Dr. John Cannell is the president of The Vitamin D Council, a non-profit group that advocates higher vitamin D intake. Dr. Cannell said adults need to take 5,000 IU a day of vitamin D to put the vast majority of them above the 50 ng/mL level. Also Dr. Cannell reported evidence that 10,000 IU a day of supplemental vitamin D is not toxic.

To say exactly how much vitamin D a person needs requires a blood test. Life Extension members can have that test for $47.00. Check with your doctor for a blood test if you are not a member.

Life Extension, LE Publications, Inc., reveals their study on Life Extension members and their vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D from all sources (sunlight, sun lamps, or supplements) reduces the occurrences of respiratory infections.

Children with the lowest level vitamin D serum levels are 11 times more likely to develop respiratory infection.

Vitamin D in sufficient amounts has been shown to lower the rate of infections including H1N1 and other flues.

How much is enough? Life Extension members who had their blood tested showed that 85.7 percent had less than the optimal levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

Experts initially recommended a blood level of 30 ng/mL of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Recent studies by Life Extension now put the minimum at 50 ng/mL of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

-As we grow older our bodies are less efficient in using vitamin D.

-A startling fact is that 36 percent of the general population has 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL, which may represent the world’s leading cause of unnecessary disease and deaths.

Have you blood checked and find out your level of vitamin D and take supplements to get to the optimal level and you will be healthier and live a fuller life.

A cross-sectional study with 1,205 people found that higher levels of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP), the active form of vitamin B6, were linked to lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, as well as lower levels of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker for oxidative stress, both of which are related to heart disease risk.

CRP is produced in the liver and is a known marker for inflammation. Increased levels of CRP are a good predictor for the onset of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy an estimated €169 billion ($202 billion) per year.

www.nutraingredients.com, February 2, 2010

Omega-3 fish oil may reduce the likelihood of developing psychotic disorders in high-risk people. Twelve weeks of supplementation with fish oil rich in EPA and DHA reduced the risk of the progression to full threshold psychosis by 22.6 percent in a study published in Archives of General Psychiatry. This is the first study of people with risk of psychosis.

Since omega-3 produces changes in cell membranes and lowers inflammation in blood vessels it would only seem normal to help those with psychosis. The study used 1.2 grams of omega-3. Studies for reducing inflammation in the arteries used 4 to 5 grams in their program.

It’s Big Pharma’s worst nightmare.

More than 800,000 doses of the swine flu vaccine have been recalled here in the United States… and millions more are being marked “return to sender” in Europe.

The U.S. recall is especially shameful… because these doses were intended for babies and toddlers. Big Pharma and their federal friends are claiming there was nothing unsafe about them — they were just ineffective.

Being “ineffective” is the least of my concerns. Swine flu vaccines have been linked to all kinds of side effects, from severe allergic reactions to Guillain-Barre Syndrome and even sudden death.

In Canada, some 170,000 doses were recalled when the vaccines led to severe allergic reactions… but that recall came AFTER most of those shots found their way into Canadian shoulders.

So who knows what they REALLY found in the newly recalled batch. Remember… they sent this stuff out with the intention of giving it to BABIES.

Meanwhile, Germany and Spain are trying to return or cancel orders for millions of doses H1N1 vaccines, saying they don’t need them after all. It seems the Europeans aren’t lining up for their shots the way 60 million Americans already have.

The swine flu frenzy may appear to be winding down, but expect a new panic — and a new push — any day now. The feds and Big Pharma alike think they can vaccinate as many people over the next three months as they have over the last three.

-from Daily Dose with William Campbell Douglass, M.D.

Do you know that adding spices to your food makes it more flavorful without adding any fat, salt or sugar. Many spices also contain various disease-fighting phytonutrients.

For example allspice, cinnamon, and cloves have much more antioxidant power than blueberries. Researchers at the University of Georgia found after analyzing 24 spices that most of them neutralized inflammatory substances that may lead to heart disease.

TUMERIC

May control or prevent Alzheimer’s and cancer.

SAGE

May improve brain performance

CINNAMON

May help manage or prevent diabetes. Just a half-teaspoon a day for 40 days may reduce blood sugar and triglyceride levels by 25 percent.

CHILI PEPPER

Possibly help with weight control by boosting metabolism and suppressing appetite.

From Consumer Reports on Health

Historical references to a universal energy field date back as far as 5000 B.C. to India where prana was considered to be the basic source of life. In China it was referred to as chi and was believed to be in all matter. Two polar forces were recognized, yin and yang. When these two forces were in balance one was considered to be healthy. More recently Western medicine has begun to recognize energy within the body with the advent of devices capable of detecting its effects in the body. Energy fields associated with the human body have been detected by electroencephalograms (EEG), electrocardiograms (ECG), and very highly sensitive devices such as superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID). Practitioners of alternative forms of health care often believe much of the illness we see in the human body is the result either a blockage of the flow of the energy of the body, or an imbalance in the energy from one side of the body to the other. When the energy balance is restored, the body begins the healing process. Often, symptoms seem to almost miraculously lessen or even disappear. Energy imbalance is the result of too much nerve energy being sent to a part of the body in response to pain or dysfunction. The body gets caught in an endless loop of trying to make corrections. The result is an imbalance in which the deficient side develops painful trigger points. These trigger points are formed in the areas where acupuncture meridians are located. Therapies have been developed using these points to release blockages of energy and allow the proper amount of energy to flow. One does not need to use needles. These are the same acupressure points used by massage therapist to release tension, increase blood flow, and strengthen the body’s natural life force to assist in healing.

When energy is flowing to one side of the body more than the other, it can be easily felt in the form of muscle tension. Nerve impulses are sent along the nerves to muscles and other locations in the body. In the muscles this naturally causes them to be more contracted. A muscle that is contracted is shorter than a muscle that is relaxed. As a result of the increased muscle contraction, one entire side of the body will often feel tighter. How can we balance this energy and cause both sides of the body to be equally relaxed? The method is simple.

Trigger points are located by their tenderness, and once located, gentle pressure is applied. The initial stimulation of the trigger point sends a signal to the central nervous system to send more energy to the deficient side. The side that was getting the excessive energy suddenly has energy diverted from it, and the deficient side begins to receive an increase in energy. After a short time, a balance is achieved. The body is then able to use its resources for healing instead of continually attempting to bring the flow of its energy back into balance

Scientists have now proven that a lack of vitamin D helps damaged cholesterol (oxidized cholesterol) form plaque and that adequate vitamin D stops damaged cholesterol from forming plaque.  This should make it painfully clear that the “public health” advice of the American Cancer Society to use sun block and stay out of the sun has directly contributed to heart disease in a major way in America.

The research was conducted on type II diabetics who are known to have double the risk for heart disease.  It was found that they do not process cholesterol efficiently, and a lack of vitamin D was determined to be the main reason for this problem.  In low vitamin D patients, their macrophages readily absorbed damaged cholesterol, turned into foam cells, and initiated the process of plaque formation.

The researchers also showed that when human macrophages are placed in a vitamin D adequate environment their uptake of cholesterol is suppressed.  Of course, having adequate antioxidants on board helps prevent cholesterol from being damaged in the first place, which is why the tocotrienol for of vitamin E is so protective to your cardiovascular system.

2009 –by  Byron J. Richards, CCN, Wellness Resources

One orange provides almost 100% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. eating the whole orange gives you dietary fiber as well. Keep as much as possible of the albedo (the white matter under the peel), which contains the highest amount of valuable bioflavonoids and other anti-cancer agents. Oranges are also a good source of vitamin A, the B vitamins, amino acids, beta-carotene, pectin, potassium, folic acid, calcium, iodine, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, manganese, chlorine and iron.

The average orange has over 170 different phytonutrients and more than 60 flavonoids, many of which have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and blood clot inhibiting properties.

This high amount of anti-oxidant and flavonoids makes oranges one of the best fruits to promote optimal health.

It’s becoming clear to more and more people the importance of omega-3 as an anti-inflammatory supplement to decrease the need for drugs, which often have dangerous side effects.

Missouri based Cardio Tabs is beginning to use the by-product of calamari (squid) for omega-3. The company says they use the unused portion of squid to produce high-grade omega-3 and some are calling it a green product. Squid is a competitive source to tuna.

As the world continues to become more aware of the importance of DHA and EPA omega-3 will come into more demand. I continue to use Nordic Naturals for my omega-3.