Vitamin D (Fab Five, part 4)

The “Fab Five” is not necessarily in the order of importance, but if it was, then this one would make a good run to hold the number one spot. Everyone associates Vitamin D with Rickets due to the role it plays in our ability to absorb calcium, but it does so much more. Here are just a few things Vitamin D deficiencies have been associated with (autoimmune diseases, weight gain, hypertension, psoriasis, eczema, insomnia, hearing loss, muscle pain, periodontal disease, athletic performance, age related macular degeneration, myopia, pre eclampsia, seizures, fertility, asthma, cystic fibrosis, migraines, depression, alzheimer’s and schizophrenia).


 photo by Life Mental Health
Some very good studies have shown that Vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers such as breast, colon and prostate. If you’re a geek like I am, then give this study a read (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/6/264/). They looked at 3 million incidents of cancer and 3 million cancer deaths, and compared that against UV-B exposure by location.   Vitamin D...

A Refresher in Good Old Hand Washing

You know that coughing and sneezing spreads germs and contagious diseases and you also know that proper hand washing is essential to stopping the spread of these germs. Many people mistakenly believe that quickly flicking their hands under the water and drying them on their pants is proper hand washing. This is just not so. Most people miss under their finger nails and in the cracks between fingers.  The viruses that cause cold and flu can also live on surfaces such as doorknobs. They can be spread from hand to hand in this way. Proper hand washing can stop the spread of MRSA, cold, flu and other infectious diseases. It also prevents antibiotic resistance. People who work in medical settings need to wash their hands properly, but it does not stop there. This is something everyone needs to be doing even at home. There are times when washing your hands is a necessity. These times are after you blow your nose, after food preparation and when they are visibly dirty. Hands should be washed more frequently when there is someone in the home that is ill. Proper technique is...

Candida – Carbs, Corn and Candex… What the Heck is Candex?

Candida can cause brain fog, fatigue, a whole host of other illnesses and of course yeast infections.  A full 75% of women will develop a yeast infection (Candida albicans) in their lifetime and many women will battle this over and over again.  Now either these single celled yeasts got clever and unionized or something else is going on. Normally Candida albicans lives harmlessly in perfect harmony with the rest of our intestinal flora, but like most things, we are our own worst enemy.  We set the stage by creating the right environment for Candida to flourish.  Overuse of antibiotics kill off good bacteria and make room for more yeast.  Yeast feeds on sugar and we help to the tune of 135 pounds per year... that's over 5 times as much as we consumed 20 years ago.  Other factors like stress, poor digestion, alcohol and oral contraceptives all play a role in creating this yeast friendly environment.

So what can we do?

We can all start by limiting our sugar intake.  Add more fresh greens to your...

L-Tryptophan: Bringing Hope To Multiple Sclerosis Sufferers

 Many of us would have heard of L-Tryptophan, the amino acid present in turkey which is (falsely) blamed for the notorious post-thanksgiving-dinner drowsiness; however, now this amino acid has stepped into the limelight. Recent research has found the amino acid to be linked to the functioning of the immune system and it is currently being used in trials for multiple sclerosis treatments. The research that has led to these discoveries has been undertaken by a renowned professor of neurological sciences, Steinman, MD and his team. Steinman is one of the top experts in the functioning of the human brain and nervous system and related diseases and is also chair of the immunology program. His focus usually lies on technologically-advanced, genetic treatments; so work on the effects of an amino acid was an unusual project for him to have taken on. In fact, Steinman only considered this project because Michael Platten, MD, PhD, a leading postdoctoral researcher in the field of this amino acid, approached Steinman with the suggestion of trying tranilast in his multiple sclerosis studies. Tranilast is an anti-allergic medication that is a derivative of the...