Depression can rob people of their energy, their sleep, their concentration and their happiness. Because psychiatric medications are expensive and can have unpredictable and uncomfortable side effects, some people opt for natural methods like vitamin supplements. Vitamin C does relieve depression in some people and is also relatively safe and inexpensive. Be aware, though, that few people treat depression successfully with supplements alone and that suddenly withdrawing from psychiatric medications can be dangerous. According to Daniel Leger, M.D., one of the most common symptoms of scurvy is depression. Other symptoms are mood changes, fatigue and lethargy. Risk factors for scurvy, or a less severe vitamin C deficiency, are alcoholism or drug abuse, anorexia nervosa, Crohn's disease and celiac disease. People eating fad diets or who rely on fast food meals with few vegetables and fruits are also at risk. If you have any of these disorders and are feeling depressed, vitamin C supplementation may alleviate your depression.
Even moderately low levels of vitamin C have been linked to depression. A study published in the January 2011 issue of the "American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry" found that low levels of vitamin C were correlated with both depression and higher mortality rates. While correlation does not establish causality, these results suggest that it is prudent for older people to include more citrus fruits, lightly cooked green vegetables and salads in their diets. If they are unable or unwilling to cook, a supplement may be advisable. The link between vitamin C deficiency and depression may be caused by lower neurotransmitter levels. According to an August 2003 article in "Nutrition Journal," vitamin C works together with the enzyme dopamine-beta-hydroxylase to convert dopamine into norepinephrine, which plays an important role in the regulation of mood. Mark Riordan, M.D., a specialist in orthomolecular medicine, states that 30 percent of depressed patients who receive vitamin C supplements will improve.
Since this rate of improvement is below the level produced by many placebos, many studies fail to find a significant effect for this treatment. Nevertheless, it may make an important difference for particular individuals, especially if they have low levels of this nutrient. If you are under stress, research published in the April 1998 issue of the "Journal of General Psychology" suggests that you may want to add vitamin-C-rich foods or supplements to your diet. Ethical guidelines preclude intentionally inflicting distress on humans, but animal models of depression show that animals subjected to unavoidable electric shocks had tissue levels of vitamin C that were between between 20 and 30 percent below unstressed animals. If you decide to take vitamin C, you may want to begin supplementing with between 75 and 90 mg of vitamin C per day, the amount recommended by Health Canada. Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., who writes for the Mayo Clinic website, recommends that the amount of Vitamin C obtained through supplements should never exceed 2000 mg. Amounts greater than this can produce diarrhea, nausea, insomnia and kidney stones.
Remember, though, to consult your doctor if you want to experiment with large doses of vitamins or if the depression persists. Gain 2 pounds per week Gain 1.5 pounds per week Gain 1 pound per week Gain 0.5 pound per week Maintain my current weight Lose 0.5 pound per week Lose 1 pound per week Lose 1.5 pounds per week Lose 2 pounds per week The Best Anti-Anxiety Depression Drugs Does a Sudden Withdrawal of Vitamins Cause Depression? The Best Antidepressants for Irritability How to Treat Depression With Therapeutic Doses of Vitamins Link Between Vitamin C Deficiency & Anxiety The Best Herbs for Anxiety & Depression Niacin Benefits for Depression What Are the Treatments for Anxiety, Irritability & Anger? Proper Dosage of Vitamin E for Depression Non-Prescription Medications for Depression Psychosomatic Symptoms & Anxiety Antidepressants with the Least Side Effects Does Vitamin B Help With Anxiety?
Magnesium Dosage for Depression Vitamin C & Serotonin Cayenne Pepper and Anxiety Dissociation Symptoms of Major Depression Taking Vitamins With FluoxetineHeavy doses of vitamin C have helped countless individuals solve their health issues, and have even rescued many from the brink of death. The larger doses are usually injected as ascorbic acid or drip-delivered intravenously (IV). I’m not talking tablets for colds here. Mega-dosing vitamin C has treated terminal pneumonia, polio, and controversially, even cancer. Prior to LET (liposomal encapsulation technology), mega-dosing vitamin C was not so accessible; most doctors don’t believe in it. But LET allows six grams of orally ingested vitamin C to have the clinical results of 25 to 50 grams of mega-dose IV C. Liposomal C lipid encapsulated ascorbic acid molecules penetrate cells much better than the aqueous vitamin C from IVs and injections. And liposomal vitamin C is much less expensive and more accessible, even online, than IV treatments.
The ‘curing’ capacity may surprise you. Dr. Andrew Saul, Ph.D, revealed how he treated his viral pneumonia in three hours with vitamin C. Dr. Saul wrote the books Fire Your Doctor and Doctor Yourself, and has a website of the same name. The amount Dr. Saul used on himself was outrageous, but his pneumonia was gone in three hours. Read: Over 7 Signs You’re Vitamin C Deficient Nowadays, liposomal vitamin C can do more with less. Pneumonia is among the top ranked killer diseases in the world, and is the leading cause of death in children worldwide . Much of the CDC’s bogus annual flu death statistic is from flu complications that lead to pneumonia, which is usually the killer. Here’s Dr. Saul’s audio interview on his self-cure of viral pneumonia. Another fantastic, more highly publicized vitamin C treatment took place with Alan Smith of New Zealand a few years ago. He was so bad off with double pneumonia, in addition to leukemia, that the hospital was about to pull the plug on his life support when the family intervened by insisting on trying mega-dose IV vitamin C.
After Alan had recovered enough to breathe on his own, the hospital reneged on administering IV vitamin C in large therapeutic doses. The family found Lypo-Spheric liposomal C, and after six days of feeding it to himself, Alan walked out of the hospital. Here’s a 17 minute segment of the New Zealand 60 Minutes TV News program that featured the story in a way that made the hospital doctors look like jerks. The Lypo-Spheric brand liposomal C appears around the 15 minute mark. During the 1940s and “50s, when polio was very common, a small North Carolina MD, Dr. Frederick Robert Klenner, routinely treated pneumonia and polio patients both in his small office and the nearby hospital where he had practitioner privileges. His 1949 Atlantic City AMA conference presentation with documented case histories was ignored. Dr. Klenner asserted, “When proper amounts are used, it will destroy all virus organisms. Don’t expect control of a virus with 100 to 400 mg of C”. He also added, “Some physicians would stand by and see their patient die rather than use ascorbic acid because in their finite minds it exists only as a vitamin.”