The Founder’s Father’s story about Vitamin C

Our Founder has had a long history of exposure to vitamin C as a magic like substance.  One that if taken quickly enough and in large enough doses will hold off the common cold and even a flu or virus cure. So you can see the connection between Vitamin C and COVID-19.

This has come from his mother’s knowledge and research into all things healthy which started in the 70s.

This became more pronounced in the 90s when her husband, our Founder’s Father contracted Non-hodgkins Lymphoma.  A type of cancer that you could live with if it was treated regularly with chemo or radiation.

However life expectancy wasn’t more than 15 years at best.  Her husband (our Founder’s father) also contracted colon cancer and two types of sarcoma in the last 5 years of his life.  Both aggressive but neither these nor the Non-hodgkins Lymphoma killed him although the strain on his immune system would certainly have had an impact.

What was remarkable in the whole time (nearly 20 years) that he fought off cancer was the fact that he needed so little conventional medicine. He also lived a fully active life too.

Whilst he had several operations to remove various tumours, he never needed radiation or chemotherapy.  Why?  Because by the time a few months had gone by between diagnosis and operation, the tumour had shrunk.  This was the case even with a really aggressive sarcoma.  Additionally, no sign of the cancer cells were found elsewhere in his body.

What was he on?  A number of things gave John Llewellyn Ebsworth a really good quality of life over 20 years of cancer.  His wife, Joan, will explain better than us and has a health blog to get out her message, see Joan’s Blog.

In brief, his diet was controlled and supplemented by substances that are widely recognised as “alternative” but on which scientific papers also abound (good and bad):

  • Firstly, the Budwig Protocol or diet which was invented by a German biochemist, Johanna Budwig.
  • Secondly, a Chinese medicine called coriolus versicolor or yun zhi that has immune system boosting properties.
  • Thirdly, no sugar or low quality carborhydrate in his diet.  Cancer feeds on sugar, it is thought.
  • Fourthly, mega doses of vitamin C and other vitamins and superfoods.  Good for the immune system so you can see the connection between vitamin C and COVID-19.

But this “alternative medicine” is kept under exposed or fudged by a powerful pharmaceutical industry, a narrowly trained medical profession and a media that is influenced more by the first two than by what’s staring them in the face.  Because these substances are not able to be patented, no-one does the same level of research compared to standard drugs or medicines.

How Does this Story become relevant today?

We picked up a story circulated by Orthomolecular News headed  “Vitamin C Saves Wuhan Family from COVID-19” written by by Richard Cheng, M.D., Ph.D. 

In his article he recounts a story of a family in Wuhan whose 3 generations (grandparent, mother/father and grandchildren) were mega dosing with Vitamin C as a result of the mother’s belief that this will protect her family against the virus.   The grandmother took less than the mother and contracted COVID-19. Ending up in intensive care where the mother harangued the doctors to give her high doses of vitamin C.  They did just this and despite her age and underlying health problems, she fully recovered. No-one else in the family got COVID-19

This sounded very interesting to our Founder when he picked up the story from his mother’s email on Friday morning 6th March. Also very familiar due to his life long association with high doses of Vitamin C. Interesting because he had just contracted a nasty cold after going out with his 3 children on Thursday March 5th for his youngest’s 24th birthday dinner at an underground Asian restaurant in Euston called Roti King.  Highly recommended for flavour and cost!

He immediately pulled his magnesium ascorbate powder from his cupboard and began dosing 3-5 grams of vitamin C every 4 hours.  By midday on saturday 7th March all symptoms had disappeared.  Enough for him to enjoy a glass of wine on Saturday evening and go for a bike ride on Sunday morning.

What’s the Moral of the Story?

We believe at sense* in the power of nutrition.  There is so much we don’t know about how the human body works. But one thing seems entirely natural.  Why not maintain and enhance the one system that keeps us all going at full tilt in this world, digestion and nutrition.

Certainly, no-one in the medical profession is giving out any advice about how to prevent or cure the COVID-19 virus that is upon us. Wash your hands, self-isolate followed by lock down. It all seems so very inevitable.

Rather than take this on the chin and just wait for the inevitable. We recommend that you boost your immune system and fight off this virus.  There is no reason why sustained effort in this direction won’t work.  Keep reading to find out out what our Founder and his partner are doing.

Our Founder’s Regime to Prevent Getting COVID-19

Dose up with immune boosting foods and supplements

As stated above, vitamin C is the first line of defence.

I am taking 3-5 grams of vitamin C every 4-6 hours in an easy to absorb format like Magnesium Ascorbate powder.  I mix this into my smoothie or kefir breakfast bowl in the morning.  Then I top up by mixing 3-5 grams in kefir or yogurt during the day. Into this I add baobab superfood powder, again 3-5 grams per dose.  Adding echinacea, rhodiola and cat’s claw herbal remedies after I have downed most of the kefir, vitamin C and baobab mixture since these latter 3 taste awful!

We are using Ascorbic Acid in sense* for busy lives, sense* for joint & bone and sense* for a night out but in the high doses being advocated by our Founder, a mineral linked Ascorbate is gentler on the stomach.

Get Plenty of Sleep

The one thing that your immune system doesn’t like is lack of sleep or inconsistent sleep patterns. We all know how much sleep we need to be on tip top form.  Make sure that you get enough.   See importance of routine too below.

Add Immune Boosting Foods to Your Diet

We are going to cheat and give you someone else’s article for this, see HERE. Although pretty thorough, it misses out one of our favourite immune boosting foods, kale.  In fact, our Founder has something to say on this when we asked.  We have underlined the foods he mentions that appear in the article we’ve linked for you:

I am going to tell you what I ate today without seeing your chosen article so you can work out my favourite immune boosting foods.

Breakfast smoothie – Carrot, cucumber, courgette, kale, spinach, lemon juice, avocado, banana, almond milk, water

Lunch – black bean and butter bean hummus with garlic and turmeric with Parsnip, Broccoli, Kale and Spinach soup

Hot Veggie salad – mixed leaves of lettuce, spinach and wild garlic, tomatoes with olive oil dressing and lemon juice together with steamed green beans and roasted tofu, sweet potato, red and green peppers and onion.

Keep to a Consistent Regime or Routine

There is a lot written about daily or morning routines. That is probably because it is very important to the type of day we have.  Again, here is our Founder’s morning routine to give you some ideas:

First thing I do in the morning, I make sure I am hydrated so have a glass of water followed by a hot lemon water (juice of half a lemon in hot water). Not only does this help generally after a long period under the covers but sets my stomach acid in the right direction for food.

Then movement, a Pilates routine on the floor followed by some meditative yoga poses or mindfulness.  This grounds me and focuses the mind.

Next I make breakfast, either a smoothie or kefir or probiotic yogurts. Both have superfood supplement powders added (all 3 sense* powders and single ones like baobab, lucuma and spirulina). The kefir has in addition fruit, nuts and goji berries.

Following breakfast, I take my additional supplements: vitamin C, digestive enzyme, fish oil, triple magnesium, zinc citrate and sodium butyrate.  This makes sure that I have best start to the day nutritionally. It will keep me going all through lunch and beyond if needs be.

I then cycle to work or go for a walk if working from home.  Then I am ready to work out what I am going to do that day.

This article looks in more detail at Morning routines, rest and recuperation, positive attitude and the upcoming Leap Year!  Circadian rhythm, rest and routine — sense* supplements