werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (12/04/85)
Consider the following common non-argument: > I have found that a single 1000 mg tablet before bed on the first day I > feel a scratchy throat prevents the cold. If I miss the chance, a cold > inevitably develops. I always let the pill dissolve a little before > swallowing or chew it up; maybe the people in the study didn't do that. > Mark Thorson (...!cae780!weitek!mmm) In a uncontrolled study (aka moi) on scratchy throats and the development of colds - I have found that in me, only about 1 in 5 scratchy throats progress to a cold. The rest respond to a single dose of chicken soup (w/ TLC), administered orally. I could claim an 80% cure rate, but I don't. It was a scratchy throat. It wasn't as though I was going to get a cold. Therefore, arguments like the above are meaningless medically and statistically, but ensure billion dollar (yes, billion) profits for Vitamin manufacturers taken as a whole. But on the other hand, if it works for you .... [right :-) ] -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "... Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous To Your Health"
daemon@houligan.UUCP (12/18/85)
In article <2111@aecom.UUCP> werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) writes: > > In a uncontrolled study (aka moi) on scratchy throats and the > development of colds - I have found that in me, only about 1 in 5 > scratchy throats progress to a cold. The rest respond to a single dose > of chicken soup (w/ TLC), administered orally. I could claim an 80% > cure rate, but I don't. It was a scratchy throat. It wasn't as though > I was going to get a cold. > > Craig Werner On the other hand, I used to get several colds a year up through 3rd year at college, at which time I started taking Vitamin C consistently, about 1,500 mg / day. Since then, I have not had a single cold, flu, or other similar viral illness. It is coming up on 9 years. About 2 years ago (boy, do I hate when I don't clip articles, and then keep thinking about them and wanting to refer to them) I saw an article which discussed ascorbic acid dosages vs. ability of the body to defend against toxic substances (pollutants). Specifically, the article referred to a discovery by the US Dept of Fish & Game (right name?) of a small river contaminated with very high levels of PCB's and DDT. However, they noted that the resident fish were alive, and could not figure out why, considering the dosages involved. Additional tests indicated that there was also a high concentration of ascorbic acid present. They traced this to another chemical plant upstream. They caught a number of the fish, and placed 1/2 in the "control" group, refreshed (if you can call it refreshing) with the same mixture of chemicals, lab-created, in a tank. They continued to survive, although they behaved sluggishly. The "experimental" group were placed in the same mixture but without the ascorbic acid. They ALL died within several weeks, even though the control group survived. Food for thought. (When I finish unpacking everything, I will seek out the article for reference.) --tgi while (--tgi) /* my mind continues to decay */ ; /* even though I do nothing.. */ {brl-bmd,ccvaxa,pur-ee,sun}!csd-gould!midas!tgi (Craig Strickland @ Gould) 305/587-2900 x5014 CompuServe: 76545,1007 Source: BDQ615 MCIMail: 272-3350 (echo ".ft B"; echo ".ps 999"; echo "$disclaimer") | troff -t # :-)