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Has anyone noticed differences in wound healing time on Paleo?

It seems like minor wounds on my hands (such as a bite from the girlfriend's Senegal) take forever (months) to heal. Not sure if this is normal or not.

I wonder if it could be Vitamin C related. How do you folks get enough C?

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Duplicate question – Stephen-Aegis Mar 1 2011 at 0:45
paleohacks.com/questions/17252/… – Paul Mar 1 2011 at 6:23

6 Answers

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This is not normal and is likely the result of zinc deficiency assuming you're eating sufficient plant and/or organ matter for vitamin C and vitamin A.

Insufficient amounts of C and A can absolutely play a role too - even iron deficiency can though that woudln't be my first guess here.

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A possibility could be that you're actually doing too well at Paleo. Paleo is great at massively reducing systemic inflammation, however wound healing is actually dependent on a certain degree of inflammation being present in the body.

I wouldn't advocate that you intentionally try to provoke an inflammatory response, but perhaps try cutting back on the foods/supplements which strongly inhibit inflammation e.g. berries (particularly blueberries), fish oil, green/white tea, dark chocolate e.t.c.

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Vitamin C is a major indicator here, as you suspected, so is Vitamin A which is responsible for the formation of new tissue.

For C: I go for whole-source powders, like amalaki, camu camu and others rich in bioflavonoids. etc. It's made by Pure Synergy: Radiance C. Or go for Sodium Ascorbate... BUT take note: ascorbic acid is NOT real Vitamin C. Also make sure you're getting bio-available sources of folic acid.

Honey and coconut is also a good topical recommendation (see lalabomba above).

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More info on ascorbic acid not being real vitamin C? Also, any idea if calcium ascorbate is any good as a C supplement? – Phoenix Mar 1 2011 at 16:39
Ascorbic Acid has mistakenly been called Vitamin C - it is actually a liver metabolite rather than a vitamin. It is produced in large quantities in almost all animals, e.g. 6 grams a day in a goat, or up to 100grams daily if the goat is stressed. But it is not Ascorbic Acid that our body requires, rather a SALT (mineral) of Ascorbic Acid. A daily supplementation of Ascorbate several times a day is a simple way to make up for this genetic defect. (....) – Lindsay Mar 3 2011 at 13:04
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....ascorbic acid is such a tiny portion of the natural Vitamin C Complex. any ascorbic acid product cannot possibly be natural. The reason is simple-to get sufficient quantities of ascorbic acid from nature, the other portions of the whole Vitamin C Complex would be so large as to make a single 500 mg "natural" ascorbic acid pill the size of a tennis ball. – Lindsay Mar 3 2011 at 13:04
Cancer thrives on glucose and ascorbic acid. Studies from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center showed that tumors do better in a high ascorbic acid environment. Ascorbic acid is excreted via the kidneys in 24 hours. (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990 June;44(6):447-60). Five hundred mgs. of ascorbic acid daily can damage genetic material (DNA). (New York Times, April 8, 1998-quoting the journal Nature of the same month). – Lindsay Mar 3 2011 at 13:05
When you look at the schematic of the whole Vitamin C Complex, you see that the bioflavonoid complexes, enzymes and organic copper, and the other nutritional factors like P, J, and K make up the bulk of vitamin C. The ascorbic acid (C6H8 806) is the protective wrapper. When the whole vitamin C complex is fed to the body, things really happen. Blood vessels begin to strengthen. Collagen is more readily produced. Bones take up calcium and other minerals properly. Capillaries firm up and bleeding stops. Gums stop bleeding, teeth tighten, and the oxygenation of the cells becomes more efficient. – Lindsay Mar 3 2011 at 13:05
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I've never had this problem before. but I agree with Kate that its probably systematic and you should get your white blood cell count checked (too see if too high), and get your platelet count checked (to see if too low).

try using honey and cover it with a bandaid or even coconut oil. both have cell repairing properties and speed the healing of wounds.

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You might want to get checked for a MRSA infection. We have dealt with this on and off for the last few years. Wounds that don't heal are symptomatic. Bacteria love sugar, so your diet might be preventing a serious infection from taking off. What really works for MRSA skin infections (and we tried everything, including antibiotics--hibiclens cleanser worked for a time, but eventually lost effectiveness) is a topical silver solution. You can buy a really expensive colloidal silver spray, or just buy one of the new silver disinfectant cleaning solutions composed of water, silver ions, and citric acid (stings a little bit--citric acid is the "bait" for the bacteria). Spray the affected area about 6 times a day. In about three days, the boil, "spider bite", or cut that just won't heal, will start to heal up. CVS also makes a bandage with colloidal silver that works great for small cuts. (Alas, they are frequently sold out).

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Never had that experience. Don't diabetics have that happen?

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