`An open letter to Nutritional Therapists from Christopher Scarfe’
When I first had this thought, I did what a student of any art might do when
confronted with the potential fallibility of his masters - I dismissed it. After all,
Pauling was widely regarded by his peers, including Einstein, as a genius. His first
Nobel Prize was for chemistry, awarded for his illumination of the nature of atomic
bonding. His second was for peace, awarded for his tireless campaigning for the
dismantling of the atomic warfare programmes of the USA. Pauling was no laboratory
swat; he was first and foremost a sensitive and committed humanitarian, not afraid
of putting his reputation at the mercy of powerful critics.
So when this formidable man threw the weight of his reputation behind the concept
of orthomolecular medicine in general (he was the originator of the term), and the
therapeutic value of vitamin C in particular, the world sat up and took notice. And
like his work on the atomic bond, this began a revolution in science and medicine.
Just about everyone I respected in the field of nutritional medicine and in
complementary medicine in general, seemed to share the view that high-dose
vitamin C had this therapeutic power and was at the same time almost entirely
harmless. My own experiences with mega-dose vitamin C did not bear this out.
It was not until some years later that my observations were confirmed, when, in an
interview in an edition of Horizon1, Professor Balz Frei, a leading expert on vitamin C
from the Linus Pauling Institute, made an astonishing statement. He revealed that,
as a result of his literature review of the antiviral properties of vitamin C, Pauling’s
assertions that high dose vitamin C supplementation was both protective against and
a treatment for the common cold, could not be substantiated. He said there was
“…no evidence from scientific studies that vitamin C can lower the incidence of the
common cold or prevent it in the first place”. As to its value as a treatment he noted
that orthomolecular doses of vitamin C “…can shorten the duration and ameliorate the
symptoms of the common cold”. This is not a cure.
I will now fill in the history of this idea in my professional life and my reasons for
sharing it with you.
Fortunately for us and our patients, as Nutritional Therapists we practice an art with
which it is not easy to cause harm by one’s enthusiasm and where any harm done is
usually temporary and soon remedied by natural means, mostly by withdrawal of a
dietary regime or nutrient supplement. Part of this enthusiasm for me was with
regard to the ‘harmless’ and ubiquitous therapeutic nature of vitamin C. This was
especially so because of the support given it by Linus Pauling and Carl Pfieffer, both
patrons of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION) during my association with it
between 1984 and 1990, for whom I had developed a great respect.
Having always had a weak immune system (I was a ‘poorly child’ with asthma) I
continued to experience the blight of thrice yearly infections (colds and flu’) despite
the application of my nutritional learning to my own health. Pauling was advocating
mega doses of vitamin C for the prevention and treatment of cancer and viral
infections at the time, he and his wife taking 10g each daily for their own protection.
So I began to apply larger and larger doses of vitamin C to my condition, as and
when I had a viral infection. I also increased my maintenance dose on the basis of
the teachings of the orthomolecular medicine men. For at least two years I was
taking up to 5,000mg of vitamin C as a daily maintenance dose and up to 30,000mg
of calcium ascorbate orally divided into several doses daily for up to a week at a time,
depending on the severity of the infection. I came to have an extensive understanding
of the concept of bowel tolerance.
Oddly, and in contradiction of the experts, I was not getting the protection I expected,
nor was I able to overcome the infections readily, despite these huge doses of vitamin
C along with my other jamboree-bag of daily supplements. Having tried this personal
experiment for long enough, and having made similar observations in numerous family
members and patients taking lesser amounts of vitamin C along with other immune-
boosting nutrients, I began to look for a more fundamental modulator of my immune
system. This was when I had my first inkling that Pauling might have missed something.
Two more teachers, a little closer to home, provided the key. Professor Derek Bryce-
Smith and Dr Neil Ward conveyed an excitement about minerals that was infectious.
Consequently I chose to investigate Bryce-Smith’s zinc taste test for my diploma
project at ION. I worked with a 1% zinc sulphate solution for this, which has the
benefit of being not only the concentration at which this mineral salt stimulates zinc-
sufficient taste buds, but also at which it provides 15mg elemental zinc per 5ml as
an oral supplement. After the project was submitted I continued to make this solution
of zinc sulphate as a supplement for myself and my family.
Having tried just about every type of zinc supplement on the market over many
years, I found that increasing my zinc intake in this liquid form began to improve
my resistance and response to viral infections. But there were problems. Measuring
5ml teaspoons of solution into a large amount of strong fruit juice to mask the acrid
taste was inconvenient, and then there was all the taboo fruit juice too. And zinc
sulphate can be irritating to a sensitive digestive system. These reasons and more led
me to continue refining the solution, improving its stability and palatability. By 1999 I
had developed a solution containing ascorbic acid and zinc sulphate sufficiently stable
and concentrated to deliver 5mg of elemental zinc and 7mg of ascorbate per drop and
to maintain stability and quality for more than six months if kept in the refrigerator.
Using these drops myself I noticed a significant improvement in my response to
viral infections and also in those patients whose digestive systems could tolerate them.
I have continued to use them at doses between 15mg and 50mg elemental zinc daily
for maintenance and up to 100mg daily during infections. I can, with witness support,
claim this as my eighth viral-infection-free year. Not a hint of any of the nasty plagues
infecting great swathes of our community to which I used also to succumb on a
worryingly regular basis. During the same period I have reduced my vitamin C intake
to a daily dose of 500mg, based on the amount reckoned to be available to our
ancestors eating the so-called ‘caveman diet’, from which I draw the assumption that
this amount of ascorbate should be metabolically adequate under conditions of
reasonable health2. It is also partly based on the knowledge that not all therapists,
commentators and researchers report the benign nature and therapeutic effectiveness
of high-dose vitamin C supplementation. There is some evidence that there can be
negative consequences from long-term high-dose vitamin C intake for certain
individuals. In this case ‘high dose’ means more than 1g daily.
I have conducted a survey among sixty or so users of these zinc drops and can
report a significant number for whom the greatest benefit (from taking 15mg or more
per day for a month or more) is improved resistance to infection and an increase in
energy levels3. And while many of these patients are taking both herbs and mushroom
products for hepatitis C (HCV) infection (under a Traditional Chinese Medicine therapist)
and self-medicating with other nutritional supplements, including many brands of
tableted zinc, they have reported this change in wellbeing since beginning to take zinc
in liquid form.
The TCM therapist has observed that in this form it increases the effectiveness of
the herbs administered in a group of poorly responding HCV patients, indicating
that perhaps the extra zinc is helping them absorb or utilise the herbs more
effectively. Consequently they show a trend of improvement in their condition, with
increases in energy levels and fewer other infections. It is not possible to say what
effect the zinc may be having on their viral load. However, it is easy to see how zinc
may mediate in their health improvements, as it is vital for the gastric gland
production of gastric acid (which is essential for preparing minerals for absorption
from the small intestine) and has a central role in the immune system. My guess is
that this group of patients have inadequate gastric acid production and are unable to
digest and absorb the herbs or mineral supplements in the way that might be expected.
Is there something that Pauling missed? Was he wrong about mega-dose vitamin
C therapy in relation to viral infection? Contentious questions indeed. However,
because of my experience with myself and patients I am inclined to answer yes to
both. I suggest that individually adequate zinc status is a fundamental prerequisite
for antiviral immune function and may be coonsiderably more effective than mega-doses
of vitamin C in individuals with weakened immunity. There are indications from my
survey of patients that zinc in liquid form is better absorbed and utilised than dry forms
of the mineral and as such is a potent stimulator of cellular energy production and
immune activity. In addition, this survey indicates that zinc in liquid form can rapidly
affect mood, improve wound healing and have positive effects on a depressed libido.
I suspect that the unusually positive therapeutic effects of zinc in liquid form are the
consequence of both the physical and chemical state of the zinc – as the liquid is
already ‘digested’ it is more readily absorbed and the presence of ascorbate somehow
enhances the delivery or action of the zinc once in the metabolism.
Zinc supplements in liquid form, especially when associated with ascorbate, have
proven to be a potent therapeutic tool for me and my patients, particularly in relation
to viral infections and energy metabolism. An individually appropriate level of readily
bio-available zinc appears to at least ‘spare’ vitamin C in the immune system and may
be a more fundamental modulator of the immune response than has yet been fully
recognised. Other liquid zinc products I have used to similar effect include Zinc Plus
Ascorbate from BioCare and Remiday from ImmuNova. There are also food-state
mineral supplements that are reputed to have good bioavailability.
Of course, Pauling was not wrong about vitamin C. Clearly there is enormous
potential for the therapeutic application of vitamin C in orthomolecular doses in a
variety of disorders. However, it appears, from the evidence offered by his own
institute, that he was wrong about mega doses of it as an exclusive approach to the
prevention and treatment of the common cold and other viruses.
From my own experiences with bio-available zinc supplements I can corroborate
the research evidence that indicates that zinc performs a crucial role in the
effectiveness of the immune system and that if the metabolism is replete with this
mineral it significantly improves the patient’s resistance to and recovery from viruses.
This is not a surprising finding, as we know that zinc is concentrated in the thymus
gland, where it takes part in antibody production; that it takes part in DNA
transcription and protein synthesis, crucial for the production of immune cells and
proteins; and is part of the superoxide dismutase enzyme system active in the
cytosol, which helps maintain the cell’s integrity and its ability to resist colonisation
by viral particles. From what we know of zinc and its many other metabolic functions
it is also likely that it has a fundamental role to play in the prevention and treatment
of cancer and many other metabolic disorders endemic in our culture.
The work of Pauling and others with mega-dose vitamin C therapy and its consequent
embedding in the nutritional paradigm has identified how vital this nutrient is for the
functioning of the immune system. However, I entreat you as colleagues in Nutritional
Therapy, that before we saturate our immune-compromised patients with potentially
excessive amounts of vitamin C, we first ensure they have adequate zinc for their
metabolic requirements. They may then benefit from much smaller quantities of
vitamin C. And also that the bioavailability of minerals in the diet and in supplements
is of fundamental importance in the processes of health and healing and so in the
effectiveness of the therapy we practice.
Wishing you success in your practice.
Christopher Scarfe
Email responses welcome: chris@thenutritionconsultancy.com
1 The Truth About Vitamins: BBC 2, September 16th 2004
2 Palaeolithic Nutrition - A consideration of Its Nature and current Implications - S B Eaton and M Kroner.
The New England Journal of Medicine, 1992; Vol 312, No 5 pp 283 - 289
3 Unpublished audit of 60 patients taking zinc-with-vitamin-C drops for a variety of immune-related
disorders. Copy available on application by email with professional status details.
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