Primer on Vitamin C andFERN-C Non-acidic Vitamin C

WHAT IS VITAMIN C?

Vitamin C plays a role in keeping the immune system operating in high gear and helps build collagen, the stabilizing tissue in bone, muscle and skin. As an antioxidant, vitamin C is one of our best defenses against cell-damaging free radicals.

Fern-C Non-acidic Alkaline Vitamin C is 4 times more effective than ascorbic acid since it does not contain any binder.

Vitamin C is the most important water-soluble biological antioxidant. It can scavenge both reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species. It may also have anti-atherogenic, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antiviral, antihistaminic, immunomodulatory, opthalmoprotective and airway-protective actions. Vitamin C may aid in the detoxification of some heavy metals, such as lead and other toxic chemicals.

It is a potent anti-oxidant protecting against free radicals, pollution, carcinogens, heavy metals, and other toxins. It is strongly anti-viral and mildly anti-bacterial. Energy cannot be made in any cell, brain or muscle without adequate vitamin C. The adrenal glands have a high concentration of vitamin C which is essential for stress hormone synthesis. Vitamin C is so central in so many chemical reactions in the body that, without it, life is simply not possible.

VITAMIN C AND COLLAGEN

Collagen is the protein that forms connective fibers in tissues such as skin, ligaments, cartilage, bones and teeth. Collagen also acts as a kind of intracellular "glue" that gives support, shape and bulk to blood vessels, bones, and organs such as the heart, kidneys and liver. Collagen fibers keep bones and blood vessels strong, and help to anchor our teeth to our gums. Collagen is also required for the repair of blood vessels, bruises, and broken bones. As the most abundant protein in the body, collagen accounts for more mass than all the other proteins put together.

Our body is continually manufacturing collagen to maintain and repair connective tissues lost to daily wear and tear. Without vitamin C, collagen formation is disrupted, resulting in a wide variety of problems throughout the body.

HOW MUCH VITAMIN C DOES ONE NEED?

Most animals can make vitamin C, but humans cannot. Haven't you ever wondered how it is that certain pets, like dogs and cats, can eat bacteria-ridden garbage and, providing they are not poisoned, they have no difficulty in staying healthy? For example, a 160-pound goat can make 13,000 mg/day. Dr. Cathcart used 200,000 mg/day on some of his patients and treated over 9,000 patients with large doses of Vitamin C. Hoffer and Cathcart often adjust the dosage to the bowel tolerance limit, especially if the patient is very sick (a method called Titrating to Bowel Tolerance). Sick people can take much more vitamin C without having diarrhea than can healthy people. Apparently a sick person requires and can use more vitamin C. If cancer patients on high doses of vitamin C develop diarrhea, the dosage is reduced. Many people have taken 30,000 mg/day for extended periods.

HOW MUCH VITAMIN C IS WASTED?

But aren't you simply making expensive urine when you take large amounts of supplements? Dr. Michael Colgan investigated this often made rebuttal. He investigated how much vitamin C we use by giving increasing daily doses and measuring excretion. "Only a quarter of our subjects reached their vitamin C maximum at 1,500 mg a day. More than half required over 2,500 mg a day to reach a level where their bodies could use no more. Four subjects did not reach their maximum at 5,000 mg." Increasing vitamin C intake from 50 mg to 500 mg tends to double serum vitamin C levels. Increasing intake to 5,000 mg a day will double serum levels again. Vitamin C protects the bowel, kidneys and bladder on the way out.

TITRATING TO BOWEL TOLERANCE

Begin with 1 gram or 2 capsules of FERN-C with a glass of water.
Increase this by 1 gram on each subsequent day until a laxative action develops - bowel tolerance.
At this point, reduce the amount by 1 gram below this bowel tolerance level and maintain that amount daily.
It is important that Vitamin C intake be consistent and maintained indefinitely, once the amount is decided upon. If there should be any need to discontinue drinking the Vitamin C, it is important to decrease the amount gradually to avoid the rebound effect.
The problem with tablets is this: Most tablets contain ascorbic acid or mineral ascorbate crystals held together by binders. If you were to take a sufficient amount of ascorbic acid in this form to alleviate most conditions, you would discover yourself with diarrhea from some of the binders alone, and this would happen long before you determined the correct dosage of Vitamin C for your present condition.
FERN-C, a non-acidic vitamin C, uses pure vitamin C in the form of Sodium Ascorbate without any binders.