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What is IV Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)?
Vitamin IV London
Intravenous vitamin C (IVC) was a commonly prescribed therapy by Naturopathic Specialists. Nobel Laureate and Linus Pauling, they were the first to develop the benefits of Vitamin C in the 1970s. Since then, it has become one of the most utilised and researched therapies in complementary care.
Intravenous administration of vitamin C is useful for 3 main reasons:
To allow blood levels to be up 70 percent higher than the general oral supplement method.
Elevate blood levels which is crucial to obtain the beneficial effects of vitamin C in some conditions.
High doses of oral vitamin C (above 3-4g per day) can cause the gastrointestinal tract to become upset whereas IVC directly through the bloodstream avoids this uncomfortable side effect while allowing for high dosages (up to 100g vitamin c) to be administered.
Anti-oxidant & Pro-oxidant Effect
The action of vitamin C depends on its administered dose.
When administered in "low" concentration (under 20g), this vitamin mainly has an antioxidant effect.
Antioxidant effect holds the following benefits:
- Detoxifying of free radicals and other toxins.
- Stimulating the immune system, Vitamin C can enhance host resistance, significantly augmenting the immune system’s ability to neutralise bacterial and fungal infections.
- Optimise the use of collagen (facilitating scaring/healing of soft tissue).
On the contrary, when administered in higher doses above 25g the effect turns into pro-oxidants,
having selective cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.
Pro-oxidants effects can support
- Anti-angiogenic: by inhibiting the process whereby cancer cells attract new blood vessels
(angiogenesis) to obtain the nutrients they need for their growth.
- Anti-inflammatory effect and reduce swelling.
- May reduce pain levels and support wellbeing which can increase tolerability to conventional
treatments.