A cardiologist after my own heart (get it, a cardiologist after my heart….)
He’s pimping D more than I do (if you can imagine that).
But, I guess when he’s seeing Calcium CT scores drop as much as 50% after a year on D therapy, it’s difficult to ignore the positive cardiac effects of the D.
You can read his Vitamin D posts here.
He posts about lots of topics relating to health care, including wheat addiction, fish oil (omega-3s), the forces that shape health care, and many other stories relevant in todays health care industry. His recent post “Make Big Money fast with CT scans” provides a great analysis of a cardiac study being sponsored in part by a CT scan manufacturer and how asymptomatic patients are being offered cardiac bypass as a possible intervention during a clinical trial. Its one of the many contributing factors to the rising cost of health care. We’re forever trying to prove that healthy people are healthy.
He and I have emailed a few times and I thoroughly enjoy his passion and approach to health care. He truly has a passion for Making Americans Healthier, just like I do.
June 2nd, 2008
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
no comments
Hot off the press from ABC World News:
Based on the following study released today (with my comments in italicized bold):
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer-
Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found — adding to evidence the “sunshine vitamin” has anti-cancer benefits. The results are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing (bag the sunshine and just take supplements, that puts the worries about skin cancer to rest) .
The skin makes vitamin D from ultraviolet light. Too much sunlight can raise the risk of skin cancer, but small amounts — 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen — may be beneficial, many doctors believe.
While the vitamin is found in certain foods and supplements, most don’t contain the best form, D-3, and have only a modest effect on blood levels of the nutrient (read: you literally cannot eat or drink your way to adequate vitamin d levels). That’s what matters, the Canadian study found.
Only 24 percent of women in the study had sufficient blood levels of D at the time they were first diagnosed with breast cancer. Those who were deficient were nearly twice as likely to have their cancer recur or spread over the next 10 years, and 73 percent more likely to die of the disease.
“These are pretty big differences,” said study leader Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. “It’s the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression.”
But people shouldn’t start downing supplements, she warned. Experts don’t agree on how much vitamin D people need or the best way to get it, and too much can be harmful (tell us more! Please, tell us that too much D is nearly impossible to get and that even if one happens to intentionally take too much, they’ll basically have the craps for three weeks. It really bothers me how they don’t expand on what “harmful” means. Nearly all name brand drugs that doctors prescribe have more harmful side effects, even when taken in appropriate doses, than too much D. Read any warning label for Chantix (stop smoking drug), Prozac (popular anti-depressant, they each have more harmful side effects than D, yet doctors prescribe those waaaay more than they do over-the-counter D). They also don’t know whether getting more vitamin D can help when someone already has cancer (check out the above video in which the breast cancer cells SHRINK and disappear).
“We have no idea whether correcting a vitamin D deficiency will in any way alter these outcomes,” said Dr. Julie Gralow, a cancer specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
The study was released Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and will be presented at the group’s annual meeting later this month.
Lots of earlier research suggests vitamin D may help prevent prostate, breast and especially colon cancer. In lab and animal tests, vitamin D stifles abnormal cell growth, curbs formation of blood vessels that feed tumors and has many other anti-cancer effects (and we’re still wondering if D has any affect on someone who already has cancer?).
Other evidence: People who live in northern regions of the world have higher cancer rates than those living closer to the equator, possibly because of less sunshine and vitamin D.
The Canadian researchers wanted to see whether it made a difference in survival. They took blood from 512 women at three University of Toronto hospitals between 1989 and 1995, when the women were first diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
A decade later, 83 percent of those who had had adequate vitamin D blood levels were alive without extensive spread of their cancer, versus 79 percent of those whose vitamin D levels were insufficient and 69 percent of those who were deficient, as defined by widely used medical standards for measuring intake.
One red flag: The few women with the very highest levels of vitamin D seemed to have worse survival.
Though the study was too small and those results were not conclusive, “there may be an optimal level of vitamin D in women with breast cancer and it may be possible to take too much,” Goodwin said.
The federal government says up to 2,000 international units of vitamin D a day seems OK. Taking 800 units per day will, on average, raise blood levels to the middle of the range that seems best for bone and general health, Goodwin said (WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. If you’re already deficient, only taking 800 IU will not raise your storage levels of D. And, why would you want to be in the middle range anyway? Why not be on the higher end of “normal”).
Vitamin D is in salmon and other oily fish, and milk is routinely fortified with it, but dietary sources account for little of the amount of D circulating in the blood, experts say (true dat).
“It’s very hard to make a recommendation” because how much difference a supplement makes depends on someone’s baseline level, which also can be affected by sunlight, skin type and time of year, she explained (true dat. Get your levels checked! Taking Vitamin D without checking your levels is like baking a cake without knowing the temperature of the oven).
Doctors do suggest breast cancer patients get their vitamin D levels checked to see whether they are deficient. The simple blood test is available in many hospitals and labs for about $25, Goodwin said (my experience is that it costs $52-100 and, it’s getting more expensive and demand increases).
Dr. Nancy Davidson, a Johns Hopkins University cancer specialist who is president of the oncology society, said those tests are growing in popularity, even in ordinary medical care.
“Rightly or wrongly, I’m increasingly seeing physicians who are measuring this,” she said (why would she say, “rightly or wrongly?” The benefits far outweigh the risks, so why would she imply that it would somehow be wrong to decrease your risk of cancer, diabetes, MS, etc?)
The Canadian study was paid for by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York, established by cosmetics magnate Evelyn Lauder.
“It’s a very provocative paper. It’s confirmatory of a tremendous amount of evidence that vitamin D is an important component of health,” said Dr. Larry Norton, chief of breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and a medical adviser to the foundation.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. About 184,450 cases and 40,930 deaths from the disease are expected in the United States this year.
Finally, there is a fantastic, new article just recently made available to the public. Definitely worth the read!
May 16th, 2008
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
one comment
What did you do tonight?
Here’s what I did:
What a fantastic evening dedicated to improving health care.
And yes, thats Mike Huckabee.
And, here’s the other speaker:
Levar Burton! He’s soooo awesome!
What a wonderful, fascinating evening.
It’s one I’ll remember forever.
May 14th, 2008
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
6 comments
Very, very interesting graph below.
Studies suggest 90% of Americans have Vitamin D levels of less than 32. What risks are you at with a level less than 32?
What if you got your level up to over 60? Or 80? Levels up to 100 are normal. Why not normalize your level and significantly reduce your risk of the following conditions? (Click on the image for a larger view).
Not up to speed on D? Educate yourself.
Imagine- for $4/month per person, we can prevent 3 out of every 4 cancers.
Tomorrow is a big, big day for me. I can’t talk about it today, but for sure will talk about it after tomorrow. I’M SO EXCITED!
May 13th, 2008
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
3 comments
Soldier is home from Iraq! He’s on his two weeks R&R (took it early when my grandma died). He looks good! Got to see a little bit of what he does over there. He flies Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAVs). Only a handful of other people on the base do that. So proud of him!
Had two interesting personal comments made to me that surprised me: (1) Gal at work said to me, “I love how you interact with people. You’re engaging, you keep eye contact, you include everyone in the conversation. You’re really enjoyable to talk with.” Well, Thank you! (2) Got an email from a friend that says (paraphrasing here): “I’ve figured out why you’re a conservative. Your dad was military, you moved around a lot, you were probably a highly anxious preschooler, thats why you’re a conservative.” Gig-a-gig-a-what? Huh?
Apparently Dr. Oz was pimping Vitamin D on Opie today. I think thats the 4th time in 2 months she’s had someone on her show endorsing it. GO OPRAH!
I performed by Civic Duty. My numero uno backed out of the race (Rudy), so I like Mike. We’ll see, though. I’ll vote for McCain if he’s the nominee.
I’m off work tomorrow. Still purging at the parental housing unit. Making progress, but it’s a lot of work! Hope to post some before and after pics within the week.
My new favorite blog and blog friend: Tony at A Red Mind in a Blue State
A little over two weeks until our long-awaited-much-anticipated vacation and I can’t wait. I’m trying to get some good reads for the cruise. Any suggestions?
Still psyched over the Giants big win!
February 5th, 2008
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
7 comments
Hot off the press! I started reading it tonight!
If you (or someone you love) have/has cancer, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, muscle aches, or don’t sleep well, you should be on Vitamin D.
January 16th, 2008
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
no comments
I am on fire!
I’ve probably accomplished more in the past 3 days than I have in the past 3 months! I don’t know what it is, but I’ve got a fire in me that won’t go out! My house is clean! My kitchen is clean. My living room is clean. My dining room is clean. My bedroom is clean. My office at work is clean!
Just about the only thing that isn’t clean is my car- and, well, I’m working on that.
I’ve been cleaning a room every night or two for the past week and have really got our house looking good!
It’s amazing how much more I get accomplished when things are clean.
Saturday morning I volunteered for the local food pantry and served all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts at Applebees in town. It was so fun! We had a little over 250 people come in during the breakfast! I originally volunteered to bus tables, but approx 30 seconds into the breakfast, I was seating people, taking orders, getting beverages, delivering food…then I bussed. I always wondered if I could have been a good waitress and now I know I can!
A few things I learned, though:
I prefer tables closer to the kitchen- my arms can only handle so much weight
I am terrible at remembering drink orders. Three adults sat down. One ordered an OJ, one ordered ice water and decaf coffee, and the other ordered milk. Halfway back to the kitchen, I could remember ANY of the order. It was ridiculous 
Snapped a few pictures during all of the craziness.
After the breakfast, I came home and started organizing the outside christmas lights. Hubs was with a friend who was changing the breaks on his truck, then he stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home to grab some decorating accessories. About 10:30am, we began hanging lights. At 6:00pm and TWO more Wal-Mart trips later, we finished. RIDICULOUS! There’s still one section of the house that requires more lights, but for the most part, it’s done. Here are some pics of the lunatics on our roof.
Sunday morning we woke up to find the newly hung christmas lights NOT working. SNAP!
Sunday I went to the grocery store and later that afternoon I spent several hours baking. I made 2 dozen cookies (peanut butter and chocolate chip), rice krispie treats, and brownies. During the baking, I cleaned the kitchen. And folded two loads of laundry.
Today, I came home for lunch and ordered Gentry’s Christmas gift online. Should arrive before the end of the week.
Tonight Hubs made Spaghetti for dinner and we finished decorating outside. I also vacuumed and did dishes.
See what I mean? En fuego!
Tomorrow night, Martha, Patrick and little baby Owen are coming over for dinner. I’m making pot roast, potatoes, and veggies. Martha is brining cake for dessert.
What a great couple of days.
Oh yea, did anyone see Dr. Oz endorse Vitamin D on Opie recently?! huh? Huh?
December 3rd, 2007
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
3 comments
Dear Time Magazine,
While I appreciate your efforts on your lead story this week, “Why Breast Cancer is spreading around the world,” I cannot be more disappointed in your lack of research and fact finding.
Breast self exams don’t prevent cancer. Mammograms don’t prevent cancer.
VITAMIN D PREVENTS CANCER.
Do the research. (you can click here for said research)
Do the research. (you can click here for more research)
Do the research. (you can click here for more research)
Write articles that can save lives.
Next time, in addition to focusing on current treatments, you should also focus on prevention.
Thanks,
Your Partner in Health,
Me
P.S. This is your heads up that for your March cover story on Colon Cancer Awareness, you should start your research now on how Vitamin D significantly reduces your chance of developing colon cancer (some studies suggest it reduces your risk by 76%).
October 10th, 2007
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
3 comments
(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I do not hold a degree in medicine nor do I put myself out there as an expert in medicine. The following post reflects research I’ve personally done and conclusions I’ve reached based on my personal experience over the last few months. As with any new medicine or therapy, you should consult with your physician).
Hands down. This is the most important post I’ve done.
Recently, several doctors I know (including my favorite one, my dad) have exhaustingly researched a new treatment therapy and prevention method in medicine. Their interests were peaked during a conference two of our docs attended this past fall in Washington DC. A comment made in passing by one of the speakers got our doctors wondering what exactly it was the speaker was referring to by his remark.
Our doctors returned from the conference and for the next few months, didn’t think much about the comment. Then, in early March, my dad remembered the comment and began researching the topic. Extensively.
His research has changed his life and more importantly, the lives of his patients.
If you suffer from any of the following conditions, or have a family history of such, you should consider beginning this treatment now.
Osteoporosis
Cancer (Breast, colon, prostate, ovarian)
Obesity
Diabetes
Depression
Multiple Sclerosis
Hypertension
Trouble sleeping
Muscle Aches
Infertility
Arthritis
Research has found a common link between these conditions. It’s probably the most under diagnosed condition in the world.
Conservative studies estimate that the following populations suffer from this condition:
32% of doctors and medical school students
40% of the US population
42% of African American women of child bearing age
60% of all hospitalized patients
76% of all pregnant women
Treatment for this condition costs approximately $0.05/day and is available without a prescription. A simple $90 blood test will reveal if you suffer from this condition. I was recently diagnosed with this condition. So was the Hubs. And my mom. And my dad. And my younger sister. And my aunt. And my grandmother. And my BFF.
What exactly is this medical condition?
Vitamin D deficiency.
That’s right. My name is Jessica and I’m vitamin D deficient. It’s OK, because chances are…so are you. And you. And you.
16 weeks ago I learned about my condition. I received a relatively conservative treatment and I’m now 16 lbs lighter, I sleep through the night, my appetite is decreased, and my energy level is the highest I can remember.
I. Feel. Wonderful.
Vitamin D is the vitamin your skin produces when you spend time in the sun. You can also get small amounts of Vitamin D in certain foods such as salmon, sardines, and milk (which is fortified with vitamin D).
Here’s a brief run down of how this thing works:
Vitamin D provides an important role in cell growth, differentiation, and proliferation. Cells that are properly nutrified (I totally made up that word) with vitamin D go through a normal, healthy cell cycle. They live, reproduce, and die in a healthy manner. Cells that are not properly nutrified misbehave, often times attacking healthy cells, misfiring (thus sending incorrect signals to the brain), and prematurely dying.
Vitamin D deficiency has most closely been linked as the cause of osteoporosis. Vitamin D is needed for the body to properly absorb calcium. Low levels of D prevent the body from taking calcium from food sources. The human body will maintain necessary calcium levels at all costs. Therefore, when a person is deficient, their body cannot absorb calcium and therefore, must take it from other sources. The largest source of calcium in the body is in the bones. The body will rob calcium from the bones when vitamin D levels are too low.
Previous and current research also links vitamin D to cancer treatment and prevention. Vitamin D inhibits inappropriate cell division and metastasis, reduces blood vessel formation around tumors, and regulates proteins that affect tumor growth. Recent research out of Creighton supports the already prevalent Vitamin D and cancer link.
I drink approximately 2 gallons of skim milk/week. I thought for sure I would have a normal level of Vitamin D. Nope. My pre-treatment level was in the “insufficient” range (my level was 26).I took one 50,000 IU pill of Vitamin D2 a week for 8 weeks (prescription strength). I didn’t feel any differently and I was given an 8 week treatment, so after I took my last pill, that was it. About two weeks later, I starting feeling badly. I was tired all of the time and I was just dragging. My dad advised me to recheck my vitamin D level and then begin taking 3,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 on a daily basis. One week into the daily treatment, I was feeling much better.
After a month of being on D3, I had my level rechecked. It was normal with a result of 63 (”normal” being above 50).
I continue to take 3,000 IU/daily. I continue to feel great, have kept off the weight, eat less food, and have a good amount of energy.
The results my dad has personally witnessed with patients in his practice is absolutely amazing. Patients with psoriasis, sickle cell anemia, back pain, depression, high cholesterol have each seen results from increased vitamin D consumption.
The research is out there and continues to grow. Unfortunately, there are a few problems:
1) Most doctors are ignorant to the Vitamin D potential. Almost no one is checking it and therefore, almost no one is treating it.
2) “Normal” ranges vary from lab to lab, so providers that see a level of 25 and the reference range for the lab is 20-100, they are less likely to treat the patient for deficiency. Vitamin D experts agree that levels less than 20 are deficient, less than 32 are insufficent. Experts consider levels over 50 to be “normal” or sufficient.
Because I love and care about each of you, I think you should…….
1) Ask your doctor to order a vitamin D level on you. The specific name of the lab test is “Vitamin D 25-OH” or “Vitamin D 25-dyhydroxide.” Also have your blood calcium levels checked (calcium serum) because the only contraindication to taking vitamin D is if you are hypercalcemic (if you have too much calcium in your blood). This means you should absolutely NOT take vitamin D supplements if you have too much calcium. Only a calcium serum blood test will reveal this.
2) Research Vitamin D and educate yourself. Doing so will start you on the path to wellness. If you’re a female and you plan on having children, please become vitamin D sufficient so your baby will have a reduced risk of childhood malignancy, type I diabetes, and mental health disorders. The best website to study is www.vitamindcouncil.com.
3) Based on your results, begin taking Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) at appropriate levels. Based on the research I’ve done and the countless conversations I’ve had with physicians who are educated on this topic, I would suggest 3,000 IU’s daily. Larger people (those of us that carry around a little extra weight) should take more since Vitamin D is fat soluble. We need more than the average sized person.
4) Begin enjoying the life changing benefits of providing your body with enough Vitamin D to heal itself!
Cheers to a healthy life and weight loss!
July 17th, 2007
Posted by
Jessica |
Life, Vitamin D |
7 comments
