Any considerations about megadose while breastfeeding ?

[majkinetor]

My wife is taking around 10g of AA/day using little bit of sodium (in 2-3 doses).

I am wondering, is it possible that if she has some form of undetected toxicity, that C makes matter worst while breastfeeding, i.e. eliminating toxic stuff via skin or milk and transferring it to baby? Owen said here something about Pauling describing some form of body detox via skin and I am concerned that it might affect baby (altho there are no visible sores on her body). Internet is also full of warnings not to detoxify during breastfeeding.

I gave her around 10g for 2 weeks after delivery to account for general malnutrition during her stay in the hospital and their junk food (and even before that she wasn't able to eat much without vomiting during the last month of the pregnency) and also for quicker wound healing (episiotomy) and general recovery after delivery.

She was smoking around 1 pack / day until she got pregnant when she gradually reduced over the period of 3 months to 1 cig / day. She doesn't smoke now. She has no amalgam feelings. Other then that I am not aware of any other potential toxic elements which doesn't mean they don't exist.

Thanks.

[Johnwen]

First congrats on the new baby

Take it easy on the sodium it will pass thru the mother's milk and could give the little one higher blood pressure. Other then that sounds Ok to me!

This more up Owen's alley he and his where raised on V-C. He can give first hand knowledge.

Me my youngest just turned 36!

Good luck and health!

[ofonorow]

I am wondering, is it possible that if she has some form of undetected toxicity, that C makes matter worst while breastfeeding, i.e. eliminating toxic stuff via skin or milk and transferring it to baby?

Too bad about the smoking, but supplementing vitamin C may have offset. I have never heard of this concern previously. What I think I know is that nature favors the baby, and more vitamin C goes to the baby through breast milk, whether the mother is supplementing or not. This means that it is a VERY good idea for a lactating woman to supplement vitamin C, for her own sake! Getting more vitamin C into the baby's system will help him/her detoxify any other insults that may be present, but I see no reason why vitamin C itself would increase toxins. If you find any references to this effect I wouldn't mind reading them.

In my case, my wife started high vitamin C before conception, 10,000 mg, and kept it high during pregnancy (around 7,000 mg) and then went to 10,000 mg during lactation. (Which is interesting because these days, 20 years later, she has trouble with 1000 mg).
Our son, who has taken vitamin C his entire life (as well as Pauling's entire regimen plus vitamin D3) is the picture of perfect health. He missed one day of school - in grade school - due to chicken pox. That was the only day he has missed in 20 years.

[Lemonaid]

Owen, did you cure your son's chicken pox in one day with vitamin C?

[majkinetor]

After everything, it seems that its the best for woman to start megadosing after she conceived, not after a delivery. The woman might have some metal toxicity and other forms of toxic stuff and C might start release of it. However, things appear not to be so simple...

Levy states:

Part of vitamin C's effective clinical neutralization of mercury may well involve mercury's storage in a much less toxic form due to its interaction with vitamin C. Indeed, this is one very good reason why a great deal of caution must be exerted when embarking upon a brisk detoxification program. Mercury and a host of other stored toxins can be readily mobilized from storage sites with a number of different detoxification agents. A significant deterioration in one's clinical status can result if there is no protection against the reappearance of highly potent toxins in the lymph and bloodstream as they proceed on their way to excretion. Safe detoxificationmust generally be slow and controlled, and nontoxic chelators and toxin neutralizers must be intelligently used while the process takes place.
.....
Both mercuric ion (inorganic mercury) and methylmercury (organic mercury) are
excreted preferentially into the bile rather than the urine (Gregus and Klaassen, 1986), and a significant portion of bile excretion eventually ends up in the feces.
.....
antioxidant properties of vitamin C were responsible for the reduction of organic mercury forms to inorganic and elemental forms. Thismechanism represents a relative detoxification of mercury since organic mercury forms are much more clinically toxic than the reduced forms

Here, scurvyencounters claims:

mercury readily transfers across the placenta membrane before birth and in the milk after birth. Therefore, the research they site in which MS relapse rates are reduced during pregnancy and during exclusive breast feedings are due to the fact of mercury is being eliminated from the mother's body and is transferred to the baby.

With all this info it seems that in some cases its better to use low megadoses (1-2g) for the mom with mercury toxicity during breastfeeding then letting the mercury transfer to child and create potential neurodegenerative process. A bit more of C will also be transfered to child in the process, which will help reduce eventual mercury toxicity if it leaked trough the milk. Indeed, its reported (Pauling?) that children high on C seem to be more intelligent because of reduced lead build up in the brain.

So, given all previous info, its uncertain to know what will be effects on the infant if woman starts megadosing during breastfeeding given that she didn't do it before. There might be both positive and negative effects. Its therefore best to avoid the dilemma an use Klenner "vitamin c babies" approach from the beginning.

Happily, I just found out that my woman was taking 2g C for years and I didn't even know that (she did it cuz she knew that smoking reduces C in the body).

2 Johnwen
Thanks man Thx for the notes about sodium too

[ofonorow]

We have been discussing this very issue (Levy's quote) but I don't see how it would be relevant to breast feeding. Ditto "crossing the placenta" as this is relevant during pregnancy, not lactation. In my opinion, it is rarely the wrong time to start optimal vitamin C supplementation.

Owen, did you cure your son's chicken pox in one day with vitamin C?

Well, he had one "pock" and a fever. It was not a matter of curing it, it was that he was on a high vitamin C intake, and had been his entire life. This was the only time as a child that we can remember him being sick, at least sick enough to miss school. We assumed it was Chicken Pox, as it had been going around. As I have noted in my own personal experience, symptoms of people who are taking large amounts of vitamin C vary considerably from the norm. Very mild.

[kolganito]

Our son, who has taken vitamin C his entire life (as well as Pauling's entire regimen plus vitamin D3) is the picture of perfect health

At what age did you start supplementing your son with other vitamins (A, D, E, B complex, K?, iodine?) than vitamin C and in what doses? I can't remember that there is any supplementation protocol for kids in Live longer.

[Lemonaid]

majkinetor, make sure the baby is getting adequate vitamin D as this will also increase glutathione in the brain (which is the primary mechanism that pulls mercury out of the cell).

/especially if you plan on vaccinating
//it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the baby a 25(OH)VitaminD blood test before

[majkinetor]

Thx lemonade. I give my daughter bunch of vitamin D3 as Cod Liver Oil (1 tsp/day ~400 IU) and as D3 supplement (1200-2000IU). She is 16 months old. I also feed her lot of butter. As for C, I am on 1g/year protocol but I do give her 2x or 3x that amount on first symptoms.

I use C and NAC to boost glutathione for entire family including baby. There is only limited evidence for D3 in that respect.

I vaccinated only once so far, it happened after 14 months (Pentaxim - hypoalergenic form of DTaP).
I don't count BSG and 1 short of HepB vaccine which I couldn't influence and she got it few hours after birth :S. BSG was oral, so its not a problem, but HepB wasn't so its totally idiotic :S. Those vacciness do not contain mercury now, and she is at lower risk due to sex so I guess its not a big problem.