Hi PZ,

Yes, apparently we have a lot in common.

We are in complete agreement on/about drugs!

I scoured my notes, and came up with the following:  

Here is what Dr. Levy wrote [in his book Primal Panacea (which has in excess of 1,200 study citations on vitamin C)]:

"Vitamin C has been shown to prevent, put in remission, and even cure, many viral infections. Here is a partial listing:

* AIDS/HIV

* Ebola

* Encephalitis

* Hepatitis

* Herpes

* Pneumonia

* Polio

* Shingles

* Swine Flu

"I have successfully treated a number of conditions that modern medicine still approaches only with bed rest, supportive care, and the guarded optimism that the immune system may eventually prevail....Even Lyme disease has shown great response to vitamin C therapy....With Lyme and other chronic infections such as AIDS and chronic hepatitis C, vitamin C can often restore the patient to a symptomless or near-symptomless state. This state can allow them to "coexist" indefinitely with their infections and even enjoy a normal lifespan.

"...sepsis...claims the lives of one American every 2.5 minutes. Other victims of sepsis are "saved" through amputation....Every day high-dose vitamin C could be saving the lives of sepsis victims. Every day countless fingers, toes, hands, feet, arms, and legs, could remain attached and healthy if the medical community would simply hear and respond to the facts with scientific integrity."

Here is what Dr. Cathcart wrote [in several of his published articles]:

"Ebola and Other Hemorrhagic Fevers, Nipah Virus and Etc.

All of these diseases produce massive amounts of free radicals. These hemorrhagic fevers are examples of probably 500 gram [per day of oral ascorbic acid] diseases. These diseases are so toxic, produce so many free radicals, that they rapidly produce, not only a localized acute induced scurvy, but a systemic induced scurvy. Shortly, collagen fibers begin to break down, and bleeding is induced throughout the body. These cases must be treated with massive amounts of sodium ascorbate intravenously immediately at the beginning of the disease. The rate of administration should be rapidly increased until the fever and other acute symptoms are diminished. My guess at a starting dose would be at a rate of at least 240 grams of sodium ascorbate per 24 hours.

"...ascorbic acid....Representative doses taken by tolerant patients titrating their ascorbic acid intake between the relief of most symptoms and the production of diarrhea were as follows: infectious hepatitis - GRAMS ASCORBIC ACID PER 24 HOURS - 30 [to] 100.

"Acute cases of infectious hepatitis have responded dramatically.

"Usually oral bowel tolerance doses will reverse hepatitis rapidly.

"In my experience, acute viral hepatitis, A, B, C, non AB, etc., are all cured by massive amounts of ascorbate given over a few days intravenously....Chronic hepatitis, like that diagnosed as chronic hepatitis C, can be vastly ameliorated by continuing high doses of ascorbic acid by mouth...

"If the malaise from the basic disease is great (e.g. mononucleosis, acute hepatitis, viral pneumonia, etc.), the obvious benefit from ascorbic acid is usually so great that the patient usually cares little about the minor gastrointestinal disturbances.

"In chronic hepatitis, ascorbate may not cure the condition; nevertheless, massive doses of ascorbate will usually ameliorate the condition..."

Irwin Stone, in his book THE HEALING FACTOR - VITAMIN C Against Disease had this to say:

"In 1954, Bauer and Staub (17) observed good results in the treatment of viral hepatitis with the use of 10 grams of ascorbic acid per day. It accelerated the disappearance of the symptoms of the disease and shortened the duration of the illness....Twenty years later in Germany, Kirchmair (19) used 10 grams of ascorbic acid daily for five days on sixty-three children with hepatitis and found marked improvement, weight gain and good appetite in the first few days, rapid disappearance of jaundice and half the hospitalization time. The swelling of the liver, which normally took 30 days to subside, only took nine days with ascorbic acid. In 1960, Calleja and Brooks (20) reported successful treatment with 5 grams of ascorbic acid a day for twenty-four days in a refractory case of hepatitis that did not respond to other medication. Beatgen (21), giving 10 grams of ascorbic acid a day to 245 children with hepatitis, obtained result similar to Kirchmair's, with rapid recovery and better tissue repair. Dalton (22), in 1962, also reported dramatic and rapid recovery of a case of hepatitis. In these clinical reports on hepatitis, the doses of ascorbic acid were below the range postulated by Klenner, and also below the quantity considered necessary by the genetic disease concepts."

Although I know very little about "electro-therapy," I suspect its effectiveness may have to do with supplying [extra/supplemental] electrons for their alkalinizing, toxin neutralizing, and antioxidizing properties, i.e. the same as the primary therapeutic function of ascorbate [following its basic vitamin functions (which all occur at relatively low doses)], per this quote by Dr. Levy, "All therapy is electron repletion. All therapy."

I would say that Bowel Tolernce dosing with ascorbic acid does not "constantly stress one['s] system" anymore than eating a strict "garden of Eden" diet, e.g. 100% raw fruits and vegetables, stresses one's system, with its relatively "extreme" laxativeness, i.e. I am very convinced that is, in fact, one of its great health benefits. My view would be that my health results back this view up, but, of course, that is completely anecdotal.

I suspect your "fear" of daily Bowel Tolerance dosing [with ascorbic acid] is probably akin to my basic fear of "zapping" myself! Which brings up a question [that I am curious about]: Do you routinely "zap," or just if/when you are not quite feeling "up to par?"

As far as your experience with, and testing of, Bowel Tolerance dosing, I can only list these two quotes [for your consideration] as to your [lack of] results:

Dr. Cathcart wrote that he did NOT see significant results in his patients until they approached Bowel Tolerance: "The clinical symptoms of...diseases and other conditions...are markedly ameliorated only as Bowel Tolerance dose levels (the amount that almost, but not quite, causes diarrhea) are approached."

And Dr Levy wrote, "The three most important considerations in effective vitamin C therapy are "Dose, Dose, and Dose." If you don't take enough, you won't get the desired effects. Period!...you will rarely ever fail to observe a dramatic response...if you take a large enough dose for a long enough time."

In other words, dosage is the key! As an example, if a doctor prescribed a dose of antibiotic to a patient, it would come with both an amount and frequency of dosage. Hypothetically, if that patient decided to cut that prescribed antibiotic dosage in half, and/or ingest it at one-half the prescribed frequency, and then did not get the results expected, could we really/honestly say that they tried the antibiotic out, and it did not work? And so it is with ascorbic acid. Of course, if you are satisfied/happy with your health, PZ, I wouild be the last person to ever encourage you [or anyone] to change [something or anything]!

As an aside, canines [along with felines] are some of the lowest producers [in the animal kingdom] of ascorbic acid, e.g. standardized to 154 pounds, in the range of 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams per 24 hours [vs. mice which top out at up to 18,000 milligrams per 24 hours (and a goat put under stress was once measured to have produced 100,000 milligrams in 24 hours)]. Although they can [typically] increase that production, when under "attack"/stress, by up to 5 to 10 times [like the goat did], when facing something really serious [like you listed, e.g. Rabies, Parvo, and Distemper], it often is not sufficient. They do have the advantage over us of producing their own ascorbic acid "24/7" thoughout their lives [and I think their overall health, compared to ours, shows it], but we do have the advantage [at least in the last 80 years] of being able to ingest and/or inject unlimited amounts of ascorbate [as often and as fast as we want].

I appreciate your input and viewpoint, PZ.

Best of health to us both,

David