Gordon Research Institute

School of Advanced Nutritional and Medical Research

Foodconsumer.org
Translated by David Liu Ph.D.
Jan 26, 2006

On Dec. 17, 2005, customs agents intercepted 40 plus shipments of counterfeit Tamiflu. On Jan. 7, federal agents seized fake antiflu drugs in New York and Chicago. The feds suspected the drugs were made in China because the print on the package is Chinese. The fake drugs did not contain any Tamiflu, only some vitamin C. If that is true, the fake drug may be more effective than Tamiflu in treating influenza.

The antiflu drug Tamiflu cannot treat flu. It can shorten the duration of suffering by 1.5 days. It works by preventing the virus from invading into nearby cells. Vitamin C at a sufficient dose can treat flu. Obviously, fake Tamiflu does not contain sufficient vitamin C, but the manufacturer might know more about the flu treatment than medical experts.

Public fear of flu is due to propaganda of worldwide outbreaks of avian flu. So far, avian flu has been able to transmit only among birds. There is a concern that once a mutated variant develops and spreads among humans, there will be a disaster. One way to fight the virus is to develop an effective vaccine. Tamiflu can only shorten the duration, but cannot treat flu. The efficacy of Tamiflu on avian flu is subject to suspicion. The only answer lies with vitamin C, which is the only drug that can deal with a variety of viruses.

The majority of mammals make vitamin C in their liver for maintenance of their health. Because of this, the animals seldom get infected with flu viruses. Only guinea pigs, apes, and humans cannot make vitamin C, thus making outsourcing vitamin C a necessity. Because of the inability, colds and influenza mostly inflict humans only.

Amphibian animals such as cold-blooded snakes and frogs live in a cold environment. Their biochemical reactions are slow, and thus they have a lower demand for vitamin C than warm-blooded mammals. In cold blood animals, a small amount of vitamin C in the kidneys is enough for the needs of the whole body. Mammals need high levels of vitamin C, which must be bio-synthesized in the liver to meet the need.

Birds such as swallows and wild ducks can make vitamin C in their liver. Some birds such as chickens synthesize vitamin C in their kidneys. Because the size of the kidneys is small, it cannot make a large amount of vitamin C. This is why chickens get infected with viruses more easily. Outbreaks of avian flu can strike an area with a radius of hundreds of miles because wild ducks carry the virus without any symptoms, due to its capability of making vitamin C in their liver. That is why they can fly with the virus hundreds of miles without any illness. Once the virus spreads to chickens, the low amount of vitamin C cannot help defend against the virus. This is why chickens were killed by hundreds or thousands on one occasion.

Studies of the animals that can synthesize vitamin C in the liver suggest that a person with 70 kg needs 5 grams (a day) of vitamin C. Sick people need even more vitamin C to overcome illnesses. People with a common cold need 30 gms per day. People with flu need 50 gms per day.

For people suffering an epidemic cold, 100 grams are needed. For those who cannot take much orally, they may consider IV administration of sodium ascorbate solution. IV injection of 350 mg/kg body weight subdues fever in one day, and the patient recovers within three days.

The same methodology should be used to treat those who suffer avian flu. Vitamin C is an extremely safe compound. The only side-effect is diarrhea induced by a large dose. The body can only absorb a certain amount of vitamin C through small intestines. When the level of vitamin C in the body reaches the threshold, the small intestines stop absorbing any more vitamin C. The unused vitamin C is fedback to the large intestines causing them to not absorb water. That is why diarrhea occurs. Intake of vitamin C slightly lower than that causing diarrhea proved the only effective way to maintain health and cure common cold, flu, epidemic cold, SARS, hepatitis B infection, meningitis and even Polio (small paralysis sickness).

The writer believes that if chicken farmers supplement enough vitamin C in the chicken feed at a level of 50 to 100 mg /kg, avian flu can be prevented in chickens.