Epsom salts have been used by many different cultures for hundreds of years. They have a number of different beneficial properties and are used in gardening, household cleaning and detoxifying the body. These salts are very inexpensive and can be purchased at bulk discounts in garden centers nearly everywhere. Using Epsom salt baths is an advanced detoxification strategy that has remarkable health benefits.
Epsom salts are named for a bitter saline spring located at Epsom in Surrey, England. Epsom is different than traditional salts in that it is actually a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. These minerals have very powerful health benefits that can enhance the detoxification capabilities of the body.
How an Epsom salt bath works
Magnesium and sulfate are both readily absorbed through the skin and into the body’s bloodstream. The skin is a highly porous membrane that both takes in minerals and eliminates toxins every day. Using a powerful mineral base such as Epsom salts in a bathwater medium creates a process called reverse osmosis. This process pulls salt and harmful toxins out of the body and allows the magnesium and sulfates to enter into the body.
Magnesium plays a critical role in over 325 enzymes, helps to improve muscle and nerve function, reduces inflammation and improves blood flow and oxygenation throughout the body. Sulfates are necessary building blocks for healthy joints, skin and nervous tissue. Epsom salts replenish the body’s magnesium levels and sulfates. This combination helps to flush toxins from the body and helps build key protein molecules in the brain tissue and joints.
The use of regular Epsom salt baths has been shown to improve the symptoms of many health conditions including athlete’s foot, gout, toenail fungus, sprains, bruises and muscle soreness. It is also good for anyone dealing with chronic disease or chronic pain to do regular Epsom baths to help detoxify and de-inflame while improving mineral and sulfur balance in the body.
Contraindications to Epsom baths would be if you are pregnant, dehydrated or have open wounds or burns on your skin. Individuals who are suffering from a cardiovascular disease should always consult with a natural health physician who is familiar with the health benefits of Epsom salt baths before starting.
How to take an Epsom salt bath
The first step is to schedule yourself at least 40 minutes, as you need about 20 minutes to remove the toxins, and for the second 20 minutes, the body absorbs the minerals in the bath water.
Fill up your bath with warm water. As an added step, having a water filtration system in your house is great for reducing toxic chlorine, fluoride, dioxins and heavy metals, but if your home doesn’t have one (they can be on the pricey side), regular water works just as well. Add in the Epsom salts in the following amounts:
Children under 60 lbs: Add 1/2 cup of salts to a standard size bath Individuals between 60-100 lbs: Add 1 cup of salts to a standard size bath Individuals between 100-150 lbs: Add 1 1/2 cup of salts to a standard size bath Individuals between 150-200 lbs: Add 2 cups of salts to a standard size bath For every 50lbs larger – add in an additional 1/2 cup of salts.
Additional strategies to apply with an Epsom salt bath
Adding in a 1/2 cup of olive oil is also very good for the skin, as the polyphenols soak into the skin and give extra antioxidant benefits. Adding ginger or cayenne can increase your heat levels, which will help you to sweat out toxins. You can add anywhere from 1 tbsp to 1/2 a cup to stimulate sweating, and these herbs are loaded with antioxidants that will enhance the detoxification process as well.
Do not use soap with an Epsom salt bath, as it will interfere with the action of the minerals and the detoxification process. Try to rest for an hour or two afterward unless you have arthritic joints, in which case you will want to stay active as much as possible to prevent congestion in the joints.
Source
Jockers, D., Dr. (2013, November 2). The remarkable health benefits of Epsom salt baths. Retrieved from http://www.naturalnews.com/042753_Epsom_salt_baths_remarkable_health_benefits_detoxificatin_technique.html
In the days of Christopher Columbus, the men were pretty obsessed with spice. They longed for it and basically traveled around the world in a fruitless effort to find new seasonings. But of all men obsessed with sensual spice, no one had been so misled as Christopher Columbus, who went overseas in search of spices such as cinnamon, turmeric and ginger. However, a spice that looked especially was pepper!
Although pepper is quite negligent these days, it is the highest days of the spice with black pepper which was used as currency! It is high time people started to look at this differently spice because it really has a lot to offer. Pepper, especially autumn oil pepper offers a wide range of surprising health benefits.
Health benefits from essential pepper oil
Vigorous oil pepper offers numerous corrective properties, including laxative, carminative, antibacterial, expectorant, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antiseptic, stimulant, antispasmodic, rufifacientno, dijaforetichno, febrifuge and many others. Good for stomach: It increases the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which in turn improves digestion. Healthy digestion is essential to prevent colic, constipation and diarrhea. Black pepper also prevents formation of intestinal gas and promote urination and sweating, which helps to remove toxic substances from the body. Weight loss: outer layer of pepper stimulates the breakdown of fat cells, making it ideal for blasting fat and transferring weight naturally. Skin health: Pepper helps to cure vitiligo, a condition that causes areas of the skin become white. It is scientifically proven that Piperine present in the pepper stimulates the production of pigment. Respiratory relief: Pepper relieves nasal congestion and sinusitis due to its ability to dissolve mucus and phlegm in the respiratory tract.
Antibacterial Activity: Antibacterial properties of pepper helps in the fight against insect bites and infections. Regular consumption of this spice cleans arteries, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. Antioxidant activity: Its antioxidant properties help prevent or repair damage by free radicals, which in turn protects against liver problems, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Neurological health: Piperine, one of the main compounds of pepper, was found to reduce the cognitive defect and damage the memory.
The benefits of the essential oils of black pepper in a large extent depend on the way of consuming. It can be swallowed, inhaled or can be applied locally. Read more for more detailed information about the three uses of essential oil of black pepper and benefits that are attributed to each of them, respectively.
Oral
When swallowed, as it adds a BBQ sauce or steak, the essential oil of black pepper provides sekikviterpen, powerful antioxidants that are known to promote sweating and urination, two ways in which the body eliminates toxins. This oil also increases bile in the stomach, which helps break down food and ensure healthy digestion.
Aromatic
While the essential oils of black pepper is mostly known for its ability to relax the physical body also relaxes the mind. When inhaled, often used with aromatic oils like lavender and juniper helps to ease mental stress and help people cope with stress by smoking cessation.
Topically
Ultimately, the use of pepper oil, along with carrier oil, helps to relax muscles and relieve cramps and pulls. Its properties antispazmozni mitigate spasms, while its antioxidant properties removing uric acid from the blood, making it useful for people suffering from gout, arthritis and rheumatism.
Frankincense oil has been used for thousands of years as a traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments. Since Biblical times, this ancient medicine has been known for its expectorant, antiseptic, anti-neurotic and even anti-cancer properties. Due to the boswellic acids, it contains, Frankincense oil also packs a potent anti-inflammatory punch—which is great news when you consider the fact that inflammation is a factor in nearly every sickness or disease.
If it sounds like Frankincense oil is some sort of miracle potion, you’re right. There’s a reason frankincense was gifted to baby Jesus by the wise men and why it’s been used continuously in aromatherapy and other healing practices since then. And no matter what the current state of your health is, it’s likely that frankincense can give you a much-needed boost. Here are my five favorite ways.
5 Frankincense Oil Uses that Can Boost Your Health
1. Relieves Gastrointestinal Discomfort
One of the first Frankincense oil uses is that it can help to relieve digestive distress such as gas, constipation, stomach aches and irritable bowel syndrome. A study published in the European Journal of Medical Research evaluated the effectiveness of frankincense in treating the symptoms of ulcerative colitis and found that taking 350 milligrams of frankincense oil three times a day over a period of six weeks was effective in inducing remission in 80 percent of patients. Researchers also point out that the effects of frankincense are similar to sulfasalazine, a chemical drug that is commonly used to treat irritable bowel disease. Frankincense can also help speed up the digestion of food, similar to digestive enzymes, and cause your entire digestive system to operate more efficiently.
2. Supports the Respiratory System
In traditional medicine, frankincense oil uses and treats respiratory conditions such as coughs, bronchitis, and asthma though its use in steam inhalations, baths, and massages. In a study published in the European Journal of Medical Research, patients with chronic bronchial asthma were treated with 300 milligrams of frankincense three times daily for a six-week period. 70 percent of patients noticed an obvious improvement of physical symptoms of asthma, including difficulty breathing, hissing lung sound and the number of attacks. As a result, researchers concluded that frankincense played a definite role in the treatment of bronchial asthma.
3. Soothes Arthritic Pain
Thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties mentioned earlier, frankincense oil inhibits the production of the main inflammatory molecules that are associated with conditions like arthritis, and it can also be useful in helping to prevent the breakdown of cartilage tissue.
In fact, the first two pillars of Ayurveda (the 5,000-year-old healing system of ancient India) describe the anti-arthritic activity of frankincense extracts. Studies have shown that, in contrast to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), which are well known to cause side effects including accelerated joint damage, increased risk of heart failure and gastrointestinal damage, the boswellic acids in frankincense have been shown to be just as effective, but without the side effects. This means that people don’t have to take their chances with the dangers of NSAIDS when trying to find an all-natural treatment for arthritis. To use frankincense to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, apply 2-3 drops topically to the area of pain. If you have sensitive skin, dilute frankincense with a carrier oil like coconut, and then apply the mixture to your skin. You can also add 5-10 drops of frankincense to a warm bath to soothe muscle and joint pain.
4. Serves As A Natural Oral Hygiene Product
One of the other Frankincense oil uses is that it works as an antiseptic agent, so it’s an excellent tool for oral hygiene. Adding frankincense to your toothpaste or rubbing 1-2 drops into the gums can help prevent dental health issues like tooth decay, bad breath, cavities and oral infections. Studies show that due to the anti-inflammatory effects of the extracts of frankincense, it is effective against plaque-induced gingivitis, a common form of gum disease that causes redness, irritation, and swelling.
5. Helps to Fight Cancer and Deal with Chemotherapy Side Effects
Frankincense oil is valued for its ability to help fight cancer cells, including breast, brain, colon, pancreatic, prostate and stomach cancers. Research shows that frankincense oil activates genes that are responsible for cell cycle arrest, cell growth suppression and apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells. Frankincense also appears to distinguish cancer from normal cells, as shown in a study in which frankincense oil-suppressed cell viability in cancer cells of the bladder without causing the breakdown of DNA, which is a hallmark of apoptosis. Frankincense oil fights cancer and reduces cancer symptoms by keeping inflammation at bay, significantly boosting the immune system and causing the proliferation of white blood cells, which are the body’s primary defense team.
When it comes to your health, these five frankincense oil uses are just the beginning of its capabilities. You can also use the oil to fight infections, improve anxiety and heal skin issues like acne and scarring. But remember: If you are using frankincense oil internally, you must ensure that it is organic, 100 percent pure (with no added fillers or preservatives), therapeutic grade and purchased from a reliable and trustworthy company. Disclaimer: Do not use essential oils internally unless properly trained in the safety issues of doing so, or under the supervision of a licensed aromatherapist. Specific advice should be sought about use of essential oils (topical, aromatherapy, and internal use) for children, babies, and pregnant women.https://www.naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/safety
By Dr. Mercola
You're probably aware that certain nutrients can support optimal vision, but did you know your hearing may benefit from certain foods as well? If you have trouble hearing, or notice that your hearing is not as good as it used to be, your diet (and/or additional supplementation) may hold the answer.
In fact, nutritional imbalances are increasingly thought to be a causative factor in hearing loss.1 Age-related hearing loss is actually not due to any kind of mechanical dysfunction in your ear. Rather it's how your brain processes information that results in reduced hearing.
Furthermore, it's your brain's ability to provide proper feedback to your ear, by filtering out unwanted information, that declines when you reach your 40s and 50s. Without this filtering system, you're more likely to be overcome by a mass of information that is difficult to sort out.
The good news is age-related hearing loss may be reversible. Tinnitus, which is typically caused by noise-induced damage, may also be greatly improved, as can sudden loss of hearing.
Nutrients That Protect and Improve Hearing
Among the nutrients found to be most beneficial for protecting and improving hearing are:2,3,4,5,6,7
These nutrients support hearing in a number of ways, including:
Protecting against oxidative stress in the cochlea
Preventing free radical damage
Improving blood flow, thereby reducing cochlear damage related to a compromised vascular system
Improving homocysteine metabolism
The support for vitamin A is mixed. In one large study that included data from more than 65,500 women, no correlation was found between vitamin A intake and risk for hearing loss.9 However, a number of other studies have indeed found a positive correlation. As reported by Weston A. Price:10
"A 1984 European study reported a 5 to 15 decibel improvement in patients with age-related hearing loss when given vitamins A and E. Other researchers reported that vitamin A deficiency results in a decline in the number of sensory cells in the nose, tongue and inner ear.
A 1993 study reported in Science found that vitamin A can stimulate the regeneration of mammalian auditory hair cells. In 2009, Japanese researchers found that adults with the highest blood serum levels of vitamin A and carotenoids have the lowest risk for hearing loss.
And, in 2014, researchers determined that vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy, especially during the early stages of fetal development 'may predispose offspring to inner ear malformations and sensorial hearing loss.'"
Folate May Improve Tinnitus
For noise-induced tinnitus, which is characterized by a chronic or near-chronic ringing in the ears, folate (vitamin B9), has been shown to be beneficial. Folate also lowers your homocysteine, and having a high blood level of homocysteine has been linked to age-related hearing loss.11,12
As a general rule, the ideal way to raise your folate levels is to eat plenty of fresh, raw and organic leafy green vegetables. Folic acid is the synthetic form typically found in supplements.
There is good reason to consider getting your folate from food rather than folic acid supplements. In order for folic acid to be of use to your body, it must first be activated into its biologically active form — L-5-MTHF. This is the form that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
It's been estimated that early half of all adults have difficulty converting folic acid into the bioactive form because of a genetic reduction in enzyme activity. For this reason, if you take a B-vitamin supplement, make sure it contains natural folate rather than synthetic folic acid. Children seem to convert folic acid more easily.
Asparagus, spinach, turnip greens and broccoli are all good sources of folate, as are beans, including lentils and garbanzo beans.
Zinc for Sudden Hearing Loss
Research has shown zinc may be useful for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). SSNHL — a sudden, unexplained loss of hearing — is typically treated with high-dose steroids, even though steroid treatment is controversial and evidence to support their efficacy is limited.
The good news is that 47 to 63 percent of those affected end up recovering most or all of their hearing.13 While the cause for SSNHL is unknown, one theory is that a viral infection or immunologic disease is involved. This may help explain the high rate of recovery, and why zinc appears to be so beneficial for this condition.
Zinc has anti-viral properties, and studies have shown it can prevent common cold viruses from replicating or attaching to your nasal membranes. Zinc also has immune-boosting properties, allowing your body to mount a stronger first response at the onset of a viral infection.
In one study,14 66 SSNHL patients were randomly divided into two groups; half received corticosteroid treatment while the other half received oral zinc gluconate plus corticosteroid treatment. Serum zinc levels were ascertained at the outset and end of the study.
Those receiving zinc experienced significantly larger gains in hearing gain and a greater percentage of recovery. According to the authors:
"There was a significant correlation between serum zinc level changes and posttreatment hearing thresholds by correlation analysis, as well as between changes of serum zinc levels and percentage of recovery in the zinc group.
Zinc supplementation may enhance the hearing recovery of SSNHL patients. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may help reduce the oxidative stress of the cochlea in SSNHL, implying a new direction in the treatment of this disease."
A Well-Balanced Diet Is the Best Source of Zinc
Any time you isolate one mineral and ingest it independently of others, you run the risk of creating an imbalance. This is certainly true of zinc, and taking zinc indiscriminately can be quite problematic. Excess zinc has been shown to:
Interfere with your body's ability to absorb other minerals, especially copper, which may lead to anemia
Induce nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for zinc is:
11 milligrams (mg) per day for adult men
8 mg for women (If you are lactating or pregnant, you need about 3 mg more)
5 mg for 4- to 8-year-olds
8 mg for 9- to 13-year-olds
3 mg for infants
Anything over 50 mg is thought to be excessive. To be on the safe side, focus on getting your zinc from food. Besides protein-rich foods like grass-fed beef and seafood, other dietary sources of zinc include pumpkin seeds, tahini (ground sesame seeds), cashews, almonds, crimini mushrooms, spinach, sea vegetables and cheddar cheese.
Oysters top the list of zinc-rich foods, with anywhere from 16 to 182 mg of zinc per 100-gram serving, followed by liver, which has 12 mg of zinc per 100 grams. It appears zinc is better absorbed from animal sources than plant sources, so if you are serious about increasing your zinc intake, consider adding more organic grass-fed beef or liver to your diet.
Intravenous Magnesium May Also Improve Sudden Hearing Loss
Intravenous magnesium has also been shown to improve SSNHL. In one study,16 48 percent of SSNHL patients achieved recovery after receiving intravenous magnesium in combination with carbogen inhalation17 (a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen gas). Another 27 percent experienced significant improvement.
Factors that reduced the effectiveness of the treatment included vestibular symptoms (patients who had vertigo) and delaying treatment for more than eight days after onset.
Increasing NT3 Production Restored Hearing in Mice
Two years ago, researchers looking at ways to restore hearing lost due to noise came upon an interesting finding. By increasing the production of a protein called neurotrophin-3 (NT3), they were able to reverse hearing loss in mice that had been partially deafened by loud noise.
As it turns out, NT3 plays a key role in the communication occurring between your ears and your brain. NT3 helps establish so-called ribbon synapses that link the hair cells in your inner ear to nerve cells in your brain. When exposed to extremely loud noise, these ribbon synapses are damaged, resulting in the loss of hearing.
Normal aging can also damage your ribbon synapses, so NT3 may counteract normal age-related hearing loss as well. To boost production of NT3, the researchers used conditional gene recombination. As explained by Medical News Today:18
"This allows researchers to activate genes in particular cells by administering a drug that prompts the cells to 'read' additional copies of a gene that have been inserted into them. For this study, the team used the technique to activate additional NT3 genes that had been introduced to the supporting cells of the inner ear in mice that had been partially deafened by loud noise.
The drug tamoxifen was introduced to the supporting cells in the inner ear, which prompted them to produce extra NT3 protein … The researchers found the mice that had experienced boosted NT3 production regained their hearing over a 2-week period, compared with mice that had not had additional NT3 production …
[T]hey now plan to … identify drugs that produce the same effect as the protein, offering the potential to restore hearing loss in humans. The researchers note that the gene therapy technique used in this study has the potential to work in humans, but that a drug-based method would be 'simpler' and a drug could be repeatedly administered for as long as it takes for hearing to be restored."
Astaxanthin Raises NT3 Expression
While researchers are looking for a drug solution to raise NT3, a Chinese study suggests astaxanthin could be used for this purpose.19Astaxanthin, which is part of the carotenoid family, is believed to be one of the most potent antioxidants nature has to offer.
It's FAR more potent than beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, lycopene and lutein, for example, and exhibits very strong free radical scavenging activity that protects your cells, organs and body tissues from oxidative damage. It's also a powerful anti-inflammatory and is able to cross both the blood-brain barrier and the blood-retinal barrier.
Indeed, astaxanthin has been shown to have potent benefits for brain and eye health, and may be beneficial for your hearing as well, thanks to this NT3-boosting ability. The study in question looked at astaxanthin's effect on NT3 expression in rats with compressive spinal cord injury, as NT3 has been shown to increase the growth of spinal cord neurons as well. According to the authors, astaxanthin was able to "significantly promote the expression of NT3."
There are only two main sources of natural astaxanthin — the microalgae that produce it (Haematococcus pluvialis), and the sea creatures that consume the algae, such as salmon, shellfish and krill. If you decide to give astaxanthin a try, I recommend starting with 2 mg per day.
If you are on a krill oil supplement, take that into consideration; different krill products have different concentrations of astaxanthin, so check your label. While it's unclear how much you'd need to improve your hearing, doses of 8 to 10 mg a day are typically recommended if you're trying to improve your eye health.
Boosting BDNF May Also Improve Your Hearing
Earlier research has also shown that, in addition to NT3, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also plays an important role in the development and survival of auditory neurons in your brain. One 1996 study20 found that loss of auditory hair cells and auditory neurons can be prevented by therapies that boost either NT3 or BDNF.
Interestingly, one lifestyle factor that naturally boosts BDNF is exercise. Part of what makes exercise so effective for preventing cognitive decline is related to a boost in BDNF. It's intriguing to speculate whether exercise may also help prevent hearing loss through this mechanism.
What's the Best Way to Protect Your Hearing?
Worldwide, 360 million people have moderate to severe hearing loss due to various causes, from noise or infectious disease to the use of certain drugs and aging. It's estimated that half of these cases of hearing loss are avoidable.21 This includes cases of hidden hearing loss or noise-induced hearing loss. Of course, protecting yourself from loud noises in the first place is prevention 101. The following recommendations can help protect your hearing and avoid hearing loss:
✓ Turn down the volume on personal audio devices
✓ Try a decibel meter app for your smartphone, which will flash a warning if the volume is turned up to a potentially damaging level
✓ Wear earplugs when you visit noisy venues, and if you work in a noisy environment, be sure to wear ear protection at all times
✓ Use carefully fitted noise-canceling earphones/headphones, which may allow you to listen comfortably at a lower volume
✓ Limit the amount of time you spend engaged in noisy activities
✓ Take regular listening breaks when using personal audio devices
✓ Restrict the daily use of personal audio devices to less than one hour
✓ If you live in a very noisy area, you may want to consider moving.
If that's not an option, consider adding acoustical tile to your ceiling and walls to buffer the noise.
Double-paneled windows, insulation, heavy curtains and rugs can also help
✓ Use sound-blocking headphones to eliminate occasional sound disturbances such as that from traffic or lawnmowers.
Also wear ear protection when using your lawnmower or leaf blower
Aside from that, eating a healthy, varied diet of real food can go a long way toward protecting against age-related hearing. And, even if you've already lost some degree of hearing, you may be able to recover some of it by optimizing your intake of carotenoids, especially astaxanthin, vitamin A, folate, zinc and magnesium.
By Dr. Mercola
Over the past couple of decades, tens of thousands of studies have evaluated the benefits of vitamin D, linking low blood levels to a whole host of chronic health conditions. In fact, this site was one of the leaders helping to catalyze interest in vitamin D over 15 years ago. Today, many doctors have finally caught on and are taking vitamin D seriously; testing their patients and recommending supplementation when necessary. The progress made makes the present backlash all the more shocking and disappointing.
"Many Americans Taking Too Much Vitamin D," Reuters recently announced.1 "More people than ever are taking way too much vitamin D," Popular Science declared, adding, "You may have a deficiency, but overdosing isn't the answer."2 ABC News warned its viewers that taking more than 4,000 international units (IUs) of vitamin D is "far above safe levels," and could potentially cause heart disease.3 Ditto for Consumer Affairs4 and many others.5,6
Where is this coming from? If you've followed the progression of vitamin D science, you will be aware of the fact that recommended vitamin D levels — and the dosages typically needed to achieve those levels if you're not getting regular sun exposure — have dramatically risen over the years.
Researchers have also pointed out a basic mathematical flaw that led to vitamin D recommendations being underestimated by a factor of 10. Unfortunately, the study now being promoted by the media takes none of these things into consideration, instead promulgating decades' old fallacies.
Are Americans Taking Too Much Vitamin D?
According to the featured study,7 nearly 20 percent of American adults are taking supplemental vitamin D, and many are taking "excessively high doses" — amounts linked to "an increased risk of fractures, falls, kidney stones and certain cancers" — even an increased risk of death from all causes.8
An "excessively high dose," the study warns, is anything over 4,000 IUs a day, adding that this is the maximum recommended dosage, and that anything higher than this may result in dangerous side effects. Senior author Pamela Lutsey, public health researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, told Reuters:
"Vitamin D is essential for bone metabolism, as it helps the body absorb calcium and maintain appropriate concentrations of calcium and phosphate in the blood. Excessive intake of vitamin D can, however, be harmful, as it can cause over absorption of calcium. Excess blood calcium can, in turn, lead to detrimental deposition of calcium in soft tissues, such as the heart and kidneys."
Reuters does note that the study was "not a controlled experiment designed to examine the risks and benefits of varying amounts of vitamin D supplementation." Unfortunately, that important piece of information is likely to get lost in the fearmongering, no matter how flawed the conclusions.
For starters, the study's authors assume the vitamin D dosage recommended by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM; formerly the Institute of Medicine, IOM) is scientifically substantiated. As it turns out, it is not, and dedicated vitamin D researchers have for a long time urged NAM to update its recommendation, as it is based on flawed math.
Flawed Math Vastly Underestimates Vitamin D Need
In this video, Keith Baggerly, Ph.D., explains the key problems with respect to NAM’s stance on vitamin D requirements. You can also read his report here. NAM (formerly IOM) chose 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) of serum concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D as an adequate level for bone health, and to maintain a level of 20 ng/mL, NAM says you need to take 600 IUs a day up to age 70, and 800 IUs if you’re over 70. However, both of these measures are too low due to a mathematical error.
Using the same raw data, and correcting the math, you get an estimate of about 30 ng/mL as an adequate level for bone health, and given the logarithmic nature of the dose response curve for vitamin D, increasing the target serum level by 50 percent may require increasing the RDI in IUs by several times.
In 2014, two investigators from the University of Edmonton published a paper9 that explicitly showed NAM had made a calculation error in defining the intake needed to reach and maintain 20 ng/mL. Had it been calculated correctly, the RDI would have been at least 10 times greater than what was publically posted.
Importantly, 30 ng/mL is merely indicated for bone health; it may not be sufficient for general health or diseases prevention. When studying a native African tribe, the physiological levels were found to be in the 40 to 60 ng/mL range, which is the range suggested by GrassrootsHealth’s panel of experts for general health. As explained by the late Dr. Robert Heaney in a previous interview (included below for your convenience):
"The [RDI], as I think most of us know, is the intake that is reckoned to be necessary to meet the nutritional need of 97.5 percent of the population … How much is enough? The [IOM, now NAM] said 600 IUs was enough. But what's very clear is that 600 IUs would not get 97.5 percent of the population above 20 ng/mL. That's what the Edmonton investigators showed.
As a matter of fact … as many as half of the people getting 600 IUs a day wouldn't get up to 20 ng/mL … The Edmonton investigators calculated a number of 8,895 IUs per day, using the same set of studies on which the IOM had based its calculation ... When I was able to access the GrassrootsHealth (GRH) data, a completely different set from the one used by the IOM, we could directly calculate the intake needed …
That's because, in the GRH database, we know exactly how much of an increase in 25-hydroxy D the participants got on whatever dose they were taking. Our calculation showed that about 3,800 IUs per day, in addition to everything they were already getting [from sun and food], would have been necessary to get 97.5 percent of that population to 20 ng/mL.
Factoring in the basal intake in the GRH population, we showed that you need about 7,000 IUs per day in order to get 97.5 percent above 20 ng/mL. That's very close to the figure that the Edmonton investigators had used: 8,895 [IUs]."
The public health implications are tremendous. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has created a statistical panel to review NAM’s calculations. This panel has now completed its review, but the results have not yet been made public. It is imperative that the panel’s results be published as soon as possible, especially in light of the current misinformation being disseminated, suggesting Americans may be taking dangerously high levels of vitamin D, when in fact most are not getting nearly enough.
Heaney would know what he was talking about, seeing how he was one of the leading, most well-recognized vitamin D researchers in the world. Up until his death he was also the research director of GrassrootsHealth, which is compiling data from a number of population-based studies like the D*Action project.
Trained as a clinical endocrinologist, Heaney spent a large part of the last 50 years of his life doing clinical research, most of it in the field of vitamin D, working on quantifying the vitamin D economy. This includes defining:
How much vitamin D is necessary to reach a certain effect
How large of an effect you might get at a particular dosage
How much vitamin D you make in your skin in response to sunlight
How long it lasts
Heaney and colleagues challenged NAM's vitamin D recommendation,10 warning the RDI underestimates need by a factor of 10. Most vitamin D experts also agree that a serum level of 20 ng/mL is too low for optimal health, which means the requirement for most people is even higher than that.
Moreover, any public guidance on vitamin D really should be based on your blood level, not a daily dosage, because the dosage response from one person to the next can vary significantly. As noted in a 2015 study evaluating the response to vitamin D supplementation:11
"In response to a given dose of vitamin D, the effect on 25(OH)D concentration differs between individuals … For this review, a comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify those factors and to explore their significance in relation to circulating 25(OH)D response to vitamin D supplementation …
Response to vitamin D supplementation can be explained by several environmental and demographic factors. Recently, Zittermann et al. (2014) published a systematic review concerning the importance of body weight for the dose-response relationship with circulating 25(OH)D.
The authors demonstrated that 34.5 percent of variation in circulating 25(OH)D was explained by body weight, followed by type of supplement (D2 or D3) (9.8 percent), age (3.7 percent), calcium intake (2.4 percent) and basal 25(OH)D concentrations (1.9 percent), leaving approximately 50 percent of the variations to unknown factors."
One such unknown factor could be related to differences in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS), a common genetic variation. At any rate, the only way to ensure you're taking a dose that is appropriate for you is to test your blood level, which should be between 40 and 60 ng/mL year-round.
Research suggests potential toxicity does not occur until you reach a level of about 200 ng/mL, and no evidence of toxicity has been found in trials using dosages of 10,000 IUs a day12,13 — a far cry from the recommended maximum of 4,000 IUs a day.
What Is an Ideal Vitamin D Level?
Based on the accumulated data collected and research done by GrassrootsHealth, a vitamin D level of 40 ng/mL is a more appropriate minimum level. To prevent chronic disease and optimize health, a level between 40 and 60 ng/mL appears to be ideal. According to Heaney, evidence shows that 20 ng/mL is not even adequate for the prevention of osteomalacia.
"The point is the [IOM, now NAM] is dead wrong; not because it chose the wrong number, but because it made a mathematical mistake. They miscalculated, which is really kind of embarrassing if you think about it. Somebody didn't check the work," Heaney says.
"Now, having made that mistake, bureaucrats being bureaucrats, they're unlikely to want to change. They're not going to say, 'Oops, we made a mistake. Here is the right answer.' They seem to say, 'We are not wrong, [and] if no federal agency asks to have it reviewed, it could be 10 years from now before anybody ever looks at it again.'"
Lutsey's study is a perfect example of why NAM needs to rectify its mistake. We cannot move forward when researchers are making assumptions based on flawed recommendations. That Lutsey was unaware of this mathematical error just goes to show that scientists cannot keep up with all the relevant papers being published relating to vitamin D. Lutsey also ignores the many studies showing higher vitamin D levels in fact correlate with improved health outcomes and a lower risk of all-cause mortality, not higher risks.
The Interplay of Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin K2
Lutsey points out that excessive vitamin D may cause over absorption of calcium, which in turn may result in calcium deposits in your heart and kidneys. Indeed, it is important to maintain not only the proper balance of vitamin D and calcium, but also magnesium and vitamin K2. Lack of balance between these four nutrients is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and why some experience symptoms of "vitamin D toxicity."
I use quotation marks here, because the problem is not so much excess vitamin D as it is a lack of vitamin K2. Part of the explanation for these adverse side effects is that vitamin K2 keeps calcium in its appropriate place. If you're K2 deficient, added calcium can cause more problems than it solves, by accumulating in the wrong places. Similarly, taking megadoses of vitamin D supplements without sufficient amounts of K2 can lead to inappropriate calcification, which is what Lutsey is alluding to.
While the optimal ratios between vitamin D and vitamin K2 have yet to be established, Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue (whom I've interviewed on this topic) suggests that for every 1,000 IUs of vitamin D you take, you may benefit from about 100 micrograms of K2, and perhaps as much as 150 to 200 micrograms (mcg).
Maintaining an appropriate calcium-to-magnesium ratio is also important, as magnesium helps keep calcium in your cells so they can function better. Historically, mankind ate a diet with a calcium-magnesium ratio of 1-to-1,14 but Americans tend to have a higher calcium-to-magnesium ratio in their diet, averaging about 3.5-to-1.
Magnesium and vitamin K2 also complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease. So, all in all, anytime you're taking any of the following: magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3 or vitamin D2, you need to take all the others into consideration as well, since these all work synergistically with each other.
Discouraging Vitamin D Supplementation Is Inadvisable
So, to recap:
✓ The best way to optimize your vitamin D levels is to expose enough of your skin for long enough periods to increase your vitamin D levels so they are between 40 and 60 ng/mL.
If you cannot get adequate sun exposure, then it would be wise to use oral vitamin D3 in the dosage recommended below
✓ Current RDI for oral vitamin D underestimates need by a factor of 10 due to a simple mathematical error. Correcting this error would result in an RDI of 6,000 IUs, and 8,000 IUs if you're over 70
✓ Ideal dosage can only be determined through blood testing, as dosage response to supplemental vitamin D varies widely from one person to the next
✓ You need a blood level of at least 40 ng/mL to significantly impact your risk of chronic disease, including heart disease, cancer and all-cause mortality
✓ No toxicity has been found in trials using 10,000 IUs per day of vitamin D, and toxicity does not become a concern until you reach a level of about 200 ng/mL
✓ The risk of calcification is ameliorated by taking vitamin D supplements with vitamin K2 and balancing your calcium and magnesium ratios
Considering this, the notion that many Americans are endangering their health by taking in excess of 4,000 IUs of vitamin D per day is unreasonable at best. Research shows higher vitamin D levels can help prevent and/or treat:
✓ Dry eye syndromes15,16 and macular degeneration17,18
✓ Autoimmune diseases
✓ Neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis19,20
✓ Neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease25,26 and epilepsy
In one study,27 epileptics given a one-time megadose of vitamin D3, ranging from 40,000 IUs all the way up to 200,000 IUs, followed by a daily dose of 2,000 to 2,600 IUs a day for three months, to bring each individual's vitamin D status to at least 30 ng/ml, resulted in significant improvements.
Ten out of 13 had a decrease in the number of seizures, five of which experienced more than a 50 percent reduction. Overall, the group had a 40 percent reduction in the number of seizures
✓ Lupus
According to researchers in Cairo,28 most patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have some level of vitamin D deficiency, defined as a level of 10 ng/mL or less, or insufficiency, a level between 10 and 30 ng/mL
✓ Depression
A vitamin D level below 20 ng/mL may raise your risk for depression by as much as 85 percent, compared to having a vitamin D level greater than 30 ng/mL
✓ Pregnancy complications
Optimizing your vitamin D during pregnancy is crucial not only for your own health, but also for the short- and long-term health of your child.29
Studies30 reveal you need a vitamin D level above 40 ng/mL to protect your baby from serious complications such as premature delivery and preeclampsia, and studies have confirmed there's a lifelong impact of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy — ranging from childhood asthma,31,32 colds and flu, dental cavities, diabetes and even strokes and cardiovascular disease33,34 in later life
✓ Cancer
Studies indicate a dosage range of 1,100 to 4,000 IUs a day and a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of 60 to 80 ng/mL may be needed to reduce cancer risk.
One 2011 study35 led by vitamin D experts Drs. Cedric Garland and Heaney found the supplemental dose ensuring 97.5 percent of the study population achieved a vitamin D blood level of at least 40 ng/mL was 9,600 IU/day. It also concluded that intake of up to 40,000 IUs per day is unlikely to result in vitamin D toxicity.
Vitamin D also helps improve health outcomes for cancer patients. A 2009 study36 showed cancer-free survival during four years of follow-up was 77 percent higher among patients receiving calcium and vitamin D supplements compared to those receiving a placebo.
Here, the minimum year-round blood level of vitamin D required to prevent breast and colorectal cancers was 40 to 60 ng/mL. According to the authors, "The time has arrived for nationally coordinated action to substantially increase intake of vitamin D and calcium."
Breast37 and prostate38,39 cancers are just two examples where low vitamin D also renders you more vulnerable to more aggressive forms of the disease. Recent research40 has also found that low vitamin D levels are associated with more severe peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients
✓ Falls, fractures, dental health and more
A 2006 review41 looking at vitamin D intakes and health outcomes such as bone mineral density, dental health, risk of falls, fractures and colorectal cancer, found "the most advantageous serum concentrations of 25(OH)D begin at 30 ng/mL, and the best are between 36 to 40 ng/mL"
✓ Obesity
Research42 has shown vitamin D supplementation (4,000 IUs/day) combined with resistance training helps decrease your waist-to-hip ratio — a measurement that is far better at determining your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease than BMI
✓ Diabetes
Abdominal obesity in combination with a low vitamin D level has also been shown to "synergistically influence" your risk of insulin resistance.43 According to this study, 47 percent of the increased odds of insulin resistance can be explained by the interaction between insufficient vitamin D levels and a high BMI
✓ All-cause mortality
A meta-analysis44 of 42 randomized controlled trials found supplemental vitamin D significantly reduced mortality from all causes when taken for a minimum of three years
Vitamin D and Omega-3 — Two Crucial Nutrients for Optimal Health
Considering there are well over 30,000 studies on vitamin D, and vitamin D receptors have been found in virtually all bodily tissues, from your brain to your bones, the above list is far from complete. The main point is that your risk of experiencing adverse effects from vitamin D supplementation are slim, and the notion that people are endangering their health by taking 4,000 IUs or more of vitamin D3 per day is not supported by a majority of the evidence.
On the contrary, vitamin D experts are becoming increasingly convinced that an ideal vitamin D blood level is somewhere between 40 and 60 ng/mL, and the most appropriate dosage is whatever dosage will put you within that range. For some, that may be 2,000 IUs a day; for others it may be 10,000 IUs.
I don't know ANY single physical factor that could improve your health more than understanding and finally applying what we now know about vitamin D. Getting your blood levels tested and making sure your vitamin D levels are in the optimal range is especially important, no matter what your age is, or where you live.
GrassrootsHealth has now released a consumer-sponsored research kit that includes both vitamin D and omega-3. This kit is part of the D*Action + Omega-3 Project, and you can get it either from my online store or directly from GrassrootsHealth. To learn more about this project, see their FAQ page.
Vitamin D and omega-3 are two of the most important nutrients your body needs to maintain optimal health, and the only way to evaluate your status is to test them. GrassrootsHealth D*Action + Omega-3 Project is the largest project in the world that allows scientific researchers to study the links between these nutrients, and participating in the project is an inexpensive way to take control of your health and help advance science at the same time.
The average American pediatrician has 1546 patients, though some pediatricians see many more. The vast majority of those patients are very you...ng, perhaps because children transition to a family physician or stop visiting the doctor at all as they grow up. As they table above explains, Blue Cross Blue Shield pays pediatricians $400 per fully vaccinated child. If your pediatrician has just 100 fully-vaccinated patients turning 2 this year, that’s $40,000. Yes, Blue Cross Blue Shield pays your doctor a $40,000 bonus for fully vaccinating 100 patients under the age of 2. If your doctor manages to fully vaccinate 200 patients, that bonus jumps to $80,000.
💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰
But here’s the catch: Under Blue Cross Blue Shield’s rules, pediatricians lose the whole bonus unless at least 63% of patients are fully vaccinated, and that includes the flu vaccine. So it’s not just $400 on your child’s head–it could be the whole bonus. To your doctor, your decision to vaccinate your child might be worth $40,000, or much more, depending on the size of his or her practice. 😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷
Update 4/30/2017: After Wellness & Equality published this article, Blue Cross Blue Shield locked online access to their incentive program and then removed the page altogether. Clearly this incentive program was never intended to be public knowledge and created a bit of PR issue for them. Fortunately, another website managed to save the entire BCBS incentive program booklet and has published it in entirety online... 🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊
Page 5--http://www.whale.to/c/2016-BCN-BCBSM-Incentive-Program-Book…
Story here--https://wellnessandequality.com/…/blue-cross-blue-shields-…/
