Recently, I was sitting on a plane and overheard my neighbors talking about sunburn, sunscreen, and of course the good old days. The younger one was saying his children get sunburned within 15 minutes of being in the sun and the older one stated that many years ago her children could be outside all day and not get burned. The whole conversation was summed up with, “What a shame that we destroyed the ozone layer”…but what if the destruction of the ozone layer was only half the story?

Anti-oxidants, especially vitamin C and vitamin E may be a missing part of the equation. One study found that those who took 2000mg of vitamin C and 1000 IU of Vitamin E orally had the ability to increase their daily exposure to UV radiation (harmful sunlight) before becoming sunburned. Thinking about the seemingly recent increase in sunburn, we may very well be a society that is not getting enough antioxidants to protect against the lack of ozone layer. All of this becomes more personal when realizing that sunburn causes increases in the risk of skin cancer and excessive skin wrinkling.

However, without UV radiation (sunlight), cholesterol cannot be turned into vitamin D, which is an important nutrition for protecting against dementia, heart problems and age related depression. So sunlight is an important part of an anti-aging protocol, but skin still has to be protected!

As with everything, the sooner we start to work on prevention the greater the benefits. Acting now to protect your skin can help guarantee beautiful skin that is free of excessive wrinkles. Unfortunately, many of us have been sun worshipers and need a “wrinkle redo”. A serum containing 5 percent vitamin C has been shown to decrease the depth of sun-induced wrinkles and cause skin to appear more youthful. As vitamin C breaks down quickly it is best to make your own single use serum and use it immediately. Below is a recipe:

1. Dissolve 1000 mg vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in 1 teaspoon distilled water in a small glass container. Make sure it is fully dissolved before proceeding to next step.

2. Add 1 teaspoon of glycerine (can be purchased in the beauty section of most health food stores) and mix.

3. Apply directly to skin. Store any leftovers in a dark glass container (i.e. a clean tincture jar) in a cool place such as the refrigerator.

Study reference: “Protective effect against sunburn of combined systemic ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and d-α-tocopherol (vitamin E).” Bernadette Eberlein-König MD, Marianne Placzek MD and Bernhard Przybilla MD. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Volume 38, Issue 1, January 1998, Pages 45-48

Since we are in the midst of flu season and many people are taking extra vitamin C I thought it would be important to address the question of whether or not vitamin C causes kidney stones in people whose kidneys are otherwise healthy.

In my research I found that the opposite is actually true—vitamin C may help to prevent kidney stones!  However, high doses of vitamin C (defined as doses over 2,000 mg/day for an extended period of time) may be a concern for people with compromised kidney function due to kidney failure or uncontrolled diabetes.  People with iron storage diseases or those on medications affecting kidney function also may not do well with high dose vitamin C.  This is why it is important to check with a trusted healthcare practitioner before making any extended changes to your diet or supplement routine if you are working with a particular health concern.

Here is a link to an excellent article on vitamin C and kidney stones from the Linus Pauling Institute’s website (Dr Pauling was a Nobel prize winning scientist who pioneered research on the benefits of high dose vitamin C and supposedly took about 20,000 mg himself daily!) that answers this question in detail and provides the research behind it.

It seems like this year’s flu virus is already making its rounds! Lots of people I know either are sick now or just got over being sick, including my own household. Once a virus takes hold, there’s not much you can do medically to stop it. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses and cold medications only treat symptoms (which is still important if you’re especially miserable!). The best thing to do is start boosting your immune system as soon as people around you get sick. If you still get sick despite this, here are a few tips to help stop a cold from progressing. This is not an extensive list, but it’s a great place to start.

1.     Eat garlic. Garlic, especially when eaten raw, has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Taken at the first sign of illness, it can help shorten the severity of a cold.  I like to eat it crushed raw on salads (I double up and add the immune boosting SuperForce tincture as salad dressing) or mixed into soups. If you don’t like the taste of garlic, you can do what a friend of mine does and just peel the cloves and swallow them whole like pills. This keeps you from having to taste the garlic on the way down but I can’t promise it prevents garlic breath!

2.    Take vitamin C. Whenever I feel the first signs of a cold, I do a vitamin C flush, which is basically taking vitamin C in large doses over the course of the day. I personally find it to be one of the most effective ways to prevent flu.  Complete instructions on how to do a flush can be found in the Marilyn Farms Blog Vitamin C For Cold and Flu.

3.    Take elderberry. Unlike Echinacea, which is best taken preventively as an immune booster during flu season, elderberry can be effective even after illness has set in. Elderberry has been extensively studied for its antiviral effects, and in many studies has even been found to be effective against the flu virus in particular, including the H1N1 strain. Elderberry extract is one of my favorite herbal preparations because it has a nice flavor and is safe for children as well as pregnant and nursing women. Elderberry preparations vary, so follow instructions on the label for dosing.

4.    Include coconut in your diet. Coconut contains lauric acid, a type of fat that has been found to break down the protective membrane surrounding certain types of viruses. Coconut oil has been widely studied for its effectiveness against viruses including those that cause the flu, herpes, mononucleosis, and even AIDS. Easy ways to include coconut oil in your diet when you’re feeling sick include eating coconut milk based soup such as Thai curry, making a smoothie with coconut milk and fruit, or even melting a tablespoon of coconut oil into a hot cup of tea.

5.     Take care of yourself! Sometimes succumbing to a cold is just a sign that your body needs a rest. Do all the things you know to do to help support the immune system—rest, drink plenty of water, eat chicken soup or other healthy foods that make you feel better, read a good book or watch a funny movie, and try to think happy thoughts!

Most people know that Vitamin C is great for colds, but did you also know that it plays a tremendous role in heart health? With our focus this month on healthy hearts I thought it would be fun to share a few facts regarding this incredible supplement.

- Vitamin C helps prevent arterial inflammation and plaque.

- It helps enhance the body’s level of natural glutathione (glutathione is a potent free-radical scavenger known to prevent coronary artery disease.)

 - Vitamin C is crucial for the synthesis of collagen, a part of the connective tissue that strengthens your blood vessel walls. When these walls become irritated they are more likely to allow plaque build-up, permitting noxious toxins to cause inflammatory reactions in the vascular lining.

- Helps repair connective tissue and cartilage thereby contributing to healthy blood vessels.

- At higher doses Vitamin C can help patients coping with arterial fibrillation (AF), the most common kind of arrhythmia.

So, how much Vitamin C is safe to take on a daily basis?

- Most research supports Vitamin C intake of around 200 to 300 mg per day, which for the average person is definitely in the safe zone. In fact, for many people doses below 1,000 mg are probably safe although the research is not as conclusive for this intake level.

- Some researchers, such as the great Linus Pauling, suggest 10,000 mg or more daily for optimum health.  For instructions on determining your own need see our blog on the Vitamin C Flush.

Excellent food sources of vitamin C include: parsley, broccoli, bell pepper, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts. Marilyn Farms also offers Vitamin C in a variety of formulas including chewable, powder, and Vitamin C 1000. tablets. Visit our website to learn more and take advantage of our February special on this heart-healthy supplement.

Iowa Gardens are in full production and a group of us recently had a great opportunity to work with Annie and learn a new way to preserve produce from our gardens and local markets. While enjoying a warm summer day, surrounded by friends, we made fermented or cultured veggies and not only learned a great new way to preserve food, but also how to enhance the nutritional value of winter veggies such as cabbage and root vegetables.

Most of you are probably aware of one  popular cultured vegetable, sauerkraut.  But the art of fermenting veggies goes way beyond cabbage, enabling you to create your own colorful and delicious masterpiece.   Here are a few fun facts to consider as you prepare to make your own first batch.

• Cultured foods have been used since ancient times for their medicinal benefits.
• Captain Cook sailed with large barrels of sauerkraut which supplied his crew with vitamin C and prevented scurvy.
• When vegetables are cultured, the Lactobacillus acidophilus and other beneficial bacteria break down the sugars and cell walls in the vegetables making them much easier to digest.
• Our gut is directly connected to our immune system. When we consume cultured veggies on a regular basis, we strengthen our immunity by enhancing the flora of our gut. This beneficial flora not only fights off dangerous invaders such as microbes and pathogens, but also produces vitamins and converts nutrients into neurotransmitters such as serotonin.
• Cultured veggies are said to have hundreds of times the amount of nutrients as veggies that have not been cultured. Simply eating a few bites of something fermented with your meals will not only help you digest your meals, but will also promote good energy and health.

Okay, time to get started! Click here for the ingredients and instructions – it’s easy and fun!

Last week I started to get symptoms of the flu-like plague that has spread like wildfire through almost everyone I know.  Most people that experienced it told me it lasts anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks and to just brace myself for misery.  Being the scientist that I am, I decided to use this misfortune as an opportunity to do an experiment on myself.  I have been reading a lot about vitamin C lately and decided to see whether it shortened the duration of this dreaded cold.

My main complaint during this time was being so congested that I couldn’t sleep.  Coincidentally, I found that when I started my experiment by taking 1,000 mg of powdered vitamin C dissolved in a little bit of water mixed with apple juice my congestion was immediately relieved for about 30 minutes.  This dose is on the high end to take all at once, but I wanted to take it further and actually find out how much vitamin C I needed (our bodies need more when we’re sick or under stress) by undergoing a protocol called a “Vitamin C Flush”.  Here is a link to the instructions that I followed:

http://www.perque.com/pdfs/Pt_Ascorbate_Slush_FIN.pdf

The vitamin C which I used, and which is the best type of vitamin C for most people to use for this protocol is a fully-reduced, buffered vitamin C powder such as the one we sell at Marilyn Farms (Vitamin C Powder).

Without giving away too much info, I wanted to share with you that in order to get the…desired result…I had to take 25,000 mg of vitamin C over the course of 24 hours.  That is a LOT more than it normally takes me when I do a flush, which showed me that my body really needed the extra boost.  I was able to beat the 3-week flu in 2 days, and I credit that to vitamin C!

NOTE: Please talk to your physician before making any dietary or supplement changes.  This blog is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner.