Vitamin C and Shingles

October 2, 2013 by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD  
Filed under Vitamin C Benefits

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Wed. Oct. 2, 2013 by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD 

(NaturalHealth365) Simply put, shingles is an acute outbreak of the Herpes zoster virus. For most individuals with shingles, the appearance of the typical painful, blistering skin rash results from a reactivation of the virus from storage sites in nerve cells after an earlier chickenpox infection, often as a child.

While it is unclear precisely what precipitates the reappearance of this virus so many years later, it still responds to properly-dosed vitamin C – like any other acute viral syndrome. That is to say, it is completely and rapidly resolved. And, the virus usually ends up completely eradicated from the body.

Vitamin C is a unique anti-viral agent

Vitamin C is a nutrient that augments the immune system of the body in many different ways. There are really no infections of any type that do not respond favorably to the administration of multigram doses of vitamin C. Most acute infections, regardless of the pathogens involved, resolve rapidly and completely, even those for which traditional medicine has nothing significant to offer.

Specifically, acute viral syndromes, such as shingles, always resolve quickly when enough vitamin C is properly administered. It should also be noted that large enough doses of any antioxidant can inactivate a virus, but the ready access that vitamin C has to all tissues in the body makes it especially effective.

But wait! Why doesn’t vitamin C work for every viral condition?

Dose, dose, dose! A few units of penicillin will not cure an infection when millions of units are needed, and 500 mg of vitamin C will not cure an infection that requires 100,000 mg. However, since symptoms of anything are pro-oxidant in nature, any dose of vitamin C will still help an individual feel better, and the infection will resolve more quickly than it would have otherwise.

So, you may be wondering – what has vitamin C actually been documented to do for shingles?

Anyone who has had shingles, myself included, knows how incredibly painful it is, and how difficult it is to get significant pain control for at least the first week, or two, of the condition. Frederick Klenner, MD, published his results on eight shingles patients treated with vitamin C. Using fairly low doses of vitamin C compared to the many other conditions he treated, Klenner noted complete pain relief in seven of eight patients within only two hours after the first 3,000 mg injection of vitamin C.

Two hours versus two weeks – is a very big difference! Other investigators reported similarly remarkable responses of shingles pain to vitamin C.

Treating shingles with vitamin C today is simple

While Dr. Klenner treated many conditions with injected vitamin C, which works just as well today, shingles is actually an especially easy viral condition to treat with vitamin C, and most persons with this condition need not worry that they are out of luck if they cannot find a doctor who will give them a vitamin C IV.

Regular vitamin C, as sodium ascorbate taken to bowel tolerance, will make most shingles patients pain-free in a few hours. A similarly positive result can be anticipated with a few grams of liposome-encapsulated vitamin C taken orally.

Remember, however, to continue aggressive dosing of vitamin C for at least 48 hours after all evidence of the infection and the lesions have disappeared – in order to assure complete eradication of the virus from the body.

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About the author: Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD is a board-certified internist and cardiologist. He is also bar-certified for the practice of law. He has written extensively on the importance of eliminating toxins while bolstering antioxidant defenses in the body, with particular focus on vitamin C. His upcoming new book will be released in a few months, entitled, Death by Calcium: The Toxic Supplement.

For more information about Dr. Levy – visit: PeakEnergy.com

References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=18147027
Klenner, F. (1974): http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/October2001/SigHighDailyIntakeVitC.htm
Levy, T. (2002) Curing the Incurable. Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins Henderson, NV: MedFox Publishing
http://www.medfoxpub.com/medicalnews/store.html

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