THIS WEEK IN THE HSI FORUM It's that time of year again. I'm not talking about the holidays, I'm talking about that
time of year when those of us in the Northern Hemisphere
who live well north of the equator find ourselves faced with a
serious health challenge: how to get an adequate intake of
vitamin D. In an HSI Forum thread titled "Cod liver oil," a member
named Cate describes a situation that concerns one of the
best sources of vitamin D: "I have been giving my daughter
who is five and 36 lbs. about 1/2 teaspoon a day of cod liver
oil. I have noticed lately her skin is quite dry. She also drinks
raw milk so I am wondering if she could be getting too much
vitamin D. Any comments or insight would be much
appreciated." A member who goes by "lae" offers some very good insights
about vitamin D: "I don't see how your daughter's dry skin
could possibly be the result of too much vitamin D
(especially from the sources you mentioned). According to
professor Robert P. Heaney (perhaps the world's foremost
medical expert on calcium and vitamin D) humans normally
utilize about 10 times the RDA of 400 I.U. Which would
mean we need about 4,000 IU, daily not 400. The professor
suggests that vitamin D deficiency in the United States (and
much of the world) is common (and, not the exception).
When one of the nation's premier hospitals (Massachusetts
General) tested their patients, they discovered 85 percent of
the patients were vitamin D deficient. "A half-teaspoon of CLO probably contains around 200-250
IU of vitamin D. So, I think you can see the amounts you are
talking about couldn't possibly be 'too much' (perhaps it's too
little). Another thing too keep in mind is that you are talking
about 'natural sources', not some isolated or synthetic
version of vitamin D. Some doctors and experts will tell you
that there has 'never been' a documented case of toxicity
when you're discussing 'natural vitamin D'." As for Cate's question about her daughter's dry skin, a
member named Rick has a suggestion: "I don't believe
anyone can get to much natural vitamin D. Like Lae pointed
out there is very little 'D' in natural raw milk this time of
year. Dry skin can be helped by more natural vitamin E in
nuts and whole grains." And a member named Lianna offers some additional
solutions: "Congratulations for being actively involved in
maintaining your daughter's good health, and going to the
trouble of buying raw milk and supplementing with CLO.
She's a lucky little girl. I agree with Lae and Rick that it's
difficult to overdose on vitamin D, especially in winter. If
you live in a cold climate, and she's not able to get much sun
exposure, one tablespoon of CLO daily certainly would not
be excessive, (divide it into two doses). Try adding other
sources of EFA's into her diet, also. Use extra-virgin olive oil
on salads. Cook with coconut oil. Use butter instead of
margarine. Avoid all trans-fats, (which can clog pores). Don't
overlook the most common cause of dry skin; dehydration." Here's another dietary suggestion from a member named
Roz: "I seem to be more prone to skin dryness during the
winter, which I attribute to the forced-air dryer heat. I've
found that increasing natural Vit C from Citrus fruits helps
alot." And if you want to infuse the air with moisture along with
comforting aromas, a member named Mary shares this idea:
"Putting moisture in the air is relatively easy. Put a pot of
water on the stove and let it simmer, add cinnamon or
pumpkin spice or vanilla or lemon slices for a terrific smell." Other topics on the HSI Forum this week include:
* Heart palpitations
* Libido improvement for women
* Niacin side effects
* WTO makes American law
* Vitamin E in nuts
* Chronic nerve pain You can easily reach the Forum on our web site at
www.hsibaltimore.com. Just click on "Forum," and join in
with any of the dozens of discussions about nutrition and
natural health care. **************************************************************
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RAVEN MAD When your team is up 20-3 after three quarters of football,
it's usually okay to go home. And that's just what the Ravens
defense did on Sunday. After a tight first half, the Ravens established a solid lead
over the Cincinnati Bengals after Ed Reed made an
interception that was returned (by Chris McAllister) for a
touchdown. But a few plays later, return specialist BJ Samms muffed a
punt, giving the Bengals the ball in the red zone. Moments
later…Bam! It was 20-10. Throughout the fourth quarter, the Bengals defense
succeeded in forcing the Ravens to punt or settle for three
points while Cincy's offense drove down the field very
effectively. The scoring went back and forth: from 20-17, to
23-17 to 23-24 to 26-24 to 26-27 in the very last second of
the game. So, the Ravens, coming off another (muddy) defeat in New
England, go to 7-5 on a beautiful sunny day at home. Not to
mention that Cincy had not beaten a team with a winning
record on the road since…1990. That's right, nearly a decade
and a half. With all the cards - and the odds - in their favor, the Ravens
let go of a substantial lead because the offense couldn't put 7
points on the board instead of 3, the defense blew its
coverage on the long passes, and special teams gave up a
huge, critical play. When all three parts of your team fail to get it done, and the
other team is committed to breaking a bad streak, you're
always going to leave the field with an "L." This week, the Ravens have another game at home and the
phrase "must win" isn't strong enough. Facing the Giants and
their rookie quarterback, Eli Manning, the boys in purple
need to shut down the passing game and put some
touchdowns on the board. Even if they manage to squeak by
the Giants playing like they did last week, Eli's big brother
will be waiting in the wings to send them home from Indy
with a loss the following week. If the Ravens want to be a playoff team, they better start
playing like one. We can't count on Denver and Jacksonville
to keep losing so we can slide in. **************************************************************
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