Feeling lazy, neurotic or depressed? You may have an adrenal deficiency.

I'm just SO TIRED

I am so depressed!

I never have energy

These three sentences are some of the most common in the healthcare field. In fact, fatigue and depression are a huge contributing factor to the success of the pharmaceutical industry. Not to mention the recent boom of energy drinks on the market.

While many factors can come into  play when discussing these symptoms a large part of the population is actually experiencing adrenal fatigue. In fact up to 90% of the population has some level of adrenal fatigue. So what is this condition and what can you do about it?

What are the adrenal glands?

They are 2 small endocrine glands, the size of a walnut, that sit on top of each kidney.

What do the Adrenal Glands do?

They are the “stress handling” glands.  They produce a variety of hormones that help you handle all types of stress – physical, mental or emotional.  They seek to keep your body functioning in a dynamic balance (homeostasis) amidst whatever external changes or challenges you meet.  They help mobilize you for “fight of flight” in a dangerous situation.

They control:

1. fluid balance
2. blood sugar balance in between meals
3. inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses to injury or invasion
4. immune system response and strength

They produce the steroid hormones which:

1. are the vitality hormones that determine overall strength, energy and stamina
2. provide a sense of well-being and maintain healthy mood and emotion
3. are on the backup system for sex hormones, and so are vital for everything from healthy pregnancy to healthy menopause, potency and fertility
4. when functioning in healthy levels and proportions, provide protection against all forms of dis-ease.

 How well you live depends to a large degree upon how well your adrenal glands function!

Adrenal Fatigue

1.        Adrenal Fatigue is not recognized by conventional medicine.  Only the extremes of Addison’s disease or Cushing’s disease are recognized.

2.        Probably 90% of the population is in some degree of adrenal stress or fatigue.

3.        Weak adrenal function sets the stage for a host of other conditions to appear and progress, including digestive problems, allergies, chronic fatigue, hypothyroidism, immune system weakness, diabetes, degenerative diseases and cancer.

4.        Traditional blood tests are almost always normal even though the patient is clearly not well and presents with a host of signs and symptoms.  These patients have often been told, “There’s nothing wrong, it’s all in your head,” or have been branded as a hypochondriac, lazy, neurotic or a difficult patient.

How do you "fix" adrenal fatigue?

The best thing to do is to contact your trusted acupuncturist, chiropractor or holistic nutritionist to discuss your options. Whole food and herbal supplements are usually used to treat this condition but first you should undergo a simple saliva test to see if you are truly experiencing this condition. If you are in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Wake Forest area call Dr. Jennifer Greenfield at Center for Chiropractic &Wellness (919-845-3280) to set up your appointment. She was recently voted best chiropractor in the triangle by the Independent, and she has extensive experience and focus with hormones and nutrition related to adrenal fatigue.

Some supplemental suggestions may include Rhodiola &Ginseng, Rehmannia and Ashwaganda, Cataplex B, or Drenamin. High Grade Licorice is also recommended in many cases. The herbs/whole food supplements prescribed to you should be done by a professional and on a specific case by case basis after that professional has reviewed your test and your chart. Monthly follow-ups should be done to re-assess your dosages for the most effective results.

Feeling lazy, neurotic or depressed? You may have an adrenal deficiency.

Understanding your Adrenals: How to cope with stress

Below is an article from one of my favorite and most read blogs..."Food Renegade." 
I highly recommend adding their posts to your RSS feed for daily reading.

What are your adrenals, anyway? These tiny, triangular shaped glands sit on top of your kidneys and are responsible for creating and releasing hormones for helping you cope with stress (most notably cortisol and adrenaline).

When you’re stressed, your adrenals release adrenaline (also known as epinephrine). The adrenaline increases your heart rate, contracts blood vessels, and dilates air passage ways to quicken your fight-or-flight response. You experience this as feeling suddenly super-charged, ready for feats of muscular strength and/or quick thinking. Your body quickly burns through your immediately available energy stores, lowering your blood sugar. Your adrenals release cortisol in combination with adrenaline to increase your blood sugar and increase the liver’s stores of glycogen in order to help your body return to homeostasis.

When Your Adrenals Malfunction

If you experience prolonged, frequent, or intense emotional or physical stress and don’t have a diet which supports optimal adrenal functioning, you may experience adrenal fatigue when over-stimulation of the adrenal glands leave them unable to meet your body’s needs. Some other names for the syndrome include non-Addison’s hypoadrenia, sub-clinical hypoadrenia, hypoadrenalism, and neurasthenia.
Symptoms can include:

• excessive fatigue and exhaustion
• non-refreshing sleep (you get sufficient hours of sleep, but wake fatigued)
• overwhelmed by or unable to cope with stressors
• feeling rundown or overwhelmed
• craving salty and sweet foods
• you feel most energetic in the evening
• a feeling of not being restored after a full night’s sleep or having sleep disturbances
• low stamina, slow to recover from exercise
• slow to recover from injury, illness or stress
• difficulty concentrating, brain fog
• poor digestion
• low immune function
• food or environmental allergies
• premenstrual syndrome or difficulties that develop during menopause
• consistent low blood pressure
• extreme sensitivity to cold

How To Keep Your Adrenals Healthy

Reduce Stress.
This means saying no to the hectic pace of modern American life and practicing stress-relieving exercises like yoga, prayer, or meditation.

Get More Sleep.
Too little sleep causes your adrenals to over-produce cortisol and adrenaline just to maintain normal bodily functions. By resting whenever you’re tired, your body will recharge energy levels naturally rather than relying on your adrenals to keep you going.

Avoid Refined Sugars & Grains.
When you eat refined sugars and grains, your blood sugar levels rise quickly. This prompts your pancreas to release insulin to sharply lower your blood sugar levels. After your blood sugar drops, your adrenals are forced to release cortisol to increase your blood sugar levels back to homeostasis. By keeping your blood sugar levels at more natural, even levels, you can save your adrenals a significant amount of work and help them perform optimally.

Eat More Cholesterol.
Your body uses cholesterol to build hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Without adequate amounts of cholesterol in your diet, you’ll experience the constant fatigue common to those who can’t produce adequate levels of cortisol or adrenaline.

Eat More Saturated Fat.
A high-fat diet will ensure that your blood sugar levels stay even, keep you feeling satiated, and improve your moods. All these things will allow your adrenals to function normally, rather than constantly requiring them to put out intense bursts of hormones to correct for your erratic blood sugar levels and moods. Remember to stick to the healthy fats mentioned in this post, and you’ll do fine.

Avoid Caffeine.
The stimulants in caffeine create artificial stress on your body, prompting your adrenals to release cortisol and adrenaline to help cope. Why give your adrenals the extra work?

Eat More Salt.
A diet unnaturally low in sodium or too high in potassium can stress the adrenals. That’s because one of the hormones your adrenals secrete, aldosterone, regulates the amount of sodium and potassium in the body.

Supplement with Adrenal Glandulars.
Desiccated adrenal gland from pigs and cattle can be helpful to some people in supporting adrenal function, and replacing some missing adrenal hormones. Be sure to get a reputable brand from a reputable supplier, to ensure quality, potency and safety.[Try Drenamin from Standard Process or a combination of Rehmannia and Ashwaganda from MediHerb]

Check out the other posts in the Understanding The Keys To Health series!

Understanding your Adrenals: How to cope with stress

Let's Get Raleigh Educated: What Common Food Ingredient is as Addictive as Cocaine?

Excerpt from Mercola.com:

Dr. Richard Johnson is professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, where he runs the kidney division and is in charge of transplantation and research in blood pressure. He has also written the best book on the market on the dangers of fructose called The Sugar Fix.

About 70 percent of his work involves research and, for a number of years, he has been studying the effects of fructose on the metabolic system in animals and cell culture, as well as in clinical studies.

Most of this research is focused on how fructose might cause obesity, high blood pressure, kidney disease, fatty liver, and other health-related problems.

Here, Dr. Johnson discusses how uric acid in your blood can wreak havoc on your blood pressure, insulin production and even kidney function....Click here for the rest of this article

Let's Get Raleigh Educated: What Common Food Ingredient is as Addictive as Cocaine?

Raleigh Wellness Coordinator to the Rescue: New find for traditional foodies

There is just something fulfilling about eating food that you have made with love and dedication. Something gratifying about seeing a wheat berry sprout turn into a loaf of bread, a carefully tended scoby produce a tasty and fizzy kombucha, or patiently fermented vegetables adorn the plate with color pizzaz and kick.

Not to mention that these things are extremely nourishing and flavorful!

It is because of this that I bring you all my latest find...thanks to the wonderful Food Renegade....it is a website called Cultures for Health and it has all the supplies you need for making your own food in traditional ways. Stop ripping open plastic bags of chips and heating up TV dinners. Learn how to make eating more than just a need...make it FUN, FULFILLING, and most of all, NOURISHING!

I'd love to hear how your efforts are going so please do leave notes and tips. Also Cultures for Health and Food Renegade have joined efforts and are giving away a stackable sprout garden. Just visit this LINK and enter the contest. It's a fun new way to start your traditional food endeavors!

If you need further convincing here are some reasons that eating traditional foods such as sprouted grains, fermented vegetables, kefir and more are more healthful and healing:

when comparing sprouted wheat to unsprouted wheat on a calorie-per-calorie basis, the sprouted wheat contains:

1. four times the amount of niacin
2. nearly twice the amount of vitamin B6 and folate
3. five times the amount of vitamin C
4. significantly more protein and fewer starches and sugars

Fermented vegetables are made with lactic acid bacteria, which is a valuable technique humans have been using for thousands of years. This preservation method has numerous health advantages. Fermented vegetables are rich in nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria.

Kefir has many reputed health benefits. It has antibiotic and antifungal properties. It's been used in the treatment of a variety of conditions, including metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, and allergies, tuberculosis, cancer, poor digestion, candidiasis, osteoporosis, hypertension, HIV and heart disease. You might find it odd that that a drink containing yeasts would be good for treating candidiasis but it has been helpful to many people, both by restoring a better balance to the gut flora and because some elements of the microflora will kill off Candida Albicans. Not all yeasts are harmful.

In addition to beneficial bacteria and yeast, kefir contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, B2 and B12, vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin D. Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids abundant in kefir, is well known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system. Because kefir also has an abundance of calcium and magnesium, also important minerals for a healthy nervous system, kefir in the diet can have a particularly calming effect on the nerves.

Raleigh Wellness Coordinator to the Rescue: New find for traditional foodies

Lets get Raleigh Nourished! An E-Course in Traditional Foods!

The main problem you’re probably facing is that you’re overwhelmed. Maybe you’ve read “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon, a fantastic resource for those interested in traditional and nourishing foods. It has taught me a whole lot. But let’s face the facts. It can be hugely overwhelming. Many put it down to take a deep breath, never to pick it up again.

And, don't forget the many websites, pages of information, and recipes on the internet. It’s no wonder you feel dizzy and find yourself getting nowhere fast. There are so many things you could try to prepare or cook. But which should you make, where do you start, and how can you put everything together in a way that won’t completely overwhelm you? Even if you did figure out all you need to do, how do you get to the point where everyone is getting fed and enjoying it?

The GNOWFGLINS Fundamentals E-course is a STEP-BY-STEP instructional program that enables everyone to learn the process of nourishing the body with traditional practices in an easy to follow and informative format.

Here is a glimpse of the outline

eCourse Overview

• Lesson 1: The GNOWFGLINS Foundation
• Lesson 2: How to Soak Whole Grains, Nuts and Seeds
• Lesson 3: How to Make Soaked Whole-Grain Flour Baked Goods I
• Lesson 4: How to Make Soaked Whole-Grain Flour Baked Goods II
• Lesson 5: How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans
• Lesson 6: How to Sprout Beans
• Lesson 7: How to Cook a Chicken and Make Chicken Stock
• Lesson 8: How to Make Skillet Dishes: A Dinner Formula
• Lesson 9: How to Make Water Kefir
• Lesson 10: How to Make Dairy Kefir
• Lesson 11: How to Make Soft, Spreadable Cheese
• Lesson 12: How to Make Sourdough Bread
• Lesson 13: How to Sprout Whole Grains for Sprouted Grain Flour & How to Bake With Sprouted Grain Flour
• Lesson 14: How to Make Natural Pickled Foods

If you would like to take on the task of learning this information alone the Nourishing Traditions truly is an amazing source. It can just get a little overwhelming if you are new to "the game."

In health!

JC

thanks to Food Renegade for bringing this information to my attention. I reccomend anyone to follow their blog!

Lets get Raleigh Nourished! An E-Course in Traditional Foods!

From The Vitamin D Council's Newsletter January 30, 2010.

This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency.

This month, I dedicate the entire newsletter to a mother's lengthy case report of her autistic son. Other than name and place of residence, the letter was not edited.

Dear Dr. Cannell:
At age 2.5 years, between December 2007 and January 2008, my son experienced a fairly dramatic onset of symptoms that led to his diagnosis of autism. His symptoms (many of which we did not even know the terminology for at the time they first occurred) included:

• The inability to sleep at night, we would put him to bed at 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. following his normal bedtime routine
• Development of anxiety and refusal to leave the house even to do preferred activities
• Obsessive-repetitive questions and monologuing/run-on speech
• Sensory issues (refusal to wear jeans or any fabrics other than fleece, screaming hysterically at bath time, complaining and covering eyes in sunlight, covering ears for everyday noises that had not bothered him before (toilets flushing, pulling pots and pans from cupboards, etc.)
• Toe-walking
• Flapping and self-stimulating behaviors (repeatedly tapping his cheeks and eyes with all ten fingers, continually twisting up his fingers in pretzel-like configurations, holding objects in his peripheral range of vision and straining to see them from the corner of his eyes)
• Development of an unusual pattern of stuttering/vocal tic at the end of words,he would repeat the last sound/syllable,"I don't want to go to the store-or-or-or-or-or-or. It won't be fun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n." He would make sounds even in his sleep "n-n-n-n-n-n" or "s-s-s-s-s-s-s"--Loss of muscle tone (stopped walking up and down stairs and began crawling/sliding instead, decline in balance and motor skills)
• loss of handedness (began switching left to right hand, after seeming predominantly left-handed)
• Marked increase in hyperactivity
• Frequent spacing out/unresponsive episodesOur son and his twin sister were born at 36 weeks, 5 days on March 17, 2005 after four months of bed-rest. As early as their 8 week appointment, I mentioned to our pediatrician that we had concerns about our son's eye contact and social responsiveness (in comparison to his sister). I felt that I was having more difficulty bonding with him. We were told "don't worry, but don't wait" and were referred to our state's Early On intervention program. At the end of June a physical therapist and speech pathologist from our intermediate school district came to our home to evaluate our then 3 month old son and told me that he was doing just fine and that I was worrying too much. I agreed that by the time they saw him he had begun smiling and making better eye contact.

We didn't worry again about our son until fall 2006. He had walked just before his first birthday, but by 18 months+ he still seemed clumsy and prone to falling compared to his sister. We took him back to the intermediate school district for evaluation and were told that all of his development seemed to be in the normal range and that we shouldn't worry. We were advised that we could take him to music and gym classes to work on his coordination and told that we could pay for private physical therapy if we elected. We followed all of the recommendations.For a year, we didn't notice any other changes until the sudden onset of symptoms listed above when he was 2.5 years. With the sudden onset of symptoms above, we took our son to see a number of specialists during the winter of 2008 including a neurologist (who diagnosed him with Asperger Syndrome), a psychologist (who diagnosed with autism), and a second psychologist who specialized in the treatment of autism (who diagnosed him with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not-Otherwise-Specified). All three diagnoses are on the autism spectrum. He also began seeing an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a behavioral specialist, and a DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) doctor for dietary interventions. We saw a dramatic improvement by April/May of that year. Nearly all the symptoms on the list above had resolved. We assumed the improvements were due to diet but he started to go into the sun around that time. Our son slept well and spent many peaceful, happy and anxiety-free months during the spring and summer after turning three. In mid-November 2008, I sent the following e-mail to the DAN doctor who had been helping us with our son.

"You saw our son Jonathan Switzer a few times regarding his autism diagnosis and diet issues, etc. He had a regressive period last winter from about December through April when his autism was diagnosed, then did pretty well all summer. Nursery school started off okay, too, but now he seems to be having another regression.
Main symptoms:

• Great difficulty getting to sleep (fidgets for 2 plus hours most nights while he had been falling asleep easily for several months prior to that)
• Marked increase in anxiety (again refusing to leave the house even to do things he loves, frequently shaking/clenching and telling us "I'm scared)
• Onset of OCD-like behaviors (afraid to get hands dirty, get extremely upset if he gets even tiny drips of water on himself)
• Increase in self-stimulatory behaviors (flapping, fidgeting, noise-making)
• Frequent crying jags and telling us he's just giving up on everything

We have had other parents tell us that their kids on the spectrum have a worsening of symptoms during the winter months and we feel like we are observing this same pattern. We've done some reading about light therapy for depression/anxiety and to help correct disturbed sleep patterns and would like to give it a try for Jonathan.

Wondering if you have ever prescribed a light therapy box for pediatric patients before. Our insurance told us they will cover it with a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I don't even know if that is something that can be diagnosed in children. Guess we're willing to try anything at this point. Do you know much about this type of therapy?

"Neither the DAN Doctor nor our pediatrician would write a prescription for a therapy light, so we purchased one on our own and found it made no discernible impact on his symptoms.By December, our son's symptoms had worsened further and we decided to put him in a very expensive and intensive autism treatment program through our local hospital. He made slow progress during his participation in the program from January through April. He was also involved in speech and occupational therapy during the winter months. At his IEPC meeting at school in March, we were encouraged to put him in the district's program for children with developmental delays. We instead elected to register him for regular pre-school for the following year.

During that winter, I was crying to some friends about my son and describing his seemingly seasonal pattern of symptoms. We had just seen a second neurologist searching for help, and I was extremely frustrated when, after listening to my son's symptoms and history, he told me bluntly, "There is nothing seasonal about autism," then suggested that we put our son on an anti-depressant. We refused the medication. One of the friends I was crying to is a research librarian and the other is a medical researcher. After our conversation, they located and e-mailed me a few journal articles they thought might help, one of the articles was by Dr. Cannell and discussed his vitamin D theory of autism. Reading the article was one of those "Aha!" moments and I felt hopeful that Dr. Cannell was on to something.By June our son was released from both speech therapy and occupational therapy and we were told that he no longer showed any delays for his age. When he had begun occupational therapy in January, the OT had been astonished at our son's lack of muscle tone. She recommended that he also receive Physical Therapy services, so we went on a long waiting list. Our initial OT was in a car accident, and in May we were transferred to a new OT. When the new OT first saw our son, she said could not believe he was the same child described in the notes. By May the low muscle tone, hyperactivity and distractibility noted in his file, were no longer evident. His turn came up for physical therapy and we were told he no longer needed it.Our son has always spent a lot of time outdoors in the summer, without sunblock. He had a happy and relaxing summer. As fall/back-to-school approached, I began to fear the onset of another regression and again read the article by Dr. Cannell my friend had sent. I visited his website and decided we would try a vitamin D supplement. Our pediatrician did not encourage any dose higher than 400 i.u. (that found in a typical multivitamin) but did write a script to have his 25-hydroxy level tested. In August his level was 37, so we started him on 5,000 iu daily and had his level retested on October 21st. By October his level was 96. The pediatrician was concerned that this was too high and told us he should not have more than 400 iu per day. Knowing that Nov-March are typically his worst months, we reduced the dosage down only to 3,000 iu from October through mid-December. At an appointment in December our son was doing wonderfully (none of his usual fall/winter symptoms yet evident) and the pediatrician told us 3,000 iu was too much and that we should be giving no more than 400 iu. In mid-December we reduced the dose to 1,500 iu. By the beginning of January we noted a marked loss of eye contact. We also noted that our son was again interchanging his right hand for writing and eating (after using his left hand exclusively for 8+ months). We increased his vitamin D level to 4,000 iu daily in early January. On January 11 we had his 25-Hydroxy level checked on January 11 and found that it was 89. By the end of January, we and his grandparents noted improvement in his eye contact.In January 2010 we attended his preschool conferences. The teacher had marked cards with the following code (1=age appropriate, 2=developing, 3=area of concern). Our son received 1s in all areas with the exception of hopping on one foot and balance beam where he received 2s. We were told that he is on par with or ahead of his peers in all areas (academic, fine motor, etc.), and that his teacher had noted no unusual symptoms or concerns.During the fall/winter 2009-2010 our son has been free from nearly all of the most troubling symptoms that plagued him the previous two winters. The following example may demonstrate the improvement in his daily life since last winter.One of our son's low points was a Christmas party we attended in December 2008. Before leaving the house to attend the party our son screamed and yelled about having to take a bath and because we would not let him wear sweatpants to the party. He then begged us not to make him leave the house. During the 40 minute trip to the party our son asked us repetitive questions and talked incessantly. Upon arriving at the party, he immediately walked into an unoccupied room adjacent to the room where the party was occurring, and put his face into the corner. Despite much coaxing by my husband and me, he refused to come out of the corner. After approximately 45 minutes of standing in the corner we managed to get him out through the promise of some food rewards. He proceeded to walk around and around the perimeter of the living room where all of the other kids were playing. He rubbed himself along the walls and covered his ears as he walked. He finally settled into playing alone in a corner of the room. All of the kids at the party participated in a book exchange. Our son refused to come to the area where the other kids were gathered. We coaxed him over only to have him throw the book he received and refuse to thank the parent who had purchased it for him. He spent much of the evening in time-outs for that and other inappropriate behavior.In June of 2008, after playing in the sun for several months, we met for a picnic with the same group of friends at a local park. Our son ran up to the other children and joined right in playing bulldozers in the sand with them. He behaved and interacted in a completely appropriate and typical way during the picnic which lasted several hours.This year (2009) we attended the same Christmas party at the same house. Our son got ready and left for the party without anxiety or incident. He chatted normally during the drive to the party. He walked into the house, said, "Hey, check out my new train," to some of the kids already playing and settled in to playing happily with the other kids. During the book exchange, he received a book, smiled and gave a big hug to the person who gave it to him.In December of 2008, I took a leave from my job so I could get my son to the intensive behavioral treatment program he was in and to all of his other therapy appointments. I dedicated 40-60 hours per week to my son's various appointments and home therapy program. This winter (January 2010), a former colleague asked me what Jonathan's current therapy program consists of. I told her I spend about 30 seconds each day opening the jar of vitamins and giving him his chewable vitamin D. In my opinion, the 3 minutes or so I spend each week giving him his vitamin D have been much more effective, and much less expensive, than any other treatment we have pursued. Thank you.

Jeannette, Wisconsin

Dear Jeanette:
You're welcome. Several things need comment. First, the symptoms are typical of autism. Second, the seasonality of symptoms suggest a vitamin D deficient disease. Third, the treatment in the spring of 2008 seemed effective but, in hindsight, it was simply due to spring sun exposure. Fourth, as you may now know, light boxes for seasonal affective disorder make no vitamin D. Fifth, your pediatrician knows little about Vitamin D other than what committees tell him; your decision to ignore his advice probably saved your son's brain from further injury, as autism is a progressive inflammatory destruction of brain tissue. Sixth, the fact that you needed bed rest and gave birth prematurely suggests you were Vitamin D deficient during your pregnancy.Seventh, his twin sister has never had autism, despite the same intrauterine environment. This is consistent with my theory, that autism is caused from a quantitative, not qualitative, variation is one of the enzymes that metabolize Vitamin D. That is, there are no structural differences in these enzymes in autism, only a genetically determined difference in the amount present. These enzymes are responsive to estrogen; estrogen protects the brain from being damaged by low Vitamin D, probably by increasing the amount of activated Vitamin D present, explaining why boys are four times more likely to have the disease.The report that your son deteriorated when his dose was reduced from 3,000 to 1,500 IU suggests autistic children need adult doses of Vitamin D. When you reduced the dose from 3,000 to 1,500 IU/day he worsened although his level on 1,500 IU/day was probably still greater than 50 ng/ml. This makes me think that dosage needs to be stable and suggests that Professor Reinhold Vieth's theory of a detrimental seasonal resetting of the intercellular metabolism of Vitamin D may even be true at levels above 50 ng/ml, where the body is storing the parent compound, cholecalciferol, in muscle and fat. His current dose of 4,000 IU per day is perfectly safe and will give him a level of 80-100 ng/ml, inside the reference ranges of American laboratories. Toxicity (asymptomatic high blood calcium) begins somewhere above 200 ng/ml. Generally speaking, autistic children should take 2,000 IU per every 25 pounds of body weight for six weeks, then have a 25(OH)D blood test and adjust the dosage to get into the high end of the reference range, 80-100 ng/ml.Although I first published the Vitamin D theory of autism theory 3 years ago, few autistic children are currently treated for their Vitamin D deficiency. This is due to several reasons. One, those who think, correctly, that autism is a genetic disease, stop thinking after that, reasoning that genetic diseases are untreatable. Such thinkers do not understand epigenetics (upon the genome). Vitamin D is probably the heart of epigenetics, as nothing works upon the genome like vitamin D. Secondly, the "all autism is caused from vaccinations" crowd cannot accept the Vitamin D possibility as it threatens their core beliefs. They simply cannot change their minds.

Finally, as you now know, organized medicine would say you should stop the vitamin D and watch your son deteriorate, which is why slavery to evidence based medicine is fine for scientists and unethical for practitioners.

John Cannell, MDExecutive DirectorVitamin D Council

This newsletter may be reproduced as long as you properly and prominently attribute it source. Please reproduce it, post it on Internet sites, and forward it to your friends. Remember, we are a non-profit and rely on your donations to publish our newsletter, maintain our website, and pursue our objectives.

From The Vitamin D Council's Newsletter January 30, 2010.

Trans-Fatty Acids: Info from a Raleigh Holistic Health Center

Found in hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated fats

IMPORTANT POINTS:

• Research is being reported on adverse effects of trans-fatty acids related to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, low birth weight, obesity and immune dysfunction.
• Although research clearly shows no amount of trans-fats in the diet are considered safe, the FDA has given food manufacturers a large loop-hole in the new trans-fat labeling laws. Trans-fat content of 0.5 (1/2 gram) grams or less per serving can be labeled as 0 trans-fats. Therefore, any label with the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated contains trans-fats even when the label states 0 trans-fats.
• As early as 1958 researchers were claiming trans-fats were culprits in heart disease. The edible oil industry successfully squelched that information, and at the same time, shifted the blame to saturated fats where it has since erroneously remained.

SOME OF THESE ADVERSE AFFECTS REPORTED IN HUMAN AND ANIMALS ARE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Damage to the functions of cell membranes, when trans-fats become part of membrane structure. (Cell membranes are responsible for transporting nutrients, hormones, etc. in, and waste products out. Cell membranes become “stupid” when made of trans-fats.)
2. Negatively affects fat-based steroid hormone balance and levels (female and male hormones, and adrenal hormones)
3. Increases insulin levels in the blood and contributes to Insulin Resistance
4. Decreases the response of the red blood cells to insulin and contributes to Insulin Resistance even more
5. Escalates the adverse effects of essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency
6. Blocks the conversion of Omega 6 and Omega 3 EFAs into their elongated fatty acids and eicosanoids (cellular hormones)
7. Increases total cholesterol
8. Decreases HDLs and increases LDLs in a dose-dependent manner (The more trans-fats you eat, the more it disrupts your cholesterol balance.)
9. Raises the atherosclerosis-forming repair protein (lipoprotein [a]), whereas saturated fats lower this repair protein. (That means that trans-fats irritate the inner artery walls, and saturated fats protect them. This is just the opposite of the food industry propaganda.)
10. Lowers the volume of cream and the quality of breast milk
11. Correlates with low infant birth weight
12. Decrease visual acuity in infants in a dose-dependent manner when they are fed breast milk containing trans-fats
13. Precipitates childhood asthma
14. Weakens immunity
15. Causes adverse alterations in enzymes that metabolize carcinogens
16. Causes alteration (enlargement) of adipose cell size, cell number, lipid class and fatty acid composition. (Interferes with fats and fat metabolism in the body)1 Enig, Mary G., Ph.D., Know

Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol, Bethesda Press, (2000) pp85-862
DeMaria, Dr. Robert, DC, Trans Fat Survival Guide, Drugless Healthcare Solutions, 2005 or visit http://www.drbob4health.com/
Revised 10/06/2006 Digestion & EFAs - 11 - ©Copyright 2002,2006, 2009 byLang Restorative Endocrinology

Trans-Fatty Acids: Info from a Raleigh Holistic Health Center

Your Bodies Reaction to Drinking a Soda

Do you know why you feel all "giddy" after drinking a Soda...a Coke for example? It is because your body literally gets "high." Here is how Coke, despite the lack of cocaine (an original ingredient), effects your body in a way that causes dependency and addiction:

First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (THAT IS A LOT BY THE WAY) You don’t immediately vomit from the excessive sugar ONLY because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

10 more minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver then turns any sugar it can get its hands on into fat.

2o more minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

5 minutes later Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. Heroin works this way too.

In under an hour:

• The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of Calcium
• The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play and you will inevitably have to use the bathroom losing water, and unfortunately the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium and other electrolytes. Therefore the Coke isn't just dehydrating you, its taking away vital nutrients from your body that are needed for cell and bone repair and strength, energy, and much more.
  
• As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. What then? Have another Coke? (see the point?)

Words on foodstuff labels that mean SUGAR:

• Saccharose,
  
• Sucanat,
  
• Sugar,
  
• Granulated Sugar,
  
• Refined Sugar,
  
• Brown Sugar,
  
• Cane Juice,
  
• Evaporated Cane Juice,
  
• Evaporated Cane Sugar,
  
• Cane Sugar,
  
• Raw Cane Sugar,
  
• Demerera,
  
• Muscovado,
  
• Turbinado,
  
• Cane syrup,
  
• Beet syrup,
  
• Baker's Sugar,
  
• Bar Sugar,
  
• Barbados Sugar,
  
• Berry Sugar,
  
• Chinese Rock Sugar ,
  
• Confectioners Sugar,
  
• Gemsugar,
  
• Polincillo,
  
• Rock sugar,
  
• Wasanbon
  
• AND MORE...
  

Your Bodies Reaction to Drinking a Soda