Danger Warning: Vitamin C Flush.

01-22-2014, 12:31 AM

Hi,

First I wish there is, with all respect to this message board, a place on the web where one can make "flash" health warning to people, so they, we all, can benefit from each others experiences. Instead of googling the web for days, etc.

I been experiencing constipation for some time. Heard of Vitamin C flush as very good remedy, also as excellent cleanser of colon.

Before I embarked on this so-called flush, I looked at many websites for advice /warning etc. There was not much info out there, as it seem 'the' flush hype is not endorsed by major medical or scientific sources.

Let me describe in short what happened with this failed flush:

20 January 2014. Early morning, started taking Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C powder) 1000 mg. Each 1/2 hour another dose of C 1000 mg. Along with alot of water, liquids.

After 6 doses (total 6,000 mg), still no bowel movement at all. There was very mild pain in stomach area.

Within 4 hours from starting this C Flush, my face was pale, almost yellow in tone - i.e. Anemia!

We know, Vitamin C antagonizes Copper.

Copper levels are crucial in some forms of anemia.

Did the 6,000 grams of C flush out Copper from my system, ...that fast!!

I mean we are not talking about noticing pale, anemic looking face, skin the next day or a week after! But within hours of starting the high dose C!

Yesterday, 21 January, started another C dosing from morning, but could not take more than 2 doses, total 2 grams. More pain develop in the gut area.

OK. So now I decided to stop this flush thing, and no more C for the day.

From noon!!! yesterday started to cough, sore throat, some phlegm. Early to late evening developed sinus infection. From after midnight, till now as I write, it has become full blown chest, throat, sinus infections!

This is just amazing, so amazing! Why there is no clear sources on the web, in the medical community that warn against experimenting with this C Flush nonsense.

Why only see warnings about it's diarrhea effect. Not the other serious health effects, dangers.

It should be banned, and not encouraged. Right now I am so sick, can barely think straight, heavy chest, cough, can't breath from nose, sinus congestion, and fever.

I am no doctor, no health expert, yet I do read alot about vitamin and mineral supplements, as I use all kinds of them daily.

I can tell you without a doubt: vitamin C flush is dangerous to your health. Do not ever attempt it.

High dosing vitamin C can play havoc with your mineral profile, in the process compromising your immune system. Not only that, but it will provoke inflammatory response.

Imagine, vitamin C, of all the nutrients, hailed as cold remedy, infection fighter, immune booster, etc. It can, in high dose (yet only as low as 5 or 6 grams) wreak havoc on your healthy body/system!

01-27-2014, 02:08 PM

I find it hard to believe that the vitamin C was the culprit.

First, I would wager the vitamin C you ingested was from China, which is notorious for providing things that are contaminated with high levels of heavy metals.

Second, vitamin C powder saturates your cellular transport system at 1000 mg per hour (and that is when ingested with food or on a full stomach). That means at best you only received 3000 mg over your three hour window.

I am sorry that you had a bad experience, but I think you are drawing the wrong conclusion from your experiment.

01-28-2014, 02:09 AM

I agree with Zubbs assessment.

01-28-2014, 06:47 AM

I am usually a fan of vitamin C, but it COULD be the culprit.......
the saying "If a little is good, a lot is better", does not apply here and in many other situations.......
MODERATION is the key!

01-28-2014, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosequartz

I am usually a fan of vitamin C, but it COULD be the culprit.......
the saying "If a little is good, a lot is better", does not apply here and in many other situations.......
MODERATION is the key!

Read up on Linus Pauling's research with vitamin C. He was a nobel winning chemist that advanced the field many decades with his work. He had some solid findings with vitamin C specifically that make the current RDA shameful.

Cheers.

03-02-2014, 03:21 AM

Thank you all for your responses. Sorry it took me a while to reply, but there may been problem with the settings "notifications" in my profile.

First of all, update: the chest, nose, and throat infection (respiratory tract infections), that started around 21 January 2014, lasted till 28 Feb 2014!

Weekly visits to medical clinic for breathing mask - difficulty breathing (asthma, chest infection, sinus allergy - every doctor had differing diagnosis!).

Symptoms subside for a day, come back the next, and so on.

Note: No blood tests were done, although advised to do so by doctors.

Finally I had to accept taking a 10 day course Clarithromycin.

I'm still unsure as what have caused all this after taking the large dose vitamin C. Yet I suspect some severe biological reaction within my body as a result of this high dose C.

I am occasional smoker/drinker, used to taking 500mg C daily. No more. My health was just perfect, as far as can tell: rarely get cold, or chest infection. If I do get once every few years, they last no more than 5 days or so.

Rarely, if ever cough! though smoker! Now almost constant cough, and phlegm.

Might be a copper, zinc, or other mineral that been depleted from high C. Don't know.

As I am lost as to the cause of my sudden illness. No option but to stop all supplements, for few days, then introduce one by one and see.

You know what, though we do need supplements when we are under severe stress, and not getting the right diet etc. Yet if there is little or no stress and the foods we consume are generally healthy, supplements are of no use at all to our bodies, if not harmful and detrimental to health and life!

08-25-2014, 12:56 PM

The way you did the ascorbate flush is very different from the way I do it. (I've done it six times... the most recent was this morning.)

The first time I tried it, it didn't work. I was using vitamin C in gelatin capsules. I think they jammed up in my colon and didn't dissolve. I tried it again a few days later with a BUFFERED L-ascorbate powder dissolved in water, and it worked fine. Since then it's always worked and been useful.

The first time I tried it (with the capsules), again, I took a whole bottle, and all I got from it was a headache that took a couple of days to wear off. It didn't work. I got loose stools but didn't "flush out" with the intense water flush at the end.

So I agree with you that we need some warnings but not necessarily a general warning.

Here are the things to keep in mind:

- Make sure you are using a reputable brand of vitamin C

- It can't be ascorbic acid. Every authority who's written about the flush has warned people not to use ascorbic acid. Instead you need to use L-ascorbate. It's a very different substance.

- It also needs to be buffered. You can either take a buffered powder, or take a buffering agent (like Natural Calm) along with it.

- Not all buffered products are good. Some have too much phosophorus or calcium, which can make you sick if you OD on it.

As many people have warned, you do NOT want to stop at the loose stools stage. At this stage, toxic gunk is being reabsorbed in your lower intestine. You need to keep going until you have a total intense flush. It's like someone turned on a water hose and that's what comes flashing out at the end... pure, sometimes clear liquid. At this point, you are really clean.

If you can afford it I recommend buying Perque l-ascorbate powder (buffered). If not, as other have said, make sure it's not some junky cheap brand from China that's likely to have toxic fillers in it.

Also keep in mind that the flush takes everything out of your colon, including helpful bacteria. Right after a flush, eat some plain raw yogurt or kefir or raw cultured sauerkraut, to start rebuilding the good bacteria. I can't overemphasize the importance of this.

08-25-2014, 01:56 PM

Thanks Jack for the helpful comment, info. The C powder used was Source Naturals, 16 oz Ascorbic Acid crystals.

Update: Had a chance to do some blood tests, including Thyroid, LFT, CBC, Ceruloplasmin. Vitamins A, D. Minerals Fe, Zn, Cu.

Result: All OK. Within range. Vitamin A, at the very high end of range. Low in WBC, very low Ceruloplasmin (relates to low Cu levels in the body), low HDL Cholesterol. Borderline/low Cu (copper)!

So, as suspected in my first post, the hi dose of vitamin C (very high for my body chemistry, I suppose) in presence of an already low level of Cu, provoked an instant inflammatory response, with sudden onset of infection!

Now we learn, I did the hard way!, why leading nutritionists warn against the use of single nutrient unless you been confirmed deficient in such nutrient.

09-12-2014, 05:55 PM

I support you Perfecto. When I tried a 'half flush', I had a negative reaction. I didn't go full blown because I usually have wierd reactions to stuff. I think it lowered some hormone (maybe cortisol) so bad I just got a heavy sinus head and was totally out of it. And still constipated. It too was a powder. I normally take a 500mg pill daily for maintenance and it took me a long time to find one that I didn't make me feel sick or like I was coming down with something. I think it is some kind of biological problem that a few people have. So be careful because you probably are apt to have unusual negative reactions to other supplements as well.

09-13-2014, 02:59 PM

Thank you Kato.

Health supplements are fine to take on daily basis, as long as one practices moderation, and stays within reasonable - recommended - intake levels.

I was lucky to have an almost perfect health throughout my life. Then after experiencing some traumas, etc..resorted to heavy use of alcohol. That's when my physician first recommended I take some basic multivitamin/mineral supplement, along with extra B 50 complex plus C 500. All was fine, and the said heavy use of alcohol was offset by following such recommendation, plus eating healthy meals when possible (lunch/dinner).

Problems appeared when added extra dose of 'single' nutrients, more Zinc, more A, more C, etc.

It is clear to me - after years of supplements use - a normal healthy person, with healthy diet doesn't need extra dose of nutrients, like vitamins, minerals. Unless! you've been tested and confirmed deficient in specific nutrients.

A balanced multi should suffice to most healthy folks.

08-17-2015, 01:35 PM

My browser won't let me quote, but I have to agree with Jack724 on these points:

"Here are the things to keep in mind:

- Make sure you are using a reputable brand of vitamin C

- It can't be ascorbic acid. Every authority who's written about the flush has warned people not to use ascorbic acid. Instead you need to use L-ascorbate. It's a very different substance.

- It also needs to be buffered. You can either take a buffered powder, or take a buffering agent (like Natural Calm) along with it.

- Not all buffered products are good. Some have too much phosophorus or calcium, which can make you sick if you OD on it.

As many people have warned, you do NOT want to stop at the loose stools stage. At this stage, toxic gunk is being reabsorbed in your lower intestine. You need to keep going until you have a total intense flush. It's like someone turned on a water hose and that's what comes flashing out at the end... pure, sometimes clear liquid. At this point, you are really clean."

Vitamin C has done wonders for me and my family but you have to research very well about it and how to use it. There's a lot of misinformation out there, as usual

Also you should try and find the source of your constipation, have you had a harsh look at your diet? Been through the elimination process?
All the best.

07-09-2017, 12:52 PM

Absorbic acid is not vitamin C. absorbic acid is synthetic vitamin c and if the product you used was of inferior quality it could have bad results. I do not do absorbic acid flushes, I do citrus fruit flushes and it seems to work for me. I get pure natural vitamin c and it works with no nasty side effects like one may get from using a synthetic absorbic acid that is not even true vitamin c. I like to juice two grapefruits, two oranges, two or more lemons and 2 limes in one dose for a couple of weeks and toss in a couple of drops of oregano oil for good measure and it blasts the nasty critters out of my body with only slight cleaning reactions which can vary from person to person depending on how many parasites, candida and other creatures one may have laying around in the much abused colons.

Danger Warning: Vitamin C Flush.

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