Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid Cures
Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid Cures
Vitamin C for Common Cold
The regular use of vitamin C in the optimum daily amount will prevent a common cold and if a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. However some studies testing supplementation have reported only small moderating effects on the severity and duration of colds.
Vitamin C for Infections
Vitamin C is highly acclaimed as a vital factor for the defence of the infected organism. The examination of the urine, blood, or cerebrospinal fluid of patients suffering from an infectious disease will show an abnormally low level of vitamin C. Additional supplies of this vitamin administered to such patients will be retained in the body and not eliminated in the urine. The administration of high doses of vitamin C is thus indicated in an acute state of all infectious diseases. The treatment should be continued and doses gradually decreased until complete recovery.
Vitamin C for Stress
The need for vitamin C is so greatly increased during stress that a deficiency can be produced in hours even though the vitamin intake may be as per the recommended daily allowance. The blood vessels become fragile when vitamin C is lacking. Too little of this vitamin can, therefore, lead to a minor injury, such as a small ulcer, and ultimately, result in a major hemorrhage. In tests conducted, it was found that monkeys and guinea pigs lacking in vitamin C developed ulcers. There was no other cause of stress. Guinea pigs put to stress by having one leg immobilized by a splint, developed hemorrhaging ulcers. This was prevented in similarly treated animals by giving them many times the normal requirement of vitamin C.
Vitamin C for Atherosclerosis
Experiments have shown that monkeys under supplied with vitamin C produced cholesterol six times more rapidly than those who received the recommended daily allowance. Administration of up to 50 times of the normal requirement of vitamin C corrected severe atherosclerosis in rabbits and guinea pigs, and resulted in the increased formation of bile acids and the excretion of cholesterol. Administration of large doses of this vitamin to patients suffering from atheros-clerosis and high blood pressure can, therefore, result in a marked decline in their blood cholesterol and a gradual drop in their blood pressure.
Vitamin C for Cancer
Any cancer results in severe stress, and this tremendously increases the need for vitamin C. Most cancer patients, especially children with leukemia, show symptoms of bruising, bleeding gums, and often-outright hemorrhaging, characteristic of a vitamin C deficiency. Administration of 4,000 to 6,000 mg of vitamin C daily to patients with inoperable malignancies, inhibits cancer growth and, in some cases, even results in its regression.
Vitamin C for Nephritis
A person suffering from any kidney disease can also suffer from a vitamin C deficiency due to stress, medication, and high urinary loss. The danger of hemorrhaging is greatly increased. Even a mild lack of vitamin C can cause blood to appear in the urine. In patients suffering from severe nephritis, administration of large amounts of vitamin C, ranging from 100 mg to 10,000 mg per day, can sometimes quickly stop the passing of bloody urine or hemorrhaging. The intake should be decided upon under medical advice.
Vitamin C for other diseases
Vitamin C has been used therapeutically in the treatment of several other diseases and conditions like haematemesis {vomiting of blood), nose-bleeding, bleeding piles, melanea (black stools caused by blood in the intestines), erythema nodosum (red nodules in the skin), deep corneal ulcers, anoxia(loss of smell), defective formation of dentine and enamel, dental caries, periodontitis(bleeding from the gums), inflammation of the tongue, delayed growth and development, and rickets. It has been found that adequate intake of vitamin C, along with vitamin B complex, during the entire period of pregnancy, prevents congenital deformities in babies.
Vitamin C Deficiency Symptoms and Healing Properties and Precautions
Sphere: Related ContentVitamin C Healing Properties, Deficiency Symptoms
Vitamin C Healing Properties, Deficiency Symptoms and Precautions
Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid Deficiency symptoms
A deficiency of vitamin C results in soft gums, skin haemorrhages, capillary weakness, deterioration in collagen, anaemia, and slow healing of sores and wounds. It may lead to premature ageing, thyroid insufficiency, and lowered resistance to all infections. Its deficiency enhances the toxic effect of drugs and environmental poisons. Mild deficiencies of vitamin C may appear in the form of lassitude, fatigue, anorexia, muscular pain, and greater susceptibility to infection. A prolonged deficiency may cause scurvy.
Vitamin C healing properties
Deficiency of vitamin C can be prevented by eating plenty of fresh citrus fruits like limes, lemons, and oranges. The cheapest sources of vitamin C in India are Indian gooseberries, germinated cereals, grains and pulses, drumstick leaves, and coriander leaves. In case of insufficient intake of vitamin C-rich foods, the deficiency can be overcome by taking 50-100 mg of vitamin C as a daily supplement.
Vitamin C is used therapeutically in huge doses from 100 to 10,000 mg a day. In acute poisoning or infections, 1,000 to 2,000 mg, preferably in injection form, can be administered every one and a half or two hours.
Precautions
There are no proven toxic effects of vitamin C, though excessive intake may cause some unpleasant side-effects such as occasional diarrhoea, excess urination, kidney stones, and skin rashes. The dosage should be reduced if any of these symptoms occur.
What are the Sources of Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid?
What is Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid?
Sphere: Related ContentVitamin C - Sources and Functions
Vitamin C - Sources and Functions
Sources of Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid
The main sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits and vegetables. Among fruits, Indian gooseberries, guavas, limes, lemons, oranges, and papayas are the most valuable sources of this vitamin. Root vegetables and potatoes contain smaller amounts. Potatoes, however, account for a large proportion of the total ascorbic acid intake because of the amount normally eaten every day. Foodstuffs of animal origin contain only small amounts of this vitamin; the more important of such sources is fish. Cereals and pulses do not contain vitamin C in the dry state, but if soaked in water for about 48 hours and allowed to germinate, they form a good source of vitamin C.
Functions of Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid
- One of the most significant functions of vitamin C is the formation of collagen, a protein substance that cements the cells together.
- Failure to synthesise collagen results in delayed healing of wounds. Ascorbic acid enhances the absorption of iron. It is needed for buoyant health, vitality, and endurance.
- It ensures a clear skin, a fresh complexion, and healthy gums and teeth.
- It is involved in the vital functions of all glands and organs.
- This vitamin is also necessary for maintenance of bones and proper functioning of the adrenal and thyroid glands.
- It promotes healing and protects against all forms of stress - physical and mental.
- It also provides protection against the harmful effects of toxic chemicals in the environment, food, and water, and counteracts the toxic effect of drugs.
Vitamin B12 - Sources and Functions
Vitamin B12 - Sources and Functions
Sources of Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B12 is unique amongst vitamins in that it is mostly found in foods of animal origin.
- Meat, liver, eggs, shrimps, and dairy products are valuable sources of this vitamin.
- Vegetarians are therefore advised to increase their intake of milk or take vitamin B12 in a tablet form as a supplement.
Functions of Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin
- Like vitamin B6 vitamin, B12 is essential for the production and regeneration of red blood cells.
- It is also needed for the proper functioning of the central nervous system. It improves concentration, memory and balance, and relieves irritability.
- Vitamin B12 is necessary for proper utilization of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins for body building.
- It promotes growth and increases appetite in children.
- This vitamin is also involved in many vital metabolic and enzymatic processes, including the metabolism of folic acid.
- If the immune cells made in the bone marrow are to mature into active disease-fighters, a sufficient quantity of vitamin B12 and folic acid are necessary.
Vitamin B12 Cures
Vitamin B12 Cures
Vitamin B12 for Anemia
- Given by injection, this vitamin provides complete and satisfactory treatment in cases of pernicious anaemia. The general practice is to give 1,000 mcg of vitamin Bl2 by injection, twice weekly, until the haemoglobin level is restored to normal. Subsequently an injection of 1,000 mcg every six weeks is all that is needed to keep the patient in good health. These doses may appear to be excessive since much of the vitamin is excreted in the urine. Nevertheless it is not unreasonable to give large doses at first to refill the depleted reserves.
- A similar dose schedule is required in cases of sub-acute combined degeneration of the cord, a disorder of the spinal cord which affects the conduction of nerve impulses.
Vitamin B12 and Smoking
Studies show that smokers have lower levels of vitamin BI2 and folic acid than non-smokers. Seventy-three longtime smokers with precancerous cell changes in their lung secretions, were taken as case studies. Half were given B12 and folic acid supplements for four months; the other half were given placebos(inactive substances). After four months, a recheck of the lung fluids showed that those who were given vitamin therapy showed less precancerous changes than those who were administered placebos.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms and Healing Properties and Precautions
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Vitamin B12 Healing Properties, Deficiency Symptoms and Precautions
Vitamin B12 or Cyanocobalamin Deficiency symptoms
A deficiency of vitamin B12 may cause pernicious (destructive) anaemia. It may lead to a poor appetite and retardation of growth in children, chronic fatigue, a sore mouth, a feeling of numbness or stiffness, loss of mental energy, and difficulty in concentration.
Deficiency of vitamin Bl2 affects every cell in the body, but is most severely felt in the tissues where the ells normally divide rapidly, as in the blood-forming -tissues of the bone marrow and in the gastro-intestinal tract. The nervous system is also affected and this may lead to degeneration of nerve fibres in the spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
Smoking brings down the levels of vitamin B12 in our body.
Vitamin B12 healing properties
Vitamin Bl2 is administered orally in doses from 6 to 150 mcg. Taken in these doses, it helps in the treatment of lack of concentration, fatigue, depression, insomnia, anorexia, loss of weight due to deficiency of this vitamin, and poor memory. As this vitamin is difficult to assimilate when taken orally, most doctors administer it in the form of injections ranging from 100-1,000 mcg if used for therapeutic purposes.
Precautions
There are no known toxic effects of vitamin B12 even when it is taken in mega doses.
What are the Sources of Vitamin B12?
What is Vitamin B12 or Cyanocobalamin?
Sphere: Related ContentVitamin B9 Cures
Vitamin B9 Cures
Vitamin B9 for Megaloblastic Anemia
Folic acid is required for the treatment of nutritional megaloblastic anemia during pregnancy and infancy. A daily dose of 5,000 to 10, 000 mcg taken orally is usually sufficient. It is also advisable to take a small daily dose (around 400 mcg) of this vitamin during pregnancy. The Food and Drug Association of America (FDA) has also approved the claim that folic acid supplements can prevent certain birth defects.
Vitamin B9 for Sprue
Folic acid has been found valuable in curing Sprue, an intestinal disease characterised by a sore mouth and tongue, anaemia, severe diarrhoea, and large amounts of fat in the stools. This disease results from deficiency of folic acid and can be remedied by daily injections of 25 mg or 25,000 mcg of this vitamin. As food is poorly absorbed in this condition, a diet containing even sixty times that amount does not bring improvement. With the injection, however, improvement can be noticed in a single day and within a few days, the patient can absorb the vitamin well orally. Ultimately the diet for sprue must make up for the multiple and severe deficiencies resulting from diarrhoea.
Vitamin B9 for Abortion
Folic acid has proved beneficial in the treatment of recurrent abortions. It is, therefore, advisable to take 10,000 mcg of folic acid daily, with iron and Vitamin B12, from the beginning of pregnancy till its completion.
Vitamin B9 for Mental Retardation
. Folic acid supplements have been used to improve the mental function and the quality of life among mentally retarded children. In the case of epileptic children and mentally deranged persons, regular treatment with 5,000 mcg of folic acid, three times daily, gets a quick healing response, and in many individuals, there has been a complete resolution of mental symptoms.
Vitamin B9 for Brown spots on the skin
Deficiency of folic acid, associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, causes darkish brown spotty pigmentation that usually appears on the face, inner mouth, under the arm pits, over the thighs, and on the palms. This happens particularly in the case of pregnant women and women on the pill. In such cases, administration of 10 mg or 10,000 mcg or-folic acid, along with 100 mcg of vitamin B12 taken thrice daily, shows a remarkable amelioration of the brownish pigmentation.
Vitamin B9 for Gout
Though most cases of gout are treated with dietary therapy, if additional support is necessary, folic acid is recommended in the range of 10-40 mg per day.
Vitamin B9 Deficiency Symptoms and Healing Properties and Precautions
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Vitamin B9 Healing Properties, Deficiency Symptoms and Precautions
Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid Deficiency symptoms
Deficiency of folic acid causes anaemia which often occurs in pregnant women and children. Serious skin disorders, loss of hair, impaired circulation, a greyishbrown skin pigmentation, fatigue, and mental depression can result from a deficiency of this vitamin. Reproductive disorders such as spontaneous abortions and difficult labour, and a high infant death rate can also be caused by folic acid deficiency. Vitamin B9 deficiency may also lead to loss of libido in males. According to studies, two-thirds of geriatric patients were found to be deficient in folic acid, while one-third of psychiatric patients were also deficient in this vitamin. Lack of folic acid can also lead to dementia.
Almost all the anti-convulsant drugs used in the treatment of epilepsy reduce serum folate concentrations. In addition to anticonvulsants, other drugs such as oral contraceptives, pyrimethamine (an antimalarial) co-trimoxazole(contains a sulphur compound), and ethanol (alcohol) may impair folate metabolism.
Vitamin B9 healing properties
Large. doses of folic acid have been found beneficial in the treatment of a few diseases which are rare and often involve mental retardation. Some of these diseases were detected initially by the presence of megaloblastic anaemia, a state suggestive of defective folic acid metabolism.
Precautions
Folic acid normally has no adverse effects. However, when it is used to treat megaloblastic anaemia (secondary to the use of anticonvulsant drugs), the epilepsy may be aggravated. If prescribed in the treatment of gout, it may interfere with drugs being prescribed for epilepsy, and hide the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. Hence folic acid therapy in gout too should only be taken under medical supervision.
What are the Sources of Vitamin B9?
What is Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid?
Sphere: Related ContentVitamin B9 - Sources and Functions
Vitamin B9 - Sources and Functions
Sources of Vitamin B9
- Pulses and legumes such as Bengal gram and green gram are rich in folic acid.
- Green vegetables such as amaranth, cluster beans, spinach, and mint are valuable sources of folic acid.
- In fact, the presence of this vitamin in green leaves was the basis for the name folacin (folium meaning leaf).
- Besides green leaves, folic acid is found in gingelly seeds, and meat.
Functions of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid
- Folic acid, in combination with vitamin B12, is essential for the formation, maturation and multiplication of red blood cells.
- It is necessary for the growth and division of all body cells, including nerve cells, and for manufacturing a number of nerve transmitters. It also produces nucleic acids, RNA(ribonucleic acid) and DNA(deoxyribonucleic acid), that carry hereditary patterns.
- It aids in protein metabolism and contributes to normal growth.
- Folic acid helps in the building of antibodies which prevent and heal infections.
- It is essential for the health of the skin and hair, and helps to prevent premature greying of the hair.
- Folic acid is the single most important nutrient for a pregnant woman and her developing foetus. In fact, eating fresh fruits and vegetables rich in folate, from conception until the due date, is the best policy a woman can adopt to ensure that her pregnancy will be a happy and a healthy one.
- Folic acid also improves lactation.
Vitamin B8 Healing Properties, Deficiency
Vitamin B8 Healing Properties, Deficiency Symptoms and Precautions
Vitamin B8 Deficiency symptoms
Since it is of great importance in human nutrition, deficiency of biotin causes muscular weakness, pains, pins and needles(pricking of the skin), lassitude, and lack of appetite. It may cause eczema, dandruff, hair loss, and seborrhoea. Other common problems which may occur are skin disorders, heart abnormalities, lung infections, anaemia, extreme fatigue, confusion, mental depression and drowsiness. The fleshy part of the tongue may waste away.
Vitamin B8 healing properties
Treatment with 20 mcg of biotin, taken daily for 10 days intramuscularly, can heal skin lesions in about 90 per cent of infants with seborrhea dermatitis. Oral biotin taken in amounts of 400 mcg daily for 8-12 weeks, or 600 mcg taken daily for 6-8 weeks, has been used with good success in the treatment of acne and seborrheic eczema. The use of a tropical creamy separation once daily, and a shampoo containing 0.25-1.0 per cent biotin, three times weekly, has been found effective in reducing and controlling excessive hair loss in male alopecia.
What are the Sources of Vitamin B8?
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