Originally Posted by
Dan Druff
Regarding Vitamin C:
I think this is one of those things where the research is poor, and there's actually something to it, but it hasn't been proven yet.
I average about 4 colds per year, which is on the upper end of normal. My colds typically have a wide variance in how severe they are and how long they last. The very worst ones have major symptoms for over 2 weeks, and I'm hit with sore throat, heavy congestion, fatigue, muscle aches, and a cough. The medium ones have major symptoms for about 5-7 days, and carry those same symptoms, but to a lesser severity. The light ones start out as a sore throat and some congestion, but vanish within completely 48 hours.
I have found that taking 750mg of Vitamin C has decreased the number of bad and medium colds I get, and turns about half of them into the minor/quick variety. This doesn't work every time -- but I've definitely noticed a difference.
This isn't a placebo. These are real physical symptoms which simply don't develop.
With that said, I did have minor/quick colds before I started with the Vitamin C, so I could just be running well and my body is fighting more of them off than before.
Still, if I had to guess, I would say that the Vitamin C is helping.
This reminds me a bit of the acne "myths" I read about in the early '90s. I read "credible" articles stating that research has proven that chocolate doesn't make acne worse, and things like sunlight, dry air, and dry soap doesn't make it better.
To that, I say, "Bullshit!"
Whenever I ate lot of chocolate in those years, I developed acne. It wasn't the only cause, but it was one cause, to where I really cut down my consumption of chocolate.
And when I'd be in the sun awhile, the acne would rapidly get better. Dry soaps -- usually cheap, crappy ones found in hotels especially -- really helped my acne. And when I visited a dry place like Las Vegas or Mammoth, again, the acne would vanish.
I saw all of this reliably over the years. I realize that each person is different and can have different experiences, but I found that each of these "debunked myths" regarding acne were actually true when it came to me.
I wasn't one of those guys who had a face full of acne constantly, but starting around age 19, I got sporadic outbreaks where I'd get several pimples at once, and I hated it. It took about 7 years to fully get rid of it, though it decreased a lot once I hit 23.