speaking, the more debilitated you are, the more
vitamin C you need, notes Dr. Rubman. Cautioning that this
should never be done without a physician's oversight, he
told me that he sometimes prescribes 3,500 mg to 4,000 mg
vitamin C daily to his patients for prevention. (Ask your
health care provider about the most effective course for
you.)

For those who already have chills, aches, fever or other
telltale signs of the flu, a physician trained in the use
of nutritional supplements may go even further, and
prescribe doses as high as 7,000 mg to 8,000 mg a day until
symptoms abate. Be aware though that doses over 2,000
mg/day can cause stomach upset, diarrhea or other acute
symptoms. Dr. Rubman says this is one of the reasons it is
so important to take this and other supplements under
medical supervision. Also if you are taking large doses,
ask your doctor whether it's best to taper off gradually
when you feel better, rather than stop all at once.

Make Your Own Vitamin Water

To make it easy to get your vitamin C, Dr. Rubman suggests
that you make your own "vitamin water."  What you make at
home is far superior to most products available
commercially, which are often adulterated with sugar or
other additives. Buy vitamin C as ascorbic acid (not
mineral ascorbate or ester C) in bulk powder form, which is
as effective as, but less expensive than, tablets.
Depending on whether your objective is prevention or
treatment, dissolve the appropriate amount of vitamin C in
one quart of a 50/50 juice/water mix. This will retain its
potency a week or more if refrigerated. Dr. Rubman told me
that his favorite recipe is to use four teaspoons per quart
of Eclectic Institute's Nutrigenomic Berry Powder. That, he
says, "sweetens and strengthens the value of the vitamin
C."  If you like, you can make it sweeter yet by drizzling
in honey or maple syrup to taste. Vitamin C tends to
neutralize stomach acid, so it's best to drink this in
divided doses away from mealtime -- for instance, take a
few swigs of your vitamin water every hour or so between
meals.

While many experts consider vitamin C nothing less than
miraculous, Dr. Rubman warns that it's not magical. It
won't undo poor health habits, nor will it be helpful if
you pair it with a poor diet.  Instead, eat lots of
flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables (citrus fruits,
strawberries, cabbage, turnip greens, etc.), which help the
body absorb and utilize vitamin C more efficiently. Also,
consider taking vitamin C with synergistic supplements that
support its use while adding in their own healing benefits.
For example, pair vitamin C (which protects the watery
parts of cells) with vitamin E (which defends their fatty
parts). Vitamin D, selenium and zinc are likewise
beneficial.