M.D. Permission granted to distribute via the internet as long as material is distributed in its entirety and not modified. Dehydroascorbate has a half-life in the body of only a few minutes. White cells need a little ascorbate in order to kill viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, cancer cells, etc. When mitochondria are damaged, they are unable to provide the electrons to rereduce the dehydroascorbate back to ascorbate. These damaged mitochondria produce free radicals.
Free radicals turn on antibodies.
Almost everyone has had the experience of feeling like they were catching a cold in the evening but then woke up the next morning feeling fine. What has happened here is that the white cells have primarily killed all the viruses. However, if you wake up the next morning and realize you will be sick with a cold for the next week to 10 days, what has happened is that the viruses have damaged enough mitochondria that have produced enough free radicals to oxidize all the vitamin C in the nose and throat. Therefore, the white cells cannot kill the viruses in the nose and throat and you will be ill until the antibodies get their act together and that usually takes a week to 10 days. However, in the meantime, this acute induced scurvy may spread into the bronchial tubes, sinuses, ears, etc., and result in some bacteria taking advantage of the situation and cause bronchitis, sinusitis, or otitis media or even worse like pneumonia, etc.