Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

In This Issue:

Challenging Outdated Vitamin D Recommendations to Get THE Best Nutrients for Your Bones, Heart and Brain

By Michael Cutler, M.D.

According to most studies, if you are over the age of 50 and don’t spend adequate time in the sunshine, you may be vitamin D deficient. Plus, as you may know, it can be difficult to get sufficient amounts of vitamin D from enriched foods. And now, more and more doctors just like me are questioning the outdated standards for healthy vitamin D supplementation.

In a new article published in the journal Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology,¹ 16 doctors and professors have challenged the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board’s (FNB) recommendations for the daily allowance of vitamin D.

“The 1997 FNB recommendations offend the most basic principles of pharmacology and toxicology, leading us to conclude that the current official guidelines and limitations for vitamin D intakes are scientifically indefensible,” the article’s authors state.

The medical panel also stated, “children with chronic illness such as autism, diabetes and/or frequent infections [should take adequate] doses to maintain their vitamin D [levels] in the mid-normal of the reference range (65 ng/mL) — and should be so supplemented year around.”

According to the report, less than 1% of American children currently have such levels of vitamin D. The panel recommends healthy children take 1,000 IU/day of vitamin D for every 25 pounds of body weight.

Now, two MORE doctors are promoting the positive health benefits of vitamin D — and warning of the dangers of having a deficiency of this essential nutrient.

John H. Lee, M.D., of Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute and the University of Missouri in Kansas City, said that people with a vitamin D deficiency face an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease. And a whopping 57% of adults suffer from a deficiency in the United States alone!²

In the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Lee and his colleagues said low levels of vitamin D can be linked to:

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Diabetes-related cardiovascular disease
• Blood vessel disease
• High blood pressure
• And more!

To further support these claims, John P. Forman, M.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, studied 1,484 healthy women. Forman and the researchers found that in those patients with the lowest levels of the protein that measures vitamin D in the blood, 66% of them had high blood pressure!³

In order to avoid high blood pressure and other dangerous health risks associated with vitamin D deficiency, I recommend increasing your intake of healthy food sources such as milk, salmon, mackerel, tuna and oatmeal. Plus, try to increase your time spent in the sunshine –about 10 to 15 uninterrupted minutes, two to three times a week.

If you are older, you may no longer be able to efficiently produce adequate levels of vitamin D from sun exposure and food sources alone. But be cautious when taking supplements. Cod liver oil which many people take for its vitamin D content may cause serious side effects like joint aches, skin rashes, mouth ulcers, digestive problems, and headaches when taken in large doses.¹ Vitamin D3 supplements (cholecalciferol) may be preferable because they are the most effective at maintaining serum vitamin D levels.

I suggest you also supplement with omega-3 fish oils, vitamin A, vitamin E and alpha linolenic acid (ALA) — all super nutrients scientifically proven for their help in promoting bone, heart and brain health.

Best,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

References

1. John J. Cannell, et al.  Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2008;117:864-870.
2. John H. Lee, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008 52: 1949-1956.
3. John P. Forman et al. Hypertension. 2008;52:828-832.

[Ed. Note: Michael Cutler, M.D. is a Board-Certified family physician with more than 17 years of clinical experience. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Tulane Medical School. Dr. Cutler's practice focuses on integrative solutions to health problems, and behavioral and nutritional medicine. For more information, visit www.truehealth.com.]

Positive Thinking:

Turn Back Time in 2009

By Jackie Silver

Instead of a New Year’s resolution, make it a New Year’s REVOLUTION and start Aging Backwards! The beginning of a new year gives us the chance to start fresh and make positive changes in our lives. Reflecting on the past year, looking at what worked and what didn’t, is a great path to improvement — but “harping” on the past or living in the past is counterproductive.

I’m a list-maker from way back — I think I even made lists in kindergarten — and I believe that writing down my goals, dreams and aspirations helps me bring them to fruition. The end of one year and the beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to refresh last year’s list, gratefully cross off those things “accomplished,” and revise, add or re-word other line items.

In her book, Write It Down, Make It Happen, author Henriette Anne Klauser says, “Give yourself permission to dream, to be totally unrealistic.”¹ That’s exactly what I do! Here are some ideas to get you thinking about your list, and start you on your way to Aging Backwards.

Aging Backwards New Year’s Revolution

1. Form new habits. Dr. Maxwell Maltz, in his book Psycho-Cybernetics, tells us it takes 21 days to form a habit.² Adding just one or two new behaviors into your day can be the impetus to improving the way you look and feel. If losing weight is on your list, and it’s on many people’s lists year after year, make 2009 the year you finally cross it off for good! Here’s my easiest tip for changing your diet: super-size your veggies and half-size everything else. This one change will start you on your way to shedding pounds, guaranteed.

1. Change your mind. “By meditating, you can become happier, you can concentrate more effectively and you can change your brain in ways that support that,” according to Richard Davidson, neuroscience professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,³ who has been carrying out studies on Buddhist monks for years. In addition, John Sarno, M.D., in his book, The Mindbody Prescription⁴ states that, “The mind has the capacity to combat disease and improve health.”

1. Get off the couch. If you make no other change in your life this year, resolve to get more active. Studies too numerous to cite show us that exercise is a key to good health, but that’s not all. “Obviously, exercise helps with weight loss, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and reducing risk for such things as osteoporosis and diabetes,” says Fabio Comana, exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. “Those are the mainstream benefits, but there’s a lot more people may not be aware of.” Among the “more benefits” are better sleep, better memory, better sex and help to quit smoking.⁵

So, when making your new year’s list, think big, go big, win big! Ford Motor Company Founder Henry Ford said, “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”

Have a happy, healthy New Year.

Jackie

References

1. Henriette Anne Klauser, Write It Down, Make It Happen, Touchstone Books, 2001.
2. Maxwell Maltz, Psycho-Cybernetics, Pocket Books, 1989.
3. http://superlife.ning.com/video/video/show?id=547497:Video:7391.
4. John E. Sarno, M.D., The Mindbody Prescription, Warner Books, 1999.
5. http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/diet.fitness/06/20/hb.exercise.benefits/index.html.

[Ed. note: Jackie Silver is aging backwards. She shares her secrets, tips, and shortcuts on her web site, AgingBackwards.com, in her new book, Aging Backwards: Secrets to Staying Young, on the syndicated TV show, Daytime, on Clear Channel radio's Mix 100.7, and as a sought-after speaker. For more information, click here.]

Healthy Recipes:

Beet, Fennel & Endive Salad with Macadamia Dressing

By Kelley Herring

This fresh and simple salad is packed with monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) from the macadamia nuts. MUFAs are one of the heart-helping ingredients abundant in the Mediterranean diet that help to stabilize blood sugar and promote a feeling of fullness.¹

Time To Table: 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Excellent Source of: Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Folate

Good Source of: Iron, Magnesium, Potassium

Preferences: Gluten Free, Low Sugar, Vegan, Raw

Ingredients

1 cup raw macadamia nuts
1 tsp. organic lemon zest
2 cups sliced organic fennel bulb
2 whole organic shallots, chopped
2 cups organic raw beets, peeled and diced
4 cups organic Belgian endive, chopped
16 whole grape tomatoes (preferably organic), halved
4 Tbsp. organic lemon juice
1/4 cup spring water
1/4 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp. organic cayenne pepper

Preparation

First, make the dressing. In a food processor or Magic Bullet, finely grind the macadamias. Add the water, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper. Pulse until creamy — add more water if necessary. Transfer the dressing to a bowl. Add the vegetables, toss well and serve.

Nutrition Information

214 calories, 17 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 13 g monounsaturated fat, 0 polyunsaturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 162 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 6 g sugar, 6 grams fiber, 4 g protein

Reference

1. Archer W. et al. Obesity Research (2003) 11, 978–986; doi: 10.1038/oby.2003.135.

[Ed Note: Who says dessert can't be healthy? Nutrition expert Kelley Herring's brand-new recipe e-book, Guilt-Free Desserts, reveals 40 easy-to-make, mouthwateringly delicious, 100% healthy dessert recipes you can make at home. Order today, and you'll receive the e-book Healthy Holiday Hors d'Oeuvres for free.]