N Ice with Vitamin C
N Ice with Vitamin C is an over the counter medical product that comes in a variety of flavors. Each lozenge contains 5 mg menthol that acts as a cough suppressant and oral anesthetic. They are a health conscious choice for diabetics because of being sugar free and a recommended medical product, by reviewers and public speakers, for minor sore throat pain and coughs caused by throat and bronchial irritation.
Besides being a fast acting cough suppressant, N Ice with Vitamin C offers an added health benefit, ascorbic acid. Each lozenge contains 60 mg of ascorbic acid, or commonly known as vitamin C, which is 100% of the U.S. recommended daily value of vitamin C. Everyone knows that vitamin C should be used during cold and flu season but very few know exactly why.
During the winter season, it is not as easy to find fresh fruit in abundance as in the other seasons. Because our bodies count on a variety of fresh foods to keep in balance, the lack of vitamin C during the winter months affects our health by being sometimes entirely void from our diets. High concentrations of vitamin C can be found in oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits as well as tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and green peppers. Ascorbic acid alone has been tested and proven as a great health benefit in preventing and shortening the duration of the common cold.
In 1795, medical physicians discovered that lemons had something to do with the prevention of scurvy but it was not until the 20th century that the chemical elements were discovered. Vitamin C was synthesized in 1933 by British chemists Sir Walter Norman Haworth and Sir Edmund Hirst, which provided artificial production of the medical needed vitamin. People were not so lucky in earlier days to be without any form of fresh produce. There was no form of transportation to deliver fresh fruit to their areas and vitamin C was not available in health stores.
The most common medical complication that arises from lack of vitamin C is scurvy. Written journals by captains of sailing vessels in the 18th century showed a concern of crew members getting sick and dying. It was later realized that members would travel for months without any fresh fruit and their illnesses was in fact, scurvy. Many teenagers today have been diagnosed with scurvy because of bad eating habits. Characterized by swollen and bleeding gums, soreness in the joints, slow wound healing, anemia and bleeding under the skin, immediate medical help is needed. It only takes 10 mg of vitamin C a day to prevent this disease that should be totally erased from our society today.
Vitamin C is one of the most studied vitamins in the history of science for health benefits that keep appearing. Ascorbic acid is required in the body to produce protein collagen that provides the strength in our tissues. We need to manufacture new collagen on a daily basis in order to repair and maintain our tissues. Scientists have further found that almost all animals, excluding the guinea pig, produce their own vitamin C and are not required to keep the same diet as humans.
To compensate for a lack of strong tissues, it is now known that the body forms a type of plaster in the arteries, causing clogging of the arteries and the chance of stroke or heart attack. 85,000 nurses of Harvard took part in a 15-year study of a daily intake of 360 mg of vitamin C. The results were that heart disease was reduced by 30%. It has also been long known that smokers with poor diets in vitamin C are at a much higher risk of contracting lung-borne diseases as opposed to those who regularly get adequate doses of vitamin C.
There are some medical conditions that cannot tolerate ascorbic acid or it may have a reaction to certain types of medicines that have been prescribed. Signs that you could be having an allergic reaction to vitamin C are: blood in the urine, severe pain in the lower back or side, lightheadedness, heartburn or stomach cramps, nausea and flushing. It is always best to check with your medical physician before beginning any treatment with vitamins or herbs.
Protecting your body is a health conscious decision that we should all take very seriously. Get ready for the winter season and take precautions against germs and bacteria that are always trapped in indoor crowded areas. A word from the medical community is to wash your hands often, carry hand sanitizer, and stay home from work or school if you are feverish. And an added note from those who have tried N Ice with vitamin C, keep a pack on hand.
