ok, here's an easy one: vitamin c
i take 1 1000mg tablet (1666% of rda)
you can't ever take too much vitamin c. if you consume more than your body can handle, you just end up peeing it out. i take a tablet every day, and if i feel myself getting sick i just take more.
from "prescription for nutritional healing:"
vitamin c is an antioxidant that is required for tissue growth and repair, adrenal gland function, and healthy gums. it also aids in the production of anti-stress hormones. it protects against the harmful effects of pollution, protects against infection, and enhances immunity. vitamin c enhances the absorption of iron. it also may reduce cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, and it protects agains blood clotting and promotes the healing of wounds and burns.
fwiw, alcohol, antidepressants and oral contraceptives may reduce levels of vitamin c in the body, as does smoking. taking vitamin e and vitamin c together helps both work more effectively.
also, if you're not getting enough vitamin c you may notice poor wound healing, soft and spongy bleeding gums, edema, lack of energy or joint pain.
to me, vitamin c is a no-brainer. it's cheap, too.
"soft and spongy bleeding gums"... my guess is that's a sign that scurvy is in your future. scurvy is caused by a lack of Vitamin C.
Posted by: lisa at September 12, 2004 1:59 PMI used to take a bunch of vitamin c -- close to a gram -- but it upsets my stomach and gives me the runs. I took it with meals, and used a formulation conjugated with calcium, but it still did it. Some preparations tear my stomach up right away: Ray gave me some "natural" c made from cherries, I think, and even small amounts tore me up. I think it helps me otherwise, but I had to stop.
Posted by: Joseph H. Vilas at September 13, 2004 9:31 AM