Grace’s Blog

Here are some key findings from the book “The Vitamin D Solution” by Dr. Michael F. Holick.   Dr. Holick is one of the leading vitamin D experts in the world.

He is a PhD who discovered and characterized the active form of vitamin D in the bloodstream and who has more recently shown the many cells in the body can make it.  He is also an MD who has been able to put his scientific discoveries to good use by relieving the suffering of many patients with undiagnosed vitamin D deficiencies.

In Chapter 1 of his book, he compares the life of a 10 year old girl growing up in the US with a 10 year old girl growing up at the equator assuming that sun
exposure was the only significant difference between the two.

“…the equatorial girl will be at least half as likely to get cancer during her lifetime as her northern counterpart. She will have an 80 percent reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes in the first 30 years of her life…”

“The northern girl, on the other hand, faces a host of increased health risks throughout her life, from breast and ovarian cancer to depression, obesity, type 2
diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.”

“If she complains of muscle weakness and wide-spread muscle and joint pain later in adulthood, her doctor will likely diagnose fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome when tests don’t turn up anything specific. The equatorial girl may never experience such debilitating aches or chronic pain…”

 In an interesting chapter of the book he discussed fibromyalgia as a possible symptom of vitamin D deficiency.

Fibromyalgia is the diagnosis often given to people who experience chronic pain (bone and muscle pain) and weakness with no apparent cause.

Dr. Holick reports that 40-60% of the patients who are referred to his office with symptoms of fibromyalgia are vitamin D deficient, and those patients who are
vitamin D deficient respond well to vitamin D supplementation.

Dr. Holick also referred to a study by Dr. Gregory Plotnikoff of the University of Minnesota that said 93% of children and adults who come to his emergency room with nonspecific muscle aches and pain were found to be vitamin D deficient. 

So, what is the bottom line if you or someone you know has fibromyalgia?

Do not think of vitamin D as a magic bullet. There are many other things involved in fibromyalgia, such as inflammation and possible autoimmune responses. Your holistic approaches to managing your disease should cover all the bases.

However, vitamin D supplements are cheap, easy to use and practically risk free (You would have to take huge amounts on a daily basis to develop vitamin D toxicity). If you are experiencing bone and muscle pain for no apparent reason, it would make good sense to add some vitamin D to your daily regimen.

If you want to discover “everything you ever wanted to learn about vitamin D” first hand, get the book. The publisher is Hudson Street Press.

Take the Vitamin D-ology quiz HERE to see if you are getting enough of this important nutrient.  Wait for the quiz to “pop” up.

Independent Shaklee Distributor

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Just one year ago, Shaklee introduced the most potent anti-aging product on the market. Why is it so superior? Why is it now Shaklee’s #1 product?

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New Shaklee study… vitamin D’s impact on HDL

May 1, 2009, at the National Lipid Association’s Annual Scientific Sessions in Miami, FL, Shaklee presented ground-breaking research that pinpointed the important role of vitamin D in maintaining cardio-vascular health.

Since the meeting, the study results have generated a huge amount of interest within the scientific community! Why? See the Making A Difference link below to read about it.

Natural Killer cells just love… NutriFeron!

Do you have aggressive Natural Killer (NK) cells? If you catch colds or the flu more often than you should, maybe your NK cells could use a jump-start.

Recently Shaklee joined with Dr. Ann Moscona of Cornell, one of the nation’s leading virologists, to conduct research using an entirely new technique for studying the activity of viruses. Here are the exciting results…

Read about these important subjects in this edition of Making a Difference!, click here

Shaklee Dist.

 Walnut Canyon is a National Monument near Flagstaff, AZ.  It is the site of ancient cliff dwellings where inhabitants lived long ago. 

Walnut canyon is a short 10 minute drive from my home.  For several years I would walk the canyon for my exercise.  Some people use it to train for the BIGGER canyon, the Grand Canyon, which is about a ninety minute drive away.

I got out of the habit of walking when the trail was closed for repairs.  Then a huge bolder fell on the trail and closed it for months.  The trail starts out at 7000 feet elevation and descends 185 feet into the canyon and is a mile long.  There are 240 stair steps along the way.

In past years I have seen deer and elk along the rim trail, which runs above the canyon.

Last week, (Aug. 17, 2009) I decide to start walking the canyon again.  The recent reports about needing more Vitamin D motivated me to get more sunlight along with eating my wonderful Shaklee Supplements.  (See my Aug. 20, 2009 blog post)

I knew what I was in for since I hadn’t done it for a while.  I started on Monday, by Tuesday afternoon I could barely walk.  Wednesday morning I was determined to go.  It was a little difficult because my legs were still very sore.  By Friday, the soreness was gone.

Take a “walk” with me in the canyon through these pictures I took along the way.  Some of the best pictures were too big to insert.  The first shows the repair where the big boulder was.

There are lots of lizards along the trail. Can you see one in this picture?

Climbing out….185 steps up.

After one of my walks, as I was entering the Visitor’s Center, a hummingbird was trying to fly through the glass window.  I tried to guide him out the door, but he flew into the observation room, hit the glass and knocked himself out.  I thought he was dead.  I gently scooped him up and took him outside.  He flew off.  I’m sure he had a headache.  These are the windows:

If you are ever in Northern Arizona, be sure to visit Walnut Canyon.

Shaklee Distributor

A clinical study has been published that holds significance to all who are concerned about staying healthy.

The Vitamin D Landmark # 2 Study: For some background, The Landmark Study # 1 was conducted by Dr. Gladys Block, Ph.D., an internationally renowned researcher and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Nutrition at U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health in California.

It was a first ever study on a rare population of long-term dietary supplement users.  It was a peer-reviewed study showing that people who took Shaklee Supplements had markedly better health than both other multivitamin and non-supplement users.

These finding were reported in Nutrition Journal, an on-line medical journal.

Study #2, was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Lipdology, July 21, 2009.

Its purpose was to compare Vitamin D in Shaklee users and its impact on cardiovascular disease.  The results found that Vitamin D lowers the risk for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.  It also showed that blood levels of Vitamin D, are directly related to waist circumference.

No one has ever done research to determine how much Vitamin D is needed until Shaklee did it.  Shaklee scientists presented this research at the National Lipid Association where it was well received.  The manuscript was accepted for publication with no changes.  This is very unusual after peer-review.

Vitamin D research indicates that it may improve heart health, bone health, immune health and cognitive function and depression.  That may be why sunshine helps relieve depression.

Vitamin D receptors are found throughout the body in every cell.

Other benefits of Vitamin D:  Research indicates that having optimal levels may help with breast health, the health of ovaries, the uterus, the prostate, the esophagus, the stomach, the colon, the bladder, the kidneys, the pancreas and lung cells.

Researchers are recommending between 1000 and 2000 IU’s of Vitamin D each day.

 Shaklee Independent Distributor

Research supported by Shaklee Corporation, the number one natural nutrition company in the U.S., shows that a lower blood vitamin D level is associated with metabolic syndrome and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The study results were presented at the National Lipid Association Annual Scientific Sessions in Miami, Florida and suggest an important role of vitamin D nutrition for maintaining cardiovascular health.

In this study, intake of vitamin D from dietary supplements was strongly linked with vitamin D levels in the blood.  The greater the intake of vitamin D from dietary supplements, the higher the amount of vitamin D found in the blood.

More importantly, as vitamin D intakes increased, HDL cholesterol (or “good cholesterol”) levels increased as well.  Future research is needed to determine if vitamin D from dietary supplements can lower risk levels for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

“Our next study, which is already underway, is intended to confirm causality by showing that vitamin D supplementation improves cardiovascular risk factors,” says Dr. Jamie McManus M.D., Chairman of Medical Affairs, Health Sciences and Education, Shaklee Corporation.

Kevin C. Maki, PhD, the study’s Principal Investigator and the Chief Science Officer of Provident Clinical Research, Glen Ellyn, IL, says, “Results from population studies suggest that a low serum vitamin D concentration is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality, but this is the first study to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D status and cardiovascular risk factors in a group that includes a large number of vitamin D supplement users.”  He continues, “Additional research is warranted to assess whether increasing vitamin D intake will improve the metabolic cardiovascular risk factor profile.”

Shaklee Dist.   For more information, Click HERE

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To Learn more, click:  About Shaklee Corporation 

Founded more than 50 years ago, Shaklee has been a leading provider of premium-quality natural nutrition products, personal care products, and environmentally friendly home care products. In 2000, Shaklee became the first company in the world to be Climate Neutral^TM certified to totally offset its CO₂ emissions, resulting in a net-zero impact on the environment. With a robust product portfolio, including over 50 patents and patents pending worldwide, Shaklee has more than 750,000 Members and Distributors worldwide and operates in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, and China.

Research recently done by Shaklee Corporation, and presented at the National Lipid Association Scientific Sessions, shows that a lower blood vitamin D level is associated with metabolic syndrome. 

One out of five people have metabolic syndrome which is a combination of medical disorders.  These disorders increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The research done by Shaklee suggests that vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health.

HDL is the good cholesterol and as the Vitamin D from supplementation was increased the levels of HDL cholesterol also increased.

Further research is needed to determine if vitamin D from dietary supplements can lower the risk levels for cardiovascular disease as well as metabolic syndrome.

Another study is already underway to confirm that vitamin D supplementation improves cardiovascular risk factors.

Shaklee Dist.

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Our children are at risk.  More and more are being diagnosed with adult diseases!

These include hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, sleep apnea, asthma, depression, anxiety and orthopedic problems.

What is happening to our children? 

It can be answered in two words: weight and nutrition.

I do not remember one overweight kid when I was growing up.  We ate real foods, not highly processed .  Our school cafeteria served foods prepared fresh on site each day.

We had several recesses a day.  We played sports at school such as softball, track, and volleyball.  We jumped rope, played dodge-ball and jacks.  And this was grade school, not high school.

We did not suffer from ADD or ADHD.  No one took drugs.  When we went to the nurse’s office it was for scraps and bruises.

There is now a resurgence of Vitamin D deficiency.  Children spend less time outdoors and have inadequate dietary intakes of this important nutrient.

A recent AJCN study found that 55% of children tested had low levels of vitamin D.  In the winter months that number increased to 68%.

Vitamin D is critical in the development of strong bones and teeth.  It assists in calcium absorption and utilization.

Asthma and allergies are on the rise.  Common triggers include environmental pollutants, chemicals and food allergens.

Given the fact the EPA says only a fraction of the more than 75,000 registered chemicals have gone through testing for human health concerns, is it any wonder our children, the most vulnerable of us all, are suffering?

Starting with nutrition, it is the parent’s responsibility to provide for their children, yet 30% of infants and toddlers don’t eat any fruits or vegetables.

Another statistic, 25% of the calories consumed in a typical school day come from junk foods.  Most 8 year-olds drink soft drinks every day.  Those drinks typically contain 9 teaspoons of sugar per 8 oz.

Carbonation leaches calcium from bones and teeth. 

Kids today lead a sedentary lifestyle.  Their thumbs get the most exercise while the body barely moves.

Schools are cutting back on P.E. and recess.  Money is more important than health, but at what price?  Either we pay now or later.  Medical expenses are far higher.

Then we have the environmental concerns.  As stated above, the EPA doesn’t know a fraction of what the harmful effects of chemicals are on humans.  Who is minding the store???

1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen, and formaldehyde are found in 61% of 28 children’s bath soaps, shampoos, lotions, and other personal care products tested. 

Phthalates are known endocrine disrupters and skin irritants.

The obesity rate in children is rising.  Type 2 diabetes is now the most frequent type of childhood diabetes. 

This is a degenerate disease!!!  That means old age disease, and children are getting it!

Wake up!  Get educated!  Start with your family!

ONE COMPANY is doing something about the nutritional side of the problem. 

Incredible NEW PRODUCTS for kids and babies have recently been introduced.

Watch 2 short videos to learn more.  

Click HERE for the first one and HERE for the second.

Our children are the future. Let’s make sure they have one.

Shaklee Dist.

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Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because when exposed to the sun, your body makes vitamin D. 

In the winter time, many people don’t get out to take advantage of the sun and sometimes the sun doesn’t want to come out and shine on us.

Using sun block has also prevented the body from converting the sun rays into Vitamin D.  A case of which do you choose?… skin cancer or vitamin D deficiency?

A recent study suggests that vitamin D supports the immune system and helps battle the common cold.  The higher the blood level of vitamin D, the lower the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections.

What about calcium?

Recently, studies by the National Institutes of Health found that women who increased their calcium intake had a lower risk of developing cancer.

Eating calcium rich foods and supplements could lower the risk of developing cancers of the digestive system, including colon cancer.

Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D and calcium in your diet.  It is important to your health.

Shaklee Dist.