health – Gail J. Dahl – International Bestselling Author

Secrets – Preventing Premature Birth with Vitamin D3

May 29, 2010August 23, 2015 gaildahl1 Comment

Secrets – Preventing Premature Birth with Vitamin D3

Higher daily doses of vitamin D lower risk of preterm births: study

Sharon Kirkey, Canwest News Service: Saturday, May 1, 2010

A new study found that women taking 4,000 international units of vitamin D daily — 10 to 20 times the dose the leaders of Canada’s pregnancy specialists currently recommend — had half the risk of premature delivery than women who took just 400 IU of vitamin D daily.
Photo Credit: Ted Rhodes, Canwest News Service
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All pregnant women should take 4,000 international units of vitamin D daily — 10 to 20 times the dose the leaders of Canada’s pregnancy specialists currently recommend — to lower their risk of preterm labour, preterm birth and infections concludes the first study to investigate the safety of high doses of vitamin D during pregnancy.

The study found that women in its 4,000-IU-a-day group had half the risk of premature delivery than women who took just 400 IU of vitamin D daily.

Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn deaths in Canada.

And “not a single adverse event” related to vitamin D dosing was found during the study — as U.S. researchers will report Saturday at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Vancouver.

Gail J. Dahl
Award Winning – National Bestselling Author and Childbirth Researcher
National Bestseller “Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets”
National Bestseller “Pregnancy & Childbirth Tips”
Executive Director, Innovative Publishing Inc.
Founder and Director of the Canadian Childbirth Association
http://www.youtube.com/gaildahl

Gail J. Dahl is a childbirth researcher, award winning and national bestselling author. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Canadian Childbirth Association. Dahl has received many awards, including “The YWCA Woman of Distinction Award”, “The Woman of Vision Award” and “The Great Women of the 21st Century Award” for her contributions toward women’s health and education.

Copyright 2015, Copyright released with references if the article is to be used for the purpose of childbirth education. “Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets” by National Bestselling Author Gail J. Dahl. Now available across North America at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters and Indigo Books & Music. The information contained in or provided through this publication is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be, and is not provided as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your midwife, physician, or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment or for answers to any questions you may have regarding any medical condition.

Secrets – Vitamin D3 and Pregnancy

April 2, 2010 gaildahl6 Comments

After watching the most amazing results of the increased Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 in my own personal health program, I thought it would be a good idea to review how important Vitamin D3 is in pregnancy, for both mother and baby. The information and research studies below have been collected by the Vitamin D Council and this article is reprinted with permission.

For those of you who wish to obtain Vitamin D from a natural source, fifteen minutes a day in the sun, exposing the areas you are able to, between the hours of 11:00 and Noon, is an ideal time for Vitamin D generation.

I hope that everyone that is on the program continues to see amazing results. Many seem to start off with experiencing a return to very deep sleep patterns and then the gradual healing of aches and pains and a steady improvement of mood and energy levels. Let me know what you experience. Best wishes, Gail

The information contained in or provided through this publication is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be, and is not provided as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your midwife, physician, or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment or for answers to any questions you may have regarding any medical condition. The reply to your email questions is not a substitute for health care from your licensed health care provider. The answers to your questions do not constitute a patient-physician relationship. The answers to questions are meant to provide you with additional information to help you make health care decisions. You should always consult your health care provider before proceeding with any of the recommendations. The information contained within this correspondence is not intended to treat, diagnose, or claim to cure any medical condition or disease.

Pregnancy and Gestational Vitamin D Deficiency

By Dr. John Jacob Cannell and the Vitamin D Council of America at: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/pregnancy-and-gestational-vitamin-d-deficiency.shtml

“In the last 3 years, an increasing amount of research suggests that some of the damage done by Vitamin D deficiency is done in-utero, while the fetus is developing. Much of that damage may be permanent, that is, it can not be fully reversed by taking Vitamin D after birth. This research indicates Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy endangers the mother’s life and health, and is the origin for a host of future perils for the child, especially for the child’s brain and immune system. Some of the damage done by maternal Vitamin D deficiency may not show up for 30 years. Let’s start with the mother.
Incidence of Gestational Vitamin D Deficiency

Dr. Joyce Lee and her colleagues at the University of Michigan studied 40 pregnant women, the majority taking prenatal vitamins. Only two had blood levels >50 ng/mL and only three had levels >40 ng/mL. That is, 37 of 40 pregnant women had levels below 40 ng/mL, and the majority had levels below 20 ng/mL. More than 25% had levels below 10 ng/mL. Lee JM, Smith JR, Philipp BL, Chen TC, Mathieu J, Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency in a healthy group of mothers and newborn infants. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2007 Jan;46(1):42–4.

Dr. Lisa Bodnar, a prolific Vitamin D researcher, and her colleagues at the University of Pittsburg studied 400 pregnant Pennsylvania women; 63% had levels below 30 ng/mL and 44% of the black women in the study had levels below 15 ng/mL. Prenatal vitamins had little effect on the incidence of deficiency. Bodnar LM, Simhan HN, Powers RW, Frank MP, Cooperstein E, Roberts JM. High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in black and white pregnant women residing in the northern United States and their neonates. J Nutr. 2007 Feb;137(2):447–52.

Dr. Dijkstra and colleagues studied 70 pregnant women in the Netherlands, none had levels above 40 ng/mL and 50% had levels below 10 ng/mL. Again, prenatal vitamins appeared to have little effect on 25(OH)D levels, as you might expect since prenatal vitamins only contain 400 IU of Vitamin D. Dijkstra SH, van Beek A, Janssen JW, de Vleeschouwer LH, Huysman WA, van den Akker EL. High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in newborns of high-risk mothers. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2007 Apr 25.

Thus, more than 95% of pregnant women have 25(OH)D levels below 50 ng/mL, the level that may indicate chronic substrate starvation. That is, they are using up any Vitamin D they have very quickly and do not have enough to store for future use. Pretty scary.

Effects on the Mother

Caesarean section

The rate of Caesarean section in American women has increased from 5% in 1970 to 30% today. Dr. Anne Merewood and her colleagues at Boston University School of Medicine found women with levels below 15 ng/mL were four times more likely to have a Cesarean section than were women with higher levels. Among the few women with levels above 50 ng/mL, the Caesarean section rate was the same as it was in 1970, about 5%. Merewood A, Mehta SD, Chen TC, Bauchner H, Holick MF. Association between vitamin D deficiency and primary cesarean section. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Mar;94(3):940–5.

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a common obstetrical condition in which hypertension is combined with excess protein in the urine. It greatly increases the risk of the mother developing eclampsia and then dying from a stroke. Dr. Lisa Bodnar and her colleagues found women with 25(OH)D levels less than 15 ng/mL had a five-fold (5 fold) increase in the risk of preeclampsia. Bodnar LM, Catov JM, Simhan HN, Holick MF, Powers RW, Roberts JM. Maternal vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of preeclampsia. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Sep;92(9):3517–22.

Gestational Diabetes

Diabetes during pregnancy affects about 5% of all pregnant women, is increasing in incidence, and may have deleterious effects on the fetus. Dr. Cuilin Zhang and colleagues at the NIH found women with low 25(OH)D levels were almost 3 times more likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy. Zhang C, Qiu C, Hu FB, David RM, van Dam RM, Bralley A, Williams MA. Maternal plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and the risk for gestational diabetes mellitus. PLoS ONE. 2008;3(11):e3753.

Bacterial Vaginitis

Dr. Lisa Bodnar and her colleagues found pregnant women with the lowest 25(OH)D level are almost twice as likely to get a bacterial vaginal infection during their pregnancy. Bodnar LM, Krohn MA, Simhan HN. Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated with Bacterial Vaginosis in the First Trimester of Pregnancy. J Nutr. 2009 Apr 8.

Effects on the child

Seventeen experts—many of them world-class experts—recently recommended:

“Until we have better information on doses of vitamin D that will reliably provide adequate blood levels of 25(OH)D without toxicity, treatment of vitamin D deficiency in otherwise healthy children should be individualized according to the numerous factors that affect 25(OH)D levels, such as body weight, percent body fat, skin melanin, latitude, season of the year, and sun exposure. The doses of sunshine or oral vitamin D3 used in healthy children should be designed to maintain 25(OH)D levels above 50 ng/mL. As a rule, in the absence of significant sun exposure, we believe that most healthy children need about 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily per 11 kg (25 lb) of body weight to obtain levels greater than 50 ng/mL. Some will need more, and others less. In our opinion, children with chronic illnesses such as autism, diabetes, and/or frequent infections should be supplemented with higher doses of sunshine or vitamin D3, doses adequate to maintain their 25(OH)D levels in the mid-normal of the reference range (65 ng/mL) — and should be so supplemented year-round (p. 868).” Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Willett W, Zasloff M, Hathcock JN, White JH, Tanumihardjo SA, Larson-Meyer DE, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Lamberg-Allardt CJ, Lappe JM, Norman AW, Zittermann A, Whiting SJ, Grant WB, Hollis BW, Giovannucci E. Cod liver oil, vitamin A toxicity, frequent respiratory infections, and the vitamin D deficiency epidemic. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2008 Nov;117(11):864–70.

That’s right. Healthy children need about 1,000 IU per 25 pounds of body weight and their 25(OH)D levels should be >50 ng/mL, year-round.

Eight years before the above recommendations, Professor John McGrath of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research theorized that maternal Vitamin D deficiency adversely “imprinted” the fetus, making infants more liable for a host of adult disorders. Research since that time has supported McGrath’s theory. Consider, for a minute, what it must be like for John McGrath, to know that maternal Vitamin D deficiency is causing such widespread devastation, to know it could be so easily treated, but to also know he must wait the decades that will be required to deal with the problem.McGrath J. Does ‘imprinting’ with low prenatal vitamin D contribute to the risk of various adult disorders? Med Hypotheses. 2001 Mar;56(3):367–71.

Schizophrenia

Dr. Dennis Kinney and his colleagues at Harvard published a fascinating paper last month on the role of maternal Vitamin D deficiency in the development of schizophrenia, in support of Dr. McGrath’s theory. As they point out, the role of inadequate Vitamin D during brain development appears to “overwhelm” other effects, explaining why schizophrenia has so many of the footprints of a maternal Vitamin D deficiency disorder, such as strong latitudinal variation, excess winter births, and skin color. Kinney DK, Teixeira P, Hsu D, Napoleon SC, Crowley DJ, Miller A, Hyman W, Huang E. Relation of schizophrenia prevalence to latitude, climate, fish consumption, infant mortality, and skin color: a role for prenatal vitamin d deficiency and infections? Schizophr Bull. 2009 May;35(3):582–95.

Autism

I will say not more, other than to point out that Scientific American ran a lengthy article last month on my autism theory but the editors insisted that the author not cite me, nor my paper, because I am “not a scientist.” Gabrielle Glaser. What If Vitamin D Deficiency Is a Cause of Autism? 2009 April 24. Scientific American.

Mental Retardation

The only evidence that Vitamin D deficiency is a common cause of mental retardation is from researchers at the CDC who found mild mental retardation is twice as common among African Americans as whites, and that the politically correct explanation—socioeconomic factors—cannot explain it. If latitudinal studies of mild mental retardation exist, I am unable to locate them. Yeargin-Allsopp M, Drews CD, Decoufle P, Murphy CC. Mild mental retardation in black and white children in metropolitan Atlanta: a case-control study. Am J Public Health 1995;85(3):324–8. Drews CD, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Decoufle P, Murphy CC. Variation in the influence of selected sociodemographic risk factors for mental retardation. Am J Public Health 1995;85(3):329–34.

Of course, it is claimed you are a racist if you believe these studies. In fact, a number of writers have told me their editors will not allow writers to discuss these studies in their stories. I am glad these studies were conducted by researchers at the CDC. Although, I worry about their political longevity at the CDC after reporting such findings.

I will mention one other fact (at my peril) and that is the fact that a very smart man, President Barack Obama, was born in the late summer (August) and has a brain that developed in a womb covered in white skin, during the spring and summer, in the subtropics (Latitude 21 degrees North), during an age before sun-avoidance was the mantra (1961). Make what you want to of that fact. My point is that whites living at temperate latitudes may have a huge developmental advantage over blacks, an advantage that begins immediately after conception, an advantage that has nothing to do with innate genetic ability and everything to do with environment.

Newborn Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

Newborn babies are vulnerable to infections in their lungs and women with the lowest 25(OH)D level during pregnancy were much more likely to have their newborn in the ICU being treated for lower respiratory tract infections. Drs. Walker and Modlin at UCLA recently presented reasons why viral pneumonia is probably only one of many pediatric Vitamin D deficient infections. Karatekin G, Kaya A, Salihoğlu O, Balci H, Nuhoğlu A. Association of subclinical vitamin D deficiency in newborns with acute lower respiratory infection and their mothers. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr;63(4):473–7.Walker VP, Modlin RL. The Vitamin D Connection to Pediatric Infections and Immune Function. Pediatr Res. 2009 Jan 28.

Birth weight

While conflicting results exist on the effects of maternal Vitamin D deficiency and birth weight, the majority of the studies find an effect. Furthermore, the studies are comparing women who have virtually no intake to women who have minuscule intakes. For example, women who ingested around 600 IU per day were more likely to have normal weight babies compared to women whose intake was less than 300 IU per day. One can only wonder what would happen if pregnant women had adequate intakes? Drs. Scholl and Chen, at the Department of Obstetrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, concluded pregnant women need 6,000 IU per day, not the 400 IU/day contained in prenatal vitamins. Scholl TO, Chen X. Vitamin D intake during pregnancy: association with maternal characteristics and infant birth weight. Early Hum Dev. 2009 Apr;85(4):231–4.

Diabetes

My old nemesis, cod liver oil, when given during pregnancy resulted in children who were three times less likely to develop juvenile diabetes before the age of 15. Of course, this was back when cod liver oil had meaningful amounts of Vitamin D (these Norwegian mothers were taking cod liver oil in the 1980s). Stene LC, Ulriksen J, Magnus P, Joner G. Use of cod liver oil during pregnancy associated with lower risk of Type I diabetes in the offspring. Diabetologia. 2000 Sep;43(9):1093–8.

Seizures

Newborns frequently have seizures and those seizures are almost always due to low blood calcium. This problem is so common that many newborns are given a prophylactic injection of calcium. In 1978, researchers found such hypocalcemia can easily be prevented by giving Vitamin D. Sadly, standard treatment remains—not Vitamin D, but calcium and an analogue of activated Vitamin D. Such analogues do not correct Vitamin D deficiency. The fact that this was known in 1978 and has been routinely ignored by obstetricians since then should give you pause. Do not think science will solve the Vitamin D problem. Science simply points the way, activists must change the practice. Fleischman AR, Rosen JF, Nathenson G. 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol for early neonatal hypocalcemia. Occurrence in premature newborns. Am J Dis Child. 1978 Oct;132(10):973–7.

Heart Failure

Idiopathic infant heart failure is often fatal. Of course, idiopathic to whom? The uninformed cardiologists who do not recognize severe infantile Vitamin D deficiency? Luckily, for 16 infants, Dr. Maiya, Dr. Burch, and colleagues at the Great Ormand Street Hospital for Children are not among them. Maiya S, Sullivan I, Allgrove J, Yates R, Malone M, Brain C, Archer N, Mok Q, Daubeney P, Tulloh R, Burch M. Hypocalcaemia and vitamin D deficiency: an important, but preventable, cause of life-threatening infant heart failure. Heart. 2008 May;94(5):581–4.

Weak bones

Dr. Muhammad Javaid and colleagues at the University of Southampton found that children of Vitamin D deficient mothers were much more likely to have weak bones 9 years later. Dr. Adrian Sayers and Jonathan Tobias of the University of Bristol recently found the same thing when they looked at maternal sun-exposure. Javaid MK, Crozier SR, Harvey NC, Gale CR, Dennison EM, Boucher BJ, Arden NK, Godfrey KM, Cooper C; Princess Anne Hospital Study Group. Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood bone mass at age 9 years: a longitudinal study. Lancet. 2006 Jan 7;367(9504):36–43. Sayers A, Tobias JH. Estimated maternal ultraviolet B exposure levels in pregnancy influence skeletal development of the child. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Mar;94(3):765–71.

Brain Tumors

John McGrath’s group discovered that children with astrocytomas and ependymomas (brain tumors you do not want your child to have) were more likely to be born in the winter. Ko P, Eyles D, Burne T, Mackay-Sim A, McGrath JJ. Season of birth and risk of brain tumors in adults. Neurology. 2005 Apr 12;64(7):1317.

Epilepsy

Three studies have found that epileptic patients are much more likely to be born in the winter. Dr. Marco Procopio of the Priory Hospital Hove in Sussex has written all three. Procopio M, Marriott PK, Davies RJ. Seasonality of birth in epilepsy: a Southern Hemisphere study. Seizure. 2006 Jan;15(1):17–21.

Craniotabes

Craniotabes is softening of the skull bones that occurs in 1/3 of “normal” newborns. Recent evidence indicates it is yet another sign and sequela of maternal vitamin D deficiency. Yorifuji J, Yorifuji T, Tachibana K, Nagai S, Kawai M, Momoi T, Nagasaka H, Hatayama H, Nakahata T. Craniotabes in normal newborns: the earliest sign of subclinical vitamin D deficiency. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 May;93(5):1784–8.

Cavities

Dr. Robert Schroth from the University of Manitoba reported that mothers of children who developed cavities at an early age had significantly lower vitamin D levels during pregnancy than those whose children were cavity-free. Megan Rauscher. Prenatal vitamin D linked to kids’ dental health. 2009. Reuters.

Asthma

The extant data here is conflicting. Two studies have found higher Vitamin D intakes during pregnancy decrease the risk of asthma in later childhood and one has found the opposite. The best review of the issue is by Drs. Augusto Litonjua and Scott Weiss, at Harvard, who conclude that the current epidemic of asthma among our children is related to both gestational and ongoing childhood vitamin D deficiency. Litonjua AA, Weiss ST. Is vitamin D deficiency to blame for the asthma epidemic? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Nov;120(5):1031–5.

Furthermore, a very recent study by Dr. John Brehm and the same Harvard group found low Vitamin D levels in asthmatic children were associated with hospitalization, medication use, and disease severity. Brehm JM, Celedón JC, Soto-Quiros ME, Avila L, Hunninghake GM, Forno E, Laskey D, Sylvia JS, Hollis BW, Weiss ST, Litonjua AA. Serum vitamin D levels and markers of severity of childhood asthma in Costa Rica. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 May 1;179(9):765–71.

In case you are wondering, black children are four times more likely than white children to be hospitalized or die from asthma. Akinbami LJ, Schoendorf KC. Trends in childhood asthma: prevalence, health care utilization, and mortality. Pediatrics. 2002 Aug;110(2 Pt 1):315–22.

My experience, both at the hospital and via my readers, is that asthma improves—albeit sometimes slowly—when adequate doses of Vitamin D are taken. However, Vitamin D does not appear to be a cure, like it is in some other conditions. I suspect children with asthma have suffered both gestational and ongoing childhood Vitamin D deficiency that probably altered, perhaps permanently, their immune system.

The Vitamin D Council’s Effort

We recently ran a ¼ page announcement in OB/GYN News and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG). Unfortunately, the editor of AJOG censored our announcement after its first month, but we were able to get the full, three-month run in OB/GYN News. We also sent a very similar email to 18,000 obstetricians in the United States. The total cost to the Vitamin D Council for this campaign was about $12,000.00.

The announcement simply pointed out that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently recommended that all pregnant women have a 25(OH)D blood test because Vitamin D is important for normal fetal development (p. 1145):

“Given the growing evidence that adequate maternal vitamin D status is essential during pregnancy, not only for maternal well-being but also for fetal development, health care professionals who provide obstetric care should consider assessing maternal vitamin D status by measuring the 25-OH-D concentrations of pregnant women. On an individual basis, a mother should be supplemented with adequate amounts of vitamin D3 to ensure that her 25-OH-D levels are in a sufficient range (>32 ng/mL). The knowledge that prenatal vitamins containing 400 IU of vitamin D3 have little effect on circulating maternal 25-OH-D concentrations, especially during the winter months, should be imparted to all health care professionals.” Wagner CL, Greer FR; American Academy of Pediatrics Section on breastfeeding; American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. Prevention of rickets and vitamin D deficiency in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2008 Nov;122(5):1142–52.

As the AAP recommendation came from an official medical body, to medical malpractice attorneys it represents evidence of a “standard of care” for future lawsuits. We also reminded obstetricians that the statute of limitations on malpractice suits does not toll (begin) until the injured party recognizes the injury. That is, the parents of a 5-year-old child diagnosed with autism five years in the future may bring suit against that obstetrician for how the child was treated during his time in the uterus, citing the 2008 AAP’s recommendation as a standard of care. Obstetricians are already burdened with lawsuits, but they could decrease the number of suits significantly if they would just take the time to learn about Vitamin D.

Finally, we used our last $12,000 to produce and run a television announcement in the Washington, D.C. TV market, entitled Pregnancy and Vitamin D.

What can you do?

Most people want to do good—at least some good—in their lives. The endless pursuit of the God-almighty dollar, better clothes, better houses and better vacations than your neighbors eventually leaves a hole in your soul. Here is an opportunity to fill it.

If you don’t feel that soul hole, try a meditation I learned at Esalen Institute in the 1980s and have practiced ever since. Lie on the floor and pretend you are dead in your grave. Feel the worms, smell the rot, sense the finality. Then, when you really feel dead, visualize your gravestone above. What does it say? “Here lies Robert; he had a big fancy house.” “Here lies Vanessa; she wore beautiful clothes and had four face lifts.” Here lies Michael; he made a billion dollars.” Through this meditation, I realized I want my gravestone to say, “Here lies John, he did something good.”

One good thing you can do is simply tell every pregnant woman and women thinking of getting pregnant that she needs to take more Vitamin D, a lot more. Pregnant women need a minimum of 5,000 IU per day and even that dose will not achieve 25(OH)D levels of >50 ng/mL in all women. Why not buy a few bottles of 5,000 IU capsules and hand out the bottles to your pregnant friends? You can get 250 vitamin D capsules for 15 bucks. Or, forward this email to them. Show them our Pregnancy and Vitamin D public service announcement.

If you want to do more, why not get a copy of our Pregnancy and Vitamin D public service announcement by emailing our webmaster at http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/releases.shtml.”(the ad is not copyrighted) and then pay to run it on a TV station in your hometown? You can easily add a caption at the bottom saying this public service announcement is being sponsored by your company, combining a good deed with good business.

Alas, no glory will be yours, at least in this life. No woman will ever thank you for the schizophrenic child she never had, for the trips to the emergency room with a breathless child that she never made, for the repetitive moaning of the autistic child she never endured. Although, she may wonder why her pregnancy was so easy and why her infant is so healthy, alert, active, and smart.”

John Jacob Cannell MD Executive Director. More on this article at: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/pregnancy-and-gestational-vitamin-d-deficiency.shtml

Vitamin D Quotes

Humans make thousands of units of vitamin D within minutes of whole body exposure to sunlight. From what we know of nature, it is unlikely such a system evolved by chance.~ Dr. John Cannell, Executive Director, Vitamin D Council.

If you think of it evolutionarily, it’s the oldest hormone on this Earth. I don’t think that this is going to be a flash in the pan. ~ Dr. Michael F. Holick, Vitamin D expert.

Because vitamin D is so cheap and so clearly reduces all-cause mortality, I can say this with great certainty: Vitamin D represents the single most cost-effective medical intervention in the United States. ~ Dr. Greg Plotnikoff, Medical Director, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

I believe [vitamin D] is the number one public health advance in medicine in the last twenty years. ~ Dr. John Whitcomb, Aurora Sinai Medical Center.

Light is the basic component from which all life originates, evolves, and is energized. Light and health are inseparable. ~ Ken Ceder, former co-director Hippocrates Health Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.

Sunlight is more powerful than any drug; it is safe, effective, and available free of charge. If it could be patented, it would be hyped as the greatest medical breakthrough in history. It’s that good. ~ Mike Adams, natural health researcher and author.

Natural sunlight’s benefits are not limited to vitamin D production. As light enters the eyes, photoreceptors convert the light into nerve impulses that travel along the optic nerve to the brain. These impulses trigger the hypothalamus gland to send neurotransmitters to regulate the automatic functions of the body, such as blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, digestion, sexual function, moods, immune and hormonal modulation, and circadian rhythm. ~ John Maher, DC, DCCN, FAAIM.

This is like the Holy Grail of cancer medicine; vitamin D produced a drop in cancer rates greater than that for quitting smoking, or indeed any other countermeasure in existence. ~ Dennis Mangan, clinical laboratory scientist.

No other method to prevent cancer has been identified that has such a powerful impact. ~ Dr. Cedric Garland, Vitamin D expert.

Vitamin D is, without question, the miracle nutrient of the century. ~ Mike Adams, natural health researcher and author.

Vitamin D is a hormone… powerful, potent, and paleo-to-the-core. Since pre-paleolithic times, Vitamin D has been produced in our skin from the UVB radiation of sunlight. The sun indeed powers nearly all life on earth. It is essential and signals reproduction, energy and longevity for not just humans but all land and marine plants, prokaryotes, and animals. ~ Dr. BG, pharmacologist
.
I would challenge anyone to find an area or nutrient or any factor that has such consistent anti-cancer benefits as vitamin D. The data are really quite remarkable. ~ Dr. Edward Giovannucci, Vitamin D expert.

In all my many years of practice of medicine, I’ve never seen one vitamin, even vitamin C, have such profound effects on human health. ~ Dr. Soram Khalsa, board-certified internist and medical director for the East-West Medical Research Institute.

We estimate that vitamin D deficiency is the most common medical condition in the world. ~ Dr. Michael F. Holick, Vitamin D expert.

Our most important hormones depend upon adequate reserves of cholesterol for their production and nowhere is this more important than as the precursor substance for the synthesis of Vitamin D, known also as calcitriol. Researchers in this field are sufficiently concerned from the results of their studies to pronounce that we are in the midst of an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency of immense proportion. ~ Duane Graveline MD
MPH, former NASA Astronaut, former USAF flight surgeon, and retired family doctor.

The problem is that vitamin D is not really a vitamin, it’s a hormone. If your thyroid hormone level was low, you’d gain 20, 30, or more pounds in weight, your blood pressure would skyrocket, you’d lose your hair, become constipated, develop blood clots, be terribly fatigued. In other words, you’d suffer profound changes. Likewise, if thyroid hormone levels are corrected by giving you thyroid hormone, you’d experience profound correction of these phenomena. That’s what I’m seeing with vitamin D: restoration of this hormone to normal blood levels (25-OH-vitamin D3 50 ng/mL) yields profound changes in the body. ~ Dr. William Davis, cardiologist.

Vitamin D is perhaps the single most powerful nutrient in the known universe for preventing influenza. ~ Mike Adams, natural health researcher and author.

The Sun is the cosmological phenomenon which is mainly responsible for what the world has become and it would be impossible to remove from the skies without ending the existences of most of all living beings in the same process. ~ Unknown.

No life at all would be possible on this planet without the sun…To teach people to be afraid of the sun is harmful health advice that will ultimately kill more people than it saves. Most people have too little sunlight, not too much. ~ Mike Adams, natural health researcher and author.

Vitamin D is cholecalciferol, a hormone. Deficiencies of hormones can have catastrophic consequences. ~ Dr. William Davis, cardiologist.

Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated. Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe, and inexpensive. ~ James H. O’Keefe MD, cardiologist and Director of Preventive Cardiology, Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Missouri.

It has been clearly established that the only way for your body to synthesize vitamin D is in your skin once it’s exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Hence, the current guidelines to avoid sun exposure, and the fervent pushing of sunscreen, are perhaps some of the most misguided and dangerous health recommendations out there. ~ Leif Grunseth, certified neuromuscular therapist.

The sun is the orchestra leader for the dance of life. Every living thing on earth vibrates to the energy of the sun, including people. For a long time people have been victims of a huge scam that made them think they were supposed to hide indoors or under a blanket of sunscreen while the rest of life basked in the glory of the sun. Now they are catching on that they too need the sun’s life-giving force. ~ Barbara Minton, natural health editor.

Whoever wishes to investigate medicine properly should proceed thus: in the first place to consider the seasons of the year. ~ Hippocrates, the father of medicine (circa 400 B.C.).

Sunlight is life. ~ Dr. William Meller, board-certified internist.

Best wishes,
Gail
Gail J. Dahl
Award Winning – National Bestselling Author and Childbirth Researcher
National Bestselling “Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets”
National Bestselling “Pregnancy & Childbirth Tips”
Executive Director, Innovative Publishing Inc.
Founder and Director of the Canadian Childbirth Association
http://web.mac.com/pregnancysecrets
http://www.youtube.com/gaildahl

Copyright 2010, Copyright released with references if the article is to be used for the purpose of childbirth education. “Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets” by National Bestselling Author Gail J. Dahl. Now available across North America at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters and Indigo Books & Music. For more great secrets see the website at: http://web.mac.com/pregnancysecrets. The information contained in or provided through this publication is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be, and is not provided as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your midwife, physician, or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment or for answers to any questions you may have regarding any medical condition.

Secrets- Vitamin K2 and Pregnancy

March 26, 2010 gaildahl20 Comments

Secrets – Vitamin K2 & Pregnancy

“For pregnant women, extra Vitamin K2 supplementation prevents possible cranial defects in the baby that in turn can create narrow dental arches, crooked teeth, underdevelopment of the face and jaw, underdevelopment of the sinuses with mouth breathing in some cases, and poor tooth development resulting in a high susceptibility to dental cavities.”

(Vitamin K2 – Safety: “If you take Coumadin, Heparin, or another anti-coagulant you should consult your physician before taking vitamin K2 supplements. Vitamin K2 helps normal coagulation of blood. High levels of K2 do not cause abnormal blood clotting. You should not be concerned about taking levels of 45 mg/day or less, as numerous Japanese studies have shown even this high level is safe for adults. Most vitamin K2 supplements offer 45 – 150 micrograms per day.”)

Interesting how a few cents of Vitamin K2 before and during pregnancy can save thousands of dollars in future dental work for the family, prevent birth defects and vastly increase the health of the mother by helping to regulate blood sugar levels during pregnancy. G

For those caregivers starting the Vitamin D3 program, you would now be adding Vitamin K2 in the amount of 1,000 micrograms weekly (this is a very small amount) to create a synergetic result with the Vitamin D3 as suggested by the research by Dr. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. http://www.selfhealthsystems.com/archiveletter.php?id=292

It is not recommended to take extra calcium supplementation with this particular Vitamin D3 program. The purpose of the Vitamin K2 is to work with the Vitamin D3, as a co-factor, to clean the calcium deposits from your arteries and deposit them into your bone structure. Vitamin K2 will also provide you major protection from osteoporosis, cardiovascular blockages and pathological calcification.

“It has been 10 days since I personally began the enhanced Vitamin D3 program. Today is the first day at 50,000 IU’s of Vitamin D3. (I worked my way up to that dosage as I began to see the daily positive physical effects) My arthritis pain is down 95%. First relief of chronic pain at daily 10,000 IU’s of Vitamin D3 after forty eight hours. Sleeping very deeply and easily now. My muscular strength is increasing. Physical endurance is enhanced. Mood nicely elevated. Chronic low level depression lifting. I can feel the digestive and intestinal tract healing. Food intolerances and sensitivities are being eliminated. Can’t wait to get up every morning to see what else new and positive happens to my body. Wow, this D3 program is totally amazing! Thank you again for your feedback on the Vitamin D3 program. So exciting to hear the positive results to far that people are experiencing! Looking forward to hearing more excellent reports. ” Best wishes, Gail J. Dahl

An important follow up question from SF:
SF: One question…. why can’t we take calcium supplements with this high of Vit. D…..I hear my osteoporosis settling in.

Hello SF,
My body seems to love the Vitamin D3 program as well. Most amazing results! Every day something different happens. With the proper amount of Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2, the body will quickly begin to scavenge the calcium being stored throughout your system, especially joints and arteries, remove it from there, thus reducing pain and inflammation in that area, and then make the proper deposit of this calcium into your bones where you need it. I will send you a sneak preview on the next newsletter on Vitamin K2. I think you will be interested in the vital part this relatively unknown vitamin does not only for our pregnant moms, for ourselves as well. People who work long term evening shift work or have indoor work only, or sensitivities to the sun, can have tremendous challenges with brittle bones. No Vit D3, no sun, no absorption of the calcium, thus brittle bones.

So the short answer, is you won’t need extra calcium supplements on this program. Your body will make excellent use of what is already in your system and from the food you are eating. Without Vitamin D3 or being in the sun, your system was most likely not absorbing the extra calcium supplements anyway, most likely just storing it in places like joints or arteries, where you don’t want it. The most amazing part of the Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 program is that the D3 has the ability to go in and start healing internal organs. X might be interested in experiencing this program for 30 days as it has an ability to heal and soothe the digestive and eliminative systems and can reduce or eliminate food intolerances, allergies and sensitivities. An amazing health supplement for such an amazingly low price. So exciting to hear of everyone’s excellent progress. Let me know the very next thing you notice being changed within your system. I am very curious! Best, G

Secrets – The Critical Importance of Vitamin K2 Before and During Pregnancy

Vitamin K2 and Cranial Development During Pregnancy

“……Here are a few quotes from a review paper by Dr. Webster’s group. I have to post the whole abstract because it’s a gem:
“The normal vitamin K status of the human embryo appears to be close to deficiency [I would argue in most cases the embryo is actually deficient, as are most adults in industrial societies]. Maternal dietary deficiency or use of a number of therapeutic drugs during pregnancy, may result in frank vitamin K deficiency in the embryo. First trimester deficiency results in maxillonasal hypoplasia in the neonate with subsequent facial and orthodontic implications. A rat model of the vitamin K deficiency embryopathy shows that the facial dysmorphology is preceded by uncontrolled calcification in the normally uncalcified nasal septal cartilage, and decreased longitudinal growth of the cartilage, resulting in maxillonasal hypoplasia. The developing septal cartilage is normally rich in the vitamin K-dependent protein matrix gla protein (MGP). It is proposed that functional MGP is necessary to maintain growing cartilage in a non-calcified state. Developing teeth contain both MGP and a second vitamin K-dependent protein, bone gla protein (BGP). It has been postulated that these proteins have a functional role in tooth mineralization. As yet this function has not been established and abnormalities in tooth formation have not been observed under conditions where BGP and MGP should be formed in a non-functional form.”
I think there’s a good case to be made that most people in modern societies exhibit some degree of “Binder’s syndrome” due to subclinical vitamin K2 deficiency during growth. I believe the evidence suggests that prenatal vitamin K2 MK-4 deficiency is behind narrow dental arches, crooked teeth, underdevelopment of the face and jaw, underdevelopment of the sinuses with mouth breathing in some cases, and poor tooth development resulting in a high susceptibility to dental cavities.

These symptoms are so common they are viewed as normal in industrial societies. There is no other single factor that so elegantly explains these characteristic changes in cranial form. Rickets (vitamin D deficiency during growth) also causes cranial malformations, but they are distinct from those caused by K2 deficiency.

Humans do not efficiently convert K1 into K2 MK-4 (unlike rats), so we require a ready source of K2 in the diet. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had a relatively high intake of K2 MK-4 from the organs of wild animals (particularly brain, pancreas, and marrow), insects and seafood. Our food supply today is depleted of K2, due to our avoidance of organ meats and poor animal husbandry practices. K2 MK-4 is found only in animal products. Pastured dairy is the most convenient source of K2 MK-4 in the modern diet, just as it was for the villagers of the Loetschental valley when Dr. Price visited them. Dairy from grain-fed cows contains much less K2.

Price felt that to ensure the proper development of their children, mothers should eat a diet rich in fat-soluble vitamins both before and during pregnancy. This makes sense in light of what we now know. There is a pool of vitamin K2 MK-4 in the organs that turns over very slowly, in addition to a pool in the blood that turns over rapidly. Entering pregnancy with a full store means a greater chance of having enough of the vitamin for the growing fetus. Healthy traditional cultures often fed special foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins to women of childbearing age and expectant mothers, thus ensuring beautiful and robust progeny…..”

“My name is Stephan Guyenet. I received a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Virginia in 2002, and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Washington in 2009. Professionally, I conduct bench research on body fat regulation. In my spare time, I study and convey time-tested strategies for achieving and maintaining health and well-being. This blog is a free service to whoever wants to read it. It’s supported by generous reader donations. I have no ties to any company or special interest group.”

More on this Vitamin K2 article on the following link…. http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/01/vitamin-k2-and-cranial-development.html

Vitamin K2 – Vitamin K2 Supplements & Pregnancy

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Why the Public May Never Find Out About Vitamin K2!

Vitamin K2 cleans calcium deposits from your arteries and deposits it in your bones, and you have most likely never heard of it? It’s almost like the old good news/bad news jokes. The good news is Vitamin K2 has been clinically proven to provide extraordinary benefits for bone health and cardiovascular health, plus it is a powerful anti-oxidant and some emerging science indicates it might help your joints and intestinal health. Now for the bad news. It costs $1.5 million per kilogram so most supplement companies find it is not cost effective to include in their formulas. As long as we can buy a house and a Ferrari for the price of a kilo of K2, it may remain a secret that is relegated to research papers! A few companies like AlgaeCal International are dedicated to making vitamin K2 available in significant dosages in spite of the cost, so read on and see why we think it is worth the price.

Forms of Vitamin K

Vitamin K is the name of a group of compounds that are all related to one another. The first one discovered was Phylloquinone or K1. In the last decade most of the research has turned to the more effective Menaquinones, or vitamin K2. The vitamin K2’s are further divided into MK-4, MK-7 and several other forms. Recent studies have shown vitamin MK-7 to be more complete and have additional heart condition benefits.

You Need Vitamin K But in Most Cases Your Body Does Not Manufacture Enough of it

A healthy intestinal tract can produce Vitamin K but in many cases it is not produced efficiently so it must be supplied by your food. Vitamin K is different from other fat soluble vitamins because it cannot be stored in the body either. It will almost always be necessary to get Vitamin K from your diet.

When you eat vitamin K1 in your food, only 5-10% of ingested K1 is absorbed and reaches your blood, but almost 100% of K2 is absorbed into your blood stream where it can be distributed for beneficial use in tissues including bones and arteries. Vitamin K2 also lasts for several days in your bloodstream compared to K1 which mostly disappears in a few hours.

Foods that include reasonable amounts of vitamin K1 include leafy vegetables, olive oil, cheese, liver, soy beans, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, coffee, and green tea. More than 80% of the Vitamin K in western diets consists of vitamin K1. The more beneficial form, K2, is difficult to find in your diet with the exception of the Japanese traditional food, Natto1

Vitamin K2 and Your Heart

K2 has been reported to decrease serum cholesterol and cholesterol deposits in the aorta, contributing to the suppression of atherosclerosis.16-17 Vitamin K2 has been linked to a reduction in coronary heart disease. In fact one very large and significant study conducted in the Netherlands in 2004 followed 4800 healthy men and women for ten years. It found vitamin K2 reduced the risk of coronary heart disease mortality by 50%!19 Aortic calcification was also reduced by 30-40% in this famous Rotterdam study.

Vitamin K2 Safety

If you take Coumadin, Heparin, or another anti-coagulant you should consult your physician before taking vitamin K2 supplements. Vitamin K2 helps normal coagulation of blood. High levels of K2 do not cause abnormal blood clotting. You should not be concerned about taking levels of 45 mg/day or less, as numerous Japanese studies have shown even this high level is safe for adults. Most vitamin K2 supplements offer 45 – 150 micrograms per day.

Is Vitamin K2 safe for Pregnant Women?

Pregnant women should be especially conscious of their vitamin K intake because the following birth defects have been linked to vitamin K deficiency:

Cardiac dysfunction
Craniofacial abnormalities
Flat nasal bridge
Growth disorders
Learning disorders
Microcephaly
Neural tube defects
For further information on this article see: http://www.algaecal.com/vitamin-k2.html

Vitamin K2 – Putting Calcium Where It Belongs

Vitamin K2: Putting Calcium Where It Belongs

Vitamin K’s job is to put calcium in the right places and keep it from being deposited in the wrong places. The right places are bones and blood, and the wrong places include calcification of the vessels, bone spurs and calcification of soft tissues.

Vitamin K Supplementation Retards Postmenopausal Bone Loss

Low Vitamin K Intake as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

Vitamin K Supplementation Prevents Age Related Vascular Stiffening

Other Benefits of Vitamin K

Anti-Inflammatory

Further research has demonstrated vitamin K’s anti-inflammatory action. As the body ages, levels of the inflammation-promoting cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) increase. Once IL-6 becomes out of balance with the other cytokines, inflammation accelerates. It has been observed that people with arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and atherosclerosis have higher levels of IL-6. In a study done by the National Research Institute in Italy, it was shown that subjects with the highest levels of IL-6 were almost twice as likely to develop mobility-related disabilities.

Diabetes

The second highest concentration of vitamin K in the body is in the pancreas, which plays a major role in blood sugar and insulin regulation. In animal studies, Japanese researchers found that when they induced vitamin K deficiency, the test animals developed Type II diabetes. 31

Antioxidant

Research has indicated that vitamin K has antioxidant activity comparable to vitamin E and CoQ10. 32,33 Animal studies have demonstrated complete hepatic (liver) protection from induced oxidative stress using vitamin K, and was found to be 80% as effective as vitamin E in preventing oxidation.

Alzheimer’s

About 25% of the population have a genetic predisposition for developing Alzheimer’s disease – they carry the E4 form of the lipoprotein apoE. Interestingly, people who carry this gene have been found to have low levels of vitamin K. Calcification and the development of lesions in blood vessels that feed the brain tissues are believed to be a component of Alzheimer’s development. Further research may reveal high-dose vitamin K therapy to be preventive.

Japanese Study on Vitamin K2 & Viral Cirrhosis-Related Liver Cancer

Vitamin K2 References:

1. Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C. Differential lipoprotein transport pathways of K-vitamins in healthy subjects. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2002 Feb 15;1570(1):27-32.

2. Kelleys Textbook of Internal Medicine, Fourth Edition, 2000, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA.

3. Knapen MH, Jie KS, Hamulyak K, Vermeer C. Vitamin K-induced changes in markers for osteoblast activity and urinary calcium loss. Calcif Tissue Int. 1993 Aug;53(2):81-5.

4. Booth SL, Sokoll LJ, O’Brien ME, Tucker K, Dawson-Hughes B, Sadowski JA. Assessment of dietary phylloquinone intake and vitamin K status in postmenopausal women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1995 Nov;49(11):832-41.

5. Vermeer C, Braam L, Schurgers L, Brouns F. Agro-Food Industry Hi-Tech 2002, 13:11-15.

6. Hart JP, Catterall A, Dodds RA, Klenerman L, Shearer MJ, Bitensky L, Chayen J. Lancet ii 283 (1984).

7. Hart JP, Shearer MJ, Klenerman L, Catterall A, Reeve J, Sambrook PN, Dodds RA, Bitensky L, Chayen J. Electrochemical detection of depressed circulating levels of vitamin K1 in osteoporosis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1985 Jun;60(6):1268-9.

8. Hodges SJ, Pilkington MJ, Stamp TC, Catterall A, Shearer MJ, Bitensky L, Chayen J. Depressed levels of circulating menaquinones in patients with osteoporotic fractures of the spine and femoral neck. Bone. 1991;12(6):387-9.

9. Hodges SJ, Akesson K, Vergnaud P, Obrant K, Delmas PD. Circulating levels of vitamins K1 and K2 decreased in elderly women with hip fracture. J Bone Miner Res. 1993 Oct;8(10):1241-5.

10. Booth SL, Pennington JA, Sadowski JA. Food sources and dietary intakes of vitamin K-1 (phylloquinone) in the American diet: data from the FDA Total Diet Study. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996 Feb;96(2):149-54.

11. Booth SL, Suttie JW. Dietary intake and adequacy of vitamin K. J Nutr. 1998 May;128(5):785-8.

12. Thane CW, Paul AA, Bates CJ, Bolton-Smith C, Prentice A, Shearer MJ. Intake and sources of phylloquinone (vitamin K1): variation with socio-demographic and lifestyle factors in a national sample of British elderly people. Br J Nutr. 2002 Jun;87(6):605-13.

13. Feskanich D, Weber P, Willett WC, Rockett H, Booth SL, Colditz GA. Vitamin K intake and hip fractures in women: a prospective study. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Jan;69(1):74-9.

14. Booth SL, Broe KE, Gagnon DR, Tucker KL, Hannan MT, McLean RR, Dawson-Hughes B, Wilson PW, Cupples LA, Kiel DP. Vitamin K intake and bone mineral density in women and men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Feb;77(2):512-6.

15. Booth SL, Tucker KL, Chen H, Hannan MT, Gagnon DR, Cupples LA, Wilson PW, Ordovas J, Schaefer EJ, Dawson-Hughes B, Kiel DP. Dietary vitamin K intakes are associated with hip fracture but not with bone mineral density in elderly men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 May;71(5):1201-8.

16. Braam LAJLM, Knapen MHJ, Geusens P, Brouns F, Hamulyak K, Gerichhausen MJW, Vermeer C. Vitamin K1 supplementation retards bone loss in postmenopausal women between 50 and 60 years of age. Calcif. Tissue Int. 72, epub (2003).

17. Bolton-Smith C, Mole PA, McMurdo MET, Paterson CR, Shearer MJ. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 45 Suppl. 1 246 (2001).

18. Orimo H, Shiraki M, Tomita A, Morii H, Fujita T, Ohata M. J. Bone Miner. Metab. 16:106-112, 1998.

19. Shiraki M, Shiraki Y, Aoki C, Miura M. Vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) effectively prevents fractures and sustains lumbar bone mineral density in osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Res. 2000 Mar;15(3):515-21.

20. Iwamoto J, Takeda T, Ichimura S. Effect of menatetrenone on bone mineral density and incidence of vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: a comparison with the effect of etidronate. J Orthop Sci. 2001;6(6):487-92.

21. Jie KS, Bots ML, Vermeer C, Witteman JC, Grobbee DE. Vitamin K intake and osteocalcin levels in women with and without aortic atherosclerosis: a population-based study. Atherosclerosis. 1995 Jul;116(1):117-23.

22. Geleijnse JM, Vermeer C, Schurgers LJ, Grobbee DE, Pols HAP, Witteman JCM. Thromb. Haemostas. (Suppl July) P473, 2001.

23. Kawashima H, Nakajima Y, Matubara Y, Nakanowatari J, Fukuta T, Mizuno S, Takahashi S, Tajima T, Nakamura T. Effects of vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) on atherosclerosis and blood coagulation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Jpn J Pharmacol. 1997 Oct;75(2):135-43.

24. Spronk HM, Soute BA, Schurgers LJ, Thijssen HH, De Mey JG, Vermeer C. Tissue-specific utilization of menaquinone-4 results in the prevention of arterial calcification in warfarin-treated rats. J Vasc Res. 2003 Nov-Dec;40(6):531-7. Epub 2003 Dec 3.

25. Braam LAJLM. Thesis, Maastricht ISBN 90-5681-145-2, 2002.

26. Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C. Determination of phylloquinone and menaquinones in food. Effect of food matrix on circulating vitamin K concentrations. Haemostasis. 2000 Nov-Dec;30(6):298-307.

27. Ronden JE, Drittij-Reijnders MJ, Vermeer C, Thijssen HH. Intestinal flora is not an intermediate in the phylloquinone-menaquinone-4 conversion in the rat. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1998 Jan 8;1379(1):69-75.

28. Vermeer C, Braam L, Knapen M and Schurgers L; Vitamin K supplementation: a simple way to improve vascular health. Agr Food Industry hi Tech Nov 2003.

29. Vermeer C, Shearer MJ, Zittermann A, Bolton-Smith C, Szulc P, Hodges S, Walter P, Rambeck W, Stocklin E, Weber P. Beyond deficiency: potential benefits of increased intakes of vitamin K for bone and vascular health. Eur J Nutr. 2004 Dec;43(6):325-35. Epub 2004 Feb 5.

30. Schurgers LJ. Thesis, Maastricht ISBN 90-5681-138-X, 2002.

31. Sakamoto N, Wakabayashi I, Sakamoto K. Low vitamin K intake effects on glucose tolerance in rats. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1999 Jan;69(1):27-31.

32. Mukai K, Itoh S, Morimoto H. Stopped-flow kinetic study of vitamin E regeneration reaction with biological hydroquinones (reduced forms of ubiquinone, vitamin K, and tocopherolquinone) in solution. J Biol Chem. 1992 Nov 5;267(31):22277-81.

33. Mukai K, Morimoto H, Kikuchi S, Nagaoka S. Kinetic study of free-radical-scavenging action of biological hydroquinones (reduced forms of ubiquinone, vitamin K and tocopherol quinone) in solution. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1993 Jul 11;1157(3):313-7.

34. Habu D, Shiomi S, Tamori A, Takeda T, Tanaka T, Kubo S, Nishiguchi S. Role of vitamin K2 in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in women with viral cirrhosis of the liver. JAMA, 2004 Jul 21;292(3):358-61.

Entire Article at: http://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/v_k2.html

Osteoporosis and Vitamin K2 Intervention—the Evidence

Since it was first discovered in 1929, vitamin K has been best been known for its crucial role in the blood-clotting process. Since that time, scientists have uncovered compelling evidence that vitamin K plays an equally important role in bone health.

The majority of vitamin K research to date has focused on vitamin K1, the dominant dietary form of vitamin K that occurs in green, leafy vegetables. Yet it appears that vitamin K2, which occurs in organ meats, egg yolks, and dairy products, is a more important inducer of bone mineralization in human osteoblasts (bone-building cells) than vitamin K1.4

The Japanese long ago recognized the power of vitamin K2 to maintain or restore bone health. In certain regions of Japan, a staple dish called natto or fermented soybean, frequently eaten several times a week, is uniquely rich in vitamin K2. Recent scientific examination has pinpointed vitamin K2, and in particular vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7 (MK-7), as the active ingredient in this popular eastern Japanese dish, as having a supportive effect on bone quality during osteoporosis treatment.5

People living in the Japanese regions where this dish is eaten have several-fold greater blood levels of vitamin K2 (MK-7), accompanied by less osteoporosis and bone fractures.6

These findings are supported by clinical trials, in which vitamin K2 has been shown to successfully reduce the incidence of bone fractures. A two-year Japanese study found that vitamin K2 (MK-4) reduced the incidence of vertebral (spine) fractures by 52% in 120 patients with osteoporosis, compared with patients who did not receive this nutrient.7 The high dose used in this trial—as with most studies examining vitamin K2’s effect on bone density—was 45 mg/day, a prescription dose used in Japan to treat osteo-porosis that is unavailable in the US. As you will read later, lower doses of K2 found in dietary supplements appear to also provide significant benefits.

CASE HISTORY: HEART DISEASE LINKED WITH OSTEOPOROSIS

Fit and trim at age 67, Walter had no reason to believe that he had any hidden health conditions.

He’d had annual physicals for the past seven years, passing them all. According to his doctor, his cholesterol numbers had been fine for years. But Walter’s brother-in-law, a physician whose own brush with heart disease prompted him to warn everyone else in the family about the possibility, suggested that he undergo a computed tomography heart scan. Walter’s heart scan score was 3,367, a high score that signaled a dangerous content of calcified atherosclerotic plaque in his coronary arteries linked to a high risk for heart attack. In fact, Walter’s score put him in the 99th percentile, meaning that his calcium score was in the worst 1% of all men in his age group (and carried an annual risk for heart attack of 25% without preventive efforts).

At about the same time, Walter enrolled for a screening service that came to his church offering ultrasound screening for abdominal aneurysm, carotid disease, and osteoporosis. While Walter proved to have no aneurysm or carotid issues, he did show the bone density of someone 20 years older, revealing an advanced state of osteoporosis.

While seemingly unrelated, Walter’s arterial calci-fication and osteoporosis were likely connected through the common mechanism of inadequate levels of vitamin K.

Vitamin K2 has also proven to be as effective as prescription drugs in reducing the incidence of bone fractures. In one Japanese study in post-menopausal women that compared the effect of K2 (MK-4) with the drug etidronate (Didronel®) on the incidence of vertebral (spine) fracture, women taking K2 at a dose of 45 mg per day experienced a fracture rate of 8.0% compared with 8.7% for those taking the drug therapy. Furthermore, women taking both MK-4 and the drug experienced a 3.8% fracture rate—a dramatic combined effect. In comparison, in a placebo group who received neither K2 nor drug therapy, nearly 21% of women experienced bone fractures.8

Experimental animal models of osteoporosis have also revealed that MK-4 improves bone architecture, increases bone mass and mechanical strength, stimulates mineralization (deposition of calcium), and enhances collagen architecture—a cross-linking of fibrous tissue that yields tough but supple bone that is more resistant to fracture.9

On the other hand, osteoporosis—the excessive loss of bone mineral density—results in fractures and leads to devastating events common in those over 65 years, even with minor injuries like a fall. Unfortunately, the drug industry focuses on prescribing drugs late in life when the risk for fracture is high. Strategies that involve nutritional supplements are different. Firstly, they lack the high cost and side effects of prescription drugs. Secondly, they can potentially be started at an earlier age and taken over 20, 30, or more years in order to yield possibly greater benefit than drug therapy started at the age of 60 to bail out a process that has developed over decades. Although there are no clinical trials for such an extended period, this is an area worthy of future investigation.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: VITAMIN K2

While calcium is essential for good health, aberrant calcium metabolism can lead to disorders such as osteoporosis and cardio-vascular disease. Vitamin K2 is emerging as a key factor in regulating calcium in the body.

Insufficient vitamin K2 leads to decreased bone mineral density, a key factor in osteoporosis, and an excess of calcium in the arterial wall, which increases the risk of heart disease.

In Japan, vitamin K2 has been shown to substantially improve osteoporosis when given either as a high-dose prescription agent or in the staple Japanese dish called natto, which is particularly rich in K2.

Studies have also shown that even modest amounts of vitamin K2 fight heart disease by controlling calcium-regulating proteins in vascular tissue, which keeps calcium out of the arteries and prevents the formation of dangerous calcified plaques.

Vitamin K2 occurs in much smaller quantities in the diet than vitamin K1. Most of us, therefore, get little of these K2-rich foods.

Current dietary guidelines for vitamin K focus on how much is needed to regulate blood clotting and have largely ignored the much higher amount needed to maintain healthy bones and arteries.

For further information on this article go to: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/mar2008_Protecting-Bone-And-Arterial-Health-With-Vitamin-K2_01.htm

I am currently using IHerb.com for the purchase of larger quantities of Vitamin D3:

http://www.iherb.com/Vitamin-D

Best wishes,

Gail J. Dahl
Award Winning – National Bestselling Author and Childbirth Researcher
National Bestselling “Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets”
National Bestselling “Pregnancy & Childbirth Tips”
Executive Director, Innovative Publishing Inc.
Executive Director, Canadian Childbirth Association
http://web.mac.com/pregnancysecrets
http://www.youtube.com/gaildahl

More on Vitamin D3

March 22, 2010 gaildahl4 Comments

Subject: Secrets – More Secrets of Vitamin D3

I am including some additional information and research on Vitamin D3 to respond to the many that requested more after the last e-newsletter. Thank you to everyone for telling me about your unique experiences with increased Vitamin D3 and your moms and babies!

I am excited to report that the large amounts of Vitamin D3 I have been taking over the past ten days have decreased my pain levels from 100% down to 10%. My Mood and energy levels are vastly improved. Sleeping improved. Every day I am seeing other old conditions begin to clear up. All traces of depression have been eliminated. Every day I am waking up curious to see if anything else will change or improve. If you know of anyone experiencing chronic pain and/or depression or a serious health condition, please pass this article on to them, I am sure they will appreciate the opportunity to view this critically important health information.

Today I am taking up to 30,000 IU’s of Vitamin D3 daily and plan to work up to taking 50,000 IU’s daily. I am also including 100 Micrograms of Vitamin K2 on a weekly basis and have removed all calcium supplements from my program. Write in and tell me your story if you are also on the D3 program and are seeing some amazing results too, of course this should be in consultation with your personal physician. I love to hear of everyone’s stories! Based on the results so far, this is one health product I know I will keep up with for the rest of my life!! Best wishes, Gail

Wellbeing & Healing

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Norm Shealy, a neurosurgeon at Duke and the founder of both the American Holistic Medical Association and the Pain Rehabilitation Center at the Shealy Institute in Missouri; and his partner Caroline Myss, Ph.D., also an Intuitive Medical Diagnostic and author of numerous books, is one of the world’s leading experts in pain management. He was among the first physicians ever to specialize in the resolution of chronic pain.
Nov 8, 2009

Vitamin D has long been known to enhance immune function, even curing tuberculosis of the skin. In the past few years it has been shown to increase naturally body-produced antibiotics! It has now been repeatedly reported that taking 2000 units of D 3 per kg of body weight daily for 3 days, at the first sign of influenza, markedly reduces symptoms and speeds recovery. In Europe and in Australia there are reports of using a single dose of 600,000 units of D3 once a year to prevent flu—far more effective and safer than flu vaccines!

In the kidneys Vitamin D 3, the only physiologically useful form of D, is converted to Calcitriol, a significant anti-cancer hormone. This conversion may be responsible for the significant benefit of D 3 in preventing cancer of many organs. Vitamin D also is a potent inhibitor of vascular calcification—that is it can significantly reduce the potential for atherosclerosis. As with D’s major effect upon bone metabolism, Vitamin K 2 is an essential co-factor.

According to the Vitamin D Council “Current research has implicated vitaminD deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more.”

The January 2, 2009 issue of SCIENCE has an interesting article confirming to me what I have long believed about glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor—highly associated with cytomegalovirus. Since a majority of people are deficient in vitamin D, that may be a major precipitating reason for development of this malignancy!

One of the myths rampant in the medical profession is vitamin D toxicity. There are numerous papers demonstrating the safety of at least 10,000 units of D 3 daily and one published paper states that 50,000 unit daily is a safe level. One clinical report of D toxicity occurred in a man who had taken 156,000 to 2, 604,000 units of D for two years! He recovered uneventfully. In general the risk of large dosages of D is that of excess calcium, so that those taking more than 10,000 units of calcium daily should never take calcium supplements. Individuals with hyperparathyroidism or some granuolomatous diseases, which leads to excess calcium in the blood, should not take large dosages of D-for them probably 2,000 units of D 3 daily is the maximum to be used. Incidentally, vitamin A (as in cod liver oil) -NOT beta carotene-blocks vitamin D. On the other hand, I take 200,000 units of beta carotene and my vitamin D level (on 50,000 units daily) is quite high, but my calcium level is normal.

The bottom line is:
All individuals over the age of 12 should take a barebones minimum of 50,000 units of D 3 and 100 micrograms of K 2 once a month
Individuals who do not have elevated blood levels of calcium should consider taking 50,000 units of D 3 and 100 Micrograms of K 2 once a week

I will soon be reporting on a study of 50,000 units of D 3 and 100 micrograms of K 2 daily over a 6 month period
Meanwhile, if you have a feeling of “getting” the flu, take 2000 units of D 3 PER KG OF BODY WEIGHT, daily for 3 days.

Many recommend regular testing of your blood levels of D. The following is from the newsletter of Dr. Joe Prendergast who awakened me to the broader field of vitamin D a year ago:

D*action Vitamin D Testing
D*action: A Consortium of Scientists, Institutions and Individuals
Committed to Solving the Worldwide Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic.
Scientists are calling for a standard vitamin D intake of 2000 IU/day and the achievement of a serum level of 40-60 ng/ml. Scientists’ Call to Action.

GrassrootsHealth has launched a worldwide public health campaign to solve the vitamin D deficiency epidemic in a year through a focus on testing and education with all individuals spreading the word.

Everyone is invited to join in this campaign! Join D*action and test two times per year during a 5 year program to demonstrate the public health impact of this nutrient.

$30 and a quick health survey allows everyone to get a vitamin D blood spot test kit to be used at home (except in the state of New York) have the results sent directly to them take action to adjust their own levels to get to the desired ranges with whatever help is needed from their healthcare practitioners.

With only 100 people joining up today, and getting 2 friends to join in 2 weeks (and those 2 friends getting 2 more), by week 42, there could be 400,000,000 people who are vitamin D ‘replete’! (more than the United States population).

Click http://www.grassrootshealth.net/questionnaire-welcome

If you have not yet checked BOUNCE, do it now! And share with all your contacts! http://www.MedicalRenaissanceSeries.com/Bounce

For the original article by Dr. Norm Shealy, please click here.

For more information, please visit http://www.selfhealthsystems.com

Drug Free Childbirth

April 6, 2008August 13, 2015 gaildahl2 Comments

Drug Free Childbirth

Gail J. Dahl

In my years of childbirth research I have come to the understanding that there are three chosen settings for childbirth; hospital, birth center, and home. The couple has a choice of two caregivers, physician or midwife. They can choose to bring in a labor coach or doula, to assist either the physician or midwife. The couple can decide upon having a drug or drug free birth. Today we can offer excellent support for couples choosing a drug free birth.

Many women who did choose an epidural during their first birth are making different choices for their second child. Women are choosing not to have an epidural the second time for the following reasons:

1. The mothers don’t like the feeling of being drugged, or out of it, and do not like the feeling of being unable to move during labor.

2. Mothers are finding that an epidural may not control the pain as promised.

3. Mothers are realizing that the epidural does reach the baby by crossing the placenta, just as any drugs or alcohol will, causing strong narcotics to be passed through the mother across the yet undeveloped blood/brain barrier affecting the brain and cardiac function of their baby.

5. Mothers are beginning to understand that an epidural most always slows down or stops labor causing an epidural birth to be at greater risk for a cesarean section as additional drugs are used to speed up the labor, often causing stress in the baby.

4. Mothers are finding that babies who are drugged are difficult to breastfeed as the epidural drugs will remain in the baby’s system for days after the birth inhibiting the baby’s ability to breastfeed and bond with the mother in the first critical bonding and attaching days after birth.

What are these moms experiencing with a drug free childbirth?

1. A shorter labor.

2. More effective natural remedies for labor pain.

3. Less complications with labor.

4. More emotional support during labor with hired labor coaches.

5. More natural pain relieving hormones triggered to naturally assist with pain.

6. A quicker recovery of the mother from childbirth and a feeling of empowerment after the birth.

7. More bonding and attachment occurring after birth.

8. Breastfeeding successful with the awake and alert drug free baby.

In my research I look at the studies and talk to women about their experiences. This 21st century generation has many more decisions to make than our grandmothers and mothers had to make. It is up to women as consumers to do their research and make sure they are aware of the facts that will help them to make the best of these life-altering decisions during childbirth.

Planning a drug free birth, whether a quiet birth at home, in a birth center or a hospital, will most likely give you the best results for a healthy baby and mother.

“Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets” Award winning and National Bestselling Author, Gail J. Dahl.

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