A recent report from the Institute of Medicine claims that only 600IU/day are needed to maintain adequate levels. An adequate level, in their opinion, is 20ng/ml. These recommendations are pretty much crazy when you take into account the facts about how vitamin D is made in the body. I invite you to think this through with me.
If you expose your skin to about 15 to 20 minutes of sunlight, your body produces around 10,000IU of vitamin D. That's right, 10,000IU. Can you imagine if you were able to have exposure to 15 - 20 minutes of unfiltered peak sunlight a day? Your level would be FAR beyond their adequate amount. You blood level of vitamin D after the above exposure would easily be 60ng/ml, not a mere 20.
The Institute of Medicine also wants us to believe that Vitamin D is only utilized for bone health. That is insanely stupid. Vitamin D acts like a hormone in the body, impacting tissues throughout the body, not just bone. It even regulates pathways involved with immune function and cancer. Just as Vitamin B6 and B12 have varying roles in the body, so does vitamin D.
The Institute of Medicine based their recommendations on many scientific studies, apparently ignoring all the recent reports of low vitamin D being linked to a large number of health issues and also forgetting to use common sense in their decisions.
Ignore the new recommendations. Have your vitamin D levels checked and make sure it is above 50ng/ml. If it's not, begin to supplement, and supplement with far more than 600IU/day.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
I have to come in for the REST OF MY LIFE?????
"If you go to a chiropractor they will just keep you coming in for the rest of your life."
A sentence uttered often by people that do not understand chiropractic or what true health is. So when you hear that sentence what do you think? Do you think that a lifetime of regular chiropractic care is necessary? If so, I am elated. If not, why do you think that?
People seem to think that chiropractors are the only doctors that want you to come in on a regular basis. But is this really true? When is the last time you went to the dentist and he said "okay, you're teeth look great, don't come back in until you have a cavity"? Don't most women get regular checkups at their OB/GYN? Don't you usually get regular blood work to check for any risk factors for disease? Don't some people get regular eye exams?
Think of all the things you regularly maintain. You take your car in for an oil change and you maintain your house before it falls apart, so why not maintain your spine before it causes you pain or even if pain is what brought you to the chiropractor in the first place, why not prevent back pain before it starts again by maintaining your spine.
Am I trying to say you need to come in once a week forever? No. But I think one time a month is a good way to keep your spine moving properly and to prevent it from causing you more serious problems in the future.
A sentence uttered often by people that do not understand chiropractic or what true health is. So when you hear that sentence what do you think? Do you think that a lifetime of regular chiropractic care is necessary? If so, I am elated. If not, why do you think that?
People seem to think that chiropractors are the only doctors that want you to come in on a regular basis. But is this really true? When is the last time you went to the dentist and he said "okay, you're teeth look great, don't come back in until you have a cavity"? Don't most women get regular checkups at their OB/GYN? Don't you usually get regular blood work to check for any risk factors for disease? Don't some people get regular eye exams?
Think of all the things you regularly maintain. You take your car in for an oil change and you maintain your house before it falls apart, so why not maintain your spine before it causes you pain or even if pain is what brought you to the chiropractor in the first place, why not prevent back pain before it starts again by maintaining your spine.
Am I trying to say you need to come in once a week forever? No. But I think one time a month is a good way to keep your spine moving properly and to prevent it from causing you more serious problems in the future.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Supplement Confusion
What should I REALLY take?
With all the choices of different dietary supplements available to the public in so many different outlets, it can get very confusing choosing which one would be right for your condition. In fact, walking into a health food store can be extremely confusing and misleading. You have one sales associate trying to tell you that for your gallbladder take this, for your arthritis take this, for your depression take this, for your heart take that. Before too long, you have accumulated a suitcase full of supplements that you probably did not need in the first place.
The reality is, you probably do not need 3/4 of the supplements they just recommended, most of the supplements sold at health food stores are based on either anecdotal, non-existent, or faulty research, and the quality of these supplements is questionable at best. A recent study of over-the-counter Vitamin D supplement found that the average Vitamin D content from 10 OTC brands was only 33% of what the label claimed.
At Centreville Chiropractic Center, we try to take the confusion over dietary supplementation away. We stick to only a few supplements that address dietary deficiencies that can lead to inflammation and eventually disease.
There are FOUR basic supplements EVERYONE should be taking in some capacity; Multivitamin, Vitamin D, Omega-3, and Magnesium. These 4 supplements should form the basis of all your dietary supplementation. Why do we suggest using these four?
Multivitamin
Most physicians recommend a multivitamin to their patients. Think of a multivitamin as your vitamin insurance policy. If your diet is not optimal (most peoples diets are not), you have a multivitamin to fill in the gaps for that day.
Vitamin D
I don't think I can stress enough about the importance of Vitamin D. This vitamin is synthesized in your skin when you are out in the sun. You can actually get your daily dose of Vitamin D just by sitting in the sun for about 15 minutes or so. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong. Think about your work week. How often do you actually get out in the sun during the peak hours? If you do get out in the sun, how often do you apply sunscreen? The truth is, a majority of society is deficient in Vitamin D. Low vitamin D has been linked with the following: autism, cancer, autoimmune illness, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hyperparathyroidism, hypertension, influenza, myopathy, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and increased rate of C-Section. One study even linked low vitamin D levels to malignant melanoma (skin cancer), ironic considering you get vitamin D from the sun. Take my advice, take your D, take it now.
Omega-3
There has been a lot of buzz going around about Omega-3's and how they improve health. Without going into great detail about how it works, I can simply say taking omega-3's will decrease chronic inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of diseases including, but not limited to heart disease, cancer, dementia, depression, mulitple sclerosis, and diabetes. Our diets are omega-3 deficient, take your omega-3.
Magnesium
Magnesium is chronically deficient in the modern American diet. Magnesium deficiency is associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, as well as sudden death from heart disease, and asthma. Magnesium is needed in over 300 reactions in the body including reactions critical to bone health.
Essential Nutrition Pack
At Centreville Chiropractic Center, we offer supplements from Anabolic Laboratories. Anabolic has been around more than 60 years and offers the highest quality supplements available. Luckily, our friends at Anabolic Laboratories have a supplement pack that contains the 4 supplements listed above. The Essential Nutrition Pack offers a 30 day supply of a multivitamin, vitamin d, magnesium, and omega-3 in convenient individual packets. The Essential Nutrition Pack is the perfect addition to your chiropractic treatment plan. Feel free to click below to contact the doctors to learn how to decrease inflammation in your life and improve your health.
With all the choices of different dietary supplements available to the public in so many different outlets, it can get very confusing choosing which one would be right for your condition. In fact, walking into a health food store can be extremely confusing and misleading. You have one sales associate trying to tell you that for your gallbladder take this, for your arthritis take this, for your depression take this, for your heart take that. Before too long, you have accumulated a suitcase full of supplements that you probably did not need in the first place.
The reality is, you probably do not need 3/4 of the supplements they just recommended, most of the supplements sold at health food stores are based on either anecdotal, non-existent, or faulty research, and the quality of these supplements is questionable at best. A recent study of over-the-counter Vitamin D supplement found that the average Vitamin D content from 10 OTC brands was only 33% of what the label claimed.
At Centreville Chiropractic Center, we try to take the confusion over dietary supplementation away. We stick to only a few supplements that address dietary deficiencies that can lead to inflammation and eventually disease.
There are FOUR basic supplements EVERYONE should be taking in some capacity; Multivitamin, Vitamin D, Omega-3, and Magnesium. These 4 supplements should form the basis of all your dietary supplementation. Why do we suggest using these four?
Multivitamin
Most physicians recommend a multivitamin to their patients. Think of a multivitamin as your vitamin insurance policy. If your diet is not optimal (most peoples diets are not), you have a multivitamin to fill in the gaps for that day.
Vitamin D
I don't think I can stress enough about the importance of Vitamin D. This vitamin is synthesized in your skin when you are out in the sun. You can actually get your daily dose of Vitamin D just by sitting in the sun for about 15 minutes or so. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong. Think about your work week. How often do you actually get out in the sun during the peak hours? If you do get out in the sun, how often do you apply sunscreen? The truth is, a majority of society is deficient in Vitamin D. Low vitamin D has been linked with the following: autism, cancer, autoimmune illness, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hyperparathyroidism, hypertension, influenza, myopathy, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and increased rate of C-Section. One study even linked low vitamin D levels to malignant melanoma (skin cancer), ironic considering you get vitamin D from the sun. Take my advice, take your D, take it now.
Omega-3
There has been a lot of buzz going around about Omega-3's and how they improve health. Without going into great detail about how it works, I can simply say taking omega-3's will decrease chronic inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of diseases including, but not limited to heart disease, cancer, dementia, depression, mulitple sclerosis, and diabetes. Our diets are omega-3 deficient, take your omega-3.
Magnesium
Magnesium is chronically deficient in the modern American diet. Magnesium deficiency is associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, as well as sudden death from heart disease, and asthma. Magnesium is needed in over 300 reactions in the body including reactions critical to bone health.
Essential Nutrition Pack
At Centreville Chiropractic Center, we offer supplements from Anabolic Laboratories. Anabolic has been around more than 60 years and offers the highest quality supplements available. Luckily, our friends at Anabolic Laboratories have a supplement pack that contains the 4 supplements listed above. The Essential Nutrition Pack offers a 30 day supply of a multivitamin, vitamin d, magnesium, and omega-3 in convenient individual packets. The Essential Nutrition Pack is the perfect addition to your chiropractic treatment plan. Feel free to click below to contact the doctors to learn how to decrease inflammation in your life and improve your health.
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