Because of the coronavirus, immunity is at the top of everyone’s mind these days. Most of us know that vitamin C plays a role in the function of your immune system, but how exactly does it work? In this episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen is joined by supplement scientist Dr. Parris Kidd for a deep dive on why vitamin C is so crucial to your health.
For more information on Neuro-C from BrainMD, visit https://brainmd.com/neuro-c
Daniel Amen, MD:
Welcome to the Brain Warrior’s Way podcast. I’m Dr. Daniel Amen.
Tana Amen, BSN RN:
And I’m Tana Amen. In our podcast, we provide you with the tools you need to become a warrior for the health of your brain and body.
Daniel Amen, MD:
The Brain Warrior’s Way podcast is brought to you by Amen Clinics, where we have been transforming lives for 30 years using tools like brain SPECT imaging to personalize treatment to your brain. For more information, visit amenclinics.com.
Tana Amen, BSN RN:
The Brain Warrior’s Way podcast is also brought to you by BrainMD, where we produce the highest quality nutraceuticals to support the health of your brain and body. To learn more, go to brainmd.com.
Daniel Amen, MD: Welcome back everyone. You’re listening or watching the Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast. This week we’re talking about new ways to boost your brain. I am here with our chief science officer and my good friend, Dr. Parris Kidd, who has a PhD in Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. Who’s really one of the pioneers and one of the most respected scientists in the natural supplement industry.
So welcome, Parris. I am always grateful for your care, your concern, and that big brain of yours, helping the world get healthy, using nutritional supplements.
Tana Amen: Quantity, if not quality, huh Daniel?
Daniel Amen, MD: So we’re in the middle of a pandemic. And I mean, who knows when it’s going to end. When it started, many people thought it would be over by the fall, but it actually may not be until next fall. And one of the first things I wrote down was, your best defense against COVID-19 is your immune system. And you and I, and Jim Springer, our general manager, put our heads together and we went, all right, what do we have that can boost the brain, but also your immunity to help people not only survive, but thrive during this stressful time.
And Neuro-C was actually one of … It was on the top of my mind about, people need more vitamin C. And in a form that could be delivered to their cells. And I know you and vitamin C actually have a long relationship. So can you talk about vitamin C and how critical it is for so many different systems in the body?
Parris Kidd, Ph…: Yeah. Vitamin C was actually the first dietary supplement product I worked with when I started back in 1985. And vitamin C is still the most underestimated single nutrient that we need. I just found out yesterday that many as 46% of Americans may not be getting sufficient vitamin C. And this is really sad. This is really, really sad. Sugar interferes with the absorption of vitamin C, that makes it even more complicated.
The brain needs vitamin C. Not just as an antioxidant, which is often the way it’s presented, a protective antioxidant. And the brain is very metabolically busy, therefore, it needs antioxidants. Therefore, you should take vitamin C. Vitamin C is actually much more profound than that. Vitamin C is required by a number of enzymes in the brain and elsewhere to make specific neurotransmitters, especially dopamine epinephrin, and probably also Daniel, serotonin. Which, as we know, is deeply involved in mood and sleep patterns. Our 24 hour daily rhythm, all of that stuff.
Vitamin C is also needed in the brain to make substances that help to generate energy, such as creatine and carnitine. It’s needed to make peptide hormones, which are part of the neurotransmitter system in the brain. And it’s needed to make the myelin insulation, the insulation of our nerve cells, which allows them to function at their electrically most efficient rates of transmission.
And then, it is also vital for the brain as an antioxidant, but it’s also essential to make collagen. Now, collagen gets talked about a lot, for the skin and the nails and all of that. But collagen is actually a fundamental substance. If we didn’t have collagen, we would only be blobs on the floor, because we wouldn’t have any structure to our body. Collagen gives structure to our connective tissues, which hold together our organs and hold everything in place. Collagen is the basis for the tissues into which bone is laid down. And vitamin C is essential for the main enzyme that makes collagen.
And the brain needs collagen as well, because all of our blood vessels have collagen in their walls. So vitamin C is profoundly important for the brain, for the circulation, and for, literally, all of the organs. It’s vital for the adrenal glands, because these little glands on top of the kidneys make hormones that help us cope with stress. They also make hormones that help to control our sodium potassium balance and other mineral balance. So the adrenals are small, but incredibly vital, and they have to have a lot of vitamin C.
And vitamin C then is also crucial for the immune system because the-
Daniel Amen, MD: Hang on one second. Let’s talk about the adrenal glands for a minute. I was just thinking while you were talking, so many people, their adrenal glands are getting worn out, because of the pandemic, the societal unrest, the political season we’re in. It just feels like an assault against our ability to manage the forceful messages that are coming our way and that so many people are experiencing.
And so if your adrenal glands, these little triangle shape, glands that sit on the top of your kidneys are not healthy, if they’re not getting the nutrients they need, then you’re going to have a much harder time managing the stress that you’re being assaulted with. And Neuro-C is just one of the products that can really be helpful to keep that part of your body healthy.
Parris Kidd, Ph…: But it’s central to adrenal gland function. And people can develop adrenal gland exhaustion, and they can actually die from adrenal exhaustion. JFK had adrenal exhaustion, Addison’s disease, from birth, and he was expected to die as a teenager. And fortunately, he made it through. The adrenals are really crucial and without sufficient vitamin C, you’re going to be constantly on the defensive against stress. And while we talk about all sorts of fancy herbals and stuff against stress, vitamin C, basic vitamin C, really should be the fundamental nutrient for any program against stress.
And then for immunity, much of our immune system is single cells that are patrolling. They’re patrolling within the tissues. They’re patrolling, circulating with the blood, and they need vitamin C to maintain their mobility. If there’s not sufficient vitamin C available, they literally come to a halt. They’re not able to move.
And then also, many of our immune cells produce highly toxic, free radical substances in order to kill invading agents. And as they do that, they threaten their own survival. So it’s, like you’re putting out all these destructive substances, but you’re being exposed to those substances too. So immune cells tend to be very, very high in vitamin C as antioxidants to protect against these free radicals that they produce.
And then I also learned recently, that vitamin C is important for certain enzymes that regulate gene expression. And this applies both to the immune system and to all of our 30 trillion or so cells in our bodies. That our genes are very closely regulated, and vitamin C apparently is important for some of those enzymes as well. So this is a really, really profound enzyme.
And the Neuro-C is in a liposomal form, and liposomes are little tiny microscopic bags that have a hollow interior and close the vitamin C and carry it into the intestine where they may help to inject it directly into the intestinal cells. And so with liposomes … And this is a real liposomal formulation, it’s validated by electron microscope study. There are many imitation liposome products, but this is a real liposome product. And this has a higher rate of absorption than routine vitamin C. And it also tastes great. And so this is a really convenient form of vitamin C.
Daniel Amen, MD: Yeah. It tastes like dessert. It’s really good. Some days I’ll actually have two tablespoons, just because I love the taste. You want to refrigerate it once you get it, that makes it taste even better.
Parris Kidd, Ph…: Right. Refrigeration is actually quite important. Yeah.
Daniel Amen, MD: So far this week, we’ve talked about Neuro Greens, Smart Mushrooms, Neuro-C, and now we’re actually going to get to one of my favorite products, Omega-3 Power Squeeze. So stay with us. We are going to continue The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast on four new ways to boost your brain. I am here with Dr. Parris Kidd, the chief science officer from Brain MD. The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast is actually brought to you by Brain MD, because what we want to do is give you the products to really optimize the physical functioning of your brain. Stay with us.
Tana Amen: If you’re enjoying The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, please don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll always know when there’s a new episode. And while you’re at it, feel free to give us a review or five-star rating, as that helps others find the podcast.
Daniel Amen, MD: If you’re considering coming to Amen Clinics or trying some of the brain healthy supplements from BrainMD, you can use the code podcast 10 to get a 10% discount on a full evaluation at amenclinics.com or a 10% discount on all supplements at brainmdhealth.com. For more information, give us a call at 855-978-1363.
