How much Vitamin C should i take?
At Vitamama we follow the Orthomolecular guidelines on dosing with Vitamin C. Research papers and further information is freely available at orthomolecular.org. We recommend that you spend some time reading the research that has been collected, as its life changing. Our family dose to bowel tolerance when sick, and on a normal day we take a dose with each meal.
We always recommend pure ascorbic acid for mega dosing, however buffering the powder with bicarbonate of soda is a good solution for those with a sensitive stomach or taste issues.
Most people find that when using bicarbonate as a buffer, a ratio of 4:1 AA:BS is enough to change the sour taste and help with a sensitive stomach but, you can adjust as needed. Sometimes just a pinch is enough to take the sour taste away.
To make Sodium Ascorbate, a ratio of 2:1 AA:BS is required.
What is Bowel Tolerance?
Bowel Tolerance is the combined dosages of Vitamin C that cause your tummy to rumble, not loose bowels. It is an indicator of oral dose vitamin C saturation. Bowel tolerance is indicated by gas, a rumbling stomach, or slightly loose stool. If you take way too much Vit C, very loose stool will result, but goes away once doses are reduced. When bowel tolerance is reached, back off the extra C.
It is the amount that you want to take throughout each day in divided doses. This is a gentle and simple way to get started with Vitamin C and achieves the goal of getting blood levels as high as possible in order for healing to occur.
Cathcart RF. Vitamin C, titrating to bowel tolerance, anascorbemia, and acute induced scurvy. Med Hypotheses. 1981 Nov;7(11):1359-76. Free full text: http://www.doctoryourself.com/titration.html
How to work out your bowel tolerance over a 2 week period:
Days 1-3: Take 1 gram (1000mg) every 4 hours, getting in 4000 mg your first day. For some people, they may never need to exceed this dose, but for most, it will be a starting point.
Days 4-7: Take 2 grams (2000mg) every 4 hours, getting in 8000 mg through out the day.
Days 8-11: Take 3 grams (3000mg) every 4 hours, getting in 12000 mg.
Days 12-14: Take 4 grams (4000mg) every 4 hours, getting in 16,000 mg.
Every “body” is different and this is just a suggestion. Some people with sensitive stomachs may need to start with 500mg for the first few weeks and slowly double that.
The best way to use Vitamin C is to take some every few hours. When sick, we take it hourly.
Recommendations for doses when healthy:
Kids should get 1000mg per day for each year of life. For example:
0-1: 1000mg split up into 3 doses
2 year old: 2000mg split up into 3 doses
3 year old: 3000mg split up into 3 doses
4 year old: 4000mg split up into 3 doses
5 year old: 5000mg split up into 3 doses
6 year old: 6000mg split up into 3 doses
7 year old: 7000mg split up into 3 doses
8 year old: 8000mg split up into 3 doses
9 year old: 9000mg split up into 3 doses
10 years and up : bowel tolerance
Adults should take their bowel tolerance dose minus 10%. I usually take around 12 000mg a day but sometimes I take more if my body asks for it. The great thing about Vitamin C is that it is water soluble so if your body doesn’t need it, your body will eliminate it through your urine.
A new scientific theory, called the dynamic flow model, explains all the observed responses to vitamin C in the literature. According to the model, people should ideally be in a state of dynamic flow, which means they should ingest more vitamin C than they need, in the form of divided dose supplements. The extra ascorbate flows through the body and is excreted in the urine. It is not wasted, however, as the excess acts as a reservoir when extra vitamin C is required. Dynamic flow is the closest we humans can get to restoring our physiology to how it was before we lost the ability to make vitamin C in our bodies, as most other animals still do.
Dosing when Sick:
For those of us taking Vitamin C on a daily basis, we just need to increase our doses and shorten the time in between doses. Dosing every half hour to an hour is a good guideline to follow until you get tummy rumbles. You can then decrease the amount and frequency of dosages, but not by much. Its very important to keep high blood levels of vitamin C when ill. If you feel yourself getting sicker, up the dose again. When you begin to feel symptoms disappear, you need to continue to take high amounts of Vitamin C for up to a week to ensure the infection is completely eradicated. If you stop taking Vitamin C too soon, the illness may come back.
If you’re not used to taking Vitamin C and you want to try it out on a cold or flu, go slow as you may have a bit of tummy troubles, especially if you have leaky gut or other issues.
