Tis' the Season!

How many times have you been told to stay out of the sun and only go out in the sun when you have sun block applied?  For the past 20 years we have been told to avoid the sun. The well documented result of this trend has been a profound deficiency in Vitamin D. The interesting thing about Vitamin D is that it's actually a neurohormone and not a vitamin.  It is made in the skin from cholesterol but is blocked from being produced by clothes and sun block.

Great studies do prove that a healthy Vitamin D level range of 50-80 ng/ml will decrease all forms of cancer by 30-60%.  There is a large database that supports the incredible cancer protective effects of Vitamin D. As documented by thousands of research articles, there is an improvement in mood, stroke risks, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression and other conditions. The following is a statement taken from the Vitamin Research D:  "Technically not a "vitamin," vitamin D is in a class by itself. Its metabolic product, calcitriol, is actually a secosteroid hormone that targets over 2000 genes (about 10% of the human genome) in the human body. Current research has implicated vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more."

I have many patients tell me that there is no way that they have a low Vitamin D level. Studies show that a person would have to consume 50 glasses of milk to obtain an adequate amount of Vitamin D.  At least 10 tablets of the average multivitamin would need to be taken each day to obtain the normal level.

This is very important information. I would suggest those that have S.A.D take at least 3000 IU per day but you can take up to 5,000 I.U. per day. You should have your blood levels drawn and your dose can be adjusted. This is very essential to good health.

I had a comment from a reader yesterday that I would like to share:  "Thanks for the info.....you might take this one step further and recommend not just supplementation but the quality of the vitamins.  Drug store vitamins are synthetic and do not act in the body the way vitamins do when obtained from natural sources. . .  Supplements are essential now that the quality of our food is so poor but the quality of the supplement is also essential."

Part of my health intervention is finding the right supplements.  Remember, all supplements are NOT created equal.  As a rule, the super inexpensive supplements are NOT bioavailable and will not be absorbed. Research the quality of your supplements. If you have any questions regarding the quality of a supplement, please call my office.  We have done the research.  I will be having an educational seminar in the early part of the year that will discuss the quality of supplements and the need for supplements.  I think it is overwhelming to stand in front of the display racks for thousands of bottles of supplements.  I can make this tremendously easier for you.  Keep an eye on our website. We are updating daily www.AmericaBeThin.com.

To your health,

Dr. Michelle Haendiges