Vitamins

Vitamins – briefly

This article is about the therapeutic use of vitamins. It is not about their detailed biochemistry. Briefly, vitamins can be used to prevent and treat illness, according to the various medical doctors who are cited.

Note that low doses are not therapeutic. “Recommended daily allowances” or “recommended dietary allowances” (RDAs) were not developed for health. They were developed to specify the minimum required to prevent an acute deficiency, such as scurvy or rickets. 

If you have a medical condition, see a doctor. This information is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. Do your own research. This article refers to various medical doctors who have published their research over many years, including their observations, conclusions, and repeatability.

Note that I do not sell food supplements. Unhealthy eating habits cannot be offset by food supplements alone. How can you start to heal your gut without supplements? If you apply the ideas of food combining, the acid-alkaline balance, biochemical individuality, and your blood type, you can get many of the nutrients you require, including vitamins and minerals, without supplements. Good-quality, organic herbs and spices are the best food supplements.

It can be cheap and practical to change your eating habits and to include vitamins and minerals via your food, starting with buying or growing local, seasonal fruits and vegetables.  My staples are apples, pears, beets, carrots, broccoli, spinach, onions, sweet potatoes, ginger, and garlic. Ginger is tropical, but the others are temperate. Nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices also contain vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, what is healthy for me may not be healthy for you. 

Healthy carnivores can get protein, vitamins, and minerals from meat, fish, fowl, and eggs. Healthy  vegans can better obtain protein, vitamins, and minerals from certain grains, beans, and legumes, such as lentils, peas, quinoa, and tofu. 

The formal, academic biochemistry of vitamins and minerals has many details, including detailed illustrations of the many metabolic processes (for digestion). These details often lose sight of the forest for the trees – what is a person to eat obtain enough nutrients for that person?.

This article is also about the history of the safe, effective, therapeutic use of vitamins and minerals. To maintain health, each person may have specific, individual requirements for vitamins and minerals. What are the optimal foods and optimal consumption of vitamins and minerals for you? It may not be the same for someone else. As Dr. Roger Willliams put it, “Nutrition is for real people; statistical humans are of little interest.” Author of “Nutrition Against Disease“, he was also quoted as saying, ‘When in doubt, try nutrition first.“

In general, a vitamin is an organic (carbon-containing) substance that is essential for health, but cannot be internally produced by the human being, and so it must be found in food. Vitamins were first discovered in 1912 by a Polish biochemist, Casimir Funk. The history of vitamins is the history of their deficiency disorders. Various known diseases, which were believed to be infectious, were later recognized as specific acute vitamin deficiencies and not as infectious dieases, including:

• scurvy (vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid), as described by Dr. James Lind in 1752 and Merck, 
• pellagra (vitamin B₃, niacin, described by Funk and Merck),
• beriberi (vitamin B₁, thiamine), as described by Dr. Christiaan Eijkman and Merck,
• rickets (vitamin D, 25-hydroxy vitamin D), described by Merck, and
• xerophthalmia (vitamin A, retinol). described by Merck.

These discoveries were contrary to the “germ theory” of Louis Pasteur, another biochemist, but consistent with the work of Professor Antoine Béchamp and the “terrain theory”. Dr. Eric Berg describes how it is possible that vitamin deficiencies can cause serious diseases.

You require vitamins for digestion and for many other processes in the body. The original word “vitamin” is a contraction of “vital” and “amine”. Not all vitamins have amines, which contain nitrogen. Funk was an excellent biochemist, but he made a mistake to assume that all of the co-factors or enzymes that we call vitamins contain nitrogen. The research into vitamins has continued since then.

Optimal for many healthy people is a mix of vitamins from a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, animal or vegetable protein, teas, herbs, and spices. The late Dr. Abram Hoffer MD, a recent advocate of vitamins, explains how vitamins maintain health. According to Dr. Peter D’Adamo ND and blood type eating, depending on your blood type, you may need certain specific vitamins more than others, or you may be more susceptible to deficiencies. Dr. Michael Janson MD explains his view of why you need vitamins.

Vitamins – in detail

HealthViaFood is about health via food. I do not promote nor sell supplements. At the same time, this article is about vitamins, so it includes therapeutic details about vitamins reported by medical doctors who treated their patients, using vitamins. If you look for them, you can find thousands of published studies about the use of vitamins, such as vitamin C, B₃, and D. Vitamins are more effective in their natural whole-food state than in an isolated, synthesized state, but you cannot eat enough to get a therapeutic dose.

If you do supplement, then I suggest using high-quality supplements from natural (vegetable or whole animal) sources, not synthetic sources. There are many low-quality supplements on the market, such as vitamin B made from bacteria in an industrial process (not derived from plants) and vitamin D extracted from the hair of sheep and not from clean cod liver oil or algae. I suggest that you do your own research and try to get to know your supplier.

It makes no sense to take vitamin supplements without first asking yourself: can you modify your eating habits and absorb more from what you eat or do not eat? Are you deficient in one or another vitamin? What is the evidence to you of your deficiency? Can you get this vitamin from eating more of certain foods or less of others? Be aware that you could be deficient, but your friend, neighbor, or family member is not deficient and vice versa. Alcohol can cause nutrient deficiencies. It is also possible that too much of a vitamin, particularly of an oil-soluble vitamin in supplement form, can be unhealthy or even toxic for you.

The key to understanding vitamins is to realize that we are each biochemically individual regarding requirements for vitamins. Your requirements can also vary with the season of the year, your activities, and your general health. It is a vast subject, and this article is merely a summary.

Individuals defy statistics, but in total the most common vitamin deficiencies may be:

• vitamin B, which is a set of related vitamins, including B₁ (thiamine), B₂ (riboflavin), B₃ (niacin), B₅, pantothenic acid, B₆ (pyrodoxine), B₇ (biotin), B₉ (folate), and B₁₂ (cobalamin),
• vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid or ascorbate,
• vitamin D₃, also known as cholecalciferol, which you make from sunlight, and which is necessary to fix calcium in your bones,
• vitamin E, which is a mix of eight molecules known as tocopherols and tocotrienols.

Physically, there are two types of vitamins – water-soluble and oil-soluble. You can easily take too much of an oil-soluble vitamin. If you take too much of a water-soluble vitamin, you pee it out, or it may cause diarrhea, which is unpleasant, but a natural “safety valve”. Where are they found? What are they used for?

Andrew Saul PhD reviews overlooked research about the therapeutic use of vitamins. 

The best supplements can be herbs to make tea and spices to flavor food.

Water-soluble vitamins

The significance of water-soluble vitamins is that you tend to excrete them though your urine. In other words, if you take too much for you, you pass them in your urine. This reduces the risk of an excess and possibly increases the risk of a deficiency. Vitamins B and C are water-soluble.

Vitamin B complex

Vitamin B includes a set of specific (numbered and named) vitamins that are usually desirable as a set. These include thiamine (B₁), riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pyridoxine (B₆), folate (B₉), and cobalamin (B₁₂).

What do B vitamins do? They promote healthy digestion and a healthy nervous system. An excess of one specific vitamin B can cause a lack of another. Most all, vitamin B is necessary to convert carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, and starch), lipids (nuts and oils), and protein (eggs, fish, meat, beans, and legumes) to energy. You can find vitamin B in various foods, such as bee pollen and brewer’s and nutritional (heat-treated) yeast. Not all sources of vitamin B are optimal for everybody.

Without knowing it, many people have a deficiency of vitamin B that can undermine the nervous system. Dr. Joe Mercola DC describes B vitamins and their functions.

Thiamine

Dr. Robert Klenner MD reported using thiamine to offset and even reverse multiple sclerosis, among other uses. Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt MD reports that vitamin B₁ is useful for detoxing lead. Foods high in vitamin B₁ (thiamine) include nutritional yeast, asparagus, beef liver, cauliflower, oats, barley, certain beans, eggs, and sunflower seeds, among others. 

An acute deficiency of thiamin is known as beriberi. Statistically, people who subsist on refined carbohydrates, such as polished rice and white flour, or who are alcoholics have a greater risk of thiamin deficiency. Modern methods of processing rice removes the brown husk that contains thiamin. In the nineteenth century, the Japanese doctor Kanehiro Takaki found that adding barley to the diet greatly reduced the incidence of beriberi among Japanese sailors. At about the same time, the Dutch doctor Christiaan Eijkman made similar observations about beriberi, polished rice, and dietary modification in Indonesia.

Dr. David Jockers describes the risks, signs, and solutions for thiamine deficiency.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin (vitamin B₂) is necessary for carbohydrate metabolism, such as digestion of vegetables, fruits, cereals, and legumes, to make energy. Riboflavin deficiency usually occurs with other B vitamin deficiencies. Signs include sore throat, cracked lips, inflamed tongue, red eye, and itchy, flaky skin.

Niacin

Medical doctors have used vitamin B₃ (niacin) to treat their patients with depression and other neurological disorders for many years. It may be an enhancement, an alternative, or a substitute for benzodiazepines, antipsychotic, or antidepressant medications, according to alternativestomeds.com and Dr. Samuel Lee, MD. Consult your doctor, if you are thinking of making this substitution. DoctorYourself.com is another excellent resource.

The late stage of severe niacin deficiency is known as pellagra. Early records of pellagra followed the widespread cultivation of corn in Europe in the 1700s. Niacin was originally used to cure people of pellagra in Indonesia and the southern USA at the beginning of the twentieth century. Polished rice and unlimed corn were the causes of the niacin deficiencies. The signs of pellagra are dermatitis (inflamed skin), diarrhea, and dementia.

Dr. Abram Hoffer, MD, described his therapeutic use of vitamin B₃ (niacin) against schizophrenia, learning disorders, alcoholism, dementia, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and cancer. He also noted the side effects of vitamin B₃, the most common of which is a tingling or flushing of the skin. This is known as the “niacin flush”. To avoid the flush, Dr.Andrew Saul PhD describes how to  determine the saturation level of niacin. For more details, read the article by Andrew Saul PhD, “Be informed about B vitamins“.

Dr. Hoffer often started his patients with one hundred milligrams of niacin three times a day. Hoffer also used a combination of vitamin C and niacin to prompt heroin addicts to kick the habit. In this six-minute video, Dr. Hoffer describes using niacin and observing ninety percent recovery from schizophrenia. In “Mask of Madness“, Dr. Hoffer descibes how he prompted his patients to heal themselves of mental illness, using vitamin B₃.

Dr. William Kaufman MD reported using niacin to treat his patients with arthritis, and Dr. William Parsons MD described using niacin to control any unhealthy cholesterol deposits. In this ten-minute video, Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Andrew Saul discuss research into niacin and mental illness. In this ninety-minute video, Dr. Joseph Mercola interviews Dr. Andrew Saul in detail about niacin. Dr. Saul describes the combined use of niacin and vitamin C. Dr. Mercola asks, could niacin slow brain aging and ward off Alzheimer’s?

Some doctors promote taking niacin before a sauna to enhance the detoxifying effect of the sauna. This method was used to detoxify agent orange, a defoliating agent.

Niacin may be useful to reduce or even reverse memory loss. In general, vitamin B is necessary for a healthy nervous system. Dr. Joe Mercola describes his view of the main benefit of niacin, possible prevention of skin cancer.  Here are four reasons to to take vitamin B₃.

Dr. Andrew Saul PhD, editor of Orthomolecular News, describes the use of niacin to overcome erectile dysfunction. DoctorYourself.com is another excellent resource edited by Andrew Saul.

You can make small amounts of vitamin B₃ (niacin) yourself from the amino acid tryptophan, which is found in bananas, spinach, sweet potatoes, nuts, seeds, and turkey, among other foods.

Nota bene. None of this is personal advice. This is merely to summarize what these doctors did, observed, and reported. Do your own research. If you have a medical condition, see a doctor.

Pyridoxine

Good-quality rosemary is an excellent source of vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine), among others. Garlic, liver, and walnuts also have pyridoxine.

Too much vitamin B₆ can cause a lack of essential vitamin B₉ (folate). 

Biotin

Also known as vitamin B₇, biotin is necessary to keep your skin, hair, eyes, liver and nervous system healthy, according to Dr. Eddy Betterman. He also points out that bananas, almonds, walnuts, egg yolks, mushrooms, oats, and cauliflower all have biotin.

Folate

Folate is found in leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and broccoli,  liver, and other foods.  Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate found in supplements. Vitamin B₉ in one form or another is required for reproduction, fertility, and formation of red blood cells. Folate also works with vitamins B₁₂ and C to break down, use, and create new proteins. The natural form may be more easily absorbed than the synthetic form, at least for some people.

Cobalamin

Vitamin B₁₂ is necessary to form and maintain the myelin sheath, which covers and protects nerves. Vegans run the risk of becoming deficient in vitamin B₁₂ (cobalamin), found mostly in animals. Dr. Josh Axe describes the top ten vitamin B₁₂ foods.

Some vegans may be well advised to supplement with small amounts (micrograms) of vitamin B₁₂ in the form of methylcobalamin, the active form of B₁₂. Cyanocobalamin is another form of B₁₂ that is not as readily absorbed and processed in liver of some people.

Nutritional yeast can be a vegan source of vitamin B₁₂. Choose your B₁₂ supplier carefully. 

Pangamic acid, also known as vitamin B₁₅, may be useful therapeutically for some people.

There is no substitute for healthy eating habits, but vitamin B complex, a mixture of the specific vitamin B variants, can speed up your metabolism. To lose weight, some people start with a low dose of vitamin B complex. They take it with water before a meal. Do not take too much, or else you can give yourself diarrhea. I suggest that you choose to modify your eating habits first for your health, before you even begin to think of supplements. You cannot offset or control unhealthy eating habits with supplements, it seems to me.

Vitamins B and C are often synergistic for many people. To stop smoking, you could try a combination of vitamin C and B, particularly B complex and vitamin B₃. Carolyn Cranshaw describes other nutritional supplements she believes are useful to stop smoking. 

Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, describes his guide to B vitamins and the best food sources of vitamin B.

It is possible to take too much vitamin B in the form of supplements.

Vitamin C

An acute deficiency of vitamin C is known as scurvy, which has caused the loss of many sailors at sea since ancient times. In 1747, Dr. James Lind observed that citrus fruits, such as limes, could cure scurvy. Albert Szent-Györgyi was a Hungarian biochemist who won a Nobel Prize in 1937 for his isolation and analysis of vitamin C. Since then, various other doctors have described the therapeutic use of vitamin C. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C has the formula C₆H₈O₆. Vitamin C is available in three forms:

• fresh fruits and vegetables, most of all citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, and grapefruit,
• powder or tablets of various sorts, such as sodium ascorbate or magnesium citrate, and
• intravenous (IV) liquid, administered by trained medical doctors.

Regarding high doses of vitamin C, if you were told that “they cause kidney stones”, then you were misinformed.

On the other hand, if you were told that “there are no studies”, you have been similarly misinformed. Indeed, many published studies reported no results or no effects of vitamin C, but these studies did not use high doses.  According to various doctors, effective doses are ten or tens of grams or as much as one and a half grams per kilogram of body weight per person per day. Doses of more than a hundred grams per person per day have been used. Many of these doses are administered by needle or intravenous drip. Note that only people who were seriously ill could tolerate such high doses. For more than eighty years, high doses of vitamin C, including intravenous administration, have been used and studied by:

• Dr. William J. McCormick MD,
• Dr. Frederick Klenner MD,
• Irwin Stone PhD,
• Dr. Hugh Desaix Riordan MD,
• Albert von Szent-Györgyi PhD,
• Dr. Robert Cathcart III MD,
• Dr. Ronald E. Hunninghake MD, and
• Dr. Thomas E. Levy MD, JD, among others.

Read between the lines of this summary of high-dose vitamin C from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA.

If you search for them, you can find more than fifty thousand published scientific studies about the use of vitamin C, according to Dr. Tom Levy MD JD. Two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling also collected much knowledge and many observations about the use of vitamin C for health. Again, contrary to popular belief, high doses of vitamin C do not cause kidney stones. Oxalate, calcium, and acid-forming foods may be the cause kidney stones. Such doses can be therapeutic, at least for some people, according to the aforementioned doctors. A person who ordinarily develops diarrhea from, say, a twelve-gram dose of vitamin C, might be able to tolerate more than one hundred grams when ill with a cold or flu. 

Dr. Paul Marik MD has observed that vitamin C can cure sepsis, an infection that is found in hospitals and that cannot be controlled. Dr. Henning Saupe, MD, with the Arcadia Praxisklink in Germany, describes how intravenous vitamin C acts on malignant cells (its mechanism of action) in this one-minute video. Dr. Ron Hunninghake, MD, with the Riordan Clinic in the US, also administers intravenous vitamin C therapeutically. The clinic further describes how it works in this seventy-five minute video. 

In Europe, the authorities in certain countries appear to be restricting the availability of powdered vitamin C in bulk. It is still available in GMO-free form from AliMed in France (website in French), Classikool in the UK, and Vitalundfitmit100 in Germany. In the US, vitamin C in bulk is available from Pure Bulk and NOW Foods. This is not an endorsement of these suppliers. Do your own research, and think for yourself.

The human being is one of the few animals, besides the guinea pig, fruit bat, and certain primates who do not produce their own vitamin C. Dogs, cats, mice, rats, horses, cows, elephants, and many others produce their own vitamin C. According to Irwin Stone in “Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease“, they produce the human equivalent of two to twenty grams per person per day.

Dr. Fred Klenner, MD, wrote a clinical guide to using vitamin C. Briefly, he advises that if it causes diarrhea, then simply reduce the dose. A laxative effect is also common to vitamin B. Both vitamin B and C are water-soluble, so you tend to excrete them through your urine, if you take too much.

Be aware that supplementing vitamin C may not be optimal for you, according to Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer. He claims that you can become accustomed to the supplement. Then if you stop supplementing, you may be more susceptible to a deficiency than if you had not supplemented. For fans of vitamin C, this point of view can be controversial.

Nota bene. It is possible to take too much vitamin C. If you take too much, it has a laxative effect. Based on their experience with their actute patients, the knowledgeable doctors recommend to start with a small amount, such as half a teaspoon or less of vitamin C, for example in a smoothie, and then gradually increase the dose until you reach bowel tolerance, if required to induce healing. What does “bowel tolerance” mean? It means exactly what you think it means.

Some doctors report using high doses of intravenous doses of vitamin C to treat their patients with septic shock. Do your own research. If you have a medical condition, see a doctor. Again, I suggest that you first consider changing your eating habits and eating or drink citrus, before taking vitamins or any other supplements.

Oil-soluble vitamins

The significance of oil-soluble vitamins is that you do not excrete them as easily as you excrete water-soluble vitamins. You store them in your liver. This increases the risk of taking an excess of oil-soluble vitamins (in supplements) but may reduce the risk of deficiencies. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are oil-soluble. They can all be found in certain foods.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is necessary for the health of your eyes and your vision. If you are deficient in vitamin A, you can go blind. Delay in adapting to the dark is the first sign of vitamin A deficiency.

Retinol is the form of vitamin A found in animals, such as beef liver, cod liver oil, salmon, red meat, and chicken. Beta-carotene is the form found in plants, such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, and kale.

Since vitamin A is fat-soluble, you can absorb more into your bloodstream if you eat it with fat, such as nuts, olive oil, or hempseed oil. There is much research into therapeutic uses of vitamin A, which is found in a healthy balance with vitamin D. Together with iron, magnesium, and copper, vitamin A is needed to produce new blood cells. Some people may require more vitamin A than others, who may require more vitamin D. 

Night blindness or small bumps on the back of the upper arms can indicate a deficiency of vitamin A.

A zinc deficiency or an iron deficiency can make a vitamin A deficiency worse, according to Dr. Chris Knobbe in his presentation, “Using Ancestral Diets for Macular Degeneration“.

Vitamin D

You need vitamin D to absorb minerals into your bones, including calcium, magnesium, phosphate, iron, and zinc. It also stimulates your immune system to resist infection. The recommended daily intake may be set too low for many people, although required amounts can depend on the person.

Deficiency in vitamin D is common. There are many signs of this deficiency. If you live in a sunny climate, you can often obtain enough vitamin D by sitting in the sun as little as ten to twenty minutes per day without burning. This depends on the person, the exposure, and the duration. The darker the skin, the less it can absorb sunlight and convert it to vitamin D.

The late Dr. Robert Heaney MD describes vitamin D, sunshine, and optimal health in his fifty-minute speech.

Foods that can contain much vitamin D include mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet radiation, sardines, herring, wild-caught salmon, eggs, liver, and cod liver oil. It is possible but rare to consume too much vitamin D. Be aware that the origin of the vitamin D in some supplements is the hair of sheep (lanolin in wool), while lichens and coconut oil are the source of vitamin D in others.

Dr. Michael Holick MD advocates sensible sun exposure and two thousand international units of vitamin D per day (2000 IU/day) for adults and one thousand international units of vitamin D per day (1000 IU/day) for children. Dr. Holick also has his skeptics too. Some doctors advocate more, such as five thousand international units per day (5000 IU/day). If you supplement with vitamin D, you can increase absorption, if you take the supplement in the morning with other fats, such as nuts, seeds, or healthy oils.

Phillip Day describes vitamin D and it uses in his book, “The Essential Guide to Vitamin D“. In this sixty-five minute video, Day further describes vitamin D and his view of how you can use it for your health. Dr. Sam Bailey describes her tips about vitamin D in her podcast. Vitamin D may also stimulate natural self-immunity, according to the late Dr. Toni Bark, MD and others.

Are you vitamin D deficient? You could be without knowing it. The Vitamin D Society educates the general public and health professionals on vitamin D, sun exposure, and the vitamin D deficiency pandemic. The Riordan Clinic describes the health benefits of vitamin D.

Beware that the most active form of vitamin D is called vitamin D₃. It is also known as cholecalciferol, and it is a component of rat poison. It acts by thinning the blood so much that the rat cannot stop bleeding.

Sitting in the sun, but avoiding sunburn, is the healthiest way for many people to obtain vitamin D. Overzealous sun avoidance is the biggest health mistake of our time. Exposing the skin to the sun is the only natural and reliable way to obtain abundant Vitamin D.

In this eight-minute video, Dr. Ken Berry MD describes seven signs of low vitamin D. Dr. Dan Pompa describes why to stop being afraid of the sun. Dr. Alex Vasquez describes how vitamin D could be used to control cancer in his thirty-one minute video.

Vitamin E

Drs. Wilfred and Evan Shute used vitamin E to treat heart disease. Vitamin E supports healthy red blood cells and a healthy heart.

Foods high in vitamin E include beet greens, collard greens, spinach, pumpkin, paprika, asparagus, mango, salmon, some other fish, cod, flaxseed oil, olive oil, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and avocado, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Annatto is a plant found in the tropics that is high in tocotrienol, a form of vitamin E. 

Vitamin E may be useful to relieve epilepsy. Also useful may be magnesium, vitamin D, and the vitamin B complex to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures. On the other hand, vitamin E also has its critics.

Dr. Barrie Tan describes the health benefits of tocotrienols, which are founds in nuts and seeds with vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting. It has two forms – K₁ and vitamin K₂. More active is K₂. You cannot fix calcium and magnesium to your bones without vitamin D and vitamin K₂. It is found in kale. broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, fermented foods, meat, dairy, eggs, fermented foods, and other foods. Natto, a form of fermented soybean that is a tradional food in Japan, contains much K₂.

Doctors, Doses, and Diseases

The focus of HealthViaFood is individual health and how to maintain it naturally, using food. Nevertheless, the following medical doctors have used the following doses of vitamins to treat their patients with the following conditions:

Note that when vitamins are used in such higher doses, they are no longer food nor food supplements, but therapeutic agents. You cannot eat enough citrus fruit to obtain the therapeutic doses of vitamin C. Be aware of the controversy about the Codex Alimentarius, an agency of the United Nations that sets standards about food and nutrition, including vitamins. Dr. Rima Laibow, MD, gives her skeptical opinion of Codex Alimentarius in this forty-minute video.

Vitamins are co-factors in metabolic processes, such as digestion. Many people are deficient in one or more vitamins. There is a limit on how quickly your liver can process oil-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, or K), so in fact you can take too much of an oil-soluble vitamin. 

If you take too much of a water-soluble vitamin (B or C), then you tend to urinate the excess through your kidneys, if your kidneys are healthy. Many medical doctors have used vitamins for many years to treat their patients with severe chronic illnesses. Thousands of studies have been published about the therapeutic use of vitamins. If you look for them, you find them.

Critics

Thr conventional view is that supplements, such as vitamin supplements, simply “make your urine more expensive” or are “dangerous“.

Others claim that vitamins and supplements are useless and the work of charlatans, citing certain studies that show vitamins have no effect. What doses were used in these studies? Were they oil-soluble or water-soluble vitamins? If you read the details of these studies, you find that very small doses were used, compared with other studies that used higher or much higher doses and recorded therapeutic effects. Many vitamin studies are completely worthless. They use isolated synthetic vitamins or low-quality multivitamin supplements loaded with toxic fillers and synthetic ingredients, instead of vitamins from good-quality natural sources.

Dr. Michael Janson MD responds to critics of supplements.

Myself, I take very few supplements, though I do occasionally experiment. You cannot offset unhealthy eating habits with supplements. For my health, good-quality vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs, meat, fish, turkey, herbs, and spices are ideal sources of minerals and vitamins. Vegans can obtain minerals from beans, legumes, and grains. Some supplements, particularly synthetic supplements, are not as well absorbed as fresh, local, organic vegetables and fruits. In this controversial article on GreenMedInfo, Dr. Alex Vazquez describes vitamins against viruses.

In this podcast on the People’s Pharmacy, Dr. Tieraona Low Dog MD describes natural ways to keep your immune system strong. The 2019 report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers shows zero deaths from any vitamin. If vitamins are “dangerous”, where are the bodies?

Do you take pharmaceutical products regularly? Dr. Jeff Gladd, MD, developed an online tool, mytavin.com, that can be used to predict nutrient and vitamin deficiencies based on what pill you are taking?

This article is intended to present information only, summarizing what has already been published. If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition, see a medical doctor. 

References

Funk, Casmir, “The Vitamines“, Williams and Wilkins, 1922, pdf
Smith MD, Lendon, “Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin C Abbreviated“, Life Sciences, 1991, pdf, biography
Levy MD, Thomas, “Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins“, Livon Books, 2002, introduction, book review
Levy MD, JD, Thomas, “Primal Panacea“, Medfox, 2011, interview
Humphries MD, Dr. Suzanne, “Vitamin C Basics by Suzanne Humphries, MD. Internist” one-hour video
Jonsson MD, Bo, and Saul PhD, Andrew, “The Vitamin Cure for Depression“, Basic Health, 2012, series
Kaufman MD, William, “The Common Form of Joint Dysfunction“, Hildreth, 1949
Hoffer, MD, Abram, and Saul PhD, Andrew, “Niacin: The Real Story“, Basic Health, 2015, overview, review
Hoffer MD, Abram, “Feel Better, Live Longer with Vitamin B₃: Nutrient Deficiency and Dependency“, Ccnm Press, 2007
Hoffer, MD, Abram, and Saul PhD, Andrew, “The Vitamin Cure for Alcoholism“, Basic Health, 2009, review, series
Parsons MD, Dr. William, “Cholesterol Control Without Diet!: The Niacin Solution“, Lilac, 1998
Hoffer, MD, Abram, “Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone: Megavitamin Therapeutics for Families and Physicians“, Basic Health, 2008
Campbell MD, Ralph, and Saul PhD, Andrew, “The Vitamin Cure for Children’s Health Problems“, Basic Health, 2012, self-review, series
Stone PhD, Irwin, and Pauling PhD, Linus, “Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease“, Penguin, 1974, tribute
Hickey PhD, Steve, and Saul PhD, Andrew, “Vitamin C: The Real Story“, Basic Health, 2015
Smith PhD, Robert, and Saul PhD, Andrew, “The Vitamin Cure for Eye Disease“, Basic Health, 2012, series
Pauling PhD, Linus, “How to Live Longer and Feel Better“, Oregon State, 2006, review, pdf
Janson MD, Michael, Vitamin Revolution: Seizing the Power of Nutritional Therapy, Avery, 2000
Passwater PhD, Richard, “The New Super-Nutrition“, Pocket, 2010
Hoffer MD, Abram, “Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone“, Basic Health, 2008, review
Hoffer, MD, Abram, “Putting It All Together: The New Orthomolecular Nutrition“, McGraw-Hill, 1998
Hoffer, MD, Abram, “Books on Orthomolecular Medicine and Psychiatry“, reviews, 1976
Day, Phillip, “The Essential Guide to Vitamin D“, Credence, 2010
Shute MD, Wilfrid, “Vitamin E for Ailing & Healthy Hearts“, Jove, 1983
Shute MD, Wilfrid, “Vitamin E Book“, Keats, 1975, archive, pdf, protocol
Saul Case, Helen, “The Vitamin Cure for Women’s Health Problems“, Basic Health, 2012
Buckley MD, Julie , “Healing Our Autistic Children: A Medical Plan“, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010
Kartzinel MD, Jerry, “Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide“, Plume, 2010
Purser MD, Dan, “Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms & Cures“, self-published, 2019
Pacholok RN, Sally, “Could It Be B₁₂?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses“, Quill Driver, 2005
Janson MD, Dr. Michael, “The Vitamin Revolution in Health Care“, Arcadia Press, 1996, review
Holick MD, Dr. Michael, “The Vitamin D Solution“, Hudson, 2010, video, lecture, book review
Somerville MD, Dr. Judson, “The Optimal Dose: Restore Your Health With the Power of Vitamin D₃“, Big Bend, 2018
Zaidi MD, Dr. Sarfraz, “Power of Vitamin D“, self-published, 2010
Bowles, Jeff T., “The Miraculous Results Of Extremely High Doses Of The Sunshine Hormone Vitamin D₃“, self-published, 2013
Purser MD, Dr. Dan, “Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms & Cures: Modern Deficiency Illness“, self-published, 2009
Pfeiffer MD, Dr. Carl, “Nutrition and Mental Illness: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry“, Healing Arts, 1988
Wright MD, Dr. Jonathan, “Dr. Wright’s Guide to Healing with Nutrition“, Rodale, 1984
Bush MD, Dr. Sydney, optometrist, “700 Vitamin C Secrets: (and 1,000 Not So Secret for Doctors!)“, self-published, 2009
McGully MD, Kilmer, “The Homocysteine Revolution“, McGraw-Hill, 1999
Alikhani, Dr. Halid, “Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible for the Twenty-First Century“, Earl Mindell, 1999, pdf
Hickey PhD, Dr. Steve, “Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C“, lulu.com, self-published, 2004
Walsh PhD, Dr. William, “Nutrient Power:  Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain“, Skyhorse, 2012
Mozaffarian MD, Dr. Dariush, “The truth about vitamins and minerals : choosing“, Harvard Health, 2012
Binzel MD, Dr. Philip E. , “Alive and Well: One Doctor’s Experience With Nutrition in the Treatment of Cancer Patients“, American Media, 1994, online
Fredericks, Carlton, “Psychonutrition: Emotional Health“, Grosset & Dunlap, 1976, archive
Berg DC, Dr. Eric, “Dirty Secrets of the Vitamin Industry“, :33 video
Adams, Ruth, and Murray, Frank, “Body, Mind and B Vitamins“, Larchmont Books, 1972
Carpenter, Kenneth, “Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B“, University of California, 2000

Bowles, Jeff T., “The Miraculous Cure For and Prevention of All Diseases What Doctors Never Learned“, University Science, 2019 

Dowden, Angela, The Pocket Guide to Vitamins, Pan Macmillan Books, 2013 
Supplements Exposed – What if what you thought you knew about supplements were wrong?
Orthomolecular.org – Vitamins, sources, and functions
GrassrootsHealth Nutrient Research Institute – “moving research into practice”
Doctor Yourself – “world’s largest health homesteading website”, Andrew Saul, Rochester, NY, US
Saul PhD, Dr. Andrew, “A Timeline of Vitamin Medicine“, doctoryourself, article
Saul PhD, Dr. Andrew, “Alcoholism: Nutritional Treatment“, doctoryourself, article
MedCircle – “mental health information…”, articles, videos, dating tips, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Top Natural Remedies for Kidney Stones, GreenMedInfo, article

Jungeblut CW. Inactivation of poliomyelitis virus in vitro by crystalline vitamin C (ascorbic acid). J Exper Med, 1935. October; 62:517-521
Jungeblut CW. Vitamin C therapy and prophylaxis in experimental poliomyelitis. J Exp Med, 1937. 65: 127-146.
Jungeblut CW. Further observations on vitamin C therapy in experimental poliomyelitis. J Exper Med, 1937. 66: 459-477.
Cathcart MD, Robert,  “Vitamin C, Titrating To Bowel Tolerance, Anascorbemia, And Acute Induced Scurvy“, Medical Hypotheses, 7:1359-1376, 1981. 
Hemilä, Harri, “Vitamin C and Infections“, Nutrients, 2017 Mar 29;9(4):339, PMCID: PMC5409678
Bartholomew, Dr. Michael; “James Lind’s Treatise of the Scurvy (1753)“, History of Medicine, Volume 78, Issue 925,  BMJ
Unkauf MD, Dr. Byron, “Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Treatment of Whooping Cough“, Canadian Medical Association Journal, August 1937
Riordan MD, Dr. Hugh, “IVC Protocol for Adjunctive Cancer Care“, doctoryourself.com
Fricker et al, “The Influence of Nicotinamide on Health and Disease in the Central Nervous System“, Int J Tryptophan Res. 2018; 11: 1178646918776658, doi: 10.1177/1178646918776658, PMCID: PMC5966847, PMID: 29844677

Kennedy, DO, B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy–A Review. Nutrients. 2016 Feb; 8(2): 68.
Young SN. How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2007;32(6):394-399.
Lips and van Schoor, “The effect of vitamin D on bone and osteoporosis“, Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Aug;25(4):585-91. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2011.05.002.

Vitamin Master Class – for a fee, practical, accurate information about use by doctors of vitamins as therapy 
“How To Eat Right For Your Brain with Dr. Mark Hyman“, seven-minute video
“How To Identify And Correct Nutrient Deficiencies“, Dr. Mark Hyman MD, 1:04 podcast
Vitamin, Mineral and Nutrient Tutorials, herbs-info.com, excellent reference
Berg DC, Dr. Eric, “Identifying Nutrient Deficiencies Through Nails, Skin, and Hair“, :39 video
Berg DC, Dr. Eric, “The Most Common Nutrient Deficiencies in the Elderly“, :04 video
BioBalance Wellness Institute, “Micronutrients for the Prevention of Age-Related Diseases and Brain Dysfunction“, :43 video
Campbell-McBride MD, Dr. Natasha, “Overcoming Psychiatric Problems by Healing the Digestive System“, 1:18 video
Laibow PhD, Dr. Rima, “Nutricide – Criminalizing Natural Health, Vitamins, and Herbs“, :40
Weil MD, Dr. Andrew, “Why Are B Vitamins Important?“, :04 video
Weil MD, Dr. Andrew, “5 Food Sources Of B Vitamins“, :03 video
“Vitamin B Basics“, Simple Science Answers, :20 video
Furlan MD, Dr. Andrea, “Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency and neuropathic pain“, .07 video
Bailey MD, Sr. Sam, “Signs You’re Vitamin B₁₂ Deficient And What To Do“, :10 video
Berry MD, Dr. Ken, “Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency (7 Signs Doctors Miss)“, :08 video
Ty and Charlene Bollinger, “Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency and Breast Cancer: What’s the Risk?“, OneRadio, article
Gill MD, Dr. James, “Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency Explained – A-Z of the NHS“, :10 video
Axe DC, Dr. Josh, “Top 10 Vitamin B₁₂ Foods“, article
Berg DC, Dr. Eric, “Vitamin B₁ (Thiamine) Deficiency: The “Great Imitator” of other Illnesses“, :17 video

Fit Recovery – trying to cut down on alcohol? videos, how to?, supplements, Chris Scott
“6 Ways Alcohol Causes Nutrient Deficiencies“, Fit Recovery, :20 video
“7 Supplements For Alcohol Withdrawal Anxiety“, Fit Recovery, :31 video
“What Are The Benefits Of Not Drinking Alcohol?“,  Fit Recovery, :22 video

Sarris et al., “Nutritional Deficiencies and Psychosis“, Schizophr Bull. 2018 Oct; 44(6): 1275–1292.
Dickson et al., “Nutritional psychiatry“, European Neuropsychopharmacology, Vol. 29, 12, Dec. 2019, 1321-1332
Hickey et al., “Pharmacokinetics of oral vitamin C“, Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, 2008
Fowler III AA, Truwit, JD, Hite RD, et al., “Effect of Vitamin C Infusion on Organ Failure … in Patients with Sepsis and Severe Acute Respiratory Failure“, JAMA. 2019;322(13):1261-1270.
Zamet, Mohammadi, Ramezani, & Khalili, “Effect of high-dose Ascorbic acid … in septic shock“, J. Res. Pharm. Pract., Apr-Jun 2016;5(2):94-100.  doi: 10.4103/2279-042X.179569.
Drisko et al, “Treatment of pancreatic cancer with intravenous vitamin C: a case report“, Anticancer Drugs. 2018 Apr;29(4):373-379. doi: 10.1097/CAD.0000000000000603.
Mikkelsen et al, “The Effects of Vitamin B in Depression“, Curr Med Chem 2016;23(38):4317-4337.
 doi: 10.2174/0929867323666160920110810.
Klenner MD, Dr. Frederick, “Response of Peripheral and Central Nerve Pathology to Mega-Doses of the Vitamin B-Complex and Other Metabolites“, Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1973, also at  http://www.doctoryourself.com/Klenner_for_MS.pdf
Klenner MD, Dr. Frederick, “Observations On the Dose and Administration of Ascorbic Acid When Employed Beyond the Range Of A Vitamin In Human Pathology“, Journal of Applied Nutrition Vol. 23, No’s 3 & 4, Winter 1971
“Why this Oncologist Prescribes Massive Doses of Vitamin C“, doctoryourself.com
Carroll, Katherine, “Best Kept Secrets to Prevent, Halt, or Even Reverse Macular Degeneration“, article and citations
Jockers DC, Dr. David, “5 Body Signs of Nutritional Deficiencies“, article
Petre, MS, RD, Alina, “8 Common Signs You’re Deficient in Vitamins“, healthline, November 2019
McLaughlin MD, Dr. Sarah, “Signs of Vitamin Deficiencies“, :12 video
Axe DC, Dr. Josh, “Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms & Sources to Reverse It“, article
Dessy, Mira, “5 Signs Of Micronutrient Deficiency“, TheIngredientGuru, article

“Panic Attacks And Anxiety Linked To Low Vitamin B6 And Iron Levels“, herbs-info.com, article, reference

“Doctors and Healers using or promoting Diet, Herbs, Cleansing & Nutrients“, listing, references, whale.to
“No Deaths from Vitamins“, Orthomolecular News, article

Niacin, Oregon State University, article, with references
Mumby MD, Dr. Keith, “Psychiatric Fraud is Everywhere“, article
“Rapid Injury Recovery with DMSO, Vitamin C, and Magnesium“, Orthomolecular Medicine, article

“Himalayan Salt Lemonade: Stop Migraines Fast“, David Wolfe, article
“10 best vitamins and supplements for optimal metabolic health“, Stephanie Eckelkamp, article”
“Essential Nutrients in the Diet“, Patrick Quillin, PhD, article
“Pellagra and the Four Ds“, Dr.  Robert P. Heaney MD, article
“10 Foods High in Inositol for1:43 podcast Better Brain Health“, Livestrong, Kelsey Kloss, article
Heaney MD, Dr. Robert, “Long-latency deficiency disease: insights from calcium and vitamin D“, Am J Clin Nutrition, 2003 Nov;78(5):912-9. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/78.5.912.
“Keep These B Vitamins on Your A-List“, Dr. Joe Mercola DC, article
“Nicotinamide (B₃)“, NeuroReserve, article with references
“Vitamin D to Dementia Rescue?“, Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby, article with references
“Are Omega-3 & B Vitamins for Dementia Prevention?“, FoodForTheBrain, article, references
“Vitamin B₆ Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes, and Solutions“, Dr. Josh Axe, DC, article
“Could This Vitamin Slow Brain Aging and Ward Off Alzheimer’s?“, Dr. Joe Mercola DC, article
NIH – Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets – take with a grain of salt and healthy skepticism, references 
“This Nutrient Cannot Be Made By Plants Or Animals“, Fiona Riddle, article
“Are You Concerned About Allergies?“, Dr. Rath Research Institute, article
“Klinghardt Detox Support Protocol“, Klinghardt Institute, article
“Top 4 Nutrients Men Often Lack: Expert“, EpochTimes, article
“Vitamins and minerals for quitting smoking“, Natural Fitness Tips, article
“The Supplements You Take May Not Be True Nutrients“, EpochTimes, Zhang, article
“How to Prevent Deaths from Sepsis“, Orthomolecular News, references, article
“Dietary Supplements and Wellness: A Pragmatist’s Primer“, Orthomolecular News, references, article
“Drs. Wilfrid & Evan Shute Cured Thousands with Vitamin E“, Orthomolecular News, references, article
“Vitamin D Can Prevent and Treat Diabetes“, Orthomolecular News, references, article
“Vitamin B Intake Can Prevent Peripheral Neuropathy Caused by Diabetes“, EpochTimes, article
“7 Nutrients Can Offer Relief From Diabetic Neuropathy“, EpochTimes, article
Axe DC, Dr. Josh, “Eye Vitamins and Foods: Are You Getting Enough?“, article
“B vitamins are crucial to heart health, brain health and eye health“, NaturalNews, article
“The 15 Best Natural Supplements For Anxiety“, Dr. Will Cole DC, article
“The Missing Link to Thyroid Fatigue“, (thiamine), Dr. Isabella Wentz, article
“Vitamin B₁₂ powerfully beneficial for brain health“, NaturalNews, article

Berg DC, Dr. Eric, “Dirty Secrets of Vitamin Industry“, :33 video
Berg DC, Dr. Eric, “How to Increase Your Vitamin D Absorption“, :06 video
Bailey MD, Dr. Sam, “8 Must-Know Tips About Vitamin D“, :08 video, excellent
Saul PhD, Dr. Andrew, “Stop Smoking with Vitamins“, :06 video
Berg DC, Fr. Eric, “Vitamin Deficiencies Cause Serious Diseases“, :07 video
Berg DC, Fr. Eric, “These 6 Nutrient Deficiencies Cause Fatigue“, :09 video
Berg DC, Fr. Eric, “23 Signs Your Body Is Deficient in Nutrients“, :24 video, backup
Berg DC, Fr. Eric, “Your Nail Helps Diagnose Nutrient Deficiencies“, :05 video
Ede MD, Dr. Georgia, “Nutritional Psychiatry in the Real World“, :37 video
Ede MD, Dr. Georgia, “Brainwashed — The Mainstreaming of Nutritional Mythology“, :55 video

Marsh, Greg, “Natural Eyesight Improvement with the Bates Method “, :10 video, Mercola interview 1:04
Mercola, Joe, “How to Improve Your Eyesight Naturally“, :11 video
Knobbe MD, Dr. Chris, “Using Ancestral Diets for Macular Degeneration“, 2:15 video
“Vitamins And Prescription Drugs – Interview With Dr. Andrew Saul“, Mercola.com, :47 video
Esposito MD, Dr. Joe, “Nutritional Deficiencies“, DrJoe.com, vegan, :49 video
“Big Pharma Vs. Your Vitamins: Interview with Gretchen DeBeau“, Organic Consumers Association, :59 video
“Beating Cancer with Nutrition – Patrick Quillin, PhD“, :59 video
“Questioning the need for vitamin supplements“, Daniel Roytas, 1:43 podcast
“The 3 Vitamin Deficiencies in Sciatica and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome“, Dr. Eric Berg DC, :12 video
“Vitamin D, Sunshine, Optimal Health: Putting it all Together“, Dr.  Robert P. Heaney MD, :50 video
“11 Red Flags Your Body Needs More Nutrients“, Dr. Eric Berg, :10 video