I opted not to fast for the first two days. My wife and my office manager Tracy have made it very clear that I am not allowed to fast. When you eat every few hours as I do, I guess I get a little ornery when I have to skip a meal or two or three. I did however, as the program recommends, reduce my typical calorie amount during the week which allows the digestive system much needed rest and allows more energy to be devoted to the detox process. This includes resting the pancreas, liver, gall bladder, and intestines, all of which play important roles in our digestive systems and in our health.

The other important aspect of this program is avoiding foods which can cause inflammation in the intestines such as gluten, dairy and corn. Many people suffer from mild food allergies to these foods in the form of bloating after eating, gas, heart burn and cramping. Although I did not have to alter my diet much during the week, coming off of dairy and gluten proved to be more difficult than I expected. It is simply not easy to avoid gluten as it is in almost everything that we eat. I also learned that I eat a lot more dairy than I realized.

The other difficult part for me was detoxing from caffeine. I experienced a mild headache most of the week which is probably mostly from avoiding that strong cup of fresh ground coffee every morning. I did drink green tea during the week which probably helped me to avoid full blown DTs. I also really wanted to open that ice cold Newcastle that was calling my name on day 4 when I opened the fridge in the garage but I resisted and held off until day 6.

As advertised in the detox manual, my bowels did move more frequently when I started the phase II supplements on day 3, and I experienced a burning sensation in my stomach and some flushing on days 3 though 5. I could tell something was at work in my gut but these symptoms were mild and the burning was more along the lines of what you feel after eating something with jalapeno peppers in it rather than pain. I felt like I had more energy during the week which occurs for a couple reasons. The main one being that digestion of the food we eat is a large part of our daily energy expenditure so eating less equals more energy for other functions. The other is that when you are eating a lower carb diet, your insulin levels and therefore blood sugar leaves stay more stable which usually clears the mind and energizes the body. I did feel weak when trying to work out out during the week. The instructions recommended exercising less than you normally do but I tried to maintain my normal routine which was difficult when trying to follow a lower calorie diet.

Aside from the actual detox itself, I think the main benefit will be for most people will be that the program gives you structure, if only for a week, to completely remove the junk from your diet and focus on eating only pure, organic foods. In other words, how we were meant to eat.  I really noticed the number of times during the day that I have the opportunity to put junk into my body and the strict diet made me realize how much of a conscious effort it was to resist eating mindlessly. Although I have not stayed as strict since ending the week, yes I succumbed to the calling from the garage and have resumed my morning coffee ritual, I find myself thinking more before I grab that snack that I would not have thought twice about a few weeks ago. I do find myself more sensitive to caffeine so I tend to drink less now and I managed to lose a few pounds during the week, mostly around my midsection. I don’t typically feel bloated but since completing the program, I feel like I am less bloated if that makes sense. My gut just feels less inflamed and I feel thinner although I did not have dramatic weight loss. I think the feeling you get from eating a pure diet for a week is something that will motivate most of us to make better choices going forward.

It is very easy to go through life without putting much thought into what we are putting into our bodies, eating what is convenient rather than what is healthy, always eating for taste rather than eating for what we need to fuel health and wellness. It is also easy to tell ourselves, one day I will make healthy changes to my diet, just not this week because there is that big football game, or party, or work project. There is never going to be a convenient time to change bad habits. Change comes mostly because we simply make a decision to do so. I encourage you to think about taking one week of your life and focus on your health. We are here to help you with that process when you are ready.

Until next time, Stay Healthy and Live Well… Dr. Mike

There are 2 main phases of detox. Phase I takes place in the liver and involves chemical pathways that alter toxins which are then dumped into the intestines where phase 2 takes place. Phase II detox involves another series of chemical pathways that promote the excretion of these toxins. If this second phase does not take place, these toxins can be reabsorbed back into your system causing the many of the harmful side effects we typically associate with detox programs. Many products sold over the counter and on the internet do not give you enough support for phase 2 detox which is why some people experience dramatic side effects such as headache, abdominal pain and cramping, flu-like symptoms, nausea, chills and sweating.

After experiencing our program I can tell you, Ortho Molecular® got it right with this product. The program is a 7 day protocol which calls for an optional, modified fast over the first 24 – 48 hours while you are taking supplements to build up phase II detox nutrients so that, when you start phase I nutrients on day 3, your system is optimized to excrete toxins rather than reabsorb them. The first two days are not a true fast as you will be drinking a shake twice a day which provides some calories.

The kit comes with a canister of powder for shakes you will drink twice a day as well 2 different supplements you will take throughout the week. Additionally it comes with a complete instruction manual which includes recipes, shopping lists, and lists of recommended foods and foods to avoid during the week such as dairy and gluten products.

Following is a description of our experience:

Tracy: Office manager, The Center for Health and Age Management

My life during Liver Detox Week!

I began the Core Restore BT® Liver Detox with mixed emotions of apprehension and excitement. I started by reading the booklet provided in the kit. As I learned more about what to expect and how beneficial this rest was for my body, my anxiety lessened and my excitement grew!

The booklet offered a lot of information that included step by step instructions. It defined toxins “as any substance that causes harmful effects to our body”. Toxins are all around us, in our environment and our lifestyle.  Internal and emotional toxins abound. The part that intrigued me was the effect all of these toxins have on our digestive health. This detox was going to make me feel better, assist my body in maintaining good health and help my liver detox on its own in the future. At this point, I was eager to start! I wanted to be cleansed!

The main focus is to rest your digestive system by incorporating foods that enhance the detoxification process and eliminating dairy, sugar and processed foods. It provided a grocery list and some great, easy recipes. Since I’m not a good cook, this was really helpful to me.

I opted to fast the first two days and followed the plan as outlined. I drank a lot of water and got through the first two days fairly easy. I did have a slight headache, but it wasn’t unbearable and I didn’t feel bad.  In fact, I was surprised at how energetic I felt starting on day two. By day three I was ready to add the banana and berries to the morning shake. The shake kept me full and satisfied. I enjoyed my homemade hummus (one of the recipes) with fresh vegetables for lunch. For dinner I made the stuffed peppers (another recipe) and they were delicious. When I ate, I was full really fast and felt like my stomach was shrinking. I was thrilled and feeling great. It felt good to be hungry and feel my body utilizing the nourishment I was providing. I felt like my mental clarity improved and I felt healthy.

It was a satisfying experience for me. I realized that eating fresh foods and eliminating sugar really did affect my body in a positive way. I didn’t crave or have the desire for anything that was “off limits” for the week. I kept thinking it’s only seven days and all of the junk will be available when I am through. By the end of the week, I realized I didn’t want or need the junk anymore. The fruit satisfied my sweet tooth and the good clean foods were fulfilling. I am motivated to continue this healthy journey of eating better every day. I like the way I’m feeling and am looking forward to my workouts instead of dreading them. It was an insightful week. I gained some healthy recipes for everyday eating and lost a few pounds in the process!

Tomorrow I will post my insights and experiences with the program. The Core Restore program  is available through our office and we are offering free shipping if you are interested in trying it or stop by the office for a free consultation with Dr. Mike on suggestions for successful detox.  I promise you won’t be sorry!

Until then, Stay Healthy and Live Well, Dr. Mike…

Multiple messages from patients and friends this week have inspired this week’s blog. The first was from a patient seen in our office this week who had just returned from travels in Europe and recognized what many people do when the travel abroad: Americans stand out like sore thumbs, the reason, the American obesity rate. What stood out the most to me are the words she used to describe how she felt while witnessing just how much Americans stand out in foreign lands, “it is shameful.”

The next was a text I received from a patient while sitting in an infusion center receiving treatment. “Why is it that all the people getting chemo eat McDonald’s during treatment?”

The final one, a text from a friend and patient spending the day at Disney World, “After a day at Disney, a couple of observations…..Good God WE R FATTTT.”

We act perplexed as a nation at ideas such as the French paradox, or the quandary of the Mediterranean diet. These populations seemingly eat all the wrong things, by our collective body dysmorphic, eating disordered way of thinking in America. They eat bread and cheese, drizzled with olive oil and washed down with red wine yet have much lower rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. While it is true Europeans do not fear the foods that have become sacrilege in America i.e. carbs and fat, they eat them in portions that would make us bristle if they were served to us in a restaurant. To illustrate this point just picture in your mind, as an American, your idea of a plate of food served in a “gourmet restaurant.” Most of us picture large plates with appetizer sized portions as an entrée, and our knee jerk reaction is that we are getting ripped off. Get the picture? Therein lies the problem we have to overcome in this country. The breads and cheeses eaten by our European counterparts are in small portions, savored over prolonged meal times, accompanied by fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables and enjoyed in the company of friends and family. Eating in many cultures, as it was once in ours, is a time to relax, enjoy the intimacy of fellowship with friends and family. How many meals did you eat last week that come close to that description? And no, that meal you ate with your family in your car after driving away from the drive through window doesn’t count.

While is seems I am beating a dead horse at times in my blogs about weight, I do it because for me it is a microcosm of our culture. As a nation we have lost accountability, especially when it comes to our health and as health care providers we have lost the will to tell our patients in so many words, you are overweight and unhealthy, and it is mostly your fault, and if you really wanted to improve your health you could. When an overweight patient brings in their overweight kid because they are concerned about the early signs of diabetes in their 12 year old, it is not politically correct for me to tell them that it is their fault that their kid is overweight and that someone needs to be the adult and control what that child is putting in his mouth and how much physical activity he is getting. Although on occasion I have said just that. Those patients usually don’t come back.

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs on our new detox program. We have teamed up with a company called Ortho Molecular to provide a comprehensive liver detox program which will be available starting next week through our office. My staff and I are undergoing the detox this week and will provide updates on our progress as well as a more detailed description of what the program entails through our blog.

Until then, Stay Healthy and Live Well…. Dr. Mike

I’ve just finished Michael Pollard’s Book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto which I mentioned in my blog last week. Many thoughts went through my head while reading this book but the one that stands out the most was that it reminded me of why I majored in nutrition in college. Simply put, I believe in the power of food and always have. The natural next step as a physician has been to believe in the power of food and healthy living to fuel our health and well being. The author does a masterful job of explaining how the food supply in our country has become so unhealthy.  It also makes me question everything I put in my mouth and, as a parent, what my children put in theirs’.

To reiterate some of the points of last week’s blog, we as a country have been duped by the food industry with cooperation from our government. The food lobby is well funded and with that funding comes the power to obtain the right (by our government) to make, quite frankly, asinine health claims about the so-called food they are selling us. Are we really to believe that Lucky Charms is now somehow good for us because a small amount of “whole grains,” have been added? The same machine has produced the commercials mentioned last week about the merits of high fructose corn syrup, in moderation of course.  Does anyone else want to ask, “are you #@@?% kidding me?”

Let’s look at the facts shall we?

Table sugar or sucrose is 50% fructose and 50% glucose. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is 80% fructose and 20% glucose. Fructose is absorbed into the body much faster than sucrose which is the main issue with this highly processed sweetener. Between 1970 and 1990, the consumption of HGCS has increased by more than 1,000% and now comprises 40% of the caloric sweeteners added to our foods and beverages. During this same time frame the rate of diabetes increased greatly. There are countless studies that suggest consumption of HCFS is a causative factor in metabolic syndrome – the largely Western conglomeration of interrelated diseases which starts with obesity and typically leads to high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol and ultimately the number one killer of Americans, heart disease. HFCS in large quantities can also elevate triglycerides and lower HDL (good cholesterol). If you have high triglycerides and do not want to take medication, stop consuming food containing refined wheat and high fructose corn syrup and watch your numbers plummet.  The evidence against high fructose corn syrup goes on and on yet we still consume it in record amounts to the obvious detriment of our health.

As I’ve written in prior blogs, eating healthy in our country is not convenient, nor is it cheap. As for the first point, like many challenges in our life, overcoming them is mostly about making a decision to overcome them. Taking the time on Sunday to prepare food to be consumed for the week is a great strategy to eliminate the refined foods in our diet and planning in advance for when you may not have control of what types of foods are available. If you’ve sat in my office you know that in my house we regularly prepare large containers of mixed greens and chopped vegetables for salads during the week. There is also always a pitcher of home brewed green tea in the fridge which I take to work in water bottles each day. Grilling a batch of chicken breasts on Sundays gives us a ready supply of protein to add to salads during the week. Again, not convenient but this early week preparation allows me to avoid the pitfalls of relying on restaurants and other convenient foods during the work week which are usually highly refined. Finally, as a country, we must absolutely refuse to eat the products that the food industry is trying to pass off as food. The only way to change the products that are on our supermarket shelves is by the market forces of supply and demand.

In terms of the second point of the cost of eating healthy, I would suggest thinking in terms of a trade off between the future costs of your health care vs. the current cost of food. Believe me when I tell you, you can greatly reduce the future cost of your health care by following a healthier lifestyle now. We have become a population dependent on instant gratification. 30 minute pizza deliveries, 30 second drive through meals, and microwavable meals to go. Our demand has supplied endless products and services to feed our light speed lifestyles but again, at what cost? Take some time this week to slow down and ask yourself what is really important to you and if your actions are consistent with your priorities.  Many patients sit in my office expressing desires to lose weight, get off of medications, and to live a healthier lifestyle. The ones that accomplish their goals are the ones who have the will rise above the toxic environment in which we live, and taking the time to make those desires a priority.

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Until next time, stay healthy and live well… Dr. Mike

1. Bray, G., et al., “Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity,” Amer Jour Clin Nutr 2004; 79(4):537-43.

2. Vos, M., et al., “Dietary fructose consumption among US children and adults: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,” Medscape Jour Med 2008; 10(7):160.

3. Basciano, H., et al., “Fructose, insulin resistance, and metabolic dyslipidemia,” Nutr Metab (Lond): 2005; 2(1):5.

4. Miller, A., et al., “Dietary fructose and the metabolic syndrome,” Curr Opin Gastroenterol 2008; 24(2):204-09.

5. Elliott, S., et al., “Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome,” Amer Jour Clin Nutr2002; 76 (5):911-22.

If you heard me on JP Peterson’s radio show last Friday, you heard the latest obesity numbers are out on children in the U.S. and the numbers are not good. the current statistics reflect obesity rates for children ages 10 – 17 to be 16% whereas children in the overweight category are up to 30%. In adults by the way, these numbers are 30 and 33% respectively. These numbers continue to climb despite all of the recommendations put out by the “experts,” who have been parroting the same hollow advice, supported by our government and of course the food lobby in the U.S.

Case in point of the food lobby are the recent commercials you see touting the equality of high fructose corn syrup to other forms of sweeteners ie good old fashion sugar. Is it curious to anyone else that these commercials even exist? It is becoming more and more obvious that the dietary recommendations and the food products that stock our grocery shelves that have been so wholeheartedly backed by our government and our academic institutions in the 70s and 80s have had the exact opposite effect on the health of the American population than what was intended. They love to tout the reduction in deaths from heart disease but what they don’t tell you is that the incidence of heart disease has not declined, only that improved medical care allows people to be kept alive longer which reduces mortality rates. They also will not own up to the fact that the obesity rate began a dramatic increase soon after time these recommendations were announced.

One of the more devastating effects of these toxic recommendations has been the skyrocketing rates of obesity in this country. The scary part of these stats is that the fastest rate of increase in obesity is in children and adolescents. As I said on the radio show last week, this is not just a problem of fat kids, it is a problem of fat kids who become fat adults with obesity related disease such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and what could be the undoing of the medical system of this country, chronic kidney disease. We are the first generation that can claim significant diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. This form of diabetes was formerly referred to as “adult onset diabetes,” because it traditionally was diagnosed later in life after many years of gradual weight gain and elevated blood sugar levels. Now however, children are fed refined sugar and flour at almost every meal from birth, causing elevated sugar and insulin levels from a very young age which accelerates this once adult onset disease to a disease of the young, and fat.

Make no mistake, this is a catastrophic problem for our health care system, especially with universal health care looming. Make no mistake also, it is our fault. We control or refuse to control the health of our children, period. This is not a kid problem, it is a parent problem. Granted we have been led astray by the “experts,” who tell us to replace fat with refined sugar and flour. We have been sold a bill of goods that includes foods that are killing us.  Hydrogenated oils, refined white flour, trans fats, and high fructose corn syrup have wreaked havoc on our health and the health of our children and if we don’t do something about it soon, as parents, our children face a lifetime of health problems and oppressive taxes which will go to pay for the care of those once fat kids.

I’m currently reading a book titled, In Defense of Food written by Michael Pollan which is a no nonsense look at our food supply and the series of events that led to the current diet recommendations and the economic reasons why our food is so unhealthy. In his book, he cites a study which illustrates the power of simple, organic eating. The study was conducted in 1982 by Dr. Kerin O’dea who extensively studies the health of Australian aborigines. This particular study took a group of middle aged, male aborigines who had become “westernized,” by moving close to more developed areas and subsequently adopting a more western lifestyle i.e. poor diet and more sedentary lifestyle. The results of this cultural change caused a more western health profile as all of the subjects had developed obesity, diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels. This group was voluntarily placed back in the Australian outback which forced them to adopt their prior dependence on the land for food, hunting, fishing, and gathering which obviously increased their physical activity level as well. Their diet consisted mostly of lean meat and fish, wild fruit and vegetables and water. After 7 weeks of drastically altering their lifestyle they last an average of 14 pounds and reversed their elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The author, Michael Pollan poses a good question in the book, “aren’t we all aborigines?” In a sense, we are. Although most of us would not last a week trying to live off the land, our forefathers did not have Mcdonald’s® on every corner, sodas in their fridge, and high fructose corn syrup in everything that they ate. They also had dramatically lower rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

I often tell my patients that our culture is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. It is not convenient or cheap to eat healthy. We are spread so thin it is difficulty to livean active lifestyle. We are overstimulated to the point that I can count on a single hand the number of patients who tell me they sleep well. We are the creators of “western,” lifestyle, and it is killing us. We have become desensitized to obesity in this country to the point where it has become the new normal. So what do we do about it? On the surface, it is a complex problem that involves socioeconomics, psychology, politics and genetics. The answer however for most of us is simple. Starting with the Michael Pollan’s simple rules to eat by: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Food being real food, like the aborigines, not much, most people in this country eat enough for two people in this country and his has become normal, and lastly, mostly plants – one of the harder things for Americans to get used to but it is how we are meant to eat.

If you want to change your health and the health of your children you also need to eradicate the toxic stuff in your life.  Toxins come in many forms: stress, food, people, jobs, and drugs. I suggest first dealing with the toxic things you are putting in your body everyday. Stop buying products that contain high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, and refined wheat (enriched flour). You will find that this is no easy task, as I stated earlier, it is not convenient or cheap to eat healthy in this country, but it is possible. These products exist because they are cheaper to produce and provide much greater shelf life to the foods we eat but it is at the cost of our health and the health of our children. I realize this may seem anticlimactic but this first step will force you to eat more like an aborigine; more fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean protein and whole grains. It will also force you to read labels and, you will find, begin to look for different foods to replace those we have been programmed to eat as staples. One of the bigger challenges will be to replace your children’s morning cereal. Eliminating refined wheat and high fructose corn syrup eliminates 95% of the cereal aisle. I recommend the Nature’s path brand cereals as a good start for kids, although it is still a little high in simple sugar it is real sugar not high fructose corn syrup and if you’ve read my prior blogs, use 1 or 2% milk instead of skim, the small increase in fat slows the absorption of sugar which helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

Reversing the obesity trend in this country and because of human nature will always be an uphill battle. I promise continue to fight that battle by educating my patients and readers to the best of my ability and living in such a way that I provide a positive example for my children as well as stepping up and being responsible for what they eat and how they live. What will you do?

We will soon have an easy to subscribe to RSS feed for our blog, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account for more frequent but less long winded information to help you in your battle, check back soon for these updates.

Until next time, stay healthy and live well. Dr. Mike

• Low energy
• Weight gain / increasing body fat – especially around the belly
• Chronic fatigue
• Exercise Intolerance
• Loss of Muscle mass
• Decreased Strength
• Loss of sex drive / Libido
• Depression
• Hair Loss
• Irritability
• Hormone Imbalance(s)
• Anxiety
• Feelings of inadequacy
• thinning of bones (osteoporosis)

Progesterone is the calming hormone. In addition to it’s vital role in regulating the menstrual cycle, it helps to regulate sleep by calming the body and mind. Around this time, when progesterone levels begin to decline,  we also see an increase in the diagnoses of anxiety and even panic attacks in some women. Often times this anxiety seems to come out of nowhere for women who have no history of anxiety and  they often relate to me that they don’t believe they have high levels of stress in their life. Unfortunately, we also see an increase in the prescriptions written for drugs like Ambien® for sleep and Xanax® and Prozac® for anxiety around this same age group. This traditional approach to the treatment of women is one of the travesties of western medicine where instead of treating a hormone deficiency which can improve health, lower cancer risk and yes, even help a women sleep better, we treat with drugs that simply mask the symptoms and dull the senses. Additionally, physicians typically interpret low progesterone levels in perimenopausal or menopausal women as “normal,” and tell women the symptoms they are experiencing are, “just a part of aging.”

If you have read my prior blogs, you know that I frequently mention the importance of sleep in your anti-aging program. One of the most important things you can do for your health is to get the right amount of quality sleep. Poor sleep wreaks havoc on our bodies and is linked to many diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. It is well established in the scientific literature that people who sleep poorly are more likely to be obese and have a much harder time losing weight. You need sleep to rest and repair the body. Growth hormone, one of the most powerful health promoting hormones, is produced during the deepest stages of sleep and is found in lower levels in those who sleep poorly. Lack of sleep increases cortisol and insulin levels which cause inflammation in the body and promote disease and weight gain. So you can see how important it is to make sure hormones are maintained at youthful levels, and how a deficiency in one hormone such as progesterone, can set off a series of biochemical and physiological events that can have serious health ramifications down the road.

Fortunately, more medical providers are recognizing the importance of maintaining youthful levels of hormones and a simple blood test can tell you if you need treatment. Options are using a topical or oral bioidentical progesterone that can restore and balance your hormones and restore your health.

Until next time, Stay healthy and Live well… Dr. Mike

I have just returned from the annual anti-aging and regenerative medicine conference in Orlando and I am pretty sure I will probably not make it to be 42. 41 I think I will make but only because it is only a couple weeks away. Seriously, if you want to get humbled in terms of what you are doing currently for your health, sit through a few days of lectures on the cutting edge of medicine known as anti-aging medicine and you will realize it might just be too late for you to fix the cesspool that is your health because of the way you have been living.

The good news is I have lots great information to share about the latest information that will help improve your health and longevity. There has been a great buzz about Vitamin D over the last few years and it seems there is plenty of research that supports the buzz.

An article in the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that the majority of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D and those deficits are suspected to be the cause of  many disease and illness from Cancer and Diabetes to heart and kidney disease. The main reason for this deficiency is our diet but another is the increased use of sunscreen which blocks the body’s natural production of Vitamin D that occurs when sunlight hits our skin.

A recent study out of the Moores Cancer Center at The University of California San Diego suggests that raising the minimum Vitamin D levels to a certain level would prevent an estimated 58,000 cases of breast cancer and 49,000 cases of colon cancer each year and prevent ¾ of the deaths from these diseases each year in the US and Canada.

Most of us think of bone health when it comes to vitamin D but there is so much more that this nutrient does in our bodies. Vitamin D is actually a pro hormone, meaning the body turns it into a hormone which has many functions in the body. It is necessary for proper calcium regulation in the intestines, kidney and bone, proper thyroid function, and is a vital nutrient in immune function of the body.

The RDA for vitamin D is 400 IU but with most RDAs, that is the minimal amount to prevent disease, namely Rickets, a disease of brittle bones that occurs in extreme vitamin D deficiency. Research presented at the conference I attended suggests (and many of the physician’s I spoke to at the conference are using) levels in the range of 5,000 IU a day for standard supplementation and as much as 10,000 IU a day for chronic conditions ranging from chronic lung disease to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. One researcher suggested using 40,000 IU for 3 days at the onset of a cold or flu to suppress these acute illnesses quickly. There are also some developing theories on low vitamin D levels as a cause of seasonal flu because of the low vitamin D levels that occur in the winter with less sunlight exposure.

If you want to check your levels you do so by a simple blood test called 25(OH)D.   You should check your levels along with consulting with your physician before starting Vitamin D supplementation above and beyond the typical recommendations of 800 IU daily as there can be toxicity with taking to much of anything vitamin, especially fat soluble ones like Vitamin D. If you do take a supplement, make sure you are supplementing with Vitamin D3 which is cholecalciferol and not D2 which is ergocalciferol which some multivitamins contain. D3 is much more potent.  On a personal note, there are new claims that come out almost daily on the benefits of certain supplements but the research I have seen on Vitamin D leads me to believe that it is the real deal in terms of benefits and should be on the list of supplements you should consider.

We will begin carrying a new product made by Nordic Naturals in our office this week which combines Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin D3 in the same supplement. If you have read my prior blogs you know how important Omega 3s are so this is a great 2-for-1 supplement. Much more useful information is on the way in the coming weeks so check back frequently.

Until next time, Stay healthy and live well. Dr. Mike