Prominent Physician Advises Against Flu Shots

Prominent Physician Advises Against Flu Shots
Posted by Dr. Mercola | December 09 2008

Dr. Donald Miller, a cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington, recommends avoiding the flu shot and taking vitamin D instead. According to Dr. Miller, “Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot.”
Health officials say that every winter 36,000 people will die from it. But the National Vital Statistics Reports compiled by the CDC show that only 1,138 deaths a year occur due to influenza alone — more than 34,000 of the “36,000? flu deaths are actually pneumonic and cardiovascular deaths.
There is also a lack of evidence that young children benefit from flu shots. In fact, a systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo. But there is also a risk of harm from the flu vaccine itself, particularly from the mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde it contains.

Vitamin D Dose Recommendations
AgeDosage
Below 535 units per pound per day
Age 5 – 102500 units
Age 18 – 305000 units
Pregnant Women5000 units
WARNING:
There is no way to know if the above recommendations are correct. The ONLY way to know is to test your blood. You might need 4-5 times the amount recommended above. Ideally your blood level of 25 OH D should be 60ng/ml.

Sources:
Eco Child’s Play November 18, 2008

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Dr. Donald Miller, author of the very popular User Friendly Vaccination Schedule, offers superb advice when he says to “avoid the flu shot and take vitamin D instead.”

Getting appropriate amounts of sunshine (or taking a vitamin D supplement when you can’t get healthy amounts of sun exposure) is one of my KEY preventive strategies against the cold and flu, as it has such a strengthening effect on your immune system.

Less than optimal vitamin D levels will significantly impair your immune response and make you far more susceptible to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.

Dr. John Cannell and colleagues hypothesized that influenza is merely a symptom of vitamin D deficiency about two years ago, and their theory was further proven last month in the Virology Journal. In it researchers suggested that influenza epidemics are a result of a dormant disease, which become active in response to vitamin D deficiency.

This makes perfect sense, considering that “flu season” in the United States occurs right when it is hard for most people to get adequate sunlight to produce vitamin D: the winter.

Unfortunately, rather than urging people to get adequate sun exposure or take a high-quality vitamin D supplement (which costs about $22 a year), health officials’ answer to preventing the flu is with a largely ineffective and dangerous shot.

There is a lot of deception and misinformation going around with it comes to the flu and flu shots, and I’d like to set some records straight here.

Very Few Americans Actually Die From the Flu

U.S. public health officials are moving full-speed ahead with their national campaign to promote and publicize the flu shot. They have now designated December 8-14 as “National Influenza Vaccination Week” to “foster greater use of flu vaccine through the months of November, December and beyond.”

Today, December 9, is designated as “Children’s Vaccination Day.” Thursday, December 11 will be “Seniors’ Vaccination Day” and Friday, December 12 will focus on vaccination of health care workers.

If you listen to the hype, it sounds as though every man, woman, and child should hurry out to their nearest pharmacy or health clinic and demand to be vaccinated against this “deadly” health epidemic called the flu.

But please understand that it is just that: HYPE.

The truth is, the flu CAN be deadly … but most of the time it is not.

Health officials like to alarm you by saying that 36,000 people die from the flu every year. This is simply not true. CDC reports show that only 1,138 deaths are caused by the flu each year. The other 34,000-plus are caused by pneumonic and cardiovascular deaths.

But let’s say, for argument’s sake, that you’re thinking of getting the flu shot not so much because you’re worried about dying from the flu, but because you want to save yourself the hassle of being sick for a week or two.

Well, the flu shot probably won’t help you there either.

New Studies Show the Flu Shot Does Not Work

A recent study published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons.

Another large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, also found no evidence the flu vaccine is any more effective for children than a placebo.

Additionally, no studies have conclusively proven that flu shots prevent flu-related deaths among the elderly, even though this is one of the key groups to which they’re pushed.

Even if the flu vaccine did work, you should know that it is simply an educated guessing game as to whether or not this year’s vaccine will protect against the strains in your area. You see, because the flu virus mutates so rapidly, the vaccine must be updated every year to include the new, most common strains. Yet, sometimes scientists are way off.

There have been several examples in past years where government health officials have chosen the incorrect influenza strains for that year’s vaccine. In 2004, the National Vaccine Information Center described how CDC officials told everyone to line up for a flu shot that didn’t even contain the influenza strain causing most of the flu that year.

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states:

“In some years when vaccine and circulating strains were not well-matched, no vaccine effectiveness can be demonstrated in some studies, even in healthy adults. It is not possible in advance of the influenza season to predict how well the vaccine and circulating strains will be matched, and how that match may affect the degree of vaccine effectiveness.”

So let’s sum things up. When you get the flu shot, it may or may not protect you against the flu. Further, recent studies suggest the shot is largely ineffective for two of the key populations to which it’s pushed: children and the elderly.

What you CAN be sure of when you get the flu shot is that you’ll be injected with a laundry list of hazardous ingredients, which are included as additives to the vaccines.

Flu Shot Additives are Well-Known Toxins

Two-thirds of the vaccines made for the 2008–09 flu season contain full-dose thimerosal, which is 49% mercury by weight, according to Dr. Miller. Mercury is a neurotoxin, with a toxicity level 1,000 times that of lead.

Still, each flu shot contains 25 micrograms of mercury, which amounts to a mercury content of 50,000 part per billion — 250 times more than the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety limit.

And that’s not all. Dr. Miller points out the other substances in flu shots, all of which are known to be harmful to health, especially for children:

• Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent is used to inactivate the virus.
• Aluminum, added to promote an antibody response, is a neurotoxin that may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease.
• Triton X-100 (a detergent)
• Polysorbate 80

• Carbolic acid
• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
• Gelatin
• Various antibiotics such as neomycin, streptomycin, and gentamicin that can cause allergic reactions

Why expose yourself or your child to these toxins to take a flu shot that likely doesn’t even work? Especially when there is such a better option …

The Natural Way to Prevent, and Treat, The Flu

As I said above, one of the absolute best ways to prevent the flu is simply optimizing your vitamin D levels. There are numerous studies supporting the positive effects of vitamin D in reducing common respiratory infections.

At least five studies show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and 25(OH)D levels. That is, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, andother respiratory tract infections:
1. A 2007 study suggests higher vitamin D status enhances your immunity to microbial infections. They found that subjects with vitamin D deficiency had significantly more days of absence from work due to respiratory infection than did control subjects.2. A 2009 study on vitamin D deficiency in newborns with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) confirmed a strong, positive correlation between newborns’ and mother’s vitamin D levels. Over 87 percent of all newborns and over 67 percent of all mothers had vitamin D levels lower than 20 ng/ml, which is a severe deficiency state.

Newborns with vitamin D deficiency appear to have an increased risk of developing ALRI, and since the child’s vitamin D level strongly correlates withits mother’s, the researchers recommend that all mothers’ optimize their vitamin D levels during pregnancy, especially in the winter months, to safeguard their baby’s health.
3. A similar Indian study published in 2004 also reported that vitamin D deficiency in infants significantly raised their odds ratio for having severe ALRI.
4. A 2009 analysis of the Third National Health andNutrition Examination Survey examined the association between vitamin D levels and recent upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in nearly 19,000 subjects over the age of 12.

Recent URTI was reported by:
·17 percent of participants with vitamin D levels of 30ng/ml or higher
·20 percent of participants with vitamin D levels between 10-30 ng/ml.
·24 percent of participants with vitamin D levels below 10ng/ml
The positive correlation between lower vitamin D levels and increased risk of URTI was even stronger inindividuals with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
5. Another 2009 report in the journal Pediatric Research stated that infants and children appear more susceptible to viral rather than bacterial infections when deficient in vitamin D. And that, based on the available evidence showing a strong connection between vitamin D, infections,and immune function in children, vitamin D supplementation may be a valuable therapy in pediatric medicine.
Ideally you would optimize your vitamin D level by getting out in the sun, but for most of you reading this it is “vitamin D winter,” which means there simply isn’t enough sunshine to make significant amounts of vitamin D, so you will need to use a safe tanning bed or take oral supplements.

Although supplements are clearly inferior to sunlight or safe tanning beds, I am becoming more convinced of the value of vitamin D supplements as they are less potentially toxic than my initial impression, and they are certainly more convenient and less expensive than a tanning bed.

In order to prevent the flu, children need 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D, while adults need anywhere between 4,000 to 5,000 IU per day. The key is to make sure you monitor your vitamin D levels by blood testing, to make sure your levels are therapeutic and not toxic.

For more information about safe sun exposure and tanning, vitamin D testing, and the recommended forms of supplementation when sufficient sunlight is not available, please see my article Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency, which includes recent, and vital, updates.

It will be very rare for you to come down with the flu if you’re taking the vitamin D doses I recommended above, but if you do happen to get the flu, you can use vitamin D to treat it as well.

The therapeutic dose of vitamin D is 2,000 units per kilogram of body weight (one pound is 0.45 kg). The dose would be taken once a day for three days. (This could be a very large dose if you are very heavy — as high as 200,000-300,000 units per day).

This is the dose that Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council and the speaker in the video above, has been using very successfully for a number of years.

If you start this program early on in the illness, it should be able to completely wipe out the flu in short order.

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Low Vitamin D Levels Raises Blood Pressure

Low Vitamin D Levels Raises Blood Pressure

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Vitamin D deficiency may triple a person’s risk of high blood pressure, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago.

“Our results indicate that early vitamin D deficiency may increase the long-term risk of high blood pressure in women at mid-life,” researcher Flojaune Griffin said.

The researchers recruited 559 white women from Tecumseh, Michigan, who were between 24 and 44 years old when the study began in 1992. The participants’ vitamin D blood levels were measured at the beginning of the study and once a year after that for 15 years.

At the beginning of the study, 5.5 percent of the women who were deficient in vitamin D suffered from high blood pressure, compared with only 2.8 percent of the women who had sufficient levels of the vitamin. At the end of the study in 2007, 10 percent of the women in the deficiency group had high blood pressure, compared with only 3.7 percent in the “sufficient” group.

“This is preliminary data so we can’t say with certainty that low vitamin D levels are directly linked to high blood pressure,” Griffin said. “But this may be another example of how what you do early in life impacts your health years later.”

Vitamin D is known to play a crucial role in producing strong bones and teeth. New research increasingly suggests that it also helps regulate the immune system and protect against cancer, autoimmune disorders and heart disease.

The body naturally produces vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight. A number of factors have led to widespread deficiency, however, especially at latitudes far from the equator. These factors include less time spent outside and overuse of sunscreen. Dark-skinned people living at extreme latitudes are also especially vulnerable, as their bodies produce less vitamin D from the same amount of sun than those of lighter-skinned people.

Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com; http://www.medicinenet.com.

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Vitamin D prevents heart disease

Vitamin D prevents heart disease

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) The fact that vitamin D prevents cancer is now so well known that even some conventional physicians are beginning to recommend it. Vitamin D prevents 77% of all cancers, after all. That’s as close to a “cure” for cancer as you’ll ever get (and it’s free, too, since you can make it yourself!).

But did you also know that vitamin D prevents heart disease? In fact, most people suffering from heart disease are chronically deficient in vitamin D. By correcting their vitamin D levels (through sunlight exposure or by taking vitamin D3 supplements), people can simultaneously halt cancer and prevent heart disease, too.

Here’s a collection of research revealing the amazing power of this “miracle” vitamin to eliminate heart disease. I’d like to add, though, that the previously recommended daily intake of 400 IUs of vitamin D is now considered hazardously low. Most nutritionally-aware doctors and naturopaths are now recommending anywhere from 1,000 – 4000 IUs per day of vitamin D supplementation. Of course, you don’t need any vitamin D supplements if you get sufficient sunlight on your skin on a regular basis.

Vitamin D prevents heart disease
Diabetes, both type-1 and type-2, are profoundly linked to low vitamin D levels. Obesity, heart disease, hypertension and stroke are inversely related to sunlight exposure and vitamin D levels. Psoriasis, eczema, and periodontal disease are lessened by sunlight exposure and high serum vitamin D. Fertility is positively influenced by sunlight exposure and high vitamin D levels. Sunlight enhances immune system function by producing vitamin D. Dozens of disorders other than those mentioned in this summary are related to vitamin D deficiency.
- Solar Power For Optimal Health by Marc Sorenson

Vitamin D supplements are likely to be useful in preventing diabetes in areas where vitamin D deficiency is common. In a 1997 study looking at the links between environmental factors and Type II diabetes, vitamin D levels were assessed in 142 Dutch men aged from 70 to 88 years of age. Thirty-nine per cent were found to have low vitamin D levels and tests showed that low vitamin D levels increased the risk of glucose intolerance. Heart disease: Low vitamin D levels may also increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
- The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs by Nicola Reavley

People should remember the total daily intake of vitamin D includes vitamin D from fortified milk and other fortified foods, cod liver oil, supplements that contain vitamin D, and sunlight. People who receive adequate sunlight exposure do not need as much vitamin D in their diet as do people who receive minimal sunlight exposure. Vitamin D increases both calcium and phosphorus absorption and has also been reported to increase absorption of aluminum. Increased blood levels of calcium (which may be a marker for vitamin D status) have been linked to heart disease.
- The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions by Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D.

Osteoporosis is closely correlated to heart disease. Vitamin D deficiency could certainly be a factor in both, because there is a strong inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and artery calcification; the more D in the blood, the less the calcification. Artery cells have vitamin D receptors (VDR), which when stimulated by vitamin D, inhibit the incursion of calcium.
- Solar Power For Optimal Health by Marc Sorenson

“I think vitamin D is an important ingredient in the longevity recipe,” he said enthusiastically, as if just struck by an epiphany. “Your skin manufactures vitamin D when it comes into contact with the sun. Without that vitamin D, we increase our risk for nearly all age-related diseases including many types of cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and even autoimmune diseases like MS (multiple sclerosis).” Insufficient vitamin D markedly accelerates heart disease in kidney patients.
- The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner

Based on the evidence from these studies, there is no reason to take vitamin D or calcium, ever. You can get all the vitamin D you need by taking a walk in the sunshine, especially in winter, since sunlight stimulates natural formation of vitamin D. However, if you want to take vitamin D there is no risk.
- Before You Take that Pill: Why the Drug Industry May Be Bad for Your Health by J. Douglas Bremner

To ensure adequate supplies of vitamin D, get at least twenty minutes of sun exposure on the face and hands each day. If that is not possible, take 400 to at most 1,000 milligrams of vitamin D supplements daily. Do not take more than 1,000 milligrams of vitamin D daily or take the supplement for more than six months; excessive use of vitamin D is associated with atherosclerosis and heart disease. Vitamin D is needed for calcium to enter bones, and a deficiency of this vitamin is a major risk factor for both osteoporosis and bone fracture.
- Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

In addition, people who receive adequate sunlight exposure do not need as much vitamin D in their diet as do people who receive minimal sunlight exposure. Vitamin D increases both calcium and phosphorus absorption. Vitamin D has also been reported to increase absorption of aluminum. Increased blood levels of calcium (which can be a marker for vitamin D status) have been linked to heart disease. Some, but not all/ research suggests that vitamin D may slightly raise blood levels of cholesterol in humans.
- The Natural Pharmacy: Complete Home Reference to Natural Medicine by Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC

Low vitamin D levels may also increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Research suggests that a low level of vitamin D increases the risk of calcium build-up in atherosclerotic plaques, and that higher levels reduce the risk of build-up. Researchers at UCLA School of Medicine measured the vitamin D levels in the blood of 173 men and women at risk of heart disease and also measured the build-up of calcium in coronary arteries (a common finding in coronary artery disease). The results suggest that calcium may regulate calcium deposition in the arteries as well as in the bone.
- The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs by Nicola Reavley

UVB light is available in Florida essentially year round for the production of vitamin D. This is significant today – even more than historically – because vitamin D and a healthy diet represent a real Fountain of Youth. The most prevalent health problems of old age are arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, and dementia, and all of these respond favorably to normalization of vitamin D levels and diet. The Vitamin D Cure goes beyond the mythical Fountain of Youth for seniors because it’s a Fountain for Youth, too.
- The Vitamin D Cure by James Dowd and Diane Stafford

Vitamin D – reduces heart disease risk in women. It was reported at the 42nd annual conference on Cardiovascular Disease and Epidemiology Prevention that women who take vitamin D supplements lowered their risk of death from heart disease by one-third. The finding was an unexpected dividend extracted from an osteoporosis trial to determine the incidence of bone fracture in nearly 10,000 older women. From the trial participants, 4200 women reported taking vitamin D supplements at the onset of the study; another 733 reported a prior history of supplementation.
- Disease Prevention and Treatment by The Life Extension Editorial Staff

Without enough vitamin D, adults are prone to osteoporosis and children are prone to a disease called rickets that results in improper bone growth and deformity. Vitamin D deficiencies have also been shown to play a role in the development of dozens of diseases – everything from many different cancers to diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, psoriasis, and mental illness. Once the link between vitamin D and rickets was established early in the twentieth century, American milk was fortified with vitamin D, all but eliminating the disease in America.
- Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease by Dr. Sharon Moalem

Another study assessed vitamin D levels in colorectal cancer patients and compared them to the risk of patient death over eleven years. Those with the highest levels of vitamin D had a 48% reduced risk of dying compared to those with the lowest levels. A similar scientific investigation showed that among those with heart disease, death from any cause over seven years was doubled among those whose vitamin D levels were lowest compared to those whose levels were highest. Another investigation showed that vitamin D reduces a major predictor of aging.
- Solar Power For Optimal Health by Marc Sorenson

Low calcium and vitamin D intake has been linked to stroke. Researchers compared the diets of thirty-five women who have had strokes accompanied by no history of high blood pressure or heart disease, with the diets of women who have never had strokes. Results indicate that the healthy women’s diets contained 38 percent more vitamin D and 17 percent more calcium than those of the stroke victims.
- Earl Mindell’s Secret Remedies by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.

It also is important to make sure vitamin D intake is adequate. Those not getting sufficient sunshine to meet their vitamin D needs should take a supplement. Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic in America, and it contributes not only to the development of osteoporosis but to increased cancer and heart disease as well. The diet and supplementation plan recommended in this book is designed to assure nutritional completeness and to help you achieve your maximal health potential. It is rich in calcium and iron from green vegetables, contains adequate protein, and is extremely nutrient dense.
- Cholesterol Protection for Life, New Expanded Edition by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

If you are over 50 years of age, a 400 IU of vitamin D is recommended daily, especially if it is not included in your daily supplement and you do not spend much time outdoors. If you are over 60 years of age, make sure your supplement contains 25 mcg of vitamin B12 – if not, consider taking a supplement. If you are 70 years of age or older, take 600 IU of vitamin D daily. CAUTION: If you currently have or are at risk for heart disease, or if you are a male, make sure that your multivitamin does not contain iron.
- Active Wellness – A Personalized 10 Step Program for a Healthy Body, Mind & Spirit by Gayle Reichler, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.

Because of the lack of sunlight, you don’t have enough active vitamin D, so your body pumps up your cholesterol in the hope of converting as much as possible to active vitamin D. This serves as another example of an evolutionary trade-off between procreation and longevity. To protect us from deficiencies of vitamin D, we’ve evolved to have higher levels of cholesterol. So now we survive to mate and to be able to stand up strong and look good, only to be felled by high LDL cholesterol and consequent heart disease and stroke.
- You: Staying Young: The Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty by Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.

Poor vitamin D status has been linked to increased risk of breast, prostate and colon cancers, osteoporosis and other bone disorders, Type 1 diabetes, arthritis, infertility, PMS, chronic fatigue and depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, multiple sclerosis, musculoskeletal pain, and heart disease. Ironically, the few foods that contain vitamin D are mostly items that have fallen out of favor thanks to orthodoxy’s fanatical anti-fat and cholesterol campaign, such as cod liver oil, butter, whole milk, liver and egg yolks.
- The Great Cholesterol Con: Why Everything You’ve been Told About Cholesterol, Diet and Heart Disease is Wrong by Anthony Colpo

In laboratory experiments the biologically active form of vitamin D has been shown to inhibit the growth of malignant melanoma and other cancer cells. Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in a number of cancers and other major diseases. The action of sunlight on the skin is the natural way of producing vitamin D. So it is entirely plausible that the number of people who die each year of cancer of the breast, colon and prostate together with those who die from coronary heart disease, stroke and broken hips could be reduced by the adoption of regular, moderate sunbathing.
- The Healing Sun: Sunlight and Health in the 21st Century by Richard Hobday PhD

Sunlight and fortified dairy products are the main sources of vitamin D for most people. If you don’t get out in the sun much or eat dairy products, you might need supplements. Since vitamin D is the most toxic of all vitamins, don’t overdo it. Taking too much can cause headache, nausea, diarrhea, kidney damage, and heart disease.
- Natural Cures and Gentle Medicines: That Work Better Than Dangerous Drugs or Risky Surgery by Frank K. Wood

Men who are deficient in vitamin D were found to have more than double the normal risk of suffering a heart attack or dying even after all other possible risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and high levels of blood fat were excluded. Populations in northern countries (with less intense sunlight and lower levels of vitamin D) have higher numbers of heart disease than sun-filled southern countries. In additon, more heart attacks occur in the winter months, when sunlight is scarce.
- Cancer Is Not A Disease – It’s A Survival Mechanism by Andreas Moritz

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IGNORED for 35 Years –Vitamin D

“IGNORED for 35 Years –
Now Known to be Crucial to Your Health*”

From http://www.mercola.com

Considered unimportant and even evil for decades… and suddenly scientists worldwide are talking about its incredible benefit to every part of your body. In fact, if you could only take one supplement, this MUST be it…

You’ve heard me rant about how important vitamin D is for many years now.

After thirty years of being vilified by the medical establishment and the press, vitamin D is gaining new popularity — and even becoming a hero — as a nutrient that supports your overall health.*

Recent discoveries suggest it has significantly more far-reaching effects than just your bone health*, contrary to popular belief.

In fact, vitamin D is known to support your body’s health systems in a variety of ways…* So much so that it’s not a stretch to suggest your body literally cries out for vitamin D in many ways.

And now, with winter bearing down on the Northern Hemisphere with sleet, biting rain, and snow, you may not enjoy even the remote hope of getting vitamin D from natural sunlight… unless you live on the southern tip of Florida, in Hawaii, in Mexico,or the southern hemisphere.

So it’s critical to your well-being to consider your other options.

More on that in a moment…

But first, allow me to explain just what an astounding impact vitamin D has on your entire health…

“Let Me Count the Ways…”
Research suggests that up to 85% of people could be deficient in vitamin D without knowing it… leaving them with less-than-optimal health. In fact, some scientists call for urgent action.

Why?

Because current scientific research suggests that all cells and tissues in your body have vitamin D receptors — and further concludes that every cell and tissue needs vitamin D for its well-being.*

Not only that, but vitamin D is responsible for the regulation of over 2,000 genes in your body!*

Vitamin D engages in very complex metabolic processes within your body.* Scientists believe that vitamin D serves a wide range of fundamental biological functions relating to many aspects of your health.*

Your skin naturally produces your body’s supply of vitamin D from direct exposure to bright midday sun with a mere ten or fifteen minutes’ exposure per day.

But for decades, you’ve been the target of a misinformation campaign from the media and conventional medicine that created a fear of sunshine. Therefore, most people either intentionally or unintentionally avoid the sun — or smear on sunscreen that blocks the beneficial wavelengths that produce vitamin D in your skin.

Vitamin D is VITAL for You — and for Your Family’s Health, Too*
Having too little vitamin D may not have any outwardly obvious signs. Yet vitamin D (specifically the vitamin D3 form) impacts an incredible array of support for systems and functions in your body…

Heart health*
Cell formation and cell longevity*
Skin health*
Pancreatic health*
Aging process*
Sleep patterns*
Hearing*
Reproductive health*
Athletic performance*
Eye health*
Vascular system health*
Respiratory health*
Immune health*… Most people feel in better health during the summer sunshine months — ever wonder why?
Healthy mood and feelings of well-being*
Weight management, including carbohydrate and fat metabolism*
Hair and hair follicles*
Strong and healthy bones, because vitamin D encourages calcium uptake*
Muscles*
Proper digestion and food absorption*
Since healthy levels of vitamin D protect and promote so many of your body’s functions, a deficiency may mean your body lacks the tools it needs to keep you in optimal health*…

Making sufficient vitamin D a very important issue for you to address!

Because naturally, you want to be at your peak so you feel great, and accomplish so much each and every day.*

Your Only Realistic Ways to Acquire Vitamin D
Realistically, you have just three ways to obtain the vitamin D your body needs.

I’ve long been an advocate that the absolute best way to get vitamin D is through direct sunlight on your skin. It’s the most natural way to acquire your D, and your body self-regulates the amount you receive.

But what if you live in northerly climates where direct sunlight is unavailable for months at a time, as it is in most of the continental U.S.? Short of moving to Hawaii, you still have two alternatives.

One alternative is to regularly use a tanning bed that utilizes UV-B rays such as the revolutionary tanning beds sold elsewhere on this website. Whatever tanning bed you use, please be very sure it includes UV-B rays, so you get the exact rays that provide you optimal health benefits.

Your third alternative is internal supplementation with vitamin D3 — with a caveat.

Please — if you supplement with vitamin D3, have your vitamin D levels tested routinely to ensure you do not overdose with it. You and your physician need to be aware of your vitamin D levels so you can adjust your supplementation accordingly. This is a customized approach — not a one-size-fits-all.

Having said that, studies suggest that most people are deficient in vitamin D — not overdosing with it.

How Can You Be Sure You’re Getting Enough Vitamin D?
Just who is likely to most need vitamin D supplementation? I include some general guidelines here — though as just stated, I strongly believe you should be testing your levels to know for sure whether you personally need to supplement.

Some population groups are more likely to have lower-than-optimal vitamin D levels than others. But remember that 85% are estimated to be deficient. Are you one of the 85% — or in one of these groups that may suggest deficiencies?

People with limited sunlight exposure. During the long grey winter months in northern latitudes, you may need to supplement your vitamin D3 unless you have access to a safe tanning bed.

However, even during summer many of us are modern day ‘cavemen’. Most people get very little sun exposure during the summer. Your reasons might include working an indoor job during all the peak sunlight hours, avoiding the heat of the day, or cultural dress codes.

Even on the weekend, if it’s rainy, you may miss sun exposure. If that’s your situation, you probably don’t receive the vitamin D you need.

And did you know that your car, home, and office windows block most of the sun’s wavelengths that your skin needs to produce vitamin D? So don’t count on getting it indoors — or in your car.

Further, if you live in an industrial area with high-sulfur content air pollution (acid haze) blocking the sun’s rays, your levels are likely low.

Your bare skin needs at least 10-15 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight every day to produce the vitamin D you need. Just as with windows, jackets and long pants also block the sun’s valuable wavelengths.

Overweight people. Individuals who are overweight often have considerably higher needs for vitamin D because vitamin D is oil soluble and hidden in their fat.

Pregnant women. New evidence suggests that vitamin D levels during pregnancy may be critically important for you and your baby.

The elderly. As you age, your skin loses the ability to generate vitamin D. Plus, the elderly tend to spend more time indoors.

Dark-skinned people. Darker-skinned people have higher melanin levels, which blocks UVB radiation and limits the body’s ability to produce vitamin D3.

What’s more, vitamin D is very rare in foods, and is only available in very limited quantities in eggs, liver and fatty fish.

So if you’re in one of these groups above, or you spend your winters above 30 degrees latitude, or otherwise determine that you need vitamin D3 supplementation, I have great news for you…

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Superfood Profile: Discover the Many Health Benefits of Cod Liver Oil

NaturalNews.com printable article
Originally published November 9 2009

Superfood Profile: Discover the Many Health Benefits of Cod Liver Oil

by Elizabeth Walling, citizen journalist

(NaturalNews) Certain superfoods – like cod liver oil – are so powerful they were recognized for their incredible healing abilities throughout many traditional societies around the world. This ancient wisdom was passed down to preserve the health and longevity of each new generation. Yet in recent decades we have managed to squander this wisdom, replacing traditional health foods like cod liver oil with synthetic supplements that can’t come close to providing the healing power of a true superfood.

Cod liver oil is a unique package of important nutrients which work together to prevent and even cure numerous modern diseases and conditions:

Vitamin D. It’s hard to ignore the striking evidence that vitamin D is indispensable for good health. Cod liver oil is the richest source of natural vitamin D – a single teaspoon of high-vitamin oil contains nearly 2000 IU.

Vitamin A. Cod liver oil is hand-down the richest natural source of bioavailable vitamin A, with about 10,000 IU per teaspoon of high-vitamin cod liver oil. This nutrient is vital for a healthy immune system and healthy vision, and is especially important for proper development in children. It also aids in protein utilization, testosterone production and prostate health.

For information about vitamin A, see below.

EPA and DHA. Cod liver oil supplies important omega-3 fatty acids EPA, which is anti-inflammatory and necessary for prostaglandin production, and DHA, a nutrient absolutely vital for a healthy brain and nervous system. Cod liver oil is a better source of these important nutrients than regular fish oil.

Specifically, cod liver oil has been used as an alternative health measure to improve general health while preventing and treating numerous modern illnesses:

Heart Disease. For protecting the heart, you can’t beat cod liver oil. It can fight inflammation associated with heart disease, heal the lining of the arteries, reduce the size of atheromas clogging arteries, and improve blood vessel function. Cod liver oil can also lower blood pressure associated with high levels of stress. This makes cod liver oil a must both for preventing heart disease and for healing damage that has already been done.

Diabetes and Insulin Resistance. The high vitamin D in cod liver oil improves insulin function, while low levels of this vitamin are associated with high insulin levels. Getting plenty of natural vitamin D is important for balancing blood sugar. In addition, the vitamin A in cod liver oil aids vision health and injury recovery, which are often weakened by diabetes.

Cancer and Other Diseases. Studies have shown cod liver oil can protect against diseases like cancer and leukemia. It is a powerful component of alternative treatment for many chronic and degenerative conditions.

Children`s Health. From conception through adolescence, cod liver oil can provide developing children with what they need to thrive. Mothers who take cod liver oil during pregnancy and nursing protect their children from disease while providing them with important nutrients and fatty acids. For growing children, cod liver oil is important for healthy bones and teeth, as well as preventing common problems like ADHD.

Healthy Skin and Hair. The vitamins and essential fatty acids in cod liver oil can greatly improve the health of skin and hair. Cod liver oil can even be topically applied to speed wound healing.

Common Questions About Cod Liver Oil

If cod liver oil is so miraculous, why don’t we hear more about it?

The answer to this question is simple: scientific research is no longer focused on the healing power of real food. For the most part, science today focuses on trying to prove the validity of pharmaceutical drugs which can be patented and sold for high profit. There is little interest in inexpensive natural treatments that can’t be patented. When you look into communities which focus on healing through traditional, whole-food methods, you will find cod liver oil receives the attention it deserves.

What about vitamin A toxicity, especially regarding pregnant and nursing mothers?

There are two common misconceptions associated with vitamin A. One is that adequate levels of this vitamin can be obtained through fruits and vegetables, but these sources contain only carotenes which must be converted into retinol in the body. Many factors can interfere with this conversion, including diabetes, thyroid problems, stress, and infancy.

The second confusion results from studies indicating vitamin A is highly toxic. This only pertains to synthetic vitamin A; natural vitamin A consumed through natural foods like cod liver oil can be beneficial even at high doses.

This article contains a wealth of information about vitamin A:

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnu…

The vitamin A and D in cod liver oil are particularly important for pregnant women and developing babies. Vitamin A deficiency has been linked to birth defects. It’s important for mother and baby that plenty of vitamin A is obtained through food. Cod liver oil is ideal because its vitamin A is in a highly usable form compared to the beta-carotene in produce. There have been studies that show that a maximum of 30,000 IU of vitamin A is safe during pregnancy, if the vitamin A is from natural food sources. Plus, the natural vitamin D in cod liver oil also works to prevent vitamin A toxicity.

But doesn’t fish oil contain heavy metal contaminants?

Heavy metals and other contaminants are a common concern when it comes to ocean fish, but cod liver sold in the United States is tested for these kinds of substances. A high-quality cod liver oil from a reputable manufacturer should cause no worries.

Are some cod liver oils better than others?

Absolutely. Like any other superfood, cod liver oil can be refined in a way that depletes it of valuable nutrients. Some manufacturers add inferior synthetic vitamins back in after processing (this information may not be on the label). Other manufacturers carefully preserve the vitamins in cod liver oil. It’s important to find a good supplier of cod liver oil that takes pride in preserving the oil’s natural goodness. Also, fermented cod liver oil is superior because its nutrients are highly bioavailable.

For More Information:

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnu…

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnu…

Fallon, Sally and Enig, Mary. (1999) Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Published by New Trends Publishing.

Miller RK, Hendrickx AG, Mills JL, Hummler H, Wiegand UW. Periconceptional vitamin A use: how much is teratogenic? Reprod.Toxicol. 1998;12:75-88.

Wiegand UW, Hartmann S, Hummler H. Safety of vitamin A: recent results. Int.J Vitam.Nutr Res. 1998;68:411-6.

Knapp HR and others. The Effect of Cod liver oil on the Development of Atherosclerosis in an Animal Model. Proceedings of the AOCS, Ed WEM Lands, AOCS 1987, pp 35-40.

Shu XO and others. A population-based case-control study of childhood leukemia in Shanghai. Cancer 1988 Aug 1;62(3):635-44.

Veierod MG, Laake P, Thelle DS. Dietary fat intake and risk of lung cancer: a prospective study of 51,452 Norwegian men and women. Eur J Cancer Prev 1997 Dec;6(6):540-9.

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