Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C [Paperback]

Steve Hickey (Author), Hilary Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2004

ascorbate vitamin C"

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dare I say, the most important development in the history of vitamin C? -- John Ely, University of Washington, June 22, 2004

The theory proposed, the Dynamic Flow Model, is the most important development in the history of vitamin C. -- The Vitamin C Foundation, June 27, 2004

Vitamin C could cut the health service budget in half. ...well written, insightful and at the forefront of scientific literature. -- Mike Mesham, June 10, 2004. lulu.com/content/53926

Well done, a truly fantastic book... -- Dr Selva Kumar M.D., Lulu Review, June 8, 2004

Well done, a truly fantastic book... I pay tribute to Prof Linus Pauling (on) the 10th anniversary of his death. -- Selva Kumar M.D. June 8, 2004. lulu.com/content/55277

From the Publisher

This book will be of interest to people who care about health and want to understand the science behind the vitamin C controversy; open-minded members of the medical profession are included in this group. It is also relevant to students who need a lively and topical introduction to science and the scientific method. Politicians who want to keep their promises to improve our health services will also find stimulating ideas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: LULU (May 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411607244
• ISBN-13: 978-1411607248
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest Bombshell, August 16, 2004

By 

Joel M. Kauffman (Berwyn, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C (Paperback)

Utterly honest, easy to understand, "Ascorbate, The Science of Vitamin C" is a real treasure. The difference between a small anti-scurvy intake of vitamin C, a few milligrams per day, and a therapeutic dose of 10 grams or more per day is made crystal clear.
The complete lack of evidence for the RDA set by the FDA is revealed. The rapid elimination of vitamin C was shown graphically, thus the folly in the persistent use of multi-gram oral doses by inept researchers was exposed. Small doses must be taken orally, maybe every hour, to keep serum levels up. The increase in serum levels obtainable with injected, not oral, sodium ascorbate, the usual non-acidic salt of vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is explained well.
The flaws in the published studies intended to debunk the usefulness of vitamin C from The Mayo Clinic and The Heart Protection Study in the UK are spelled out in detail. Wrong doses, wrong dosage forms, mismatched control patients, etc., all combined to fail to prove that vitamin C is not effective in treating cancer or cardiovascular disease. The problems with these studies and others is explained in great detail, and you will be able to follow the reasoning of the authors.
Then it is less of a shock to learn that vitamin C can cure polio and prolong lifespan for those with AIDS and cancer, among other conditions. The studies by Pauling and Cameron on vitamin C for cancer believed invalid by mainstream medicine, were, in fact, as well done as was ethically practical, and were confirmed by unrelated researchers.
My only gripes with this book are the incompetent chemistry on page 63 and some of the explanations of ordinary chemical reactions. Neither hydroxyl radical nor hydroxide ion plus an electron will give water as shown. Neither charges nor atoms are balanced or accounted for. Many disease states were said to be caused by the presence too many free radicals without enough direct evidence or identification of which free radicals.
That done, my opinion is that this book should be required reading by a very wide audience. Referencing is done to a very high standard. The next edition should be superb.

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The latest authoratative story on vitamin C, March 23, 2005

By 

W.G. Whitney (Fort McMurray, Alberta, CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C (Paperback)

What a well written, courageous book this is. Courageous because the authors, two professors of medicine, explain in laymen's terms, exactly how science is incorporated into medical practice, and how mistakes and bias get filtered into the mix. After making this clear, they follow the vitamin C story from the very beginning and demonstrate exactly how medical science developed a "bizarre" and illogical pet hate for vitamin C, Pauling and all his disciples. (and ignored apparent benefits)

This will not endear them at all to the tightly knit medical profession, but is a distinct service to the public.

In an honest and fair approach, with no unscientific exaggeration of evidence, the authors explain both sides of the vitamin c "controversy" which wouldn't have been very controversial at all if larger doses had been tried.

They also explode the sacredness of the "large, randomized,double blind, clinical trial" and clearly show how silly it is to deny patients a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) treatment, shown to provide huge benefits, on the flimsy excuse that no large scale trial was performed. Clinical trials should be refuted or replicated to allow science to advance. Phony excuses do not advance science.

All the latest findings are here from Cathcart, Cameron, Riordan, Hoffer and other doctors on the leading edge of ascorbate therapy.

The vitamin C deficiency theory of heart disease, developed by Pauling and Rath, is analyzed and updated, and the latest cancer treatment methods are given.

This is a very important book that has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives, it should be placed in the libraries of every school in the country.

W.G. Whitney

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource and great science, July 25, 2004

By 

Francis van Ness (San Rafael, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C (Paperback)

A great resource for both medical professionals and lay persons alike. The authors have researched this subject extensively and write about it in a way that is insightful for both the lay person and the professional. They hold the evidence of existing research to the light, and propose an elegant theory which can explain all the existing evidence.
It is refreshing to find the tone of the book quite neutral and scientific.
Although the authors don't subscribe to a conspiracy theory, the evidence that political and economical factors are heavily influencing the medical establishment seems obvious. The medical establishment has shown no interest in duplicating the existing research which points to great benefits in the use of high dosage vitamin C in diseases like cancer, polio and heart disease. Research dating back more than half a century found amazing results for using vitamin C, and yet the medical establishment chooses not to act on it, or worse, design experiments that seem to prove the opposite.