We’ve all heard how Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can help you through colds and flu, but is this true? How does Vitamin C even work? Well, there’s no doubt Vitamin C is important to the body – a deficiency will leave you with Scurvy no less, which is the result of body not being able to manufacture collagen. However a low Vitamin C intake has been shown to increase the rates of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and a decreased life expectancy.For daily body function, Vitamin C prevents iron compounds becoming non-soluble, maximising the amount of iron you’ve ingested being used by the body rather than being excreted in an unusable form.

Vitamin C is also found at very high level in white blood cells – and this is where it’s importance to fighting infection appears to lie. The immune cells specifically store ascorbic acid, and once they are activated by a virus or bacteria, they consume this stored Vitamin C at a very high rate. As a result, an infection will quickly leave the body short of Vitamin C and this is why ingesting high doses of the vitamin during an infection can be beneficial. In fact the body’s consumption rate of Vitamin C during illness may actually prevent you from over-saturating with this vitamin – but only while you are ill.

The United States National Academy of Science recommend a daily intake of 75-90mg per day, however they contend a dose of 2000mg per day can be tolerated by the body. Saturating the body with Vitamin C will result in diarrhoea, which is considered by proponents of orthomolecular medicine as the required marker for the body reaching it’s actual Vitamin C requirements – although the latter has not been clinically proven.

Here are some options available to flu and hay fever suffers:

If you are sick stay home and rest and let your body recover.

Medication scripts and lozenges on standby when you feel the first signs of flu coming on.

Staying fit and relaxed and staying away from fast food.

Keep your lymphatics and sinus passages cleared with regular Bowen Therapy Treatment

Where to get help?

. General Practitioner

. Naturopath

. Setters Health Centre Phone 0747 288 800

Now Bowen Therapy provides another bowstring in the fight against Flu, Sinus, & Hayfever Pain. From the moment of diagnosis, Bowen Therapy’s Upper Respiratory & Neck procedures begins reducing swelling, pain, and allowing mucus to drain naturally. Bowen Therapy is a set system of small moves, the technique is a gentle, fast and effective way to treat muscle and connective tissue disorders. The Bowen Therapy client can, within days, enjoy activity, if not sport, without sinus pains. In some Bowen Therapy clients, Flu, Sinus and Hayfever pain symptoms have been known to cease altogether in weeks instead of months by conventional means. Don’t put up with flu pain any longer!

Celebrating 24 years of continual Bowen Therapy, Alternative Medicine Information, and Massage Therapy service in the Townsville community