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Vitamin D is a Key Player in Your Overall Health

sunlight, sun, vitamin DVitamin D, once linked to only bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis, is now recognized as a major player in overall human health.

In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Anthony Norman, an international expert on vitamin D, identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity.

Access to adequate amounts of vitamin D is also believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer.

Norman also lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to vitamin D, including bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and uterine tissues.

According to Norman, deficiency of vitamin D can impact all 36 organs. Already, vitamin D deficiency is associated with muscle strength decrease, high risk for falls, and increased risk for colorectal, prostate and breast and other major cancers.

An unrelated study also suggests that low vitamin D is associated with Parkinson’s disease. The majority (55 percent) of Parkinson's disease patients in the study had insufficient levels of vitamin D.

Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled its recommendation for a daily dose of vitamin D in children, in the hopes of preventing rickets and promoting other health benefits.

The new guidelines now call for children to receive 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day, beginning in the first few days of life.

“ … Evidence has shown this could have life-long health benefits," said Dr. Frank Greer of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sources:

Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It’s a tragedy that dermatologists and sunscreen manufacturers have done such a thorough job of scaring people out of the sun. Their widely dispersed message to avoid the sun as much as possible, combined with an overall cultural trend of spending more time indoors during work and leisure time, has greatly contributed to the widespread vitamin D deficiency that’s seen today.

There are only 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 of them. That is one of the primary reasons it influences so many diseases (as seen in the table below).

 Cancer  Hypertension  Heart disease
 Autism  Obesity  Rheumatoid arthritis
 Diabetes 1 and 2
 Multiple Sclerosis
 Crohn"s disease
 Flu  Colds  Tuberculosis
 Septicemia  Aging  Psoriasis
 Eczema  Insomnia  Hearing loss
 Muscle pain
 Cavities  Periodontal disease
 Athletic performance
 Macular degeneration
 Myopia
 Pre eclampsia
 Seizures  Fertility
 Asthma  Cystic fibrosis
 Migraines
 Depression  Alzheimer"s disease
 Schizophrenia

Vitamin D really isn’t a vitamin at all but a potent neuroregulatory steroidal hormone. It has become very clear that vitamin D deficiency is a growing epidemic across the world and is contributing to many chronic debilitating diseases.

In the United States, the late winter average vitamin D is only about 15-18 ng/ml, which is considered a very serious deficiency state. Meanwhile, it’s thought that over 95 percent of U.S. senior citizens may be deficient, along with 85 percent of the American public.

Further:

Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic in adults of all ages who have increased skin pigmentation, such as those whose ancestors are from Africa, the Middle East, or India, who always wear sun protection, or who limit their outdoor activities.

• African Americans and other dark-skinned people and those living in northern latitudes make significantly less vitamin D than other groups.

60 percent of people with type 2 diabetes have vitamin D deficiency.

• Studies showed very low levels of vitamin D among children, the elderly, and women.

• One U.S. study of women revealed that almost half of African American women of childbearing age might be vitamin-D deficient.

Vitamin D and Cancer

Given that cancer, heart disease and diabetes are three of the top causes of death in the United States, ensuring that you are getting enough of this crucial vitamin should be a top priority.

A study by Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., internationally recognized research scientist and vitamin D expert, found that about 30 percent of cancer deaths -- which amounts to 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States -- could be prevented each year with higher levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D has a protective effect against cancer in several ways, including:

• Increasing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which, if allowed to replicate, could lead to cancer)
• Reducing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells
• Causing cells to become differentiated (cancer cells often lack differentiation)
• Reducing the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerous

Beyond cancer, the researchers pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 could prevent diseases that claim nearly 1 million lives throughout the world each year! And other studies showed that you can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with sun exposure.

Worried About Getting the Flu? Optimize Your Vitamin D

As we enter into flu season in the United States, you should know that your vitamin D levels play a direct role in your risk of getting the flu.

Vitamin D levels in your blood fall to their lowest point during flu seasons. If you have low vitamin D, you will not be protected by your body’s own antibiotics (antimicrobial peptides), which are released by vitamin D. This means that a person with a low vitamin D level is more vulnerable to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.

Unfortunately, conventional medicine’s answer to preventing the flu is the flu shot. What they don’t tell you is that flu shots don’t work.

A recent study published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu appeared to have no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons. And no studies have conclusively proven that flu shots prevent flu-related deaths among the elderly, yet this is one of the key groups to which they’re pushed.

Aside from not working, flu shots contain dangerous additives, like mercury-containing thimerosal, formaldehyde, aluminum, phenol and detergents. The idea that nearly every man, woman and child in the United States should voluntarily line up to be injected with this concoction, as the CDC strongly recommends, is illogical, pointless and dangerous.

What can you do instead to safely prevent, and even treat, the flu?

As I reviewed in this video last month, getting enough vitamin D will nearly eliminate your risk of getting the flu.

But don’t listen to the RDAs spouted by the public health agencies. They are not nearly enough to keep you healthy. In order to prevent the flu, children need 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D, while adults need 5,000 IU to 10,000 IU.

So even though the American Academy of Pediatrics just announced that they’re doubling the RDA of vitamin D for children to 400 IU, their new guidance still falls absurdly short of what’s needed to keep kids healthy.

If you do come down with a case of the flu this year, vitamin D can also help to eliminate the illness. The dose of vitamin D is 2,000 IU per kilogram of body weight, taken as one dose, every day for three days. If you start this program early on in the illness, it should be able to completely wipe out the flu.

The Best Source of Vitamin D, and What Level You Need to Stay Healthy

Exposing your skin to sunlight is the best way to get vitamin D.

Sun exposure (without sunscreen) of about 10 to 15 minutes a day, with at least 40 percent of your skin exposed, is a general guide of how much you need, although people with dark skin will need to stay out significantly longer. Please read this past article for a list of safe tanning guidelines.

If you’re able to get out in the sun for an adequate time period each day, your vitamin D levels should be naturally optimized.

However  most of us struggle with seasonal vitamin D winters in which we  may not be able to get enough sun exposure during certain parts of the year. In that case, I also advise using a safe tanning bed (one that has the harmful emissions shielded) to have your own body produce vitamin D naturally.

A third option is taking a high-quality vitamin D supplement. The most important thing to keep in mind if you opt for oral supplementation is that you only want to supplement with natural vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which is human vitamin D. Do NOT use the synthetic and highly inferior vitamin D2.

How do you know if you’re getting the right amount of vitamin D?

You need to have your blood levels tested, but not just any test -- or any lab -- will do.

I’ve discussed exactly what you need to know to get the right vitamin D test, with accurate results, here. The  OPTIMAL level of vitamin D you’re looking for is 50-65 ng/ml.

Though it may seem like a hassle to go out and get a blood test done, then continue to have your vitamin D monitored as you increase your sun exposure or supplementation, I can confidently say that it is one of the most important things you can do for your health.


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Comment on This Article Community Comments (60)
 
 
Posted On Oct 14, 2008
I was just reading an article in an old publication (February 2008 issue of Woman's World) and it was talking about Vitamin D as being the 'weight-loss vitamin'. James Dowd, M.D. from the University of Michigan discovered that 85% of his overweight patients had a vitamin D deficiency. It says when he began 'pumping them full of the stuff' the results were stunning. He is the author of a book called The Vitamin D Cure and he himself lost an effortless 10 pounds and watched his patients melt up to 40 pounds upon receiving more D.

He recommends:

1. Taking a D supplement, at least 2000-3000 IU of D3, a more potent form of the nutrient.
2. Catching about 15 minutes of sunscreen-free rays at least 3 times a week.
3. Eating smart, following his menus in his book.
4. A Vitamin D workout, at least 45 minutes of aerobic exercise along with some stretches.

The article also states other benefits of D are associated with:

Reduced risk of certain cancers, Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease
Reduced risk of osteoporosis
Naturally lower blood pressure
Fewer headaches
Less muscle, bone and joint pain

Great info!

 
WellnessMom
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 6/2006
WellnessMom  
Replied

KelleyEidem
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 11/2007
KelleyEidem  
 
Posted On Nov 01, 2008

"D" for weight loss...how cool is that! It's pretty amazing how many positive effects it can have.

Vitamin D is a powerful catabolic substance. There are some conditions which are due to being too catabolic, however, according to Emanuel Revici, M.D.

Very few physicians and lay people are aware of this. Not knowing can kill you...even while you think you're doing yourself good.

Dr. Emanuel Revici discovered that some diseases occur when there is an anabolic imbalance and other diseases occur when there is a catabolic imbalance. Lupus has a catabolic imbalance. Vitamin D is a catabolic vitamin.

So high doses of a catabolic supplement is going to worsen the condition.

Some cancer patients are too catabolic, while ALL of the rest are too anabolic. You need to know which one you are or the "healthy" supplements you're taking can help to hasten your demise.

The method I used 10 years ago to cure my own Stage 4 cancer took the anabolic/catabolic factor into account. That's why I was able to cure myself in two weeks with great confidence that it would work!

The vitamin "D" in the cod liver oil I used surely played a positive role in my recovery.

Here is how I did it: itsnotjustforsex.blogspot.com/.../she-said-my-knife-piercing-pain-is.html

The best to you.

Kelley Eidem

Together we can cure cancer - one person at a time!



Brazil123
Novice User Novice User Joined On 4/2008
Brazil123  
 
Posted On Nov 01, 2008

Response to Wellness Mom

It never ceases to amaze me how crooks use the vitamin or herb currently in fashion to make weight loss claims. Vitamin D is now "all the rage" in a few months there will be a bundh of people claiming that Vit D causes cancer, arthritis blah, blah blah. I have been taking Vit D for 3 years and have never lost a lb from it, have had had less flu, or any other claim. I take it because I live where it rains 300 days out of the year and sun is indeed scarce. I would be cautious of all the the claims about vit. D. Moderation is key.



KelleyEidem
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 11/2007
KelleyEidem  
 
Posted On Nov 01, 2008

My apologies for the fractured link above:

itsnotjustforsex.blogspot.com/.../she-said-my-knife-piercing-pain-is.html

The best to you.

Kelley Eidem

Together we can cure cancer - one person at a time!



Islander
Moderator User Moderator User Joined On 3/2007
Islander  
 
Posted On Nov 02, 2008

Kelley, can you explain "anabolic" and "catabolic" in 2000 characters or less?



Duparc
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 5/2007
Duparc  
 
Posted On Nov 03, 2008

Islander, how about two alternative words: anabolic = growing; catabolic = dying!



Islander
Moderator User Moderator User Joined On 3/2007
Islander  
 
Posted On Nov 03, 2008

Thanx, Duparc,  that's a start!



Nanoatzin
Novice User Novice User Joined On 2/2009
Nanoatzin  
 
Posted On Feb 10, 2009

I remember reading the same thing but found out vitamin D supplements are not always a good idea.

If you are in good health then supplements are good. People with some kinds of diseases may need to avoid vitamin D.

As an example, sarcoidosis (an autoimmune disease) can cause hypercalcemia so vitamin D needs to be avoided.


 
 
 
Posted On Nov 01, 2008

bobinpanama, I went to another MD a few years back. He stated all this leaky gut stuff (which I do believe in). But when he came down with his meal replacement stuff to detox my system along with all these supplements an such I had to take to a tune of $600.00 per month that who really knew how long I had to take (purchase) THAT rose a HUGE red flag. One can heal with organic foods, pure water and stay away from processed foods. No one needs $600.00 worth of processed stuff to get well! If one consumes healthy, their body should not need all that other stuff.


 
schnauzermom
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 8/2007
schnauzermom  
 
 
 
Posted On Oct 13, 2008
Mmmm......what a pity it couldn't be summer all the year!!!

 
Aaltrude
Moderator User Moderator User, Joined On 4/2007
Aaltrude  
Replied

WellnessMom
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 6/2006
WellnessMom  
 
Posted On Oct 14, 2008
Yes, Aaltrude, that would be great, although a whole year of hot, 95+ weather would kill our air conditioner and our bank account. I live in California where there's alot of sunshine, but the colder, darker winter months still doesn't sit so well with me. I guess that means I'm going to be breaking out the D supplements : ). It may even help to get some of those extra pounds off I can't seem to budge...lol (see my post below).

 
 
 
Posted On Nov 01, 2008

The activity of "vitamin" D in your body is key to your health...check out bacteriality dot com if you have an inflammatory condition to learn more about the role of this "vitamin".


 
Dee D.
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 2/2007
Dee D.  
 
 
 
Posted On Nov 01, 2008

Getting proper amounts of vitamin/enzyme D is important for a great many disorders.  The "Carpet Baggers" would have us believe that sunshine is somehow dangerous, thus the creation of the truly dangerous sunblockers.  At the same time a healthy populous is not in the best interests of the "New World Order," who have population control by any means as one of their major goals.  Thus the demeaning of simple sunshine.

Again, and again, we must press our family, and friends to read, research, and take no one's word as truth.  Ask questions, and more questions.  Our health and well being cannot be left to others, and our knowledge of how our most precious pocession, our bodies, function, should be very, very important to us.  We as consumers should know almost as much as the health providers.

We should know what dictates a balanced meal, we should not be in the dark about this most basic of health providing activities.  We should also know the benefits of exercise, water, and proper rest, these are the basics, yet too many ignore these challenges if you may.

Same with sunshine, every human being should know it's benefits, and when the sun is unavailable, we should also know our options.  If anyone has house pet watch these animals, and how they gravitate toward  the sunshine that comes into the home.

As for diseases it is yet unknown just how many respond positively to sun exposure.  I have a brother who only listens to his doctors, and he has kidney failure but refuses to listen about the benefits of sunshine because of the so called medication he is consuming, because it will have a negative reaction to sun exposure.  Sound as if they (doctors) are anti healing.  The short of it he refuses to listen otherwise.  

At the same time I have a friend whose grandfather has Alzheimer's Disease, and I also read that Alzheimer's disease drastically slows with proper sun exposure.

Now I have a question, is Alzheimer's disease being used to cover Mad Cow?  


 
curious7
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 3/2007
curious7  
 
 
 
 
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