7 years ago, a few visits to the dentist for major dental work, forever changed my life. Before those visits, I was in perfect health and had been on a life extension program for 25 years with amazing results. At the time I had this work, doctors were just realizing that bacteria released from major dental work could have damaging effects to the heart and were starting to recommend antibiotics to some of their patients before dental surgery. Especially if you had a history of rheumatic fever as a child, or even just a heart murmur. 6 months after those treatments brought me to the doctor with very bad AFIB, a form of arrhythmia. The evaluation showed my cholesterol was high, my heart was enlarged, and my mitral valve was sloppy and not seating properly. Mitral valve regurgitation or mitral regurgitation, is a condition in which your heart's mitral valve doesn't close tightly, which allows blood to flow backward in your heart. Mitral valve regurgitation is also called mitral insufficiency, or mitral incompetence. I had what is called Infective Endocarditis, inflammation of the heart and heart valves, and it was most likely caused by the recent dental work. This has since progressed into Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. There are three main types of cardiomyopathy — dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive — all of which affect your heart's muscle, often making it difficult to pump blood and deliver it to the rest of your body.
Needless to say I was angry, depressed and I have had to deal with the damage, which was considerable, and still do to this day. Medications were recommended to treat but not cure the damaged valves and enlarged heart, as well as the elevated cholesterol. Since that time I have decided to turn lemons into lemonade, and have devoted myself to the healing of the heart without drugs. My research is found on my page Mending a Broken Heart. The heart of the research is on the Pauling/Rath Protocol, which was patented back in 1992 as an effective treatment and reversal program for cardiovascular disease. The program works, but is not a cure that you can take and then stop, as I was painfully reminded of last week with a heart attack at my home.
I stabilized myself and managed to live through it, but was reminded that I can't experiment with other programs and veer too far from the effective treatment I need to stay well.
I assure you, I will not make that mistake again.
This week I have attached some practical articles on this subject and the heart in general.
Enjoy...
Getting younger and SMARTER, everyday...
cw
Good Dental Hygiene May Help Prevent Heart Infection...
Good dental hygiene and health may be crucial in preventing heart valve infection, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
In 2007, the American Heart Association modified its recommendation that preventive antibiotics be used prior to most dental procedures for the great majority of those at risk for infective endocarditis (IE) -- a rare but life-threatening infection of the lining of the heart or heart valve that can occur when bacteria enter the bloodstream.
The association now recommends preventive antibiotics only for patients at the highest risk for a bad outcome from IE.
READ MORE
Infectious Heart Disease Death Rates Rising Again, Say Scientists...
Infectious heart disease is still a major killer in spite of improvements in health care, but the way the disease develops has changed so much since its discovery that nineteenth century doctors would not recognise it, scientists heard at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. Infective endocarditis is a devastating, progressive and frequently fatal heart disease usually caused by bacterial pathogens. It was first identified in the nineteenth century and has changed beyond all recognition due to evolution of the disease itself and developments in modern healthcare such as open-heart surgery, antibiotics and new medical imaging techniques.
"In spite of these medical advances, infective endocarditis is still evolving and we are seeing new patterns of the disease and its complications. Despite all our improvements in health care, the death rate has been virtually unchanged for the last 20 years, and now seems to be rising again," said cardiologist Dr Bernard Prendergast from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, UK.
READ MORE
Bleeding Gums Linked To Heart Disease...
Bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can end up causing heart disease, scientists heard at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. People with poor dental hygiene and those who don't brush their teeth regularly end up with bleeding gums, which provide an entry to the bloodstream for up to 700 different types of bacteria found in our mouths. This increases the risk of having a heart attack, according to microbiologists from the University of Bristol and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
READ MORE
Leading Worldwide Cause Of Cardiovascular Disease May Be Modified By Diet...
A new article indicates that an increased intake in minerals such as potassium, and possibly magnesium and calcium by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension. A high intake of these minerals in the diet may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
READ MORE
Video - Grape Seed Extract for high blood presure...
Robert Kowalski recommends taking grape seed extract to lower blood pressure because it works the same as prescription drugs, without the side effects. Double blind studies prove it's effectiveness.
WATCH VIDEO
Video - Omega 3 Fatty Acids Essential for Heart, Brain Health...
Men who don't get enough omega 3 fatty acids face increased risk of cardiovascular and neurological problems. And since not many guys eat enough of the fish that are rich in omega 3's, supplements are often a good idea.
WATCH VIDEO
Eating Broccoli Reduces Risk of Heart Attack...
Eating raw or lightly cooked broccoli helps protect the heart against damage and maintain its healthy functioning, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Connecticut and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.Researchers fed an extract of steamed broccoli to a group of rats for one month, then compared those rats to others that had been fed a standard diet. They found that the rats that had been fed the steamed broccoli extract had better heart function than those who had not. In addition, when all the rats were deprived of oxygen, those who had been fed steamed broccoli extract suffered less damage to their hearts and those who had been fed the standard diet.
READ MORE
Macadamia Nuts Lower Risk Factors for Coronary Disease ...
Think of the creamy rich taste of a macadamia nut. Consider its crunch. Many believe the macadamia to be the world's finest nut. This may all sound really dreamy, but macadamias are full of fat, so they're probably not good for you, right? Well, recent studies are finding that a diet rich in macadamia nuts reduces total cholesterol, including LDL-cholesterol, and favorably modulates risk factors for coronary disease in patients with high cholesterol levels.
READ MORE
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
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" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Vitamin D and your kids...
Today I am passing along a copy of the fine work Dr. Cannell is doing.
This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council , a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. This newsletter is not copyrighted. Please reproduce it and post it on Internet sites. I will post this newsletter on the website.
I decided to focus on children in this newsletter but before we start, you should know Oliver Gillie recently published a landmark work. Instead of concentrating on a group at risk for vitamin D deficiency, such as the aged, the dark-skinned, pregnant women, or young children, Oliver concentrated on an entire country, Scotland. His remarkable report is free for download. Scotland's Health Deficit: an Explanation and a Plan
Dear Dr. Cannell: Two years ago in March, my five month old baby girl died from heart failure, called "idiopathic cardiomyopathy." She was my first child, I breast fed her, we did everything her pediatrician said to do; he told us not to let her into the sun and to always use sunblock if we went outside. He never mentioned vitamin D. The heart doctors did everything they could think of before she died but they never measured her vitamin D level. I just read about a study that found my baby may have died from untreated vitamin D deficiency. Do you know about that study? Jena, New York.
Dear Jena: I'm sorry to tell you that I do. It appears likely that infantile idiopathic cardiomyopathy may just be another word for undiagnosed and untreated vitamin D deficiency. English cardiologists recently concluded that "the heart failure associated with vitamin D deficiency in infants is surprising," but added "the outcome is good" in the children treated with vitamin D. They should have said the "outcome is good if the diagnosis is made." The outcome is often fatal when the diagnosis is missed. It appears to me that the major mistake is that unless the serum calcium is low, pediatric cardiologists never measure vitamin D levels. Of course, if they did measure vitamin D levels, would they order the right test? If they did order the right test would they know how to interpret it or would they rely on the outdated and dangerous reference ranges of American labs, such as LabCorp and Quest? As you will see below, genetics plays a much bigger role in 25(OH)D levels than anyone suspected and we must assume the same is true of tissue levels of activated vitamin D. Thus these children should be given enough vitamin D to normalize the kinetics of 25(OH)D, enough to get their 25(OH)D levels into the upper part of the reference range, 60-80 ng/ml.
Maiya S, et al. Hypocalcaemia and vitamin D deficiency: an important, but preventable, cause of life-threatening infant heart failure. Heart. 2008 May;94(5):581-4.
Five years ago, the New England Journal of Medicine reported on 435 cases of pediatric cardiomyopathy in the USA and failed to make the diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency in even one of the children. Sixty-eight percent of the cases were idiopathic, that is, no known cause. However, if the authors or the editors would have just looked at their data a little closer; children in the north were more likely to get cardiomyopathy than children in the south and the disease more common in black children than white children. Those two facts alone should have alerted the authors and the NEJM editors that vitamin D deficiency may be a common (and equally important, easily treatable) cause of pediatric cardiomyopathy.
Lipshultz SE et al. The incidence of pediatric cardiomyopathy in two regions of the United States. N Engl J Med. 2003 Apr 24;348(17):1647-55. Jena, it appears quite possible that your baby girl died from lack of vitamin D. Just think, in the year 2008, infants in the United States are dying from the lack of a simple vitamin, from lack of sunshine. I hope Dr. Barbara Gilchrist and the dermatologists (or should I say cosmetologists) soon stop blaspheming the Sun God or the Sun God's wrath will take even more of our children.
Dear Dr. Cannell:
My two children (age 5 and 7) have had asthma almost since they were born. In the winter, they are in and out of the hospital, it's horrible it is to see your child struggling for breath. Last fall I started both of my children on 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day and over the last year the asthma has just faded away. I'm afraid to stop their asthma medications but they don't seem to need them anymore. When I forget to give their asthma meds, I can't see any difference. Before the vitamin D, if I missed a dose of their asthma meds, I would know it very quickly. Could it be the vitamin D? Joanne, Minnesota.
Dear Joanne: It seems increasingly likely that childhood asthma is but another presentation of vitamin D deficiency. At least two researchers at Harvard think so; they think it is the result of maternal vitamin D deficiency.
Litonjua AA, Weiss ST. Is vitamin D deficiency to blame for the asthma epidemic? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Nov;120(5):1031-5. Weiss ST, Litonjua AA. Maternal diet vs lack of exposure to sunlight as the cause of the epidemic of asthma, allergies and other autoimmune diseases. Thorax. 2007 Sep;62(9):746-8.
However, I have heard from a number of parents who wrote to tell me their child's asthma went away after taking vitamin D. Also, a paper is in press that shows low vitamin D levels are a risk factor for exacerbations of asthma in children.
Low vitamin D levels linked to asthma exacerbations So, it appears that childhood asthma can also be caused by simple childhood vitamin D deficiency, and thus perhaps cured by simple vitamin D. If so, asthma is yet another disease the dermatologists worsened, one killing about 200 American children every year, by imprecating the Sun God.
Dear Dr. Cannell: My teenage son has type 2 diabetes. I started him on 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day about 6 months ago. Three things have happened so far, he started losing weight, his blood sugars improved, and his acne went away. I know you have written about diabetes and weight loss with vitamin D but I can't remember anything about acne? Mary, North Dakota.
Dear Mary: I have had some reports that vitamin D cured acne but frankly, I didn't believe them. Then I ran across this 1938 paper. You can read the entire paper yourself and see what 5,000 to 14,000 IU per day did for these patients with severe acne. When I was a kid, I always wondered why my pimples got better in the summer and worse in the winter.
Maynard MT. Vitamin D in Acne: A Comparison with X-Ray Treatment. Cal West Med. 1938 Aug;49(2):127-32.
As far as vitamin D improving type-2 diabetes, in my experience, that is the rule not the exception. How much it will improve it probably depends on how much vitamin D you give and how much weight the child loses together with his diet. Higher levels 25(OH)D prevent the disease but so far, I am not aware of any randomized controlled trials showing a treatment effect but, in the past, about half my adult type-2 patients were eventually able to go off their diabetic meds with proper doses of vitamin D. Dr. Knekt, at the National Public Health Institute in Finland, just discovered that men with the highest 25(OH)D levels (>30 ng/ml) had an 82% lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes in the future compared to men with the lowest levels but no effect was found in women. And get this, in Finland the average 25(OH)D level for all 7503 people tested was 43 nmol/L or 17 ng/m. For men it was 18 ng/ml and for women only 15 ng/m and that was a representative sample of Finnish adults!!!
Knekt P, et al. Serum vitamin D and subsequent occurrence of type 2 diabetes. Epidemiology. 2008 Sep;19(5):666-71.
Dear Dr. Cannell: I read somewhere that cavities in children are a sign of vitamin D deficiency. Is that true? George, Utah.
Dear George: Yes, it is true. Several months after your child begins taking adequate doses of vitamin D, cavities will stop forming. Actually, Professor McBeath did a placebo controlled trial in New York City orphanages in 1934 of 425 children. The children received either no vitamin D or 330, 465, or about 1,000 IU (The paper uses Steenbock units, one Steenbock unit is 3.3 IUs) of vitamin D a day as cod liver oil. Also, remember, cod liver oil in the 1930s had much more vitamin D than modern cod liver oil. McBeath said he conducted this study because several earlier studies showed ultraviolet irradiation gave "striking results" in stopping cavity formation. McBeath's results were quite amazing in preventing new cavities. Like the paper on acne above, you can read the entire study yourself. Remember that 1,000 IU of vitamin D is not enough for many children to obtain levels of 50 ng/ml, however, this study showed that even 1,000 IU virtually stopped new caries from developing.
McBeath EC. Vitamin D Studies, 1933-1934. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1934;24(10):1028-30.
Dear Dr. Cannell: I don't understand what you have against vitamin A. All vitamins are good and have to be taken together, especially A and D. I give both my children a tablespoon of Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil every day. Also, I disagree with what you have written about vitamin D preventing colds and flu, my children are sick most of the winter. Mary, Pennsylvania.
Dear Mary: Did you ever stop to read what is on the label of Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil ? You are giving your children between 3,000 to 6,000 IU of vitamin A per day but only 3-60 IU of vitamin D. In fact, you are slowly poisoning your children. A recent Cochrane review found vitamin A supplements increased total mortality by 16%, perhaps through its antagonism of vitamin D.
Bjelakovic G, et al. Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(2):CD007176.
Another, recent Cochrane review concluded that, although vitamin A significantly reduced the incidence of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children with low retinol, as occurs in the third world, it appears to increase risk and/or worsen the clinical course of such infections in children in developed nations.
Chen H, et al. Vitamin A for preventing acute lower respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years of age. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(1):CD006090.
As for the evidence that vitamin D decreases respiratory infections, Wayse et al compared 80 children with lower respiratory infections to healthy controls and found children with the lowest 25(OH)D levels were eleven times more likely to become infected. Furthermore, sixty thousand IU of vitamin D a week administered for six weeks to 27 children suffering from frequent respiratory infections resulted in a complete disappearance of such infections for the following six months.
Wayse V, Yousafzai A, Mogale K, Filteau S. Association of subclinical vitamin D deficiency with severe acute lower respiratory infection in Indian children under 5 y. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004;58:563-567.Rehman PK. Sub-clinical rickets and recurrent infection. J Trop Pediatr 1994;40:58.
As readers know, I first hypothesized vitamin D will prevent colds and flu in November of 2005 in this newsletter . Also, our second paper on influenza is the third most accessed paper in Virology Journal this year, in spite of being out only six months. It is free to download.
On the Epidemiology of Influenza
As to all vitamins being good, I assume you mean all vitamins are good in the proper doses and if the body is not getting enough from diet. Vitamin A deficiency in the USA is practically non-existent. The real problem is subclinical vitamin A toxicity, which appears to be fairly common. Please stop poisoning your children with cod liver oil and start them on adequate doses of vitamin D.
Dear Dr. Cannell: How much vitamin D should I give my children? Robert, New Mexico.
Dear Robert: It depends on their preexisting blood levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D. How much sun do your children get in New Mexico? How much do they weigh? Do they use sunblock? How much milk or fish do they consume? Let me add one more thing, a stunner. It also depends on their genetics. Three twin studies, one in osteoarthritis, one is asthma, and one in multiple sclerosis, all found a significant heritability for 25(OH)D. (Heritability should not be mistaken for genetic percentage.)
Hunter D, et al. Genetic contribution to bone metabolism, calcium excretion, and vitamin D and parathyroid hormone regulation. J Bone Miner Res. 2001 Feb;16(2):371-8.
Wjst M, et al. A genome-wide linkage scan for 25-OH-D(3) and 1,25-(OH)2-D3 serum levels in asthma families. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 Mar;103(3-5):799-802. Orton SM, et al. Evidence for genetic regulation of vitamin D status in twins with multiple sclerosis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Aug;88(2):441-7.
The heritability of 25(OH)D levels may also explain the enormous variation in 25(OH)D response that people show when they take vitamin D. Some only show slight increases and others more robust increases in 25(OH)D, perhaps due to genetic variations in how quickly 25(OH)D is made and how quickly it is catabolized. Furthermore, Orton et al found a significant association of 25(OH)D levels with the enzyme that activates vitamin D, which is a mystery, at least to me.
What this probably means is that how much activated vitamin D you have in any tissue of your body is under both genetic and environmental control. It varies between children, explaining why one child gets sick and the other does not. Activated vitamin D almost assuredly varies among organs as well, explaining why one vitamin D deficient child gets asthma, another frequent infections, another heart disease, another rickets, another diabetes, and another cavities. When the vitamin D deficiency occurs in the womb, the results also vary in later life, from autism to type-1 diabetes to cancer. All this is simply another argument for the need for 25(OH)D testing and supplementation to the mid point of the normal reference range. Do not accept 40 ng/ml as adequate, it is not. However, as a general rule, breast fed infants need 1,000 IU per day, bottle fed infants an extra 600 IU per day. Children generally need about 1,000 IU for every 25 pounds of body weight. So a 75 pound nine-year-old needs about 3,000 IU per day. This is in the absence of significant sun-exposure, that is, they don't need to take it in the summer if they spend time outside without sunblock. However, tremendous individual variation exists in 25(OH)D response to vitamin D.
Dear Dr. Cannell:
What vitamin D should I use?
Vincent, California
Dear Vincent:
Anywhere.
Vitamin D in 1,000 IU tablets by Nature Made are available in most pharmacies in the USA and Canada. On the internet, Bio Tech Pharmacal has prices that are hard to beat and has 1,000 and 5,000 IU capsules and they send a $1,000.00 check to the Vitamin D Council every month. Life Extension Foundation also has 1,000 and 5,000 IU capsules. Ddrops are now available in the USA from Carlson with 400, 1,000 and 2,000 IU per drop, perfect for children. LifeSpan Nutrition has a variety of vitamin D preperations. LifeSpan was the earliest financial supporter of the Vitamin D Council.
If price is no object, and you want the most expensive product on the market, Purity Products will soon begin telemarketing Dr. Cannell's Advanced Vitamin D . The idea is to bring vitamin D into people's living rooms, via radio and TV, no inexpensive task, that is, to get people taking vitamin D who are not taking it now. To do so, I helped develop a preparation that contains cofactors vitamin D seems to need to work optimally in the body and that are often lacking in modern diets, such as zinc, boron, magnesium, vitamin K, etc. If the product survives its test marketing, Purity will mass market it on thousands of radio shows and, hopefully, tens of thousands of people not taking vitamin D will begin taking it. If that happens, my family will make enough money so I can start researching and writing about vitamin D full-time. However, in the interest of full disclosure, you can save some money and get the same cofactors by taking less expensive vitamin D and eating spinach every day.
Dear Dr. Cannell: Anything new on your theory that vitamin D is involved in autism? Sally, New York.
Dear Sally: Science News reported that two Swedish doctors recently proposed vitamin D deficiency is linked to autism.
Doctors eye vitamin D link to autism
Another article looked at the amazingly high rate of autism in dark-skinned immigrants in Minnesota.
A mysterious connection: autism and Minneapolis' Somali children
Of course, the vitamin D theory of autism, first published in this newsletter in May of 2007 and subsequently published in Medical Hypothesis in October of 2007, predicts exactly such a dramatic increase in autism in the children of dark-skinned immigrants. Furthermore, I continue to get reports from parents with autistic children that adequate doses of vitamin D sometimes has a treatment effect in autistic children, mainly younger children who developed signs of autism around the age of weaning, improving repetitive behavior, sleep disorders, and screaming spells. In rats, pups born to deficient mothers can regain some brain function if they are started on vitamin D at birth. Unfortunately, the recovery in rat pups brain damaged by maternal vitamin D deficiency is never complete.I have come up with a protocol for diagnosing and treating vitamin D deficiency in autistic children but it can be used in any child. Remember, the worst thing that can happen is that children will have stronger bones:
1. Advise parents to stop giving children all preformed retinol, such as cod liver oil, and all vitamins or supplements containing retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate. Preformed retinol antagonizes the action of vitamin D, probably at the vitamin D receptor site. Beta carotene does not have this same effect but children only need extra beta carotene if their diet is poor in colorful fruits and vegetables, dairy products, or fortified breakfast cereals.
2. Order a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] blood test. Do not order a 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D as it is often elevated in vitamin D deficiency and will mislead you.
3. If the 25(OH)D level is less than 70 ng/ml, the mid range of American references labs (30 - 100 ng/ml), give your child vitamin D3 supplements. Generally children require 1,000 IU per 25 pounds of body weight per day. However, great individual variation exists and autistic children need to be retested and the dose adjusted about every month until levels are at least 50 ng/ml in healthy children and at least 70 ng/ml in any child with autism, diabetes, frequent infections, or any chronic illness.
4. Test for 25(OH)D every month and treat with enough vitamin D until 25(OH)D levels are stable. Vitamin D toxicity has never been reported, in adults or children, with 25(OH)D levels below 200 ng/ml.As far as the cause of idiopathic autism, I'm more convinced my theory is true than ever, so I wrote a poem of sorts.
To an Older God Long before our current gods, the people worshiped an older god, the Sun God, their first God. They knew life receded when she receded and returned when she returned and called her Amaterasu and Liza and Surya and Ra and Apollo and Helios and Sol and many other names, but dared not look upon her face knowing the Sun God blinds those so arrogant. Pregnant women lay in the sun, held their infants up to the sun, and sent young children to play under the sun. The Sun God's blessing was calcitriol, which she carefully deposited into the tiniest of developing brains. With it, the children waxed lean and strong and brown with vibrant brains for calcitriol, the Sun God's gift, orchestrated brain growth. Then, new priests of science and medicine, told the people the Sun God was only a star, one of trillions, nothing special. Great temples called hospitals and research institutes arose, which admitted only filtered sunlight and where the people offered sacrifices to the gods of science and medicine, sacrifices that enriched the new priests. Then, twenty years ago, the new priests of dermatology told the people to shun the Sun God. "Banish her from your lives," they said, "She is evil." The people listened to the new priests and kept their pregnant women out of the Sun Gods warmth, and told their children she was wicked. The people stayed inside, their children with them and traveled behind glass in their cars and wore sunblock and sunhats to keep the Sun God away. The Sun God grew vengeful. She withdrew her gift of calcitriol. Without it, fetal brains grew without a grower, sang the song of development without a conductor. The infants cried and would not look into their mother's eyes and the children rocked for hours and banged their heads and couldn't sleep and threw appalling tantrums. The people brought their brain-damaged children to see the new priests and sacrificed dearly, but all the people's offerings were in vain. The new gods of science and medicine could do nothing. For the Sun God had sent a plague and her wrath was upon the people. A great wailing arose in the houses and a gnashing of teeth and tears of anguish, as the people tasted the bitterness of autism.
John Cannell, MD
vitamindcouncil.org
This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. Please reproduce it and post it on Internet sites. Remember, we are a non-profit and rely on donations to publish our newsletter and maintain our website. Send your tax-deductible contributions to:The Vitamin D Council9100 San Gregorio Road,Atascadero, CA 93422
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
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" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
cw
The Vitamin D Newsletter,
October, 2008This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council , a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. This newsletter is not copyrighted. Please reproduce it and post it on Internet sites. I will post this newsletter on the website.
I decided to focus on children in this newsletter but before we start, you should know Oliver Gillie recently published a landmark work. Instead of concentrating on a group at risk for vitamin D deficiency, such as the aged, the dark-skinned, pregnant women, or young children, Oliver concentrated on an entire country, Scotland. His remarkable report is free for download. Scotland's Health Deficit: an Explanation and a Plan
Dear Dr. Cannell: Two years ago in March, my five month old baby girl died from heart failure, called "idiopathic cardiomyopathy." She was my first child, I breast fed her, we did everything her pediatrician said to do; he told us not to let her into the sun and to always use sunblock if we went outside. He never mentioned vitamin D. The heart doctors did everything they could think of before she died but they never measured her vitamin D level. I just read about a study that found my baby may have died from untreated vitamin D deficiency. Do you know about that study? Jena, New York.
Dear Jena: I'm sorry to tell you that I do. It appears likely that infantile idiopathic cardiomyopathy may just be another word for undiagnosed and untreated vitamin D deficiency. English cardiologists recently concluded that "the heart failure associated with vitamin D deficiency in infants is surprising," but added "the outcome is good" in the children treated with vitamin D. They should have said the "outcome is good if the diagnosis is made." The outcome is often fatal when the diagnosis is missed. It appears to me that the major mistake is that unless the serum calcium is low, pediatric cardiologists never measure vitamin D levels. Of course, if they did measure vitamin D levels, would they order the right test? If they did order the right test would they know how to interpret it or would they rely on the outdated and dangerous reference ranges of American labs, such as LabCorp and Quest? As you will see below, genetics plays a much bigger role in 25(OH)D levels than anyone suspected and we must assume the same is true of tissue levels of activated vitamin D. Thus these children should be given enough vitamin D to normalize the kinetics of 25(OH)D, enough to get their 25(OH)D levels into the upper part of the reference range, 60-80 ng/ml.
Maiya S, et al. Hypocalcaemia and vitamin D deficiency: an important, but preventable, cause of life-threatening infant heart failure. Heart. 2008 May;94(5):581-4.
Five years ago, the New England Journal of Medicine reported on 435 cases of pediatric cardiomyopathy in the USA and failed to make the diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency in even one of the children. Sixty-eight percent of the cases were idiopathic, that is, no known cause. However, if the authors or the editors would have just looked at their data a little closer; children in the north were more likely to get cardiomyopathy than children in the south and the disease more common in black children than white children. Those two facts alone should have alerted the authors and the NEJM editors that vitamin D deficiency may be a common (and equally important, easily treatable) cause of pediatric cardiomyopathy.
Lipshultz SE et al. The incidence of pediatric cardiomyopathy in two regions of the United States. N Engl J Med. 2003 Apr 24;348(17):1647-55. Jena, it appears quite possible that your baby girl died from lack of vitamin D. Just think, in the year 2008, infants in the United States are dying from the lack of a simple vitamin, from lack of sunshine. I hope Dr. Barbara Gilchrist and the dermatologists (or should I say cosmetologists) soon stop blaspheming the Sun God or the Sun God's wrath will take even more of our children.
Dear Dr. Cannell:
My two children (age 5 and 7) have had asthma almost since they were born. In the winter, they are in and out of the hospital, it's horrible it is to see your child struggling for breath. Last fall I started both of my children on 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day and over the last year the asthma has just faded away. I'm afraid to stop their asthma medications but they don't seem to need them anymore. When I forget to give their asthma meds, I can't see any difference. Before the vitamin D, if I missed a dose of their asthma meds, I would know it very quickly. Could it be the vitamin D? Joanne, Minnesota.
Dear Joanne: It seems increasingly likely that childhood asthma is but another presentation of vitamin D deficiency. At least two researchers at Harvard think so; they think it is the result of maternal vitamin D deficiency.
Litonjua AA, Weiss ST. Is vitamin D deficiency to blame for the asthma epidemic? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Nov;120(5):1031-5. Weiss ST, Litonjua AA. Maternal diet vs lack of exposure to sunlight as the cause of the epidemic of asthma, allergies and other autoimmune diseases. Thorax. 2007 Sep;62(9):746-8.
However, I have heard from a number of parents who wrote to tell me their child's asthma went away after taking vitamin D. Also, a paper is in press that shows low vitamin D levels are a risk factor for exacerbations of asthma in children.
Low vitamin D levels linked to asthma exacerbations So, it appears that childhood asthma can also be caused by simple childhood vitamin D deficiency, and thus perhaps cured by simple vitamin D. If so, asthma is yet another disease the dermatologists worsened, one killing about 200 American children every year, by imprecating the Sun God.
Dear Dr. Cannell: My teenage son has type 2 diabetes. I started him on 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day about 6 months ago. Three things have happened so far, he started losing weight, his blood sugars improved, and his acne went away. I know you have written about diabetes and weight loss with vitamin D but I can't remember anything about acne? Mary, North Dakota.
Dear Mary: I have had some reports that vitamin D cured acne but frankly, I didn't believe them. Then I ran across this 1938 paper. You can read the entire paper yourself and see what 5,000 to 14,000 IU per day did for these patients with severe acne. When I was a kid, I always wondered why my pimples got better in the summer and worse in the winter.
Maynard MT. Vitamin D in Acne: A Comparison with X-Ray Treatment. Cal West Med. 1938 Aug;49(2):127-32.
As far as vitamin D improving type-2 diabetes, in my experience, that is the rule not the exception. How much it will improve it probably depends on how much vitamin D you give and how much weight the child loses together with his diet. Higher levels 25(OH)D prevent the disease but so far, I am not aware of any randomized controlled trials showing a treatment effect but, in the past, about half my adult type-2 patients were eventually able to go off their diabetic meds with proper doses of vitamin D. Dr. Knekt, at the National Public Health Institute in Finland, just discovered that men with the highest 25(OH)D levels (>30 ng/ml) had an 82% lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes in the future compared to men with the lowest levels but no effect was found in women. And get this, in Finland the average 25(OH)D level for all 7503 people tested was 43 nmol/L or 17 ng/m. For men it was 18 ng/ml and for women only 15 ng/m and that was a representative sample of Finnish adults!!!
Knekt P, et al. Serum vitamin D and subsequent occurrence of type 2 diabetes. Epidemiology. 2008 Sep;19(5):666-71.
Dear Dr. Cannell: I read somewhere that cavities in children are a sign of vitamin D deficiency. Is that true? George, Utah.
Dear George: Yes, it is true. Several months after your child begins taking adequate doses of vitamin D, cavities will stop forming. Actually, Professor McBeath did a placebo controlled trial in New York City orphanages in 1934 of 425 children. The children received either no vitamin D or 330, 465, or about 1,000 IU (The paper uses Steenbock units, one Steenbock unit is 3.3 IUs) of vitamin D a day as cod liver oil. Also, remember, cod liver oil in the 1930s had much more vitamin D than modern cod liver oil. McBeath said he conducted this study because several earlier studies showed ultraviolet irradiation gave "striking results" in stopping cavity formation. McBeath's results were quite amazing in preventing new cavities. Like the paper on acne above, you can read the entire study yourself. Remember that 1,000 IU of vitamin D is not enough for many children to obtain levels of 50 ng/ml, however, this study showed that even 1,000 IU virtually stopped new caries from developing.
McBeath EC. Vitamin D Studies, 1933-1934. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1934;24(10):1028-30.
Dear Dr. Cannell: I don't understand what you have against vitamin A. All vitamins are good and have to be taken together, especially A and D. I give both my children a tablespoon of Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil every day. Also, I disagree with what you have written about vitamin D preventing colds and flu, my children are sick most of the winter. Mary, Pennsylvania.
Dear Mary: Did you ever stop to read what is on the label of Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil ? You are giving your children between 3,000 to 6,000 IU of vitamin A per day but only 3-60 IU of vitamin D. In fact, you are slowly poisoning your children. A recent Cochrane review found vitamin A supplements increased total mortality by 16%, perhaps through its antagonism of vitamin D.
Bjelakovic G, et al. Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(2):CD007176.
Another, recent Cochrane review concluded that, although vitamin A significantly reduced the incidence of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children with low retinol, as occurs in the third world, it appears to increase risk and/or worsen the clinical course of such infections in children in developed nations.
Chen H, et al. Vitamin A for preventing acute lower respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years of age. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(1):CD006090.
As for the evidence that vitamin D decreases respiratory infections, Wayse et al compared 80 children with lower respiratory infections to healthy controls and found children with the lowest 25(OH)D levels were eleven times more likely to become infected. Furthermore, sixty thousand IU of vitamin D a week administered for six weeks to 27 children suffering from frequent respiratory infections resulted in a complete disappearance of such infections for the following six months.
Wayse V, Yousafzai A, Mogale K, Filteau S. Association of subclinical vitamin D deficiency with severe acute lower respiratory infection in Indian children under 5 y. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004;58:563-567.Rehman PK. Sub-clinical rickets and recurrent infection. J Trop Pediatr 1994;40:58.
As readers know, I first hypothesized vitamin D will prevent colds and flu in November of 2005 in this newsletter . Also, our second paper on influenza is the third most accessed paper in Virology Journal this year, in spite of being out only six months. It is free to download.
On the Epidemiology of Influenza
As to all vitamins being good, I assume you mean all vitamins are good in the proper doses and if the body is not getting enough from diet. Vitamin A deficiency in the USA is practically non-existent. The real problem is subclinical vitamin A toxicity, which appears to be fairly common. Please stop poisoning your children with cod liver oil and start them on adequate doses of vitamin D.
Dear Dr. Cannell: How much vitamin D should I give my children? Robert, New Mexico.
Dear Robert: It depends on their preexisting blood levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D. How much sun do your children get in New Mexico? How much do they weigh? Do they use sunblock? How much milk or fish do they consume? Let me add one more thing, a stunner. It also depends on their genetics. Three twin studies, one in osteoarthritis, one is asthma, and one in multiple sclerosis, all found a significant heritability for 25(OH)D. (Heritability should not be mistaken for genetic percentage.)
Hunter D, et al. Genetic contribution to bone metabolism, calcium excretion, and vitamin D and parathyroid hormone regulation. J Bone Miner Res. 2001 Feb;16(2):371-8.
Wjst M, et al. A genome-wide linkage scan for 25-OH-D(3) and 1,25-(OH)2-D3 serum levels in asthma families. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 Mar;103(3-5):799-802. Orton SM, et al. Evidence for genetic regulation of vitamin D status in twins with multiple sclerosis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Aug;88(2):441-7.
The heritability of 25(OH)D levels may also explain the enormous variation in 25(OH)D response that people show when they take vitamin D. Some only show slight increases and others more robust increases in 25(OH)D, perhaps due to genetic variations in how quickly 25(OH)D is made and how quickly it is catabolized. Furthermore, Orton et al found a significant association of 25(OH)D levels with the enzyme that activates vitamin D, which is a mystery, at least to me.
What this probably means is that how much activated vitamin D you have in any tissue of your body is under both genetic and environmental control. It varies between children, explaining why one child gets sick and the other does not. Activated vitamin D almost assuredly varies among organs as well, explaining why one vitamin D deficient child gets asthma, another frequent infections, another heart disease, another rickets, another diabetes, and another cavities. When the vitamin D deficiency occurs in the womb, the results also vary in later life, from autism to type-1 diabetes to cancer. All this is simply another argument for the need for 25(OH)D testing and supplementation to the mid point of the normal reference range. Do not accept 40 ng/ml as adequate, it is not. However, as a general rule, breast fed infants need 1,000 IU per day, bottle fed infants an extra 600 IU per day. Children generally need about 1,000 IU for every 25 pounds of body weight. So a 75 pound nine-year-old needs about 3,000 IU per day. This is in the absence of significant sun-exposure, that is, they don't need to take it in the summer if they spend time outside without sunblock. However, tremendous individual variation exists in 25(OH)D response to vitamin D.
Dear Dr. Cannell:
What vitamin D should I use?
Vincent, California
Dear Vincent:
Anywhere.
Vitamin D in 1,000 IU tablets by Nature Made are available in most pharmacies in the USA and Canada. On the internet, Bio Tech Pharmacal has prices that are hard to beat and has 1,000 and 5,000 IU capsules and they send a $1,000.00 check to the Vitamin D Council every month. Life Extension Foundation also has 1,000 and 5,000 IU capsules. Ddrops are now available in the USA from Carlson with 400, 1,000 and 2,000 IU per drop, perfect for children. LifeSpan Nutrition has a variety of vitamin D preperations. LifeSpan was the earliest financial supporter of the Vitamin D Council.
If price is no object, and you want the most expensive product on the market, Purity Products will soon begin telemarketing Dr. Cannell's Advanced Vitamin D . The idea is to bring vitamin D into people's living rooms, via radio and TV, no inexpensive task, that is, to get people taking vitamin D who are not taking it now. To do so, I helped develop a preparation that contains cofactors vitamin D seems to need to work optimally in the body and that are often lacking in modern diets, such as zinc, boron, magnesium, vitamin K, etc. If the product survives its test marketing, Purity will mass market it on thousands of radio shows and, hopefully, tens of thousands of people not taking vitamin D will begin taking it. If that happens, my family will make enough money so I can start researching and writing about vitamin D full-time. However, in the interest of full disclosure, you can save some money and get the same cofactors by taking less expensive vitamin D and eating spinach every day.
Dear Dr. Cannell: Anything new on your theory that vitamin D is involved in autism? Sally, New York.
Dear Sally: Science News reported that two Swedish doctors recently proposed vitamin D deficiency is linked to autism.
Doctors eye vitamin D link to autism
Another article looked at the amazingly high rate of autism in dark-skinned immigrants in Minnesota.
A mysterious connection: autism and Minneapolis' Somali children
Of course, the vitamin D theory of autism, first published in this newsletter in May of 2007 and subsequently published in Medical Hypothesis in October of 2007, predicts exactly such a dramatic increase in autism in the children of dark-skinned immigrants. Furthermore, I continue to get reports from parents with autistic children that adequate doses of vitamin D sometimes has a treatment effect in autistic children, mainly younger children who developed signs of autism around the age of weaning, improving repetitive behavior, sleep disorders, and screaming spells. In rats, pups born to deficient mothers can regain some brain function if they are started on vitamin D at birth. Unfortunately, the recovery in rat pups brain damaged by maternal vitamin D deficiency is never complete.I have come up with a protocol for diagnosing and treating vitamin D deficiency in autistic children but it can be used in any child. Remember, the worst thing that can happen is that children will have stronger bones:
1. Advise parents to stop giving children all preformed retinol, such as cod liver oil, and all vitamins or supplements containing retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate. Preformed retinol antagonizes the action of vitamin D, probably at the vitamin D receptor site. Beta carotene does not have this same effect but children only need extra beta carotene if their diet is poor in colorful fruits and vegetables, dairy products, or fortified breakfast cereals.
2. Order a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] blood test. Do not order a 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D as it is often elevated in vitamin D deficiency and will mislead you.
3. If the 25(OH)D level is less than 70 ng/ml, the mid range of American references labs (30 - 100 ng/ml), give your child vitamin D3 supplements. Generally children require 1,000 IU per 25 pounds of body weight per day. However, great individual variation exists and autistic children need to be retested and the dose adjusted about every month until levels are at least 50 ng/ml in healthy children and at least 70 ng/ml in any child with autism, diabetes, frequent infections, or any chronic illness.
4. Test for 25(OH)D every month and treat with enough vitamin D until 25(OH)D levels are stable. Vitamin D toxicity has never been reported, in adults or children, with 25(OH)D levels below 200 ng/ml.As far as the cause of idiopathic autism, I'm more convinced my theory is true than ever, so I wrote a poem of sorts.
To an Older God Long before our current gods, the people worshiped an older god, the Sun God, their first God. They knew life receded when she receded and returned when she returned and called her Amaterasu and Liza and Surya and Ra and Apollo and Helios and Sol and many other names, but dared not look upon her face knowing the Sun God blinds those so arrogant. Pregnant women lay in the sun, held their infants up to the sun, and sent young children to play under the sun. The Sun God's blessing was calcitriol, which she carefully deposited into the tiniest of developing brains. With it, the children waxed lean and strong and brown with vibrant brains for calcitriol, the Sun God's gift, orchestrated brain growth. Then, new priests of science and medicine, told the people the Sun God was only a star, one of trillions, nothing special. Great temples called hospitals and research institutes arose, which admitted only filtered sunlight and where the people offered sacrifices to the gods of science and medicine, sacrifices that enriched the new priests. Then, twenty years ago, the new priests of dermatology told the people to shun the Sun God. "Banish her from your lives," they said, "She is evil." The people listened to the new priests and kept their pregnant women out of the Sun Gods warmth, and told their children she was wicked. The people stayed inside, their children with them and traveled behind glass in their cars and wore sunblock and sunhats to keep the Sun God away. The Sun God grew vengeful. She withdrew her gift of calcitriol. Without it, fetal brains grew without a grower, sang the song of development without a conductor. The infants cried and would not look into their mother's eyes and the children rocked for hours and banged their heads and couldn't sleep and threw appalling tantrums. The people brought their brain-damaged children to see the new priests and sacrificed dearly, but all the people's offerings were in vain. The new gods of science and medicine could do nothing. For the Sun God had sent a plague and her wrath was upon the people. A great wailing arose in the houses and a gnashing of teeth and tears of anguish, as the people tasted the bitterness of autism.
John Cannell, MD
vitamindcouncil.org
This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. Please reproduce it and post it on Internet sites. Remember, we are a non-profit and rely on donations to publish our newsletter and maintain our website. Send your tax-deductible contributions to:The Vitamin D Council9100 San Gregorio Road,Atascadero, CA 93422
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
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" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Prepare now for the cold & flu season...
Fall begins officially this coming Monday. With fall comes the cold and flu season. If you start preparing now, you can be flu and cold free, or at the very least, extremely resistant and recuperate fast, but only if you start now.
People that know me, or know the clients I have that follow my advice, know that we seldom ever get colds or flu's. By seldom, I really mean almost never. If we do catch something, it may cause us to be abnormally tired for a day or so, or have a sniffle or two, but we don't get sick like most of America does, and that is a fact.
If you don't wait and end up dealing with colds and flu's as they come, your resistance can make this winter a much happier and healthy time, especially if the whole family participates.
There are 4 nutrients that effect your resistance to colds and flu's. These are vitamins A, C, D and Zinc. I am not going to take the time today to tell you all the reasons why these work, especially when taken together, but here is my promise... If they are taken soon enough and in high enough potency to make a difference, you and your family will swear by them, for years to come.
To make it simple, if you want to start this season, here are 2 products you can take that will give you and your family the protection you need.
Carlson Aces + Zn -- 120 Softgels - I would suggest adults take at least 2 capsules twice a day and children half that amount.
NSI Vitamin D3 -- 5,000 IU - 300 Capsules - I would suggest 1 capsule a day for adults and 2000 IU's for children. Drops are the easiest for kids.
NSI Liquid Vitamin D Drops - 2000 IU -- 1 fl oz
Please take a moment and watch the video's on vitamin D and also if you think soy is good for you, you will be surprised by the latest research, especially if you have allergies, or are a mother with a baby, or a vegetarian that eats tofu.
Getting younger everyday...
cw
Video - The benefits of vitamin D on flu prevention and much more...
Video - The Real Story on Vitamin D
Video - The truth about soy foods and whether they are healthy for you...
Why Drug Companies Do Not Want You to Take Supplements ...
Supplements like Coenzyme Q10, amino acids, even a daily multiple vitamin can provide your body with natural health benefits. So why would the pharmaceutical companies have a problem with this? Think about it. If nutritional supplements worked for even a small portion of the people currently bound to their prescription medications for heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and other degenerative diseases, the drug companies would stand to lose a lot of money!That's why they spend tons of money trying to discredit anything that may even hint of helping you. Americans more than ever before realize the importance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in not only preventing disease, but also in promoting good health.
READ MORE
Pain 'linked with low vitamin D' ...
Low levels of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, may contribute to chronic pain among women, scientists believe.
READ MORE
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
E-Mail
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
People that know me, or know the clients I have that follow my advice, know that we seldom ever get colds or flu's. By seldom, I really mean almost never. If we do catch something, it may cause us to be abnormally tired for a day or so, or have a sniffle or two, but we don't get sick like most of America does, and that is a fact.
If you don't wait and end up dealing with colds and flu's as they come, your resistance can make this winter a much happier and healthy time, especially if the whole family participates.
There are 4 nutrients that effect your resistance to colds and flu's. These are vitamins A, C, D and Zinc. I am not going to take the time today to tell you all the reasons why these work, especially when taken together, but here is my promise... If they are taken soon enough and in high enough potency to make a difference, you and your family will swear by them, for years to come.
To make it simple, if you want to start this season, here are 2 products you can take that will give you and your family the protection you need.
Carlson Aces + Zn -- 120 Softgels - I would suggest adults take at least 2 capsules twice a day and children half that amount.
NSI Vitamin D3 -- 5,000 IU - 300 Capsules - I would suggest 1 capsule a day for adults and 2000 IU's for children. Drops are the easiest for kids.
NSI Liquid Vitamin D Drops - 2000 IU -- 1 fl oz
Please take a moment and watch the video's on vitamin D and also if you think soy is good for you, you will be surprised by the latest research, especially if you have allergies, or are a mother with a baby, or a vegetarian that eats tofu.
Getting younger everyday...
cw
Video - The benefits of vitamin D on flu prevention and much more...
Video - The Real Story on Vitamin D
Video - The truth about soy foods and whether they are healthy for you...
Why Drug Companies Do Not Want You to Take Supplements ...
Supplements like Coenzyme Q10, amino acids, even a daily multiple vitamin can provide your body with natural health benefits. So why would the pharmaceutical companies have a problem with this? Think about it. If nutritional supplements worked for even a small portion of the people currently bound to their prescription medications for heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and other degenerative diseases, the drug companies would stand to lose a lot of money!That's why they spend tons of money trying to discredit anything that may even hint of helping you. Americans more than ever before realize the importance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in not only preventing disease, but also in promoting good health.
READ MORE
Pain 'linked with low vitamin D' ...
Low levels of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, may contribute to chronic pain among women, scientists believe.
READ MORE
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
How to fend off wrinkles, from the inside out…
The causes of wrinkling are many, they include habitual facial expressions, aging, sun damage, smoking, poor hydration, low levels of antioxidants, and blood sugar levels that are too high.
From a Biochemical point of view, there are 2 main villains in the formation of wrinkles. Advanced Glycation End products, or AGEs and Cross Linking.
To some degree, AGE formation occurs with normal metabolism and aging over time, but can be greatly accelerated when blood sugar is not controlled properly, as in conditions that create oxidative stress like hyperglycemia or in patients with diabetes. AGE formation under these circumstances, can be increased way beyond normal levels.
Probably the worst consequence of glycation is cross-linking, which is the formation of chemical bridges between proteins, and collagen in particular. A material that undergoes cross-linking usually becomes harder, less elastic and has a tendency to tear or crack. Cross-linking is responsible for hardening of a rubber mat or a garden hose left in the sun. In the aging body, cross-linking of collagen, contributes to hardening of arteries, wrinkling of the skin and stiffening of joints.
High glucose levels, cigarette smoke, UV-radiation, heavy metals, peroxides, acetaldehyde (a product of alcohol metabolism) are all potent cross-linkers. Free radicals promote and accelerate many types of cross-linking and may also be cross-linkers themselves. This damages collagen, the main component of fascia, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone and teeth. Along with soft keratin, it is responsible for skin strength and elasticity, and its degradation leads to wrinkles that accompany aging.
What can be done minimize or reverse cross-linking?
If you smoke, quit.
Consume a low glycemic diet and reduce carbohydrates like sugar, corn syrup, breads, grain and cereals.
Be areful not to burn when you out in the sun and take supplements that protect your skin from UV damage like vitamin D3, A, C, E, Grapeseed Extract, Green Tea Extract, or Astaxanthin.
Keep alcohol levels to a safe level. I recommend no more than 1 or 2 glasses of quality wine or beer, daily.
Remove heavy metals. This can be aided by taking EDTA, Chlorella, and Malic Acid.
Take supplements that increase the production of collagen, like C, Bioflavonoids, the amono acids Lysine and Proline, Proanthocyanidins like Grape Seed Extract and Pycnogenol.
Proanthocyanidins help collagen repair. The breakdown of collagen is what causes our skin to lose its elasticity which in turn causes wrinkles. Proanthocyanidins help keep skin elastic, smooth and wrinkle-free. Proanthocyanidins can be taken as an oral cosmetic to help in the prevention of wrinkles.
Proanthocyanidins also act as an internal sunscreen. Inhibiting the daily effects the Sun's rays have on our skin is our best defense against the aging of our skin.
Treatments and products (including anti-aging creams) promising to reduce, remove, or prevent age-related wrinkles are big business in many industrialized countries. Despite great demand, most such products and treatments have not been proven to give lasting or major positive effects.
The most important thing is to maintain good carbohydrate tolerance. Interestingly, good carbohydrate tolerance is one of the most common metabolic features of centenarians and may be partly responsible for their unusual longevity.
Eat a diet based on low-glycemic foods.
I recommend The Ideal Diet.
Getting younger everyday...
cw
Forget the spa; try the supermarket to look good... The best way to look healthy and attractive may not be inside a $100 jar of cream or under a surgeon's knife. Rather, what you put on your plate may be just as important as what you put on your skin.
An increasing number of studies and clinical trials are underlining the importance of ''beauty foods'' -- super-nourishing fruits, vegetables, nuts, teas and other everyday foods that may replace a trip to the spa with a stop at the neighborhood grocery store.
Why Dermatologists Still Deny the Link Between Acne and Diet ... Almost every dermatologist will tell you that diet has nothing to do with acne. With fervor, many of them argue this and you know they really believe it. In a world of 'evidence based medicine' you would think dermatologists would have strong scientific evidence backing it up.It turns out that the notion 'diet has nothing to do with acne' is just about as scientific as the notion 'the world is flat'. In other words, it's pure dogma with no credible scientific backing.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Replace green tea for coffee and you will lose belly fat...
I have blogged before that coffee has not been proven to be bad for you, and that is still the case. Even though that is the case, if you are under a lot of stress, you might want to consider the better health benefits of green tea over coffee and reduce the caffeine level that comes with the coffee habit. Coffee has approximately 80 to 100 mgs of caffeine for every cup to green teas 30 to 40 mgs. Caffeine increases cortisol, an adrenal hormone associated with the fight and flight response that stress triggers. When this happens, your blood sugar goes up and unless you are expending a lot of energy as you would in a fight or flight response, that sugar will be stored as body fat and will be stored primarily as belly fat. Green tea not only has less caffeine, but it also has phytonutrients that block the effect of stimulating the cortisol production and increases the burning of fats, from fat storage deposits. Green tea has many other health benefits that make it one of the healthiest things you can do on a daily basis. It contains the amino acid L-theanine, found almost exclusively in the tea plant, which actively alters the attention networks of the brain, according to results of human trials announced in September 2007. John Foxe, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, biology and psychology at City College of the City University of New York, found that theanine is absorbed by the small intestine and crosses the blood-brain barrier, where it affects the brain's neurotransmitters and increases alpha brain-wave activity. The result is a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind.
Some of you have tried green tea and have found it to taste grassy and unexciting. Good quality green tea tastes much better and even the more oxidized black tea has more health benefits than does coffee.
Green tea is the least processed and thus provides the most antioxidant polyphenols, notably a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits linked to green tea. Green tea is made by briefly steaming the just harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable and preventing them from fermenting or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and “fired” (dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok) until they are crisp. The resulting greenish-yellow tea has a green, slightly astringent flavor close to the taste of the fresh leaf.
In black tea production, the leaves are first spread on withering racks and air-blown, which removes about one-third of their moisture and renders them soft and pliable. Next, they are rolled to break their cell walls, releasing the juices essential to fermentation. Once again, they are spread out and kept under high humidity to promote fermentation, which turns the leaves a dark coppery color and develops black tea’s authoritative flavor. Finally, the leaves are “fired,” producing a brownish black tea whose immersion in hot water gives a reddish-brown brew with a stronger flavor than green or oolong teas.
Why not try oolong which is green tea that is a little more oxidized and has a fuller flavor, or jasmine tea, which is a mixture of either green tea or oolong with jasmine flowers. These are the teas you typically find in Chinese restaurants. They are just as good as plain green tea, but taste even better.
The most important thing to remember is that by replacing green teas for coffee, you can have a thinner waist and be more healthy as well as less stressed, even while enjoying the pickup of a little caffeine when you want it throughout the day.
Getting younger everyday...
cw
Save money and get great quality & taste, online...
Prince of Peace Organic Green Tea -- 100 Tea Bags
Prince of Peace Organic Oolong Tea -- 100 Tea Bags/2g each
Prince of Peace Premium Jasmine Green Tea -- 100 Tea Bags/2g
The Case For Cutting Back...
For years, you may have been relying on coffee to wake you in the morning, keep you awake in the afternoon, and even, when the occasion required, stave off a night’s sleep. But it may be time to cut back on the caffeine, and, if you cannot imagine giving up the comfort factor that warm, fragrant coffee provides, at least switch to decaf. Why?
If you needed coffee to keep you going for any extended period, there’s a good chance your life was stressful when you did. And when you are under stress, you body produces a hormone called cortisol, which, as part of the stress response, raises your blood pressure and, more or less, keeps your body in a perpetual flight-or-fight state of readiness.
Caffeine increases the body’s cortisol production, exaggerating its stress response. Even decaf coffee stimulates cortisol release, implying that the caffeine in coffee is not the only culprit. Because stress has been identified as a great aging accelerators, decreasing coffee consumption may help you start feeling younger.
READ MORE
New Research on the Health Benefits of Green Tea...
In laboratories around the globe, green tea is sparking tremendous excitement as new health applications keep being discovered.The most active green tea constituent is called epigallocatechin gallate. This unique flavonoid favorably alters pathways underlying pathological processes such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. All of this points to green tea as a broad-spectrum nutrient that may promote long life. Green tea is consumed routinely in Asian populations, who have greater longevity and lower mortality rates for diseases that are prevalent in Western society.Given the huge scientific literature supporting the positive role of green tea in preventing neurodegenerative diseases, not to mention its benefits in helping to prevent cancer and other diseases, as well as its lack of toxicity, there is ample reason for consuming green tea poly-phenols on a regular basis.In this article, we have interviewed international scientists on their current research into the myriad life-extending and life-enhancing benefits of green tea.
READ MORE
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
E-Mail
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Some of you have tried green tea and have found it to taste grassy and unexciting. Good quality green tea tastes much better and even the more oxidized black tea has more health benefits than does coffee.
Green tea is the least processed and thus provides the most antioxidant polyphenols, notably a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits linked to green tea. Green tea is made by briefly steaming the just harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable and preventing them from fermenting or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and “fired” (dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok) until they are crisp. The resulting greenish-yellow tea has a green, slightly astringent flavor close to the taste of the fresh leaf.
In black tea production, the leaves are first spread on withering racks and air-blown, which removes about one-third of their moisture and renders them soft and pliable. Next, they are rolled to break their cell walls, releasing the juices essential to fermentation. Once again, they are spread out and kept under high humidity to promote fermentation, which turns the leaves a dark coppery color and develops black tea’s authoritative flavor. Finally, the leaves are “fired,” producing a brownish black tea whose immersion in hot water gives a reddish-brown brew with a stronger flavor than green or oolong teas.
Why not try oolong which is green tea that is a little more oxidized and has a fuller flavor, or jasmine tea, which is a mixture of either green tea or oolong with jasmine flowers. These are the teas you typically find in Chinese restaurants. They are just as good as plain green tea, but taste even better.
The most important thing to remember is that by replacing green teas for coffee, you can have a thinner waist and be more healthy as well as less stressed, even while enjoying the pickup of a little caffeine when you want it throughout the day.
Getting younger everyday...
cw
Save money and get great quality & taste, online...
Prince of Peace Organic Green Tea -- 100 Tea Bags
Prince of Peace Organic Oolong Tea -- 100 Tea Bags/2g each
Prince of Peace Premium Jasmine Green Tea -- 100 Tea Bags/2g
The Case For Cutting Back...
For years, you may have been relying on coffee to wake you in the morning, keep you awake in the afternoon, and even, when the occasion required, stave off a night’s sleep. But it may be time to cut back on the caffeine, and, if you cannot imagine giving up the comfort factor that warm, fragrant coffee provides, at least switch to decaf. Why?
If you needed coffee to keep you going for any extended period, there’s a good chance your life was stressful when you did. And when you are under stress, you body produces a hormone called cortisol, which, as part of the stress response, raises your blood pressure and, more or less, keeps your body in a perpetual flight-or-fight state of readiness.
Caffeine increases the body’s cortisol production, exaggerating its stress response. Even decaf coffee stimulates cortisol release, implying that the caffeine in coffee is not the only culprit. Because stress has been identified as a great aging accelerators, decreasing coffee consumption may help you start feeling younger.
READ MORE
New Research on the Health Benefits of Green Tea...
In laboratories around the globe, green tea is sparking tremendous excitement as new health applications keep being discovered.The most active green tea constituent is called epigallocatechin gallate. This unique flavonoid favorably alters pathways underlying pathological processes such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. All of this points to green tea as a broad-spectrum nutrient that may promote long life. Green tea is consumed routinely in Asian populations, who have greater longevity and lower mortality rates for diseases that are prevalent in Western society.Given the huge scientific literature supporting the positive role of green tea in preventing neurodegenerative diseases, not to mention its benefits in helping to prevent cancer and other diseases, as well as its lack of toxicity, there is ample reason for consuming green tea poly-phenols on a regular basis.In this article, we have interviewed international scientists on their current research into the myriad life-extending and life-enhancing benefits of green tea.
READ MORE
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Friday, September 12, 2008
9 out of 10 of you reading this are deficient in this vitamin, unless you have been reading and applying HealthBloggers recommendations...
Everyday I read 5 or 10 stories from MD's that are now seeing the light and are actually testing their patients to see if they are vitamin D deficient. While I think testing is a good thing, it is not necessary. Most experts now believe everyone can benefit from 2,000 IU's to 4,000 IU's of D3 supplementation everyday. What is interesting is that this doctor lives down south near Temecula, close to San Diego. People who live north of that latitude get even less sun and are more likely to have low levels of this critical nutrient. From the Battle of the Bulge, the flu, to cancer, this nutrient is a must in your daily plan to stay well. Make sure if you are taking a multi that it has at least 1,000 IU's of D3 in it. Most likely the one you are taking does not. All of the multi vitamins I formulate have that level or more.
For less than a dollar a day, invest in your health.
Mens Basic+
Womens Basic+
Good health to you...
cw
The benefits of sunshine and vitamin D
Eric Madrid, MD
http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.php?story_id=32638
Special to the Village News Thursday, September 11th, 2008. Issue 37, Volume 12.
Physicians and scientists are starting to realize the numerous health benefits of sunshine exposure and vitamin D supplementation. Most doctors know severe vitamin D deficiency causes rickets. Since rickets is rarely seen today, it is incorrectly assumed that vitamin D deficiency is nonexistent.
Fallbrook and Temecula medical providers have diagnosed hundreds of patients with vitamin D deficiency, or about 90 percent of all patients tested. Nine out of 10 people reading this story likely suffer from vitamin D deficiency.
Why should you have your vitamin D level checked? Studies have shown that those with lower levels of vitamin D in their blood have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and heart disease. One study showed greater than a 60-percent reduction in breast cancer in those with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood.
In addition, senior citizens who have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood are at higher risk of falls, osteoporosis and bone fractures. Those who suffer from chronic pain and fibromyalgia also have lower levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D levels are checked by a simple blood test. Treatment usually requires supplementation with vitamin D3 as opposed to the more commonly sold over the counter vitamin D.
Vitamin D is also made from moderate daily sun exposure to the arms and legs. Caution must be taken to prevent sun burning. Many sunscreens will block out UVB, which is the type of sunlight needed for skin to make vitamin D. Those with darker pigment are higher risk of deficiency, which may explain the higher incidence of diseases in certain ethnic populations.
To check your vitamin D level, contact your physician.
Eric Madrid MD is a family physician with Rancho Family Medical Group, which has offices in Fallbrook and Temecula. See www.ranchofamilymed.com.
Vitamin D Miracles
Receptors for vitamin D are found in most of the cells in the body and research during the 1980s suggested that vitamin D contributed to a healthy immune system, promoted muscle strength, regulated the maturation process and contributed to hormone production.
During the last ten years, researchers have made a number of exciting discoveries about vitamin D.
They have ascertained, for example, that vitamin D is an antioxidant that is a more effective antioxidant than vitamin E in reducing lipid peroxidation and increasing enzymes that protect against oxidation.19;20
Vitamin D deficiency decreases biosynthesis and release of insulin.21 Glucose intolerance has been inversely associated with the concentration of vitamin D in the blood. Thus, vitamin D may protect against both Type I and Type II diabetes.22
The risk of senile cataract is reduced in persons with optimal levels of D and carotenoids.23
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) has been corrected by supplementation of D and calcium.24
Vitamin D plays a role in regulation of both the "infectious" immune system and the "inflammatory" immune system.25
Low vitamin D is associated with several autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, Sjogren's Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis and Crohn's disease.26;27
Osteoporosis is strongly associated with low vitamin D. Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis respond favorably (and rapidly) to higher levels of D plus calcium and magnesium.28
D deficiency has been mistaken for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or peripheral neuropathy.1;28-30
Infertility is associated with low vitamin D.31 Vitamin D supports production of estrogen in men and women.32
PMS has been completely reversed by addition of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.33
Menstrual migraine is associated with low levels of vitamin D and calcium.81
Breast, prostate, skin and colon cancer have a strong association with low levels of D and lack of sunlight.34-38
Activated vitamin D in the adrenal gland regulates tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate limiting enzyme necessary for the production of dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Low D may contribute to chronic fatigue and depression.39
Seasonal Affective Disorder has been treated successfully with vitamin D. In a recent study covering 30 days of treatment comparing vitamin D supplementation with two-hour daily use of light boxes, depression completely resolved in the D group but not in the light box group.40
High stress may increase the need for vitamin D or UV-B sunlight and calcium.41
People with Parkinsons and Alzheimers have been found to have lower levels of vitamin D.42;43
Low levels of D, and perhaps calcium, in a pregnant mother and later in the child may be the contributing cause of "crooked teeth" and myopia. When these conditions are found in succeeding generations it means the genetics require higher levels of one or both nutrients to optimize health.44-47
Behavior and learning disorders respond well to D and/or calcium combined with an adequate diet and trace minerals.48;49
Vitamin D and Heart Disease
Research suggests that low levels of vitamin D may contribute to or be a cause of syndrome X with associated hypertension, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.50 Vitamin D regulates vitamin-D-binding proteins and some calcium-binding proteins, which are responsible for carrying calcium to the "right location" and protecting cells from damage by free calcium.51 Thus, high dietary levels of calcium, when D is insufficient, may contribute to calcification of the arteries, joints, kidney and perhaps even the brain.52-54
Many researchers have postulated that vitamin D deficiency leads to the deposition of calcium in the arteries and hence atherosclerosis, noting that northern countries have higher levels of cardiovascular disease and that more heart attacks occur in winter months.55-56
Scottish researchers found that calcium levels in the hair inversely correlated with arterial calcium—the more calcium or plaque in the arteries, the less calcium in the hair. Ninety percent of men experiencing myocardial infarction had low hair calcium. When vitamin D was administered, the amount of calcium in the beard went up and this rise continued as long as vitamin D was consumed. Almost immediately after stopping supplementation, however, beard calcium fell to pre-supplement levels.27
Administration of dietary vitamin D or UV-B treatment has been shown to lower blood pressure, restore insulin sensitivity and lower cholesterol.58-60
The Battle of the Bulge
Did you ever wonder why some people can eat all they want and not get fat, while others are constantly battling extra pounds? The answer may have to do with vitamin D and calcium status. Sunlight, UV-B, and vitamin D normalize food intake and normalize blood sugar. Weight normalization is associated with higher levels of vitamin D and adequate calcium.61 Obesity is associated with vitamin-D deficiency.62-64 In fact, obese persons have impaired production of UV-B-stimulated D and impaired absorption of food source and supplemental D.65
When the diet lacks calcium, whether from D or calcium deficiency, there is an increase in fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts calories into fat. Higher levels of calcium with adequate vitamin D inhibit fatty acid synthase while diets low in calcium increase fatty acid synthase by as much as five-fold. In one study, genetically obese rats lost 60 percent of their body fat in six weeks on a diet that had moderate calorie reduction but was high in calcium. All rats supplemented with calcium showed increased body temperature indicating a shift from calorie storage to calorie burning (thermogenesis).61
From the Weston Price Foundation
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
E-Mail
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
For less than a dollar a day, invest in your health.
Mens Basic+
Womens Basic+
Good health to you...
cw
The benefits of sunshine and vitamin D
Eric Madrid, MD
http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.php?story_id=32638
Special to the Village News Thursday, September 11th, 2008. Issue 37, Volume 12.
Physicians and scientists are starting to realize the numerous health benefits of sunshine exposure and vitamin D supplementation. Most doctors know severe vitamin D deficiency causes rickets. Since rickets is rarely seen today, it is incorrectly assumed that vitamin D deficiency is nonexistent.
Fallbrook and Temecula medical providers have diagnosed hundreds of patients with vitamin D deficiency, or about 90 percent of all patients tested. Nine out of 10 people reading this story likely suffer from vitamin D deficiency.
Why should you have your vitamin D level checked? Studies have shown that those with lower levels of vitamin D in their blood have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and heart disease. One study showed greater than a 60-percent reduction in breast cancer in those with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood.
In addition, senior citizens who have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood are at higher risk of falls, osteoporosis and bone fractures. Those who suffer from chronic pain and fibromyalgia also have lower levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D levels are checked by a simple blood test. Treatment usually requires supplementation with vitamin D3 as opposed to the more commonly sold over the counter vitamin D.
Vitamin D is also made from moderate daily sun exposure to the arms and legs. Caution must be taken to prevent sun burning. Many sunscreens will block out UVB, which is the type of sunlight needed for skin to make vitamin D. Those with darker pigment are higher risk of deficiency, which may explain the higher incidence of diseases in certain ethnic populations.
To check your vitamin D level, contact your physician.
Eric Madrid MD is a family physician with Rancho Family Medical Group, which has offices in Fallbrook and Temecula. See www.ranchofamilymed.com.
Vitamin D Miracles
Receptors for vitamin D are found in most of the cells in the body and research during the 1980s suggested that vitamin D contributed to a healthy immune system, promoted muscle strength, regulated the maturation process and contributed to hormone production.
During the last ten years, researchers have made a number of exciting discoveries about vitamin D.
They have ascertained, for example, that vitamin D is an antioxidant that is a more effective antioxidant than vitamin E in reducing lipid peroxidation and increasing enzymes that protect against oxidation.19;20
Vitamin D deficiency decreases biosynthesis and release of insulin.21 Glucose intolerance has been inversely associated with the concentration of vitamin D in the blood. Thus, vitamin D may protect against both Type I and Type II diabetes.22
The risk of senile cataract is reduced in persons with optimal levels of D and carotenoids.23
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) has been corrected by supplementation of D and calcium.24
Vitamin D plays a role in regulation of both the "infectious" immune system and the "inflammatory" immune system.25
Low vitamin D is associated with several autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, Sjogren's Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis and Crohn's disease.26;27
Osteoporosis is strongly associated with low vitamin D. Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis respond favorably (and rapidly) to higher levels of D plus calcium and magnesium.28
D deficiency has been mistaken for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or peripheral neuropathy.1;28-30
Infertility is associated with low vitamin D.31 Vitamin D supports production of estrogen in men and women.32
PMS has been completely reversed by addition of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.33
Menstrual migraine is associated with low levels of vitamin D and calcium.81
Breast, prostate, skin and colon cancer have a strong association with low levels of D and lack of sunlight.34-38
Activated vitamin D in the adrenal gland regulates tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate limiting enzyme necessary for the production of dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Low D may contribute to chronic fatigue and depression.39
Seasonal Affective Disorder has been treated successfully with vitamin D. In a recent study covering 30 days of treatment comparing vitamin D supplementation with two-hour daily use of light boxes, depression completely resolved in the D group but not in the light box group.40
High stress may increase the need for vitamin D or UV-B sunlight and calcium.41
People with Parkinsons and Alzheimers have been found to have lower levels of vitamin D.42;43
Low levels of D, and perhaps calcium, in a pregnant mother and later in the child may be the contributing cause of "crooked teeth" and myopia. When these conditions are found in succeeding generations it means the genetics require higher levels of one or both nutrients to optimize health.44-47
Behavior and learning disorders respond well to D and/or calcium combined with an adequate diet and trace minerals.48;49
Vitamin D and Heart Disease
Research suggests that low levels of vitamin D may contribute to or be a cause of syndrome X with associated hypertension, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.50 Vitamin D regulates vitamin-D-binding proteins and some calcium-binding proteins, which are responsible for carrying calcium to the "right location" and protecting cells from damage by free calcium.51 Thus, high dietary levels of calcium, when D is insufficient, may contribute to calcification of the arteries, joints, kidney and perhaps even the brain.52-54
Many researchers have postulated that vitamin D deficiency leads to the deposition of calcium in the arteries and hence atherosclerosis, noting that northern countries have higher levels of cardiovascular disease and that more heart attacks occur in winter months.55-56
Scottish researchers found that calcium levels in the hair inversely correlated with arterial calcium—the more calcium or plaque in the arteries, the less calcium in the hair. Ninety percent of men experiencing myocardial infarction had low hair calcium. When vitamin D was administered, the amount of calcium in the beard went up and this rise continued as long as vitamin D was consumed. Almost immediately after stopping supplementation, however, beard calcium fell to pre-supplement levels.27
Administration of dietary vitamin D or UV-B treatment has been shown to lower blood pressure, restore insulin sensitivity and lower cholesterol.58-60
The Battle of the Bulge
Did you ever wonder why some people can eat all they want and not get fat, while others are constantly battling extra pounds? The answer may have to do with vitamin D and calcium status. Sunlight, UV-B, and vitamin D normalize food intake and normalize blood sugar. Weight normalization is associated with higher levels of vitamin D and adequate calcium.61 Obesity is associated with vitamin-D deficiency.62-64 In fact, obese persons have impaired production of UV-B-stimulated D and impaired absorption of food source and supplemental D.65
When the diet lacks calcium, whether from D or calcium deficiency, there is an increase in fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts calories into fat. Higher levels of calcium with adequate vitamin D inhibit fatty acid synthase while diets low in calcium increase fatty acid synthase by as much as five-fold. In one study, genetically obese rats lost 60 percent of their body fat in six weeks on a diet that had moderate calorie reduction but was high in calcium. All rats supplemented with calcium showed increased body temperature indicating a shift from calorie storage to calorie burning (thermogenesis).61
From the Weston Price Foundation
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Are you suffering from allergies? Authoritites say this is one of the worst years on record...
I was watching a news special the other day that said we are having one of the worst allergy epidemics in years in this country.
When it comes to allergens, you have just a few choices. You can take over the counter drugs that treat the symptoms of allergies that often cause jittery nerves, elevated blood pressure and drowsiness. Why not consider taking the more natural approach and improve your immune function, and use natural nutrients that have antihistamine properties, with side benefits and none of the usual side effects of the over the counter alternatives. Severe allergies can be treated with Homeopathic Oral Antigens, which are like the shots that doctors use to improve immunity, without the needles. Kids can use them too, and we all know how much they hate shots.
cw
ALLERBLOC is a synergistic combination of the nutrients:
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Pantothenic Acid
MSM
Nettle Extract
Quercetin
Boswellia Serrata Extract
Cinnamon Extract
Bromelain
ALLERBLOC
1. Helps balance histamine release.
2. Is an all-natural formula.
3. Is suitable for use by vegetarians.
4. Has no added artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
Homeopathic Oral Antigens...
Why take shots when you can take Homeopathic Drops
under the tongue.
Become resistant to trees, flowers, insects, animals, poison Ivy,
Oak & Sumac, Dairy, Dust, Grasses & Weeds, Pollens of all kinds.
Click the link below...
MBI Nutraceuticals
Then click natural remedies, then allergy products...
Use as directed.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
Forever Changes, Inc.
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
E-Mail
Toll Free Number: 800-803-3323
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
When it comes to allergens, you have just a few choices. You can take over the counter drugs that treat the symptoms of allergies that often cause jittery nerves, elevated blood pressure and drowsiness. Why not consider taking the more natural approach and improve your immune function, and use natural nutrients that have antihistamine properties, with side benefits and none of the usual side effects of the over the counter alternatives. Severe allergies can be treated with Homeopathic Oral Antigens, which are like the shots that doctors use to improve immunity, without the needles. Kids can use them too, and we all know how much they hate shots.
cw
Allergies and stuffy nose due to high histamine levels
Get your life back, with this new, all-natural formula that works in just a few days. It clears stuffy noses and helps balance histamine production, so you can tackle all your tasks, tissue-free. ALLERBLOC is a synergistic combination of the nutrients:
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Pantothenic Acid
MSM
Nettle Extract
Quercetin
Boswellia Serrata Extract
Cinnamon Extract
Bromelain
ALLERBLOC
1. Helps balance histamine release.
2. Is an all-natural formula.
3. Is suitable for use by vegetarians.
4. Has no added artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
Homeopathic Oral Antigens...
Why take shots when you can take Homeopathic Drops
under the tongue.
Become resistant to trees, flowers, insects, animals, poison Ivy,
Oak & Sumac, Dairy, Dust, Grasses & Weeds, Pollens of all kinds.
Click the link below...
MBI Nutraceuticals
Then click natural remedies, then allergy products...
Use as directed.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
Forever Changes, Inc.
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
Toll Free Number: 800-803-3323
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Sunday, September 07, 2008
You may not think about slowing down the aging process, but after watching these 2 videos, perhaps you will...
Watch the aging process occur in 40 seconds...
Watch 41 Years of aging in 60 Seconds (1966 - 2007)
Did you know that recent research now tells us that treating aging is the best way to slow down and stop the top diseases effecting modern man.
Aging experts from around the world speak out on how to treat disease...
Would you like to grow old gracefully and perhaps live mostly disease free?
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
E-Mail
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Watch 41 Years of aging in 60 Seconds (1966 - 2007)
Did you know that recent research now tells us that treating aging is the best way to slow down and stop the top diseases effecting modern man.
Aging experts from around the world speak out on how to treat disease...
Would you like to grow old gracefully and perhaps live mostly disease free?
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Time Magazine to list vitamin D as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2007...
I agree and let me also add these to the list. Alpha Lipoic Acid with Acetyl L-Carnitine, Green Tea Extract, Resveratrol, CoQ10, vitamin K, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol) and Grape Seed Extract. To see further research and where to get these compounds in quality therapeutic levels, visit my page on Anti-Aging.
cw
Research Suggests Health Benefits from Increased Vitamin D...
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 9:55 AM CDT
| |
“RDA’s are recommended levels of the nutrient that would meet the needs of almost all healthy individuals in a specific age group. AI recommendations are based on averages of what apparently healthy people are taking in,” said Roberts.
It appears that with the recent research, there is more evidence for a RDA for vitamin D. Some health professionals are recommending 1000 IUs of vitamin D per day.
“Achieving a level of 1000 IUs of vitamin D would need to come partially from a supplement since few foods are an excellent source of vitamin D,” said Roberts.
For more information on nutrition issues, contact any of the University of Missouri Extension offices in southwest Missouri, go online to http://extension.missouri.edu or contact one of the two nutrition and health education specialists working in the Ozarks: Tammy Roberts, (417) 682-3579 or Terry Egan, (417) 866-3039.
This video is a must watch for everyone who values their health.
You will be shocked when you see the truth.
Vitamin D Video
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration. This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.
Click here to subscribe to the HealthBlogger free e-mail newsletter.
Search cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger for health related issues...
Helping HealthBlogger & cwiechert.com grow and prosper…
Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
President
cwiechert.com
HealthBlogger
Orthomolecular Formulations
MySpace
MBI Nutraceuticals
E-Mail
OFFICE: 541-728-5675
Orthomolecular Formulations
Feel the difference a superior quality multi vitamin & mineral product can make in your life. Made fresh to order in capsules and shipped free.
Formulated specifically by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C. to be the state of the art in the industry.
SCALE DOWN MULTI
WOMEN'S BASIC +
MEN'S BASIC +
O M COMPLETE
GLUCO VIT-MIN
50+ PHYTOMINS
" The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein
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