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Vitamin C Eased Hives

Q. I suffered from chronic hives for years without much help from the allergist or the dermatologist. The medicines they prescribed did little to relieve my symptoms and left me in a fog. I was becoming a hermit.

Following a bout of pneumonia, I started taking Vitamin C (1000 mg twice a day) to build my immune system. I noticed that my hives were greatly reduced as well. I now take 1000 mg of Vitamin C a day and am practically hive free!

A. There’s not much recent research on the effectiveness of vitamin C for allergic symptoms such as hives. Back in 1982 scientists tested vitamin C and found it did not protect subjects from experimentally induced hives (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, June, 1982).

Your improvement might have been coincidental, but others may wish to give it a try since vitamin C is relatively benign.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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