Can Vitamin C Prevent Or Treat Cold Symptoms
Vitamin C has been studied for many years as a possible treatment for colds, or as a way to help prevent colds. But findings have been inconsistent. Overall, experts have found little to no benefit from vitamin C for preventing or treating the common cold.
In a July 2007 study, researchers wanted to discover whether taking 200 milligrams or more of vitamin C daily could reduce the frequency, duration, or severity of a cold. After reviewing 60 years of clinical research, they found that when taken after a cold starts, vitamin C supplements do not make a cold shorter or less severe. When taken daily, vitamin C very slightly shortened cold duration — by 8% in adults and by 14% in children.
In 2010, researchers looked at all studies and found that taking vitamin C every day did not prevent the number of colds that a person got. In some cases, it made symptoms improve.
The results were different for people who were in very good physical condition, such as marathon runners. People like that who took vitamin C every day cut their risk of catching a cold in half.
So what does all this mean?
Continued
According to this research, the average adult who suffers with a cold for 12 days a year would still suffer for about 11 days a year if that person took a high dose of vitamin C every day during that year.
For the average child who suffers about 28 days of cold illness a year, taking daily high-dose vitamin C would still likely mean about 24 days of cold illness.
Vitamin C In Human Clinical Applications In Viral Infections Pneumonia And Sepsis
In a study looking at the impact of vitamin C on oxidative stress and inflammation in community-acquired pneumonia , a common infectious disease, researchers measured values including reactive oxygen species , DNA damage, superoxide dismutase activity, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 in patients with CAP. The results show that patients with severe CAP had significantly increased ROS, DNA damage, TNF and IL-6, but significantly decreased SOD . Administration of vitamin C improved these redox imbalances by mitigating oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory markers, suggesting a possible therapeutic benefit for vitamin C in patients with severe CAP and other types of pneumonia. This antioxidant and anti-inflammatory property has been shown in a multitude of studies, demonstrating efficacy in preventing lung injury and protection against damage to other organs such as the heart, kidneys and liver in animal models of oxidative stress , , .
Optimal dose and administration of vitamin C for treatment of pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome
In one trial, 80% of the administered dose of vitamin C had been filtered by the kidneys in 6 h following IV administration, suggesting that the optimal frequency of vitamin C treatment should be four times daily .
Schedule An Appointment With Rocky Mountain Iv Medics
Cold and flu symptoms shouldn’t drag you down longer than they have to. If you’re feeling under the weather in the Denver area, let Rocky Mountain IV Medics help by providing fast-acting symptom relief through an IV treatment for colds and flu.
Once they arrive, our paramedics will assess your symptoms, take your vital signs, and recommend an IV formulation for the most effective treatment for your needs. Schedule online or call or text us at 720-987-2155 to book an appointment now.
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Foods High In Vitamin C
You may be wondering: which foods are high in vitamin C? Many fruits and plants contain high doses of vitamin C, especially citrus fruits. Among the richest sources are:
- Kiwifruit: 70 mg in a medium-sized fruit
- Grapefruit: 48 mg in a medium-sized fruit
- Oranges: 70 mg in one medium fruit
- Bell peppers: 60 mg in a ½ cup of green pepper, and 95 mg in ½ cup of red pepper
- Broccoli: 39 mg in ½ cup
- Brussels sprouts: 37 mg in ½ cup
- Apples: 11 mg in one fruit
- Bananas: 10 mg in one medium banana
Mainstream Acceptance Of High Dose Iv Vitamin C

IV vitamin C infusions in the context of cancer are becoming more common and accepted as feasible as adjuncts to traditional cancer treatments.
The National Cancer Institutes reference on high dose IV vitamin C webpage states:
- High dose IV vitamin C is well tolerated alone or in conjunction with other standard cancer therapies.
- Studies have shown that HDIVC improves quality of life and decreases cancer-related toxicities.
- HDIVC appears promising and more research needs to be done with rigorous trials.
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Do Iv Fluids Help With The Flu
Flu symptoms including fever and nausea can quickly lead to dehydration, making you feel worse by the hour. It can be hard to drink enough water to stay hydrated when youre vomiting or simply too weak to make the effort. IV hydration takes your stomach out of the equation, rehydrating your body where you need it most so you can fight off a nasty flu in record time.
How To Get Rid Of A Stomach Virus
Theres no magic pill to get rid of a stomach virus. Unlike a bacterial infection that can be treated with antibiotics, a virus needs to play out until its cleared from your system. However, you can use certain medicines for stomach virus symptom relief:
- Over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, can help with fever and body aches.
- Prescription medications like metoclopramide and ondansetron alleviate severe nausea.
- Anti-diarrhea solutions, such as subsalicylate and hydrochloride, reduce the effects of dehydration.
The best way to get rid of a stomach virus is to not get one in the first place. Make sure you follow these prevention strategies for your best shot at staying healthy:
If a virus does manage to sneak past your immune system, even after youve followed the proper precautions, then you may choose to get the benefits of IV therapy for the stomach fluor bug.
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Cold And Flu Iv In Tucson Az
Beat a Cold or Flu Faster with IV Hydration
When you want to recover from cold and flu symptoms quickly, you need an easy, fast-acting treatment for pain, congestion, stomach upset and dehydration. Our IV vitamin infusion for cold and flu is specially formulated with vitamin C and other powerful ingredients to reduce symptoms, replenish fluids, balance electrolytes and provide essential nutrients so your body can heal itself.
Effect Of High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C On Primary Outcome
The primary outcome is to investigate if HDIVC could prevent disease aggravation. All enrolled patients were diagnosed with moderate COVID-19 on admission . As Figure 2 showed, at the end of the observational period , 4 patients in the HDIVC group and 12 in the control group suffered the disease aggravation with a final diagnosis of severe or critical COVID-19 . IQR is shown in square brackets.
FIGURE 2. Effect of HDIVC on preventing the disease aggravation. The number of patients who experienced disease aggravation in HDIVC and the control group were compared . HDIVC, high dose intravenous vitamin C COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 RR, relative risk CI, confidential interval.
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Vitamin Iv Treatment Vs Oral Supplements
One of the main advantages of Vitamin IV treatment is that it provides a higher absorption rate compared to ingesting vitamin supplements. IV treatments can also help people who have digestive issues because the vitamins are delivered straight to the bloodstream, which can greatly help people who are having problems with their digestive tract.
Oral supplements work great, but it can take a while to get to desired vitamin levels. Since the absorption rate is slower with oral supplements, it will take some time to feel the effects of it. For a faster and more efficient process of absorbing vitamins, IV treatments are the recommended route, especially for people who need to increase their vitamin levels efficiently.
Vitamin C Does Not Prevent Colds
âNobel prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling famously claimed in the 1970s that high doses of vitamin C prevented the common cold,â says Mike Sevilla, a family physician in Salem, Ohio.
But Pauling had little evidence to back his claim. The foundations of his argument came from a single study of a sample of children in the Swiss Alps, which he then generalized to the overall population.
Turns out he overgeneralized, and numerous studies have since disproved Paulingâs claim.
âUnfortunately, follow-up research has shown that vitamin C does not prevent the common cold,â Sevilla says. Yet this misconception continues to live on.
âIn my family practice office, I see patients from a variety of cultures and backgrounds and the use of vitamin C for the common cold is well known across all of them,â Sevilla says.
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Pros Cons And Side Effects Of Vitamin Iv Therapy Treatments
One of the newest treatment options that can be delivered intravenously is Vitamin IV therapy treatments. With this type of treatment, patients are treated with a mixture of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and fluids that can promote hydration, boost energy levels, and improve immunity. These types of treatments are usually administered in a medical office, but there are in-home concierge services that can provide treatment within the comfort of your own home.
Vitamin IV therapy treatments are generally safe, as long as you consult with a medical professional before doing it. Your doctor or medical health provider will take a look at your whole medical history as well as present health conditions to come up with the proper vitamin IV therapy treatment plan that can fit your needs.
As with any other treatment, some pros and cons come with IV therapy treatments. The benefits that you get from this type of treatment depend on your overall health condition, which is why it is imperative to consult with a doctor before getting any treatment options.
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Cons Of Vitamin Iv Treatment

As with any other type of treatment, there are cons that you can get from Vitamin IV therapy treatments. The pros usually outweigh the cons when receiving this type of therapy. Consulting with a medical health professional is imperative so that your full medical condition and health status can be assessed before undergoing treatment. Here are the different cons when it comes to Vitamin IV treatment:
- Bruising and redness in the injection area
Since this type of therapy requires the use of a needle to a vein, it is common to get bruising and redness in the injection area because the needle is breaking into the skin. If the person administering the treatment is not an expert, pinpointing which vein to use will be challenging, which leads to multiple tries to get it right. This is why it is important to have a medical professional administer the treatment.
- A high concentration of vitamins can be detrimental to your health
Everything in excess is dangerous and can pose risks to your health, and this includes a high concentration of vitamins that are being introduced to your body intravenously. When this happens, it can lead to headaches and dizziness. To minimize the risk of receiving too many vitamins, it is essential to consult with a medical professional to achieve the appropriate timeframe and intervals of treatment.
- It will not benefit people with kidney or heart conditions
- It is not a long-term solution
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Best Vitamins For Cold And Flu
Our Beverly Hills IV Vitamin Center provides IV Vitamin therapy to boost your immune system and help you fight the common cold or flu symptoms. Contact us today to schedule your session.
What is the common cold and can iv vitamins help cure it faster?
The common cold is not a single type of virus, but a set of very distinct symptoms that can be brought on by one of about 200 different viruses. Those symptoms usually include a runny nose, congestion, coughing, sore throat, and sneezing. While there is no cure for the cold or flu, IV Vitamin therapy can clear the symptoms and help your body fight it off faster. Certain vitamins can boost your immune system and help greatly reduce the chance of getting the cold or flu in the future. One popular treatment for the flu and cold is high dose vitamin C and B complex vitamins, which is offered at IV Vitamin Therapy Los Angeles, a full-service boutique and upscale medical office.
How does IV Vitamins help fight the cold and flu?
Treatment for the Flu and Cold
We are an experienced and professional upscale boutique medical provider offering IV vitamin therapy sessions in our modern medical office. Plus, after an initial medical consultation with a physician, you can request our convenient concierge house call service to receive vitamin injections in the comfort and privacy of your home or office.
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Oral Supplementation And Side Effects
Vitamin C has an excellent safety profile, primarily due to its high water solubility and rapid clearance of excess levels by the kidneys . Although it is not possible to establish a UL for vitamin C, values of 1,0002,000 mg/day have been suggested as prudent limits by some countries, based on a potential risk of osmotic diarrhea and related gastrointestinal distress in some individuals at higher doses .
Since vitamin C is partially converted to oxalate and excreted in the urine, high doses of vitamin C could be associated with calcium oxalate stone formation . Ferraro et al. studied 156,735 women and 40,536 men, who reported episodes of kidney stones during an average follow-up of 11.311.7 years. The authors signicantly correlated the total vitamin C intake with a higher risk of incident kidney stones in men, but not in women. However, it is important to outline that this study had limitations to be considered. The presence of confounding factors were not taken into account during the follow-up, and the authors assessed vitamin C intake only through a questionnaire and with very long time intervals .
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Does Iv Therapy Work For A Cold
Yes it does! IV therapy sends essential fluids and nutrients directly to your cells, giving your body the fuel it needs to fight off a cold. Check out our vitamin drip reviews where our customers share in their own words how IV therapy helped them get over stubborn symptoms even when nothing else worked.
Protect Yourself From Invisible Illness
You or someone around you could have a cold or flu infection without even knowing. Around 25% of people infected with a cold or flu virus never experience symptoms. When one person gets sick, act fast to improve the health of your whole workplace, travel group, family or circle of friends with private group IV treatments.
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Intravenous Vitamin Therapy: A Natural Effective Solution For The Flu
As fall and winter are fast approaching, many people, and maybe you, are anxious about whats in store for this flu season. This years flu season promises to be even more dramatic as it intersects with the ever-continuing health pandemic that continues across the globe and in our communities. Flu prevention, therefore, may be more important than it ever has been before.
Did you know that there are many action steps that you can take now to help your bodys immune system stay strong? Making sure to eat a healthy diet, devoid of large quantities of refined sugar, is a great starting point. Dr. Matthew Cavaiola, ND, co-founder of Conscious Human Medicine in downtown Santa Monica, stated One of the biggest culprits for suppressing your bodys immune system and making you more susceptible to viral infections is sugar. Eating foods high in sugar can weaken your white blood cells, a crucial part of your immune system, for 5 hours or longer. Other extremely important factors to take into consideration when trying to boost the health of your immune system include getting adequate sleep, reducing your stress levels and making sure that you have adequate vitamin D levels in your blood. Dr. Cavaiola added Naturopathic doctors can run laboratory tests to determine the health of your immune system and guide you in coming up with a comprehensive and individualized plan to prevent you from getting sick.
Is Vitamin C Deficiency Affecting Me
Vitamin C deficiency is common. A 2009 study of 7,277 participants showed that 7.1% of individuals were vitamin C deficient. The Linus Pauling Institute recommends a minimum intake of 400 mg per day for healthy adults.
However, some people are at a high risk for low levels of vitamin C, based on age, lifestyle, and illnesses. Individuals with higher risk for developing a vitamin C deficiency are:
- Smokers. These patients need higher levels of vitamin C intake due to increased oxidative stress. The more cigarettes smoked, the lower the level of vitamin C
- Regular alcohol users. This demographic has low leukocyte vitamin C levels
- The elderly. There is evidence that aging animal liver cells have significantly decreased SCVT1 vitamin C transporters and cellular uptake . This can prohibit vitamin C from getting to or permeating the cells.
- Cancer patients. Most cancer patients have low levels of vitamin C, and chemotherapy and radiation further lower these levels due to increased oxidative stress.
- Individuals with chronic disease and malabsorption issues.
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