile, adaptable, fractal and irregular; it constitutes the basic structural architecture of the human body.
Humans do not produce Vitamin C- but almost all other mammals do !
That said, we need to acquire all our Vitamin C from what we eat and drink. Our reference daily intake (RDI) is 75mg for an adult but, somewhat more if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or under stress. A goat produces 7 times more Vitamin C under stress.
There is much research about the functions of Vitamin C.
Vitamin C became known in the early 20th century when it was identified as the substance that cures Scurvy, a disorder in collagen formation, which affected people with severe vitamin C deficiency. Since collagen is the body's most common protein and is found in all types of connective tissue (skeleton, cartilage, fascia etc) collagen synthesis is highly essential. Scurvy was also associated with pneumonia in early literature so, if Vitamin C cured scurvy, it might also have an effect on pneumonia. This RDI is set to avoid scurvy, but Vitamin C has so many more functions in the body than 'just' contributing to collagen synthesis. However, humans have a more efficient mechanism than, for example a guinea pig, to recover and utilize the Vitamin C that is available. The concentration of Vitamin C in various tissues of the body also differs significantly, for example 0.2mM in muscles and heart while in the brain and adrenal glands there is up to 10nM. The eyes also contain large amounts. These large amounts in the adrenal glands suggest that it cooperates with stress hormones. There is a huge amount of research on Vitamin C and, it has been found that it has a great deal more physiological functions in the body than preventing scurvy. It is a co-enzyme that, in addition to contributing to the formation of collagen, also participates in a variety of other reactions, such as immune system function, energy metabolism, nervous system function and contributes to the synthesis of neurotransmitters, and can therefore help to reduce depression. It is a powerful antioxidant that protects against free radicals and also acts as an antihistamine. It has antibacterial and antiviral effects.
Can Vitamin C be used in the treatment of cancer, pneumonia and other diseases ?
There is a lot of research where Vitamin C has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of diseases, such as pneumonia and cancer. When Vitamin C is used for therapeutic purposes it is given in extremely high doses. More recently, intravenous treatment of cancer in mega doses up to 100-200g has shown good results. It has also increased the effect of traditional chemotherapy and diminish the side effects so that the patients will feel better.
Vitamin C , in addition to the above, has been shown to help in the treatment of other inflammations and infections such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, jaundice, poisonings, improve wound healing and burns, positive effect on diabetes, haemorrhage and bleeding gums etc...
We need more Vitamin C when under pressure ( ie ; stress, disease, exercise )
Oxidative stress occurs when the body is subjected to some form of stress, such as illness, mental stress, physical exertion, various toxins ie; alcohol, smoking, obesity.
There are always, even normally, a certain amount of free radicals produced in the cell metabolism but, when overloaded with stress, the production will increase and if it becomes too much they can seriously damage cells and cause inflammation and disease.
Antioxidants are needed to fight and neutralize these free radicals. Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is a powerful antioxidant .
It is a lot harder than you think to get Vitamin C from food.
Vitamin C is only found in fruits, berries and vegetables, and it is best with fresh and unaffected raw vegetables, as Vitamin C is quickly destroyed when it is cooked, frozen or otherwise processed. Pressed fruit juice instantly loses Vitamin C content because it oxidizes rapidly with oxygen, due to its instability. It is one of the least stable vitamins.
Yellow and red bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, curly, spinach, citrus, kiwi, sprouts, horse radish, rosehip, nettle, strawberries, and so on are all major sources of Vitamin C.
Why has Vitamin C not become more accepted for the treatment of various diseases ? Maybe it's too simple ?
According to several researchers, the maintenance needs of an adult can vary between 500mg and 10g per day, spread throughout the day, depending on the circumstances. A minimum intake of 2-4g per day is often a good daily maintenance dose for adults, preferably spread to 3-4 times a day. As soon as you feel the smallest signs of illness, the dose is increased radically and taken more frequently, at least every two hours. One way to find out what exactly you can tolerate is to dose 1-2g every two hours and note the total amount when your stomach says stop, then reduce to 50-90% of that amount. This should be the ideal dose for that particular stress level and life situation.
It is worth noting that a cigarette consumes 25mg of Vitamin C. High sugar intake also counteracts the effects of Vitamin C, which means that the intake must increase.
If you have kidney problems or stones, you can regard some caution, but there is no clear evidence that Vitamin C increases the risk of kidney stones. On the contrary, kidney stones are treated with Vitamin C. Dehydration is probably a major problem in kidney stones.
Food for thought !