Immune system and nutrition (vitamins and minerals)

[2manyfibers]

Hey ya’ll (redneckese for “Hi all”). I noticed that many people with Morgellons believe their immune systems are compromised or depressed and this may contribute to parasitic infections. I talked some about this in the web document from my first post a few days ago (“nutrition can cause symptoms” under “theories and speculation”) but thought it might help to provide some more info. Several vitamins and minerals are very good immune system “boosters”.

Vitamin C – Based on my research, I believe vitamin C may be the closest thing there is to being a true “wonder drug”. In addition to being required for collagen production, vitamin C boosts the immune system several ways (collagen fibers in the body are critical to the immune system – some cancer research shows that if these fibers are dense enough they can “trap” cancerous cells which prevents them from spreading as rapidly and allows the immune system more time to attack them). Also, vitamin C boosts the adrenal response of the body to stress. Another thing vitamin C does is help create hydrogen peroxide in the blood stream (I didn’t realize the body creates hydrogen peroxide as part of the immune system until I did all this research - see the link at the bottom of the post). Part of the natural immune system response to “invaders” is for white blood cells to attack them and “zap” them with oxygen in the hydrogen peroxide (enzymes then destroy what’s left of the invaders). Generous doses of vitamin C help the body generate more H2O2 filled white blood cells – it also helps lower LDL cholesterol and elevate HDL cholesterol (comparably to statins according to several studies).

Zinc – Zinc is responsible for the production of more than 300 enzymes in the body (research is discovering more all the time). It also is very important for the Thymus gland being able to make the “killer” T-cells of the immune system.

Silica – in addition to silica being a required ingredient of collagen (which I think may explain why silica is identified as being a component of some Morgellons fibers) it also is required by the Thymus gland which produces T-cells to fight infection. Silica is important in many aspects of health because it is found in all connective tissue in the body – some studies show it also helps with Alzheimer’s by reducing aluminum absorption in the body.

Garlic – garlic has antiseptic and antiparasitic properties (been used for thousands of years as such). It also contains 33 compounds of natural sulfur and 17 amino acids and has slight blood-thinning effects (which is why it is believed to be good for the heart – the heart is made of collagen fibers and keratin). It is also believed to help the immune system partly by increasing blood flow (strengthen the heart and thin the blood).

Beta carotene and Vitamin E – Beta carotene is part of a group of “carotenoids” that are required for keratin production. Much of the immune system effects come from its properties as an antioxidant. Vitamin E is also an effective antioxidant and studies show it may help prevent heart attacks with long term use. The antioxidant properties of these substances are maximized by combining them with vitamin C (which also acts as an antioxidant in some roles).

The human body literally IS a chemical reaction and nutrients are most effective when they interact with each other. There is lots of info on the web that discusses the nutrients above – just google “immune system vitamins”. There’s also a lot available about hydrogen peroxide and how the body uses it. The link below is for an article I found very interesting:

http://educate-yourself.org/cancer/b...e17jul03.shtml

[Kritters]

Hey 2many!!

What a fabulous post! Thanks! I'm in total agreement, esp. regarding the C. I believe it to be the "it" vitamin/nutrient. I've been an advocate for eternity.

I also have self-concluded that mega doses ALL AT ONCE are better than or at least necessary in addition to 'time released' doses. I think they are like an army of warriors coming together much like Marcus Araleus (or however you spell it).....Russell Crowe and gang.

Great news, thanks.
Kritters

[2manyfibers]

Thanks. You're right about getting a "chunk" of vitamin C in the bloodstream at once. There are lots of anecdotal stories (and some recent medical research) that shows "mega-doses" of intravenous vitamin C shows great promise for treating cancers and heart disease. One guy said he had suffered 3 heart attacks and tried a few intravenous vitamin C treatments (along with some other supplements - orally I think) and when he went back for an EKG, it showed no evidence that he had ever had a heart attack. One lady with cancer said the only side effects other than curing her of cancer was great hair and skin. The vitamin C (and I would guess the peroxide it produces) appears to do no damage to healthy cells - it only attacks the bad ones.

[Kritters]

I KNEW it!! I KNEW it!!

I'm a geeneis, I tell ya!!!

Krits
(yes, it's misspelled, I know ;-)

[Franky]

2manyfibers excellent information and I totally agree with your post. But as a reminder to everyone, be careful with the mega doses you take as well as how long you take these doses. You can overdose on vitamins. Hi doses over prolonged time can cause some damage.

As a side note i have taken supplements since i have been a kid and i truly feel its help me keep a strong immune system going. I hardly get a cold.

[2manyfibers]

Very true Franky - you don't even have to take mega doses with certain combinations of vitamins (see my web document). You have to "ramp up" to higher doses of vitamin C gradually (3 or 4 thousand mg or more daily) because it can cause diarhea initially. I would encourage anyone that considers taking supplements to do some research on them before they start. There is lots of information on the web.

[Kritters]

Franky,
Overdosages are from fat-soluable vitamins. If a person takes too much vitamin C for their needs, it will be eliminated in the loo.
Krits

[Franky]

Originally Posted by kritters

Franky,
Overdosages are from fat-soluable vitamins. If a person takes too much vitamin C for their needs, it will be eliminated in the loo.
Krits

kritters for the most part this is true. But there are people with pre-conditions that excessive vita c doses can cause some problems too. Such has bad kidneys for one example.

Just for the record i grew up studying about vitamins herbs and supplements. I was a personal trainer and studied and took nutrition and supplements courses. I love talking about supplements and am a firm believer in them!

[Kritters]

Hey Franky,

Me too! I owned my own fitness club, was a personal trainer and went back to college at age $%$^&#$ to study nutrition and human anatomy and physiology. Been into this since the year 19%$&* (sorry....something must be wrong with my computer's keyboard) Suffice a span of 30 years of intense interest and study. My kids used to roll their eyes but now come to me for advice when they are not feeling well.

You know, that's something that struck me about most of the members of this forum. Most seem to be really into the body and are very intelligent.

Hey, maybe THAT'S the common denominator we're looking for!!! Intelligent people who care about their health and have good hair for parasitic food!

but back to the subject...I'm not going to debate the pre-conditions because I know that the more you know the more there is to know. There will always be exceptions to the rule because of someone's pre-existing situation, but if that's the case they should be under the care of a competent practitioner and homeopathic physician who practices complementary medicine. In the salt/vitamin C treatment, the dosages are, I believe extreme to what most people think. I take 3G of C per day and if I'm getting a sinus infection, since I'm prone, I take 5 in the morning and 5 at night. It goes away in less than 3 days. Combinations in general are very tricky and most conventional doctors don't even have the knowledge. You know.....like Dermatologists are to the medical profession.

Krits

[2manyfibers]

Even water soluble vitamins and minerals can build up in the body, especially if the other nutrients that cause chemical reactions to occur are present. I did some research on the methodologies of so-called "scientific" studies. Aside from how easy it can be to manipulate results of these studies, they also are done on a single nutrient or prescription drug (participants aren't allowed to take other things in addition to the substance being studied). It really isn't a "true" indicator of how effective or harmful substances can be because this isn't how people live their lives. The studies for MSM concluded it was as safe as water, even with dosages of 12,000 mg per day (for over a year if I remember correctly) - any excess amounts were supposedly eliminated through the urinary tract within 12 hours. This may be true for MSM if consumed strictly by itself. However, when MSM (sulfur) is combined with vitamin C and zinc in the body (along with the amino acids lysine and proline and other nutrients in small amounts from food), DNA immediately starts producing enzymes that create a procursor to collagens (called procollagens) and the mixture of these nutrients is no longer water soluble (which led to a severe excess of collagens in my case - not taken in mega doses). The procollagens are "inserted" into the bloodstream as part of the conversion process and they later become the 27 known types of collagens in the body after further enzyme activity. I think medical and nutritional science is only beginning to recognize how the human body actually uses nutrients to construct itself cell by cell (a truly miraculous process).

Dr. Linus Pauling (a multiple Nobel Prize winner) was a huge believer in the benefits of vitamin C (Oregon State University is the home of the Linus Pauling Institute - they have lots of info on nutrition on line). From what I read, he took 18 grams of vitamin C daily for many years - he lived into his mid nineties and finally succumbed to prostate cancer. He credited vitamin C for his longevity (and wrote several books on it).