|
Greetings: We would like to remind newsletter readers that we also publish a more detailed blog every couple of months. To sign up, click here to visit our "Feedburner" site.
|
|
Vitamin D News
Vitamin D and Heart Failure
According to a study done at the University of Leeds in the UK, taking a daily dose of vitamin D may improve heart function in people diagnosed with heart failure. They discovered that the amount of blood pumped from the heart was boosted in patients who took vitamin D3 supplements. The study involved 163 patients already being treated for heart failure, who were given either 4000 IU of vitamin D3, or a placebo, every day for a year.
Each patient was tested for heart function using cardiac ultrasound, and the results indicated that for those taking the vitamin D, the heart's pumping function improved by between 26% and 34%, while there was no change in those taking the placebo.
In a statement, consultant cardiologist Dr Klaus Witte who led the study says: "This is a significant breakthrough for patients. It is the first evidence that vitamin D3 can improve heart function of people with heart muscle weakness - known as heart failure. These findings could make a significant difference to the care of heart failure patients."
The research is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and has been presented to the College's 65th Annual Scientific Session and Expo in Chicago.
Vitamin D and Cognitive Decline
Tying into to my recent series of blogs about Alzheimer’s disease (http://nutristart.com/the-real-cause-of-alzheimers-disease/) is this study linking lower vitamin D levels to a higher risk of cognitive decline.
This research was part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.), an Italian population-based cohort study of 1,927 elderly subjects. Blood levels of vitamin D were measured at the baseline, and participants were followed for 4.4 years. Participants with vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) or insufficiency (50-75 nmol/L) were more likely to have declining MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) scores during the follow-up than those who had sufficient levels of vitamin D (≥75 nmol/L).
“The results of our study support an independent association between low 25OHD levels and cognitive decline in elderly individuals. In cognitively intact elderly subjects, 25OHD levels below 75 nmol/L are already predictive of global cognitive dysfunction at 4.4 years” (Neurology. 2014 Dec 9;83(24). “Vitamin D deficiency predicts cognitive decline in older men and women: The Pro.V.A. Study.” Toffanello ED, et al.)
I will point out here that U.S. experts on vitamin D consider an ideal level to be 50 ng/ml. This European data converts as such: 50 nmol/L is equal to 20 ng/ml and 75 nmol/L is equal to 30 ng/ml. Therefore, even at the relatively low level of 75 nmol/L (or 30 ng/ml) the participants were protected from cognitive decline, but this is still well below the ideal range of 50 ng/ml.
|
|
Vaccination and Childhood Diseases: The Science
Least you believe the media hype that the link between autism, ADD, ADHD, and vaccination has been totally debunked have a look at the two links below.
- The first link is to “A Historical Look at the Vaccine Schedule”, and it compares that information to the statistics documenting the rise of autism in the years following those schedules.
“As the number of scheduled vaccines has risen, so have the rates of now common childhood diseases including ADD/ADHD, SIDS, and asthma. Before the 1970s, ADD and ADHD were not even prevalent enough for a diagnosis to exist in the DSM… And asthma rates have also experienced a sharp rise over the years. According to Harris Coulter, a medical historian and scientist, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) was not reported in the statistics before the rise of mass vaccinations because of its rarity. As vaccination rates have risen, so have SIDS rates. When Japan put a moratorium on all vaccinations before the age of two, their SIDS rate plummeted to almost nothing. Although they are every bit as scientifically adept as we are and highly technologically advanced, their schedule has less than half the recommended vaccinations as the United States schedule.”
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/a-look-at-the-vaccine-schedule-and-autism-rates
- The second link is to “30 Scientific Studies Showing the Link between Vaccines and Autism”.
“In fact, the first research paper to offer evidence that vaccines may cause autism was THE first paper ever written on autism. In the 1930’s, Child Psychiatrist Leo Kanner discovered 11 children over the course of several years who displayed a novel set of neurological symptoms that had never been described in the medical literature, where children were withdrawn, uncommunicative and displayed similar odd behaviors. This disorder would become known as “autism.” In the paper, Dr. Kanner noted that onset of the disorder began following the administration of a small pox vaccine. This paper, was published in 1943, and evidence that vaccination causes an ever increasing rate of neurological and immunological regressions, including autism, has been mounting from that time until now.” http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/30-scientific-studies-showing-the-link-between-vaccines-and-autism/
I will point out that these are “scientific” studies, following the most conservative definition of that term. The studies come from such respected sources as: Annals of Epidemiology; Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology; Journal of Immunotoxicology; Clinical Neuropsychiatry; Molecular Psychiatry; Archives of General Psychiatry.
|
|
Reading
My recent blogs on “The Real Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease,” end with the use of coconut and MCT oils for treating that ailment. But coconut oil has many, many other uses, and this link will take you to “67 proven uses for coconut oil”. Be sure to scroll down for an explanation of everything on the list. And number 4 (“To brush your teeth with”) includes a short video showing how to make simple toothpaste with coconut oil that is healthier, and more effective, than commercial toothpastes. Even if half of the “proven” uses prove to be true, there is a solid argument for making coconut oil a big part of your life.
|
|
|
|
