Hey Zyg;
Can degenerated discs be reversed?
They say "no" but then again they also say mumps, measles, parvo, rabies, encephalitis and a whole slew of other viruses/diseases are incurable but papers from a few docs like Klenner, Cathcart etc have proved quite the opposite and can be cured with IV/IM vitamin C in high enough doses for a long enough period.
I think under optimal circumstances it can be reversed BUT there are a lot of variables. Duration of injury being an important one. The body strives for optimal and when not attainable it does what it can to survive.
I havent done extensive research on the subject but I would bet its certainly possible and here is why I say that.
Heart disease has been clearly shown to largely be a side effect of a vit C deficiency and when ample vit C is not available the body is forced to deal with the shortage and repair the arterial damage by what ever means it can. This usually involves cholesterol and more specifically lipoprotien A which binds to the damage in the arteries as a quick fix. In a perfect world this is short terms and the damage is repaired by ample vit C and collagen. However in a deficient state the repair just collects more cholesterol etc and grows over time turning into a blockage.
What happens to collagen based structures in the body in the absence of ample vit C is well documented (but largely ignored) and when deficient collagen structures become weak they are more prone to injury. This is likely one reason for disc/tendon/ligament injuries in the first place.
If heart disease can be reversed with ample building blocks then I would assume other collagen based injuries can as well (I will have to look into this more when I have time). The big difference between arterial damage and joint damage (ie disc, cartilage etc) is that there are other forces at work in the joints. When a disc or cartilage gets damaged the bodies first goal is to repair it BUT what if the materials arent available? If lets say the cartilage is all wore down and there is laxity in the joint the body will seek to remedy that, often by building up calcium in its place, often referred to arthritis. Once this happens the damage is extremely hard or impossible to reverse.
If the remodeling of the damaged area hasnt progressed too far, with enough vit C for a long enough period of time recovery should be possible.
Keep in mind however that "enough vitamin C" can be a HELL OF A LOT! Vitamin C is a super powerful anti toxin and anti viral and when you take it it not only is directly used for tissue repair but it also donates electrons to the immune system. So, lets say you have a root canal and a mouth full of fillings. This in and of itself MAY put enough of a demand on your immune system that you simply cant consume enough vit C to overcome it, if thats the case your likely not going to realize proper healing.
Many proponents of vit C consumption actually recommend not a specific dose, but taking as much as you can daily without diarrhea. FOr some this may be 1gm and for other 100gm. Generally speaking, the more you need, the more you can take without getting diarrhea.
On an aside, since vit C boosts immune system and is such a powerful anti viral/toxin, consuming large amounts of vitamin C can actually cause a herxheimer reaction. In short thats where it forces toxins out of tissues for removal and it overwhelmes your bodies ability to actually remove the toxins resulting in cold/flue like symptoms, brain fog, head/body aches etc.