Welcome to
"Health for a Lifetime"
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I'm your host Don Mackintosh
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Today, we're going to be talking
about a very interesting subject
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Something we haven't talked
about before on this program.
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Vitamin D
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And here talking with
us about vitamin D will be
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Dr. George Guthrie
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Dr. Guthrie...
you're a physician at the
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"Lifestyle Center of
America" in Oklahoma,
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isn't that
right? That's correct!
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You also were
in family practice.
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How many years were you involved
in family practice medicine?
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Oh, about 14 years.
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And you've been a
professor at Loma Linda;
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you've taught about health,
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and you're a nutritionist. Yes
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Also, I think you're
a carpenter aren't you?
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Many different things...
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We're glad you're
with us today, doctor.
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We're going to talk
about vitamin D... Yes
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What IS vitamin D?
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First, vitamin D
is not a vitamin.
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Well then why do
we call it vitamin D?
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Well that's kind of
how the history came to us.
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But vitamin D is
actually a hormone.
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You ARE Dr. Guthrie,
aren't you? That's correct!
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But vitamin D is not
vitamin D, it's a hormone.
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Vitamin D is made in the
skin when sunlight hits the skin
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And vitamin D is
actually created in the skin
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from cholesterol.
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So the radiation from the sun
hits the cholesterol in the skin
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and it changes the
cholesterol actually by breaking
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1 of its 4 rings
into a pre-vitamin D
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So one way to lower
cholesterol that kills us,
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is to go out in the sun.
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Well, you know,
I've thought of that,
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but I've never seen
any documentation that it
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works directly that way.
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The amount of cholesterol used,
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I'm sure is small compared
to the total in our body.
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But, it's a good thought! Okay!
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So, vitamin D, what
does it do in our bodies?
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You say it's a hormone, but
what does it do in our body?
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For years, we focused
on vitamin D's effect on
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the calcium balance in our body.
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You see, our body
needs to have a calcium level
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in the blood very
carefully balanced.
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If it gets out of balance,
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all kinds of
funny things can happen;
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nerves start firing
when they're not supposed to,
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heart gets irregular.
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The calcium level in the
blood needs to be kept stable,
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and vitamin D is an important
part of a complex of several
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hormones that actually
manages that calcium level.
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So vitamin D is in
charge of the calcium.
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That is one of
its important jobs.
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And if it doesn't do that,
then the body gets all upset.
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What can happen if
the body gets upset?
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What kind of things happen?
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Well, tingling around the mouth,
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carpopedal spasm... Which
is like your hands... Yeah
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Muscles go into spasm.
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The heart can beat irregularly.
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This is with
calcium out of whack.
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With calcium out of whack.
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Okay, so someone watching
today that has that happening...
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What should they go?
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Get out in the sun IMMEDIATELY!
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Turn off the TV... you
watch too much 3ABN, right?
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I don't think
that's possible to do.
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So what kind of diseases then
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are associated
with low vitamin D?
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Let's wait to pick up the
other side of the other job
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because it's relatively
new in our understanding
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So it monitors
calcium but another thing.
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It helps to balance the calcium,
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but there's another
important job that it does,
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and that job has to
do with something called,
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"terminal differentiation"
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Boy, that sounds like something
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we want to do at the
end of the program! Yes
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Let's talk about the word.
All right - what does it mean?
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Well when you understand it,
it's actually pretty exciting.
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You see, when you were
in your mother's stomach,
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you started out as
one cell divided in 2...
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I don't remember this.
I know, I don't either.
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Divide to 4, 8, 16...
somewhere along the line,
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one of those cells was
going to turn into a heart.
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And it grows, splits, divides,
grows until it finally gets
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to be heart size.
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And when it's heart
size, and it's doing its job,
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it is said to be
"terminally differentiated. "
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And vitamin D sends that signal,
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or is involved in the
sending of that signal?
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It's one of the strongest
terminal differentiators we have
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Our body uses that apparently
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for this terminal
differentiation process.
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It actually goes into
the nucleus of the cells
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to make this modulation.
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In its other form, it works
more in the serum, in the fluids
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around the cell,
but this one form of it
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that actually
goes into the cell.
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So it's vitamin D
and "D" stands for DONE!
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That's DONE! Right?
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Okay, the
terminal differentiation...
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it's finished, it's
done, it has stopped growing.
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Now this becomes even more
interesting when you recognize
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that CANCER is the LOSS
of terminal differentiation.
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Okay, so it never gets
done, it makes a tumor.
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Right... a cancer that
loses its control starts to grow
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OUT of control.
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It loses its terminal
differentiation and, in essence,
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that is the definition
of a tumor or a cancer.
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More about effects of
that later, but there are some
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associations with vitamin D
deficiency and some cancers.
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Wow, so this is a
VERY essential hormone,
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not a vitamin -
vitamin D You're learning, Don
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And it's something that we get
from having exposure to the sun.
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You're going to talk more
about, I think, where we get
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vitamin D at the
end of the program,
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but what about some
of the things it causes.
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What does it lead to if we don't
have terminal differentiation
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or it doesn't get us done
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or calcium imbalance...
What can this lead to?
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The first disease process
that really brought vitamin D
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The knowledge that
brought vitamin D to the surface
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was this
disease called "rickets"
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The bones need vitamin
D to absorb the calcium,
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and to help with the
calcium in the bones.
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If there's not enough vitamin
D, the bones are very soft.
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This is very common in children
and really became apparent
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during the industrial age.
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Children living in
tenements, very narrow streets,
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no sunshine -
developed very thin bones.
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They tended to have bow legs;
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rickettsial rosea - if
you look at their ribs,
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it has little bumps
along the edge of the ribs
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because the body was trying
to make bone and couldn't.
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It didn't have
the vitamin D. Right
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What else... osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis, osteopenia
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Thin bones in
adults are also a problem,
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and the whole issue of
osteoporosis in older age is
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made worse if vitamin
D deficiency is present.
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What else?
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Well, it's been of interest...
there is some strong evidence
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that psoriasis - that flaky,
silvery-type stuff that comes
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on elbows and knees and scalp,
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may be related to
vitamin D deficiency.
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This makes sense if you
understand that psoriasis is
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cells that are growing too fast.
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Vitamin D helps with
terminal differentiation.
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Some of the new
medication they have available;
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some new cream that you
actually put on the psoriasis
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to make it go away
is simply a vitamin D...
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topical vitamin type of a cream.
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And they could
just go outside. Yes
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As-a-matter-of-fact, for
years that's the way psoriasis
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was treated.
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I remember in my training,
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visiting a dermatologist's
office and seeing a BOX.
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People took their clothes
off, they got into the box,
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they turned on these
BRIGHT lights that had the right
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radiation and people would get
treatment for their psoriasis.
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So I guess in a place
like a Scandinavian country
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or Alaska or something,
you really need the box,
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but if you're at
home, you just go outside.
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The sun is always there.
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And we've known for years
that the sun helps that as well.
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Now one of the things you said
is it causes hyperparathyroidism
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Okay... And then
what does that mean?
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Oh MAN!... I mean,
"hyper" I know what that is.
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Hyper is high.
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Parathyroid hormone is
another one of the hormones
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involved with
the calcium balance.
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Vitamin D and parathyroid
hormone work together,
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along with some other
things, to BALANCE the calcium.
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That's up here somewhere? Yes
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It sits in the thyroid
gland, little nubbins in there.
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So when that thing
gets big and overactive...
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If you don't
have enough vitamin D,
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instead of being able to get the
calcium from the food you eat,
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your body has to turn to
taking it from the bones,
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and the parathyroid hormone
tries to get it out of the bones
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So if that goes up, it
causes all kinds of problems.
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The calcium gets out
of balance a little bit;
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the bones tend to get thin...
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I've got a list here... Okay
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Hyperparathyroidism - when
there is not enough vitamin D,
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thirst, urinating a
lot, ulcers, pancreatitis,
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constipation, vomiting...
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Boy, that doesn't sound
like a good list. Not good!
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Fractures, joint and muscle
pains, gout, calcifications,
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fatigue, apathy,
anxiety, depression, coma,
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hypertension and
other heart difficulties.
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All these different
things because it's trying to
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get what it needs
from the body. Exactly!
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In other words, it needs
the vitamin D from the sun;
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it's not getting it;
it's not being turned into it.
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So it says, "I'll
take a little here,"
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and then it just
messes up everything.
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It messes up the
system, and the strange thing is
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this is a hard disease
for doctors to diagnose.
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You heard as I read that list,
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those are symptoms from a
BUNCH of different diseases.
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Yeah because if someone
is thirsty and they're going
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to the bathroom a lot, you
might think they're a diabetic.
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Right! Tired, fatigue - maybe
your thyroid is a little low.
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It tends to masquerade
at at a lot of things.
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One of the things I was
taught in medical school was
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"If you don't think of
it, you'll never diagnose it!"
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And try to keep this one up
in the front because it happens,
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and much more frequently it
appears than what we had thought
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So vitamin D... put
it on the radar screen!
00:10:03.85\00:10:06.27
PUT IT ON YOUR RADAR SCREEN!
00:10:06.30\00:10:07.67
And if someone is sitting
here in front of the cameras
00:10:07.70\00:10:09.92
like we've been
doing for this program,
00:10:09.95\00:10:11.39
and maybe some
people do this all day,
00:10:11.42\00:10:13.35
I don't know - around here.
00:10:13.38\00:10:14.88
Could they be in danger of
not getting enough vitamin D?
00:10:14.91\00:10:17.59
You can't get vitamin D
from these lights here, can you?
00:10:17.62\00:10:20.53
Your body will make
vitamin D from anything that
00:10:20.56\00:10:23.49
can cause sunburn. Ohhhhh
00:10:23.52\00:10:27.44
So if these lights are
so bright they actually
00:10:27.47\00:10:29.92
cause sunburn,
you're probably okay.
00:10:29.95\00:10:31.44
That would mean that people
who went to tanning booths
00:10:31.47\00:10:33.84
could actually make a
little vitamin D, right?
00:10:33.87\00:10:35.81
That would mean that when you
00:10:35.84\00:10:37.53
went out in the sun,
you could make vitamin D.
00:10:37.56\00:10:39.45
Yeah, I think I know what we're
going to do on the break though
00:10:39.49\00:10:42.38
as soon as we get
through with this program,
00:10:42.41\00:10:43.78
I think we should
go out in the sun.
00:10:43.81\00:10:45.18
Now on your list here,
it says "diabetes type 1"
00:10:45.21\00:10:49.61
Yes, the vitamin D
deficiency is associated with
00:10:49.64\00:10:53.63
type 1 diabetes but
it's probably not a cause.
00:10:53.66\00:10:56.71
It probably works by
helping the immune system
00:10:56.74\00:11:00.23
keep in balance, so
it doesn't get confused.
00:11:00.26\00:11:02.72
Type 1 diabetes is what we
call an "autoimmune disease"
00:11:02.75\00:11:05.91
where the body turns
around and fights itself.
00:11:05.94\00:11:08.71
And so, if it's fighting
the beta cells in the pancreas,
00:11:08.74\00:11:12.09
it's doing the wrong thing.
00:11:12.12\00:11:13.49
Vitamin D tends to help the
immune system stay in balance.
00:11:13.52\00:11:16.56
That's probably the association.
00:11:16.59\00:11:18.11
They always talk
about the three big C's
00:11:18.14\00:11:19.93
Cardiac, Cerebrovascular - in
other words stroke, and Cancer.
00:11:19.96\00:11:25.72
You've also suggested
here that there are studies
00:11:25.75\00:11:27.89
that show that vitamin
D deficiency is related to
00:11:27.92\00:11:30.45
certain types
of cancer. Exactly!
00:11:30.48\00:11:32.74
A very interesting
study done by "Garland,"
00:11:32.77\00:11:36.66
reported in the
literature several years ago,
00:11:36.69\00:11:39.44
looked at
several thousand people,
00:11:39.47\00:11:42.07
over a period of 7 or 8 years,
00:11:42.10\00:11:44.46
looked at their
rate of COLON cancer,
00:11:44.49\00:11:47.05
and tried to predict or see
what happened in relationship
00:11:47.08\00:11:51.83
to their vitamin D levels.
00:11:51.86\00:11:53.37
And in essence,
there was an 80% reduction
00:11:53.40\00:11:57.12
in the colon cancer
rate of people who had
00:11:57.15\00:12:00.59
high levels of
vitamin D versus those who had
00:12:00.62\00:12:02.93
low vitamin D levels.
00:12:02.96\00:12:04.75
This makes sense and it's
kind of an up and coming area of
00:12:04.78\00:12:09.95
study in the
scientific community.
00:12:09.98\00:12:12.04
There is a study going
on right now in Canada,
00:12:12.07\00:12:16.02
looking at prostate
cancer and vitamin D levels;
00:12:16.05\00:12:19.46
ovarian cancer, breast
cancer, lymphoma, leukemia.
00:12:19.49\00:12:23.99
These cancers seem to
have a vitamin D link.
00:12:24.02\00:12:27.16
Is there any danger from
getting too much vitamin D?
00:12:27.19\00:12:29.34
BOY, you sure
can! Too much vitamin D
00:12:29.37\00:12:32.14
Vitamin D is one
of the toxic vitamins.
00:12:32.17\00:12:35.64
We talked about low
vitamin D causing problems with
00:12:35.67\00:12:39.31
pulling calcium out of bones,
00:12:39.34\00:12:40.83
and causing a
bunch of symptoms...
00:12:40.86\00:12:42.90
When your vitamin D is too much,
00:12:42.93\00:12:44.42
it starts to pull too much
calcium in from the intestines.
00:12:44.45\00:12:47.52
So many of the
symptoms are similar.
00:12:47.55\00:12:49.42
They're high calcium levels.
00:12:49.45\00:12:50.97
So the symptoms from high
vitamin D levels are similar.
00:12:51.00\00:12:54.68
Let me come back to that,
00:12:54.71\00:12:56.25
but, you know, other things
then that are risk factors
00:12:56.28\00:13:01.47
...those that
have low vitamin D,
00:13:01.50\00:13:04.01
multiple sclerosis - you talked
about that, how is that related?
00:13:04.04\00:13:08.42
Okay, there was a
recent paper in January, 2004
00:13:08.45\00:13:15.60
that reported an association
between low vitamin D levels
00:13:15.63\00:13:18.95
and multiple sclerosis in women.
00:13:18.98\00:13:21.40
So we don't know that it is
a cause - effect relationship.
00:13:21.43\00:13:24.39
It may be the
immune system again,
00:13:24.42\00:13:26.35
but we're finding
these associations,
00:13:26.38\00:13:28.83
and I think over the next few
years, we're going to find out
00:13:28.86\00:13:32.70
a LOT about the
importance of vitamin D.
00:13:32.73\00:13:34.60
We need to go to a
break just in a minute,
00:13:34.63\00:13:36.26
but are there certain
people that are really at RISK
00:13:36.29\00:13:39.09
for having
vitamin D deficiencies,
00:13:39.12\00:13:41.24
in other words -
not enough vitamin D?
00:13:41.27\00:13:43.62
Yes there are,
we've been actually at
00:13:43.65\00:13:45.75
Lifestyle Center of
America, measuring peoples
00:13:45.78\00:13:47.50
vitamin D levels
when they come in...
00:13:47.53\00:13:49.22
I am amazed at how many people
are actually vitamin D deficient
00:13:49.25\00:13:51.60
And what types of
people do you normally see?
00:13:52.59\00:13:54.50
Well, we are seeing generally
00:13:54.53\00:13:56.89
older people but
younger people as well.
00:13:56.92\00:13:59.06
People who are more likely
to be indoors, for example;
00:13:59.09\00:14:02.07
not out in the
sun all that much.
00:14:02.10\00:14:05.39
Babies?
00:14:05.42\00:14:06.79
We don't see babies at
Lifestyle Center of America.
00:14:06.82\00:14:09.94
I haven't' looked
at the data in detail,
00:14:09.97\00:14:13.95
but it appears to us that around
50% of the people that come
00:14:13.98\00:14:17.44
actually have a
vitamin D deficiency.
00:14:17.47\00:14:19.53
It's much more
common than we might think.
00:14:19.56\00:14:22.30
And it can
really cause problems,
00:14:22.33\00:14:23.79
but there's a solution,
right? There IS a solution.
00:14:23.82\00:14:26.61
We're going to talk about
that solution when we come back.
00:14:26.65\00:14:28.67
We're talking with Dr.
Guthrie about vitamin D.
00:14:28.70\00:14:31.22
You need to join
us after the break.
00:14:31.25\00:14:33.59
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00:14:33.88\00:14:35.25
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00:14:37.02\00:14:39.32
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00:14:39.35\00:14:42.31
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00:14:42.34\00:14:45.20
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Welcome back,
we've been talking with
00:15:34.63\00:15:36.66
Dr. George Guthrie.
00:15:36.69\00:15:38.06
We've been
talking about vitamin D,
00:15:38.09\00:15:39.69
and its importance
to you and your body.
00:15:39.72\00:15:43.97
And as we've been
talking Dr. George Guthrie,
00:15:44.00\00:15:46.61
we've learned some
fascinating things.
00:15:46.64\00:15:48.41
Dr. Guthrie, what are the
real reasons we need vitamin D?
00:15:48.44\00:15:53.99
Vitamin D has 2 major functions;
00:15:54.02\00:15:56.42
one is to help the body balance
the calcium in the blood,
00:15:56.45\00:16:00.48
and the other is this apparent
terminal differentiation
00:16:00.51\00:16:04.89
to help cells decide what
they're doing and stay there.
00:16:04.92\00:16:07.56
All right, so terminal
differentiation - just make sure
00:16:07.59\00:16:10.53
work as long as you're
supposed to on that project,
00:16:10.56\00:16:12.69
and then you're DONE with it...
00:16:12.72\00:16:14.11
And then balancing the calcium
again - why is that important?
00:16:14.14\00:16:17.30
Because if the
calcium gets out of balance,
00:16:17.33\00:16:19.71
the body tends
to get thin bones,
00:16:19.74\00:16:23.25
nerves don't act
right, heart gets irregular.
00:16:23.28\00:16:26.00
All those diseases you
mentioned... That's right
00:16:26.03\00:16:29.39
Well, are there certain people
that are at RISK for this?
00:16:29.42\00:16:33.72
I mean, how do you
develop this deficiency?
00:16:33.75\00:16:37.20
Since vitamin D is
BEST obtained from the sun,
00:16:37.23\00:16:42.66
people who are NOT in the sun,
00:16:42.69\00:16:44.58
or don't get very much sun
exposure are at greatest risk.
00:16:44.61\00:16:47.83
A lot of people are
surprised to know, for example,
00:16:47.86\00:16:50.42
that sun block with an SPF of 8
00:16:50.45\00:16:55.59
will block something
like 98% of the vitamin D
00:16:55.62\00:16:59.18
formed in the skin.
00:16:59.21\00:17:00.58
Well they do that because they
don't want to get skin cancer.
00:17:00.61\00:17:02.27
Exactly, and that's been kind
of the pull back-and-forth...
00:17:02.30\00:17:05.34
Doctors are saying,
"Don't get a sunburn"
00:17:05.37\00:17:09.37
"Don't spend too
much time in the sun
00:17:09.40\00:17:10.77
because you'll
get skin cancer. "
00:17:10.80\00:17:12.17
At the same time, we
also need the vitamin D,
00:17:12.20\00:17:15.11
so it's a tension.
00:17:15.14\00:17:16.51
Maybe the best way to
deal with it is to say,
00:17:16.54\00:17:19.62
or to recognize that
vitamin D deficiency may
00:17:19.65\00:17:25.58
increase your risk of cancer.
00:17:25.61\00:17:27.25
Too much sun to the point
of actually causing a sunBURN
00:17:27.28\00:17:31.55
will INCREASE
the risk of cancer,
00:17:31.58\00:17:33.34
so maybe we need to find
00:17:33.37\00:17:34.74
a BALANCE somewhere in-between.
00:17:34.77\00:17:36.76
So put it on an
hour after you've been
00:17:36.79\00:17:38.20
outside or something like that?
00:17:38.24\00:17:39.82
Well, the rule is "don't burn"
00:17:39.86\00:17:41.41
and you know, some
people have very sensitive skin,
00:17:41.44\00:17:45.43
and in 5 minutes they'll burn.
00:17:45.46\00:17:47.03
So it would be reasonable
to NOT put on your sun block
00:17:47.06\00:17:50.49
until you've been out in
the sun until it's just pink.
00:17:50.52\00:17:53.27
We call it the
"minimal erythema dose"
00:17:53.30\00:17:56.76
The minimal erythema
- which means the "pink"
00:17:56.79\00:17:59.66
Just "pink" not burn,
00:17:59.69\00:18:01.93
because when you BURN
the energy from the sun
00:18:01.96\00:18:06.12
has actually overpowered
the protective mechanism
00:18:06.15\00:18:09.55
of the cholesterol to vitamin D
00:18:09.58\00:18:11.38
and damages the
DNA and protein...
00:18:11.41\00:18:13.49
and THAT puts you at
risk for the skin cancer.
00:18:13.52\00:18:16.50
What about in an
older or younger...
00:18:16.53\00:18:19.92
let's say an older person.
00:18:19.95\00:18:21.32
Older people have a
harder time making vitamin D.
00:18:21.35\00:18:24.58
The enzyme in their skin
that prepares the cholesterol
00:18:24.61\00:18:27.13
to turn into vitamin
D doesn't work as well.
00:18:27.16\00:18:30.00
The numbers that are
thrown is 75% of people... No
00:18:30.03\00:18:34.65
Yes, there's a 75% DECREASE
in function of that enzyme
00:18:34.68\00:18:38.42
by the time people
are 70 years of age.
00:18:38.45\00:18:41.78
So there is some risk
from just getting older.
00:18:41.81\00:18:44.19
So when you're old,
are you just doomed?
00:18:44.22\00:18:46.96
No, you better start looking for
00:18:46.99\00:18:48.92
some other sources of vitamin D.
00:18:48.95\00:18:50.32
Let's talk about that
just a little bit later.
00:18:50.35\00:18:51.91
What about
someone, you mentioned,
00:18:51.94\00:18:54.35
you have to be
"pink" but what if you're
00:18:54.38\00:18:55.75
skin is naturally black,
you're an African American.
00:18:55.78\00:18:58.29
African Americans
are at high risk...
00:18:58.32\00:19:00.72
Estimates are that 50% of
black Americans in this country
00:19:00.75\00:19:03.98
have some vitamin D
deficiency. Why is that?
00:19:04.01\00:19:06.89
Well, the pigment - the
dark pigment in the skin
00:19:07.42\00:19:10.90
blocks those same rays. I see
00:19:10.93\00:19:13.73
And it never makes
it to the cholesterol
00:19:13.76\00:19:15.55
to turn it into vitamin D
00:19:15.59\00:19:16.96
So what should THEY do?
00:19:16.99\00:19:18.36
That's a real good question.
00:19:18.39\00:19:22.15
Spend more time in the sun.
00:19:22.18\00:19:24.30
7, 8, 10 times as much
time in the sun necessary
00:19:24.33\00:19:27.89
for the very
dark-skinned people to make
00:19:27.92\00:19:29.49
the same amount of vitamin D
00:19:29.52\00:19:32.62
Or, they may need
to take supplements,
00:19:32.65\00:19:34.62
but let's talk about
that when we get to the end.
00:19:34.65\00:19:36.84
What about someone that's young?
00:19:36.87\00:19:38.36
YOUNG!
00:19:38.39\00:19:40.78
We discovered vitamin D in
relation to rickets which was a
00:19:40.81\00:19:45.76
problem with
children IN THE OLD DAYS.
00:19:45.80\00:19:48.96
Now we know about vitamin
D... BUT you know kids aren't
00:19:49.54\00:19:52.78
playing outdoors as
much as they used to.
00:19:52.82\00:19:54.43
A lot of the video
games and that type of thing -
00:19:54.47\00:19:57.04
So a significant number of
children are actually coming up
00:19:57.07\00:20:00.44
with rickets THESE days...
00:20:00.47\00:20:02.38
And in the pediatric
literature, we are reading about
00:20:02.41\00:20:05.30
more and more cases of
this vitamin D deficiency.
00:20:05.33\00:20:09.79
Okay, and it's not so much
the calcium then as it is the
00:20:09.82\00:20:13.00
vitamin D side of that
equation with the rickets. Right
00:20:13.03\00:20:17.12
Then what about
someone that is overweight?
00:20:17.15\00:20:19.66
Now you bring up a
very interesting point.
00:20:19.69\00:20:22.18
People who are overweight,
00:20:22.21\00:20:23.62
#1- Don't like to
go out in the sun.
00:20:23.65\00:20:26.54
Often, they'll have joint pains.
00:20:26.57\00:20:28.53
It's just not very flattering
to put on a bathing suit.
00:20:28.56\00:20:31.80
So they often avoid
the sun, but BESIDES that
00:20:31.83\00:20:34.54
vitamin D is actually
a fat soluble vitamin.
00:20:34.57\00:20:38.81
Meaning, when it
gets into our bodies,
00:20:38.84\00:20:40.91
it distributes
itself in the fat.
00:20:40.94\00:20:43.38
And when someone is large,
that is, has a lot of fat...
00:20:43.41\00:20:48.36
They have a larger container
to fill with the vitamin D.
00:20:48.39\00:20:54.41
So they are going to
tend to need MORE vitamin D
00:20:54.44\00:20:56.86
to keep that container full.
00:20:56.89\00:20:59.62
So one way to help
that is lose weight again.
00:20:59.65\00:21:02.67
Okay, if there is
less fat, that's true.
00:21:02.70\00:21:04.94
There would be a little
less need for vitamin D...
00:21:04.97\00:21:08.01
But I wouldn't wait for
somebody to lose weight.
00:21:08.04\00:21:12.23
I would want to
replace the vitamin D.
00:21:12.26\00:21:14.17
We talked about the young
and the rickets with the young,
00:21:14.20\00:21:16.19
but what about the
REALLY young - like the babies?
00:21:16.22\00:21:18.08
BABIES! Good point
00:21:18.11\00:21:19.82
You know, we've been
taught that in this country
00:21:19.85\00:21:24.13
we get our vitamin D from milk.
00:21:24.16\00:21:27.66
The COWS do not put
vitamin D in the mild.
00:21:27.69\00:21:29.94
That was a decision
of the public health,
00:21:29.97\00:21:32.56
people of the country to
solve the rickets problem
00:21:32.59\00:21:35.64
by adding vitamin D to dairy.
00:21:35.67\00:21:38.66
Breast milk does not
have vitamin D in it either.
00:21:38.69\00:21:43.70
It doesn't? It does not.
00:21:43.73\00:21:45.10
Even if the
mother is out in the sun?
00:21:45.13\00:21:46.50
Even if the
mother is out in the sun,
00:21:46.53\00:21:47.90
there's no
vitamin D in the milk.
00:21:47.93\00:21:49.30
So when the baby
is breastfeeding,
00:21:49.33\00:21:51.77
they will NOT be
getting vitamin D.
00:21:51.80\00:21:53.63
There are some
doctors who are recommending
00:21:53.66\00:21:55.78
that when a baby goes
home from the hospital,
00:21:55.81\00:21:58.11
he would actually
receive a shot of vitamin D
00:21:58.14\00:22:00.53
to hold over for
those first few months until
00:22:00.56\00:22:05.10
the baby is actually
exposed to a little more sun.
00:22:05.13\00:22:07.49
You know, in the
winter, especially a baby is
00:22:07.52\00:22:09.89
wrapped up tightly and
kept warm because their small,
00:22:09.92\00:22:12.83
they often don't see
enough sun to make vitamin D.
00:22:12.86\00:22:15.84
So if you live in a country,
or watching this program
00:22:15.87\00:22:17.58
and there are not
people that can give you a shot
00:22:17.61\00:22:19.40
though when you have a
baby, what do you do then?
00:22:19.43\00:22:21.02
Take him out in the sun?
00:22:21.05\00:22:22.42
Oh boy, Don, I don't know that
I have a good answer for that.
00:22:22.45\00:22:24.65
I think I would have to
look for oral supplementation.
00:22:24.68\00:22:28.11
Well what about fibromyalgia?
00:22:28.14\00:22:31.16
I mean, you've talked
about hyperparathyroidism,
00:22:31.19\00:22:35.52
and how it masks
itself as different things,
00:22:35.55\00:22:37.44
and fibromyalgia has
all kinds of symptoms.
00:22:37.47\00:22:40.17
What's the connection
between that and vitamin D?
00:22:40.20\00:22:43.36
The symptoms of
vitamin D deficiency CAN be,
00:22:43.39\00:22:48.27
in some individuals,
very similar to fibromyalgia.
00:22:48.30\00:22:51.49
Now fibromyalgia is not a
distinct and well-recognized
00:22:51.52\00:22:56.60
symptom complex.
00:22:56.63\00:22:58.00
We don't know what causes it.
00:22:58.03\00:22:59.40
It probably has multiple causes.
00:22:59.43\00:23:00.80
It looks like some of the
people with that diagnosis
00:23:00.83\00:23:03.99
probably have
vitamin D deficiency.
00:23:04.02\00:23:06.68
And, there have been
those who have had the diagnosis
00:23:06.71\00:23:09.71
of fibromyalgia who have
had their vitamin D replaced
00:23:09.74\00:23:12.61
orally, in the
sun... over 2 to 3 months
00:23:12.64\00:23:16.17
the fibromyalgia
kind of melts away.
00:23:16.20\00:23:18.58
It's not true of all of them,
00:23:18.61\00:23:19.98
but I think it's an
important thing to be CHECKED
00:23:20.01\00:23:22.53
if someone has the
diagnosis of the fibromyalgia.
00:23:22.56\00:23:28.27
So it's certainly
worth checking out. Yes
00:23:28.30\00:23:31.71
Especially if
you're suffering from that.
00:23:31.74\00:23:33.78
We have about 5
minutes left to look at...
00:23:33.81\00:23:36.39
I mean, you've
convinced me all right.
00:23:36.42\00:23:38.02
Vitamin D is very important.
00:23:38.05\00:23:40.33
It's associated with all kinds
of risks if you don't have it.
00:23:40.36\00:23:44.67
We have a few more minutes...
00:23:44.70\00:23:46.75
Can you get too much vitamin D,
00:23:46.78\00:23:48.26
and then, what are some
good sources of vitamin D?
00:23:48.29\00:23:50.92
Vitamin D is actually a
potentially toxic vitamin,
00:23:50.95\00:23:56.17
and if we get too much of it,
00:23:56.20\00:23:57.73
it causes symptoms that are
actually similar in some ways
00:23:57.76\00:24:01.95
to those of low vitamin D.
00:24:01.98\00:24:03.91
You see, when
the vitamin D is LOW,
00:24:03.94\00:24:05.82
the body pulls the calcium out
of the bones and tends to have
00:24:05.85\00:24:09.79
too much in the blood.
00:24:09.82\00:24:11.19
When the vitamin D is too HIGH,
00:24:11.22\00:24:12.75
it absorbs too much
calcium from the intestines,
00:24:12.78\00:24:15.55
and tends to mimic
some of the symptoms. I see
00:24:15.58\00:24:18.63
So, how much is too much,
and how much is too little?
00:24:18.66\00:24:20.85
Okay, that's a good question.
00:24:20.88\00:24:22.48
If we're measuring blood levels,
00:24:22.51\00:24:24.55
we know there's no
toxicity until the blood level
00:24:24.58\00:24:27.47
is over 150 ng/dL
00:24:27.50\00:24:30.95
Now I know those
numbers are kind of hard...
00:24:30.98\00:24:32.95
We're going to throw
them up on the screen here
00:24:32.98\00:24:34.66
a little bit later so you
can get a better feel for it.
00:24:34.69\00:24:37.22
Deficiency probably occurs
when the level is less than 30.
00:24:37.25\00:24:41.69
There's evidence, for example...
00:24:41.72\00:24:43.53
That levels up to 30 have some
parathyroid hormone elevation.
00:24:43.56\00:24:50.06
So it would be good to
have peoples levels over 30.
00:24:50.09\00:24:53.24
Personally from my understanding
of the studies looking at cancer
00:24:53.27\00:24:57.76
I think 40 or 50 is
probably a better dose.
00:24:57.79\00:25:00.55
So we need about 40-50
00:25:00.58\00:25:02.57
We can figure this out
with a simple test at our doctor
00:25:02.60\00:25:04.88
or something and if
we have any questions
00:25:04.91\00:25:06.28
about vitamin D deficiency.
00:25:06.31\00:25:07.68
This is a blood
test that is done.
00:25:07.71\00:25:09.75
People who... the beach bums
that spend ALL day in the sun
00:25:09.78\00:25:14.51
will have levels up to about 100
00:25:14.54\00:25:16.55
So that's a rational level.
00:25:16.58\00:25:20.79
So that's kind of where
we like to aim as a doctor.
00:25:20.82\00:25:24.02
We have a graphic that
shows recommendations about
00:25:24.05\00:25:26.45
where to get this and maybe
you can work us through that.
00:25:26.48\00:25:28.38
Okay, on the graphic
you'll see that anything
00:25:28.41\00:25:32.68
less than 20
ng/cc or ml is too low
00:25:32.71\00:25:36.60
That's what my laboratory says,
00:25:36.63\00:25:38.38
although their NORMAL values,
if you look at the normal
00:25:38.41\00:25:41.36
taking the curve in
the population is 8-60,
00:25:41.39\00:25:44.06
anything below 20 is
showing evidence of being low.
00:25:44.09\00:25:47.43
And you want it
between 40 and 50 is the goal.
00:25:47.46\00:25:49.27
I'd like it between
40 and 50 to maximize the
00:25:49.30\00:25:52.46
beneficial effects of vitamin D
00:25:52.49\00:25:53.86
And the beach bums are
up to 150 and that's okay.
00:25:53.89\00:25:56.14
No they're up to 100.
00:25:56.17\00:25:57.76
If you get above 150 from
taking TOO many supplements,
00:25:57.79\00:26:01.35
that could cause symptoms.
00:26:01.38\00:26:03.12
There are no symptoms as long
00:26:03.15\00:26:04.52
as the level is
less than 150 ng/ml or cc
00:26:04.55\00:26:10.33
Okay, do some
people need MORE vitamin D?
00:26:10.36\00:26:14.04
We've talked about, in
essence, the size of people.
00:26:14.07\00:26:19.42
If they're large, they
have a larger container
00:26:19.45\00:26:21.09
they'll need more.
00:26:21.12\00:26:22.49
No, I don't know that LOTS more,
00:26:22.52\00:26:26.39
BUT the recommended
daily allowance changes
00:26:26.42\00:26:29.93
to reflect what we've
talked about with older people.
00:26:29.96\00:26:34.07
It starts out
about 400 IU a day,
00:26:34.10\00:26:37.30
and is now moved up to
600 IU a day for the elderly.
00:26:37.33\00:26:43.37
So how much sun
then should we get a day?
00:26:43.40\00:26:46.77
I'm convinced I need
to be out in the sun more.
00:26:46.80\00:26:49.22
How much should I be out?
00:26:49.25\00:26:50.86
If you do the calculation,
00:26:50.89\00:26:52.34
from getting
kind of pink all over,
00:26:52.37\00:26:56.71
and how much vitamin D you make,
00:26:56.74\00:26:58.11
it looks like you
need about 15 minutes a day
00:26:58.14\00:27:01.75
with your hands and
wrists, head and neck exposed.
00:27:01.78\00:27:06.05
15 minutes a day... Um hm
00:27:06.08\00:27:08.00
I don't think anybody watching
can do that 15 minutes a day.
00:27:08.03\00:27:13.57
It's not a hard goal to reach.
00:27:13.60\00:27:15.61
One warning...
above the 35th parallel,
00:27:15.64\00:27:19.77
you do not make
vitamin D in the wintertime.
00:27:19.80\00:27:23.43
So it would be reasonable
to use oral supplementation
00:27:23.46\00:27:26.60
during the wintertime in
people who live to the north.
00:27:26.63\00:27:29.59
So then how
much is safe to take?
00:27:29.62\00:27:32.12
We know from scientific studies
that 1,000 to 2,000 IU a day
00:27:32.15\00:27:37.79
for adults is a safe level.
00:27:37.82\00:27:40.48
And they can get
this in a pill form? Yes
00:27:40.51\00:27:43.13
It is a fat soluble vitamin,
00:27:43.16\00:27:45.04
so it's absorbed better if it's
taken with a little bit of oil.
00:27:45.07\00:27:48.13
So let the SUNSHINE
IN is the message today,
00:27:48.16\00:27:51.09
and if you don't have
the sun, get some kind of
00:27:51.12\00:27:53.83
supplement as you listen today.
00:27:53.86\00:27:55.48
We are glad you joined
us, and hope that you have
00:27:55.51\00:27:57.45
Health that
lasts for a Lifetime!
00:27:57.48\00:27:59.43