ARDS is a disease occurs when fluid builds up in the alveoli in the patient’s lungs.² It used to be named “Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome” to distinguish it from a childhood version that occurs mostly in pre-term births. The fluid buildup limits the amount of air that can be taken into the lungs, and also the efficiency of oxygen transfer in the lungs. This leads to oxygen deficiency problems that frequent include death. According to the available medical literature, there is no known identifiable disease mechanism (only risk factors and predisposing conditions), and no known cure (only the recommended treatment of symptoms).² This truly left it in the “mystery” disease category.

ARDS was first described in 1967 and occurs in about 3 million people each year.¹ About 200,000 of those cases that result in approximately 74,500 deaths are in the United States.⁸ A 2015 study calculated that average cost of the initial hospital stay. At more than $117,000 per patient, this comes to more than 23.4 billion dollars annually.¹² Then there are the follow-on costs because of physical damage that occurred during the disease. A 2013 Canadian study indicates that the subsequent costs that relate back to the ARDS because of the functional limitations of the survivors of ARDS total right around $50,000 per patient over the next year. This tacks on another 6 or 8 billion dollars to the tab (depending upon survival rates).¹³

ARDS almost always occurs in people who already have an underlying condition/injury/disease, and the intensity the ARDS appears to be related to the intensity of that underlying condition. Most people who develop ARDS are already hospitalized.²

Medical researchers usually default to the belief that a lung problem originates with a lung injury – but ARDS often occurs with injuries that are arms, legs, or head where the lungs are not injured at all. They are inclined to believe that a lung problem could also result from an infection that damages the lung function. Sometimes ARDS occurs in conjunction with infections, but often it occurs without infection AND without injury to the lungs. Unfortunately, the diverse nature of common underlying conditions, such as:

• Sepsis²
• Inhalation of harmful substances⁶
• Major traumatic injury²
• Pancreatitis²
• Severe pneumonia²
• Severe burns²

have left researchers confounded as to real causes, and therefore effective treatments.

ARDS strikes quickly. The signs and symptoms of ARDS often begin within two hours of an inciting event, but can occur after 1-3 days.¹ There is a corresponding need to respond quickly. Common treatment strategies include supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, and recovering sections of collapsed lungs to keep them open, and even Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (which is essentially and external lung - oxygenating the blood and removing the carbon dioxide outside the body and then returning it back to the body).³

My purpose for writing this article is to point out that ARDS is NOT a mystery disease, and that what is necessary to address this disease is not expensive ventilators and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation surgeries or extended hospital stays that may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. ARDS is a connective tissue weakness brought on by a vitamin C deficiency. It is a variant of scurvy. Preventing it can be accomplished by the administration about 3-6 grams of vitamin C per day, which might amount to less than you might pay to have a leisurely afternoon coffee. Material costs for treatment of the early stages of the disease would be about the same, but if it is allowed to get out of hand and start damaging organs and compromising bodily functions, then costs could rise dramatically.

Let’s take a look at how vitamin C works in the body and how it affects connective tissue integrity.

Vitamin C is essential for the production/repair of collagen fibers.⁴ Collagen fibers are typically a three-stranded twisted string of amino acids. Vitamin C is not in the resulting fiber, but it is used to cross-link the 3 strands so that the resulting fiber is much stronger and more durable. Collagen fibers are found throughout the body wherever tissue needs strength and resilience. They can be found in skin, blood vessels, tendons, muscles, ligaments, cartilage, lungs (including the surfaces of the alveoli), and even bones.¹⁴

Scurvy is a disease known to be caused by vitamin C deficiency.⁴ In the absence of sufficient vitamin C, the collagen fibers are not repaired/replaced. In most of the locations in the body, this function is not critical to life. Skin may sag, muscles, tendons and ligaments may be weakened, but life is not immediately threatened. However in the case of blood vessels, a critical function is threatened. The blood vessels become porous, and the vessels ability to contain the blood is challenged. Bleeding occurs, and if the connective tissue weakness is not addressed, usually with doses of vitamin C, then it can become a deadly condition.

The connective tissue in the alveoli are also critical to life, because they directly affect our ability to breathe. When these collagen fibers are not adequately repaired/replaced the barrier between the open space in the alveoli and the interstitial fluid becomes porous and leaks fluid into the lungs. This compromises the ability of the alveoli to exchange gasses. Because this parallels scurvy in every way except the affected tissue, I like to refer to this also as a type of scurvy.

Vitamin C functions and related depletion from underlying diseases

Vitamin C’s most significant functions include:

• Primary antioxidant (Free-radical scavenger)⁴
• Collagen Synthesis⁴
• Immune system support⁴
• Adrenal Response to Emotional stress⁴
• Chelates toxic heavy metals⁶
• Used in Synthesis of Carnitine and Norepinephrine⁴
• Can detoxify poisons such as snake venom and anesthesia⁶
• Can neutralize pain (because if reduces inflammation from free radicals)⁶

Any circumstance/condition/disease that uses vitamin C will also deplete the supply. When that circumstance/condition/disease becomes severe, it can dramatically increase the vitamin C depletion rate.

Let’s see how these compare with the known underlying conditions for ARDS:

• Sepsis² (Immune, antioxidant, neutralize pain, norepinephrine)
• Inhalation of harmful substances² (antioxidant, detoxify poisons, neutralize pain)
• Major traumatic injury² (Antioxidant, Collagen for repair, adrenal response, neutralize pain)
• Pancreatitis² (Antioxidant, Neutralize pain, norepinephrine)
• Severe pneumonia² (Antioxidant, immune, adrenal response)
• Severe burns² (Antioxidant, pain, collagen synthesis)
• Radiation exposure⁷ (antioxidant, collagen synthesis)
• Cigarette smoking⁷ (antioxidant, detoxify poisons)
• Tuberculosis⁷ (Immune function)
• A wide variety of drugs⁷ (antioxidant, detoxify poisons)
• Cancer, especially if chemotherapy has been used⁷ (Immune, detoxify poisons, neutralize pain, plus cancer will draw vit C into its own cells in high amounts)
• DIC⁷ (almost all of these uses)

As you can see, ALL of the underlying conditions associated with ARDS are capable of depleting vitamin C in multiple ways. This list also demonstrates that just about every way of depleting vitamin C can qualify as an underlying condition for ARDS. This is highly unlikely to be a coincidence.

ARDS is diagnosed when there is an acute onset of bilateral infiltrates on chest radiography.⁷ This is a red flag for all those who write that ARDS is directly caused by lung injury. Traumatic lung injuries are likely to be to one lung or the other. When problems in the respiratory system are bilateral, they are much more likely to be due to systemic sources.

It is now the correct moment to try to explain how a vitamin C deficiency induced connective tissue weakness can cause ARDS. ARDS occurs in the alveoli, which are found at the end of the bronchial tubes. This is where the real oxygen and CO2 gas exchange actually occurs. The walls of the alveoli are very thin, which makes the gas exchange occur easily. There are two types of fiber supporting the walls of the alveoli – collagen and elastin. Elastin fibers are by far the much more durable of the two. With collagen fibers there is a significant and regular turnover.

Vitamin C is a critical part of the replacing of collagen fibers. When the availability of vitamin C drops off, then the replacement rate for collagen fibers in the alveoli also necessarily drops off. The affects the strength and integrity of the thin membrane in the alveoli, and two adverse effects could begin to occur. (1) The membranes could begin to leak fluid from the capillaries into the alveoli and (2) the walls of the alveoli could begin to collapse. Fluid in the lungs and collapsed sections of the lung are the most common pathologies associated with ARDS.

A nutritional formula for vascular tissue

What follows is a nutritional formula for healthy connective tissue. I will describe what to take as a nutritional supplement, but also food sources.

Vitamin C – 3 or more grams per day. 3 grams is a good dose for preventative purposes. If the circumstance is active ARDS, the dose should rise quickly to as much as 1 gram per hour. Liposomal forms of vitamin C may be useful in addition to normal vitamin C capsules/powder because the combination of both can get blood levels very high very fast.

In a clinical setting, IV vitamin C may be a great choice, but here there are limitations. The blood levels that can be achieved with the IV administration can turn vitamin C into a pro-oxidant.¹⁵ This can be very beneficial for a cancer patient, but not an ARDS patient, so keeping the dosage down can be important. I am guessing a bit when I say that the best dose for an ARDS patient with a Vitamin C IV would be approximately 5-10 grams in the first hour and 2 grams per hour afterwards.

All other doses in this article work well for both preventative and treatment purposes – Vitamin C is the only exception.

Take the vitamin C in small doses throughout the day. Vitamin C is not stored in the body and most of it is used in 4 hours.¹⁶ Taking it multiple times per day is therefore much better than taking a larger dose all at once.

Vitamin C is in almost any fresh (uncooked) fruit or vegetable, but to get higher doses needed to treat existing ARDS, supplements will be necessary. Some of the best food sources include: kiwis, strawberries, ripe bell peppers, and citrus fruits.

Organic Sulfur – For best results, take one teaspoon of organic sulfur in chlorine-free water on an empty stomach upon waking in the morning. Wait 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything.

Organic sulfur delivers oxygen to cells, is excellent at removing a wide variety of toxins, and is required to form disulfide bonds in the creation of collagen fibers.¹⁷ Organic sulfur is also known as MSM, but look for products that are described as “organic sulfur” because they tend to be more pure and therefore more effective. The only downside to organic sulfur is that it also “sulfates out” some beneficial minerals. Consequently, some users may develop mineral-deficiency problems after some months of use. To prevent long-term mineral deficiencies, add a multi-mineral supplement.

For those wishing to get their sulfur from food, garlic, onions and different varieties of kale would be good choices. This approach will work best with patients who have optimally-functioning digestive systems.

Copper – 2 mg per day, Zinc – 20 to 30 mg per day

Copper and zinc work in opposition. High copper levels depress zinc, and high zinc levels depress copper. Copper is necessary for the production of collagen fibers and so is an essential part of artery wall repairs.¹⁸ An overdose of copper usually results in nausea, digestive problems, and occasionally mania.

Zinc is useful for the immune system and for tissue repair (such as for the vascular tissue).¹⁹ An overdose of zinc depresses the immune system.

Consider buying copper in a copper/zinc combination supplement so the two minerals do not get out of balance.

Vegetarians are likely to be deficient in zinc and are much more prone to copper overdose, so consider supplementing the zinc and relying on diet alone for copper.

People who have copper water pipes probably do not need to supplement copper because they usually get enough copper from drinking and cooking with their tap water.

Since keeping the ratio of zinc to copper between 10:1 and 15:1 is useful, I recommend using a nutritional supplement when treating ARDS.

Rutin – 500 mg per day

Rutin is a bioflavonoid that assists vitamin C in its functions.²⁰ Rutin in significant amounts is not widely available from food, so supplementation is recommended. Food sources would include: buckwheat, elderflower tea, amaranth leaves, unpeeled apples, unfermented rooibos tea, and figs.²¹

Startling similarities between DIC and ARDS

I have written an article on Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) that is very relevant to understanding ARDS.

If you read the DIC article, you will notice that it is very similar to the pattern and the logic of this ARDS article. I am not apologizing for writing the same article twice. I want to point out the parallels as a way of reminding you that nature does the same thing over and over. The fact that these two diseases are so similar reinforces the idea that vitamin C deficiencies are even more conclusively at the root of both conditions.

If vitamin C deficiencies are at the root of both diseases, then you might expect people who get DIC to also get ARDS and people who get ARDS to also get DIC. This is exactly what is observed. The University of New Mexico Health Sciences department in a 2016 study points out that 20% of patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) develop DIC and 20% of patients with DIC develop ARDS.¹⁰

Here is the summary for a 1977 PubMed study:

The role of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in the pathogenesis of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was studied in the experimental animals. ARDS was simulated in dogs by the administration of various doses of Escherichia coli endotoxin (Difco). The alveolar surface activity in the group which received lethal dose of endotoxin (3 mg/kg) exhibited no significant alterations with mild pulmonary insufficiency and little pathologic change five hours after the induction of shock. On the other hand, a significant decrease in alveolar surface activity was found to develop in the group which received sublethal dose of endotoxin (1 mg/kg) accompanying enlarged alveolar-arterial oxygen tension differences (A-aDO2) and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance after 24 hours. These changes occurred concomitantly with pathologic findings of DIC, interstitial edema and atelectasis. The disturbance in ventilatory function observed in prolonged shock appeared to be related to the impairment of pulmonary microcirculation caused by DIC and subsequent hypoxia of lung tissue which led to a loss of alveolar surfactant.¹¹

So, if they are so similar, what is the difference between DIC and ARDS? I think I can answer that with one question. If your vitamin C levels drop precipitously, are your lungs weaker than your vascular system or is your vascular system weaker than your lungs?

While we are on the subject of similar diseases, I want to bring up two more. Thrombocytopenia and immune thrombocytopenia. It’s all the same disease – slight additional variations of scurvy. The same logic and patterns apply. It’s not even worth writing another article.

Why is vitamin C not already being used for ARDS?

If you have come to agree with me that vitamin C deficiencies are at the root of ARDS, you might wonder why conventional medical doctors, and writers could have failed to stumble across this sometime in the space of the past five decades. Here is how I see the problems for convention medicine (CM):

1. CM believes that an adult needs somewhere between 60 and 200 mg of vitamin C per day, and anything more than that is wasted. The uses of vitamin C are all in the literature, but the dosages are not specified, so they are never added up to help us discover that we probably need a daily dose of several grams per day of vitamin C even if we are already healthy and more (sometimes quite a bit more) if we are sick, injured, or have a lot of emotional stress.
2. CM never accepted nor refuted the work of Linus Pauling/Mathias Rath²² on the subject of vitamin C and how it relates to connective tissue weakness. Instead they just ignore it. Therefore they never tie together vitamin C deficiency with connective tissue weakness in any condition except the old-fashioned version of scurvy (for example sailors on ships for months at a time with no vitamin C sources). Since this almost never happens in the modern world, they never give vitamin C deficiencies a second thought.
3. Treating ARDS with vitamin C and especially preventing it with vitamin C is way too inexpensive for an industry that has arranged for even its low-level MD’s to earn six figure incomes. A well-paid American MD is capable of a lot of what I call “willful ignorance” before they are even willing to investigate the possibility that vitamin C should be used in their practice. This is probably because if they discovered that they should be using it and then actually followed through, their treatments might become so easy and straightforward that their income might take a big dip.

Concluding statements

My recommendation for the treatment of ARDS is to start the high-dose vitamin C when the patient comes in the door. By the time the doctor is available to take the history, the patient might already be on the way to recovery.

I believe that I have laid out a plausible case that ARDS is a variety of scurvy and therefore derived from the porous condition of connective tissue in the lungs. I have also described how connective tissue integrity is a nutritional concern addressed by inexpensive amounts of vitamin C, copper, zinc, sulfur and rutin. This is easily attained through the use of nutritional supplements. Dietary alternatives are also available, but these are best at addressing ARDS from the preventive perspective.

This is probably not a surprise to those who truly understand vitamin C and what it can do for connective tissue and overall health. My concern is for the vast majority of hospitals that have a couple bottles of nutritional supplements gathering dust in the back of the pharmacy who would never even think of breaking them out for a ARDS patient. My hope, with this article, is to turn a mystery disease into one that is easily understood. I also want to give those hospital personnel who need to routinely deal with ARDS another treatment option and/or an inexpensive way to prevent it.