Wow! this "cured" my husband's asthma... - Asthma Message Board

Kime · 08-14-2004, 07:25 PM

Hi everyone,

My husband has suffered from asthma since he was a child. It comes during the summer. Well, this summer it started early due to an early spring and he had already had to sleep sitting up a couple of times when due to a different illness that our son had we read that vitamin C controls asthma. We figured that he had nothing to lose so he started taking 15-25 grams a day and after a few days his symptoms disappeared. After a couple of months he tried going off the vitamin C for a couple of days and his asthma symptoms started to return so he went back on the vitamin C again and the asthma went away again. Then we told a friend who's son takes an inhaler for allergies to mold, etc. and the vitamin C works for him, too.

The trick is to take enough of the vitamin C. If you need 20 grams then taking 5 grams a day won't do anything for you. The way to tell is by finding your bowel tolerance, which means that you take just a little less than the amount that gives you diarrhea. An adult would start with something like 6 grams and take 3 grams every half hour until he starts to feel like he might have diarrhea or until he has a loose stool. You could take 5 grams every half hour if you are in a hurry and don't mind a little diarrhea, it isn't the cramping kind, but you do need to have a bathroom handy. Sorry about all the talk about diarrhea, but a little painless diarrhea is nothing compared to asthma. This gives you a starting point and you have to experiment a bit to find the amount that works for you. You have to take it twice a day because your body clears it out so fast. You can take it more often in smaller doses if you want. You can't just take one big dose a day, that doesn't work very well.

Our friend's son takes 6 grams in the morning and 6 grams in the evening, and that works for him.

If any of you decide to give this a try please post your results in this thread saying how much you took and whether it helped your symptoms. It only takes 2 - 3 days to find out if it can help you.

Oh, we like to use the powder form of ascorbic acid. Usually 1 teaspoon has 4.5 grams of C and we put it in water and add a stevia sweetener, you could use aspertame or even sugar, mix, then add baking soda in an amount that is 1/4 the amount of C powder. This fizzes and creates carbon dioxide, which is what is in soda pop, so it makes a tasty treat if you like soda pop. It also lowers the acidity if the acidity bothers your stomach. You can use diluted juice and do the same thing to vary the flavor. One semi heaping teaspoon is about 6 grams.

Hope this helps,

Kime

Howitt44 · 08-15-2004, 02:07 PM

Hi Kime,
I thought your post on Vitamin C to cure asthma was interesting. I have read dozens of articles and books that point to vitamin C deficiency as a reason for asthma in many people. I have mild asthma and take vitamin C especially if I have a flare up or a cold coming on, but I have never taken it in an extreme amount like you are suggesting. My question is, how long do you have to take it before you can see a difference in symptoms? Also, when I take vitamin C, I sometimes have a loose stool after only 3 grams ( 3000 ml. on bottle) . Do I need to work up to the dosage that you suggest? I would be willing to give this a shot, as this seems like a safe thing to do. I've never heard of any serious side affects with vitamin C. thanks,Cindy
Oh, I have another question, where do you buy ascorbic acid?

jp3892 · 08-16-2004, 05:03 AM

Apparently anti-oxidants work a bit like anti-inflammatories. They do nt stop the inflammation process but they clear up any free radicals formed by cytokines etc!

Kime · 08-21-2004, 10:02 AM

Hi Cindy,
Sorry it has taken so long for me to reply. It's embarassing to say, but I got banned for a week so I couldn't reply until now.

It only took a few days to help my husband, but he made sure that he got up to bowel tolerance each day. His attitude is that asthma is a lot worse than the effects of going a little beyond bowel tolerance. If you have a loose stool after only 3 grams try taking 3 or 4 three gram doses spread out through the day instead of only 2 doses. You have to experiment around a little to find what works for you. Also you might find that you can work up to more. The thing is that what you need and what my husband needs are two different things. My husband can take 10 grams at once without reaching tolerance. It isn't the particular amount that is important, what is important is that you find what is the right amount for you. Sometimes you need more or less depending on if you are fighting off a cold or are under some other stress, too. I buy the NOW brand of ascorbic acid in the 3 LB containers online, but I can't tell you where because it is against the posting rules. I'm sure you can find a source. One of our sons takes between 80 and 90 grams a day, and it really helps him. Vitamin C is safe. If you take more than your body needs the extra just goes right through the bowels without being absorbed. They think that is why you get diarrhea when you finally reach the amount that passes what you need, because the extra vitamin C in the colon pulls more water into the stool.

Kime

little hamster · 09-04-2004, 09:41 AM

Hi kime
Yah i do find vitamin C helpful. I had asthma since childhood and now i am 20 years old. I have fewer attacks such as twice a year. In the past i have one attack every 2months haha. Actually not haha, since it is really a suffering experience to have asthma. I took 250 to 500mg vitamin C a day and i found it help to prevent me from getting a cold. Not to forget to mention that my asthma had always been triggered by cold virus. So i am really scared of getting a cold because it will never be a cold alone!