Ask the Alternative Medicine Doctor About Vitamin D
Dear Dr. D: I've been hearing a lot about how Vitamin D is good for me, how much should I take and why can't I just sit in the sun?
ANSWER: The "Sunshine Vitamin" is made by our skin in response to sunlight. D is one of the "fat-soluble" vitamins (along with E, A, K); as vitamins they are required for life. It is actually not a vitamin but a hormone that once inside you, becomes active. It then directs a stunning array of crucial body functions, from immune system activation, cancer prevention and destruction, bone growth, insulin production, nerve and heart renewal-the list grows daily.
Because, and only because, Western society happens to be seriously deficient in D, supplementing with Vitamin D is mandatory for health.
There has been an explosion of research on D over the last ten years, showing it to prevent or reverse most modern health concerns.
1. 50-80% decrease in the risk of most cancer within 5 years of taking the right amount
2. Virtual elimination of osteoporosis (compared to, say Boniva, which will not prevent but often will slow down osteoporosis)
3. 50% decrease in the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure (compared to a 0-13% decrease from cholesterol lowering medications)
4. 78% decrease in the risk of juvenile diabetes
5. 72% decrease in the risk of falls among the elderly (and no broken hips if they do)
6. 50-70% reduction in influenza (compared to 0-20% reduction from the flu shot)
7. 40-60% reduction in the risk of Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and other so-called "autoimmune" diseases.
Until recently, it has been assumed that an adult produced about 20,000 IU of D during 10-20 minutes of full body sun exposure. Current studies are not supporting this and at 47* N, forget about it! If you're reading this and not taking enough Vitamin D, you're seriously deficient. Based on more than 10 years of experience with Vitamin D, I generally recommend 5000-10,000 IU's per day regardless of sun exposure, with blood levels checked periodically. Toxicity from too much Vitamin D is a non-issue. For approximately 13 cents per day, several hundred thousand lives, and $5-10 billion per year could be saved. this might also solve the Medicare fiscal crisis. Not bad for a single vitamin.
This is a health education column and not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. Dr. Ronald D'Agostino is a practicing physician in L'Anse, Michigan. This article was published in the L'Anse Sentinel.
For a review of references go to http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/oct2007_awsi_01.htm
Dear Dr. D: I've been hearing a lot about how Vitamin D is good for me, how much should I take and why can't I just sit in the sun?
ANSWER: The "Sunshine Vitamin" is made by our skin in response to sunlight. D is one of the "fat-soluble" vitamins (along with E, A, K); as vitamins they are required for life. It is actually not a vitamin but a hormone that once inside you, becomes active. It then directs a stunning array of crucial body functions, from immune system activation, cancer prevention and destruction, bone growth, insulin production, nerve and heart renewal-the list grows daily.
Because, and only because, Western society happens to be seriously deficient in D, supplementing with Vitamin D is mandatory for health.
There has been an explosion of research on D over the last ten years, showing it to prevent or reverse most modern health concerns.
1. 50-80% decrease in the risk of most cancer within 5 years of taking the right amount
2. Virtual elimination of osteoporosis (compared to, say Boniva, which will not prevent but often will slow down osteoporosis)
3. 50% decrease in the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure (compared to a 0-13% decrease from cholesterol lowering medications)
4. 78% decrease in the risk of juvenile diabetes
5. 72% decrease in the risk of falls among the elderly (and no broken hips if they do)
6. 50-70% reduction in influenza (compared to 0-20% reduction from the flu shot)
7. 40-60% reduction in the risk of Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and other so-called "autoimmune" diseases.
Until recently, it has been assumed that an adult produced about 20,000 IU of D during 10-20 minutes of full body sun exposure. Current studies are not supporting this and at 47* N, forget about it! If you're reading this and not taking enough Vitamin D, you're seriously deficient. Based on more than 10 years of experience with Vitamin D, I generally recommend 5000-10,000 IU's per day regardless of sun exposure, with blood levels checked periodically. Toxicity from too much Vitamin D is a non-issue. For approximately 13 cents per day, several hundred thousand lives, and $5-10 billion per year could be saved. this might also solve the Medicare fiscal crisis. Not bad for a single vitamin.
This is a health education column and not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. Dr. Ronald D'Agostino is a practicing physician in L'Anse, Michigan. This article was published in the L'Anse Sentinel.
For a review of references go to http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/oct2007_awsi_01.htm