Vitamin C Flush - Page 3

John Alston · 07-02-2008, 06:29 AM

When I want a big flush in the morning, I find 4 pints of Guiness seems to do it for me.

Garrett Smith · 07-02-2008, 08:23 AM

Gittit,
I didn't know if there was some other meaning to the word "flush" other than the one I had already mentioned before...if there isn't, then don't worry about the description...

Gittit Shwartz · 07-02-2008, 09:17 AM

The "flush" effect I was speaking of is simply a lot of watery diarrhea.

Gittit Shwartz · 07-10-2008, 11:26 PM

I was having trouble falling asleep again for a few days in a row so on Tuesday I repeated the flush. This time it took only 18 grams (as opposed to 30 about a week ago). It worked, but it's an extremely unpleasant solution. The diarrhea lasted the whole day, it was pretty draining. I need to find a better solution for wired but tired.

Gittit Shwartz · 07-10-2008, 11:38 PM

Question:
Vit. C supplementation is supposed to reduce cortisol, right? I don't know by what mechanism. This would be a good thing in most cases, but for someone recovering from adrenal fatigue, could too much Vit. C actually be detrimental?
I ask because I've been feeling more tired and drained than usual for the past three weeks, since the first flush. I could put it down to a lot of different factors but I'm suspicious. So far I've done 3 flushes and on other days taken anywhere between 0-9 grams in divided doses.

Steven Low · 07-11-2008, 12:02 AM

Cortisol is produced from any type of stressor.. that (more strongly) activates the sympathetic nervous system. 3 flushes within the past couple weeks could definitely cause something like that. I mean, you're kind of impeding normal bowel function with the flush well at least in terms of nutrient and water absorption which could lead to dehydration and lack of nutrients for your body = decreased energy/fatigue

Although you are (still?) recovering from adrenal fatigue as well as mono in March (or at least haven't gotten full energy levels back yet?). What other stressors in your life might you have?

If I had to guess it's probably a combination. Eliminate the obvious stuff (flushing for example) and see if there's an improvement. Classic black box.

Gittit Shwartz · 07-11-2008, 04:33 AM

Thanks for the reply, Steven.
I've seen pretty much linear improvement over the last 3 months and I'm feeling good all in all - cortisol is riding the bottom of the normal range according to recent tests. The last 3 weeks for the first time I felt like I regressed a little. I'm sure there are other major factors (some stress coming in, training more), however I feel like I'm not handling them as well as I would have thought, and looking to see where I can improve what I'm doing.

I've had enough of this experiment anyway. I just got curious because everyone is always looking for ways to lower cortisol... yet there may be some situations where logically, lowering cortisol is not necessarily a good thing (as when you are not able to produce enough). Not sure if this idea makes sense?

Steven Low · 07-11-2008, 09:33 AM

Nah, if you workout at least semi-frequently your body is used to activating SNS to produce your catecholamines (adrenaline, noradreneline, etc.) and glucocorticoids (cortisol, etc.).

Well, you know all about the adrenaline probably from your adrenal fatigue but yeah SNS activates both and you get an interesting balance because they help each other in some respects such as energy expenditure but are also opposed in some functions.

Mike ODonnell · 07-11-2008, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Alston

When I want a big flush in the morning, I find 4 pints of Guiness seems to do it for me.

How did I miss this? Nice!

Gittit Shwartz · 09-10-2008, 11:35 AM

Some recent observations:
At the time of my "experiment" I was eating 100 grams of carbs (fruit, veggies) on an average day, occasionally more on weekends. I kept on taking 1 to 3 grams of vit C powder in water several times a day, about 6-10 grams in one day, with no sign of bowel disturbance.
About a month ago I decided to drop my carb intake to 20-30 grams/day. My bowel tolerance level dropped so if I took 3 grams at once my insides would start rumbling. (Since the powder is quickly absorbed and since it happened several times I can be fairly sure the two events are related.)
Last week, upped my fish oils from 10g to ~25g/day. Bowel tolerance seems to have dropped even further - 1.5g was enough to give me a touch of diarrhea.
Since I didn't change my other macros (only the source) I'm speculating that reducing the carb content of my diet actually reduced my "need" for vitamin C. It makes sense to me since vit C and glucose compete for absorption. It's curious about the fish oil...Eskimos with their high omega-3, meat and blubber diet don't get scurvy though they don't eat a vegetable all winter.