The Benefits of Vitamin C and Hormones

Empirically, Vitamin C has been shown to help the body fight infections.  Vitamin C has a direct antiviral effect, probably due to its ability to cause disruption of nucleic acid strands.  Other mechanisms whereby Vitamin C may be effective against infections, would include the production of interferon, an antiviral compound and the ability of Vitamin C to detoxify free radicals which are generated during the infectious process.

Vitamin D is not a vitamin; it is actually a hormone.  Hormones have distinct and very broad ranging actions, which are more complex and intense than vitamins.  Vitamin D, especially the Vitamin D3 subform, has been demonstrated to boost your immune system, dramatically decreasing the incidence of infections, especially in elderly individuals.

Selenium and zinc are two important mineral supplements which play a role in immune function.  In one trial of elderly nursing home residents, supplementation with 100 micrograms/day of selenium and 20 mg/day of zinc significantly reduced the incidence of infections compared with placebo.

Back in the 1970’s and 80’s, John Myers, MD, a physician from Baltimore, MD, pioneered the use of intravenous (IV) vitamins and minerals as part of the overall treatment of various medical problems.  This was known as a “Myers’ cocktail”.  Over the years, several modifications to this cocktail have been made, improving its efficacy.  Notably, a Myers’ cocktail has been demonstrated to enable the body to resist infections, and once infected, to be able to shorten the period of sickness.  It has direct pharmacological effects and, given intravenously, clearly shows superior benefits vs. oral or even IM therapies.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, in Wuhan China, several Chinese researchers wondered why some population demographics seem to have a greater resistance (think immunity) to this novel coronavirus.  It appeared that younger females seem to have tremendous resistance to this virus but elderly males, especially those with chronic diseases such as Type II diabetes, were very susceptible and likely to succumb to the virus.  This report is extremely preliminary and has yet to be peer-reviewed, but some inferences can be made.  This 15 page research paper suggests that higher serum levels of estradiol may confer resistance and possible immunity against COVID-19. Taking this one step further, it may be that optimization of hormones, might prove advantageous to fighting this virus, as well as other types of infections.  It has been observed that patients on optimal doses of bio-identical natural thyroid seem to suffer less infections vs. those on placebo.

At EnteBella Medical, we offer IV Myers’ cocktails, as well as, helping patients achieve superior health through optimization of their hormones.  Contact us to schedule an appointment and start boosting your immune system today.