Vitamin C – My Allergy Saver
Posted by: drthyr on: April 23, 2009
It seems so simple, but it’s true. Good ol’ vitamin C, which most of us have in our medicine cabinets, helps relieve allergy symptoms.
Vitamin C is an excellent mast cell stabilizer. The mast cells are the ones who release the histamines when in the presence of allergens. So when those cells are a little less reactive, as they are with vitamin C, one experiences fewer allergy symptoms.
I like the little effervescent packages called “EmergenC” (available at most health food stores) because they have some b vitamins in them as well, and since you mix it in water, it helps increase your fluid consumption at the same time – never a bad thing.
I also keep a bottle of esterified C on my desk at work – this is a little less acidic and less likely to cause bowel problems.
Which brings me to dosage. Taking 2-4 grams of C daily is no problem for most people. Ideally, you want to spread that out in divided doses, like 500-1000 mg at a time. The most common side effect of excess vitamin C is lose stools. So find the balance between symptomatic relief and digestive disturbance. And keep in mind that the low acid or esterified C’s are less likely to cause a problem, if you happen to be sensitive. Too much vitamin C also causes mouth sores (canker sores) in some individuals.
Using local, unpasturized honey along with the vitamin C may give you even better relief. They would not have negative interactions.
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