Heal with Vitamin C No matter what kind of wound you have, taking vitamin C can help, whether you get it from fruit juice or from supplements. Low blood levels of vitamin C slow healing, while high levels speed formation of new skin cells and collagen, according to Dr. Melvyn Werbach, author of Nutritional Influences on Illness. Studies conducted on vitamin C date back to the 1930s, and recent research has confirmed these effects. In a 1996 study, British researchers gave bedsore sufferers standard care plus either a placebo or vitamin C (500 milligrams twice daily). After one month, the average sore areas shrank by 43 percent in the placebo group and 84 percent in the vitamin group. New York City-based nutritionist Shari Lieberman, co-author of The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book, suggests getting even more vitamin C — 5,000 to 10,000 milligrams per day if you have a large wound or burn. However, large doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhea. If this occurs, reduce your dose. Other research suggests that vitamin E and zinc also promote wound healing and reduce the risk of scarring. As wounds heal, Lieberman recommends a daily dose of 400 to 800 International Units (IU) of vitamin E and 30 to 50 milligrams of zinc.
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