I only started on a vit C regime about the middle of last year. I began taking ascorbic acid
regularly on average about 4 or 5 grams a day divided into two or three doses as an everyday
intake.
I have not been very disciplined about it though so sometimes I have forgotten and
then sometimes I probably have taken more.
On two occassions I had the feeling an infection was trying to take hold and both times
I imediately began on about 2 to 3 grams every half hour for a day or so and both times
the result was no cold symptoms.
Then about two weeks ago I was in town running some arrands and ended up out
longer than I anticipated in nasty weather and on trains with people coughing and
sneezing as per usual this time of year. A couple days later I began to get a scratchy
throat and I began ramping up the vit C for a couple days. I still felt fine and went
about my regular activities, I had no other symptoms. After two days I started to get
a runny nose and now I was taking between 15 and 20 grams of ascorbic acid in a
24 hour period. I tried a limited form of the nasal delivery using cotton buds and a
buffered vit C solution and this would make the runny nose dry up imediately for
an hour or so. I still had the scratchy throat and tried gargling a bit with an ascorbic
acid and water solution.
After one day of what I would consider at least mild cold symptoms it was gone.
So, even though I did not stop it at the onset it is either the mildest cold I have
ever had in my life or the vit C did do something to combat it.
At no time did I ever really feel ill or stop my normal work and everyday activities.
Also, I never actually reached 'bowel tolerance'. Even at about 20 grams over 24
hours there were no side effects to speak of.
Everyone around me, work colleagues, flatmates etc. have had a cold that has
lasted about a week and dragged them down with sneezing coughing and
general malaise.