Healthy Aging Boomer

Lizards lie in it, cats nap in it, plants need it to grow. But over 60% of North Americans are not getting enough of it. Vitamin D from the sun is critical to our health. The “cover-up and slap on the sunscreen” messages have worked too well along with young people spending time indoors instead of being outside in the sunshine.

We are near the end of our 2010 winter season here in New Zealand. My husband is a dentist and we both do not believe in flu vaccines. This winter I began taking extra Vitamin D3 – 1000iu daily. My husband just took his normal dose that is contained in the nutritional supplements we both take. My husband got the flu – possibly the H1N1 because I have never seen him so unwell. He is a man who normally shrugs off colds and flus, but not this one. He had to take time off work, pulled a muscle from his violent coughing and even stayed in bed. Meanwhile, as soon as he came down with the flu, I increased my D3 dose to 2000iu daily and I have stayed well.

Anyone keeping up-to-date with health news over the last few years will be aware that more and more research is uncovering the significance of Vitamin D and its effect on our health. The “cover-up and slap on the sunblock” campaign has helped to reduce skin cancer risk but in doing so, Vitamin D deficiency has affected the health of millions of people worldwide. Vitamin D affects over 200 genes in our bodies and about 6% of the human genome.

It is healthy to have bright sun exposure to our bodies for 15-20 minutes per day. People who live in temperate zones (latitude 37 degrees north and south of the equator) will not get the sun exposure required for our bodies to make the 15,000 to 20,000iu of Vitamin D it needs each day. However, overexposure to sunlight does cause skin cancer and wrinkles.

Can we overdose on Vitamin D? It’s not possible to overdose from the sun source because the body can inactivate excess Vitamin D. The body can also store excess Vitamin D in our tissues and use it as required.

So what about food? The Vitamin D that is available in food is insignificant compared to what the synthesis of the sun can provide. The principal source of Vitamin D is through sun exposure on our skin.

For instance, the following is a list of foods that we would have to consume on a daily basis to get the equivalent of 15,000 to 20,000iu Vitamin D from the sun:
Sardines – 30 cans per day or
Milk – 100-200 glasses per day or
Fortified cereal – 100-200 bowls per day or
Egg yolks – 500-1000 per day or
Wild salmon – 2 kilos or 4.5 lbs per day
I would not recommend any of the above to be consumed in such quantities on a daily basis.

Vitamin D has been shown to prevent the following diseases:
Heart Disease
Cancer – Breast, Ovarian, Colon, Prostate, Bladder, Uterus, Esophagus, Rectum, Stomach
Diabetes
Obesity
Dementia
Influenza – upper respiratory infections have shown to be reduced by 90% by supplementing with 2000iu of Vitamin D3. By boosting our Vitamin D3 to 5000iu in the flu season, we do not need to have the flu vaccine.
Bacterial Infection
Depression
Insomnia
Muscle Weakness
Fibromyalgia
Osteomalacia –soft and weak bones, makes you more prone to fractures.
Osteoarthritus
Rheumatoid Arthritus
Osteoporosis
Psoriasis
Hypertension
Multiple Sclerosis – if we do not have enough exposure to sunlight in the first 10 years of our life, we are more pre-disposed to getting MS. So if you grow up in a temperate zone you have a 100% increase in the risk of getting MS.

In summary: If you live in temperate zones it is advisable to take a Vitamin D3 supplement every day and boost it to 5000iu in the flu season. Expose yourself to bright sun 15 to 30 minutes daily as much as possible, before applying sunblock to your body. I recommend that you do not expose your face and neck though. Avoid over-exposure to sunlight. If possible, get your Vitamin D levels tested by your doctor to ensure that you are not deficient (“25 OH Vitamin D” blood test (also known as “25 hydroxy vitamin D”) and you want to be in the 50-80 ng/ml range).

Further Reading
The Vitamin D Council is a respected source of up-to-date information about Vitamin D.

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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A review of the book “Breakthrough – Eight Steps to Wellness, Life-altering secrets from today’s cutting-edge doctors” by Suzanne Somers

When I began to read “Breakthrough” my head was spinning. There is so much valuable information here and I wanted to soak it all up. Suzanne has interviewed 17 medical professionals who are at the cutting-edge of long-term anti-aging medicine. The book has 450 pages of life-altering secrets and it is packed into small print. If you want to live the rest of your life in vibrant optimum health – then this book is a must-read.

To quote Suzanne ‘Knowledge is power’. To anyone (and really everyone) who would like to enhance their health knowledge, then this book will certainly fill in many gaps. We can all be responsible for our own true health once we become armed with knowledge.

For me I had never heard of new technologies such as nanotechnology, stem cells and energy medicine. I did not understand the significance of bioidentical hormone therapy. I now have a deeper understanding as to why nutritional supplements are so vital for our well-being. The people who are at the cutting-edge of this new technology are passionate about what they are achieving.

I strongly suggest that you get your own copy of Suzanne’s book and read it with an open-mind.

Get your copy of “Breakthrough” now from Amazon.com

Read what Suzanne Somers has to say about curing and preventing cancer -(right click on this link) an interview about her book ‘Knockout’.

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

If you would like to find out which nutritional supplements are recommended for healthy aging, please request my free eBook, by completing the form on your top right.

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This year I made a decision not to have any more mammograms. There, I have said it out loud! I have hated having my breasts squashed between two radioactive plates. On top of that, the people providing the screening do not provide any prevention education – they are there to make a profit as a result of proving that they can find cancer. I have educated myself and put into practice what I have learnt, to minimise my risk of getting cancer.

So can we prevent cancer?
Recent studies have confirmed that our genes do not control our health outcomes – that we, yes that’s us, have full control. We have full control on how we take care of our own health. How we choose to live our life impacts fully on our health outcomes. So it appears, that if your family members have a tendency towards cancer, then there are things you can do to stay healthy. Isn’t that great news?

Now, most of us know that the food that Mother Nature provides contains vitamins as well as antioxidants and minerals. And a lot of the man-made processed foods do not contain very much in the way of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. So we have a choice right there. The biggest cause of cancer is poor nutrition. Vegetables and fruit contain antioxidants which protect our cells from inflammation and oxidative stress which cause cancer. Eating a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables provides many antioxidants.

There are some things we do not have control over – like the air we breathe, the quality of the soil that our food is grown in, the pesticides and chemicals that are used on crops, the quality of our drinking water. All we can do in these cases is to minimize the effects of these toxins and pollutants by avoiding them if we can and by taking nutritional supplements. Food alone is not optimal enough to provide our cells with the protection they need from the toxins in our environment.

There have been endless studies done on how vitamins protect our body’s cells from cancer. The results of these many studies can be summed up – take the best quality broad-spectrum supplements that you can afford. Taking once-a-day supplements are a waste of money. And taking supplements that are not at optimum levels do not provide protection. Taking nutritional supplements helps to maintain a strong immune system. The latest studies show Vitamin D3 (the sunshine vitamin) helps to prevent breast cancer.

The American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2010 presented a study that showed a protective effect of vitamin and calcium supplementation against breast cancer. Participants who consumed vitamin supplements were found to have a 30% lower risk of breast cancer compared to those who did not have a history of vitamin supplementation, and those who consumed calcium supplements had a 40% lower risk. The researchers stated that this is not an immediate effect; however, those individuals who consumed vitamins and calcium over a long period of time.

Other things we can do to prevent cancer are:
• To exercise hard enough to produce sweat.
• Get proper sleep
• Reduce stress – spend time relaxing or meditating or listening to music…
• Jump on a rebounder to clear your lymph glands.
• For women, massage your breasts.
• Quit smoking.
• Reduce or stop drinking alcohol.
• Avoid recreational drugs.
• If you are overweight or obese, lose weight and get lean.
• Reduce/remove sugar from your diet
• Avoid getting sunburnt.
• Include Omega-3 essential fats in your diet.
• Drink green tea.
• Eat a low-fat, high fiber diet.
• Avoid over-working and over-exercising to keep your immune system strong.
• Avoid refined foods such as white flour, baked goods, and many refined cereals.
• Drink filtered water
• Continually learn from valid sources about what you can do to stay healthy – after all, when we lose our health, we lose our hope.

Starting today what small change are you going to make to your life so that you do not become one of the 1 in 3 people who get cancer? If we treat our bodies like temples instead of tents then we can have a longer, healthier and happier life.

Further Reading
In his book “You Can Prevent Cancer”, Michael Colgan, PhD explains what cutting-edge science knows about the simple steps you must take today to help avoid cancer.

Suzanne Somers Interviews Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer–And Learns How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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The headlines screamed on the 29th July 2010. Results from a study by researchers were published in the British Medical Journal and reported by (Reuters) – Calcium supplements, which many people consume hoping to ward off osteoporosis, may increase the risk of heart attack by as much as 30 percent, researchers reported Friday. What the study found was that there was a 30 per cent increase in heart attacks in the people who were randomized to take calcium. The researchers conducted an analysis of results from 11 studies.

I am left with a few questions but no answers:
1) Why were these studies done?
2) Who paid for the studies?
3) What type of calcium was used? (Chelated calcium is bioavailable to our cells)
4) What was the dosage?
5) Did the calcium supplements also contain magnesium and Vitamin D3? (Magnesium and Vitamin D3 are required to be present for the body to utilize calcium)
6) Have there been more than 11 studies done? If so, why were they all not included?
7) What was the initial state of health of the participants?

It is no wonder that we, the general public get confused when we read these headlines. One minute we are told that calcium is good for us and we need to have more of it…
(Reuters Health) – Getting a bit more calcium in your diet could help you live longer, new research suggests.

Another piece of research shows the benefits of calcium:
High magnesium and calcium intake linked to lower diabetes risk

Source: Am J Clin Nutr 89: 1059-1067, 2009.

And the latest report implies that we have to stop taking calcium.
Who do we trust?
My suggestion is to learn more about supplements. Learn from the experts.

What do we know about calcium?

• It builds healthy bones
• It helps our muscles to relax/contract
• It is critical for normal nerve conduction
• It helps with cell division
• It helps with electrical conduction in the heart
• It is essential for producing and activating enzymes and hormones that regulate digestion, energy and fat metabolism

And because Calcium is a natural muscle relaxant it also helps you to handle stress and it’s one of the best used sleep aids around!

What about Vitamin D?

• It enhances calcium absorption in the small intestine
• It enhances calcium utilisation in bone formation
• It influences the utilisation of phosphorous – another mineral that is important for strong bones

And magnesium?

• It is an important component of strong healthy bones
• It is involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids
• It plays an important role in neuromuscular contractions
• It helps regulate the acid-alkaline balance in the body

The synergy of calcium, vitamin D and magnesium form a trio that plays an important part in our health. I have been taking this combination for almost ten years, and I don’t plan on stopping. Become armed with knowledge and don’t let scary headlines frighten you!

Further Reading
Here is a rebuttal to the study from Natural News

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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Many of us take our health for granted until we lose it. And then, instead of thriving we start surviving. Others are proactive with their health. It may take a serious illness in the family or amongst friends to give us a wake-up call or it may be just a realization that it is up to us to become more responsible for our own health. So what is the difference between healthy aging and anti-aging?

Suzanne Somers defines the eight anti-aging steps in her book ‘Breakthrough’ as being:
1. Get Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
2. Avoid Chemicals and Detoxify your body
3. Take nutrition seriously
4. Create a healthy GI tract
5. Avoid Pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary
6. Supplement your diet
7. Exercise regularly
8. Get proper sleep

In an ideal world these steps are certainly ones to aspire to. I would also add another step:
9. Visit your dentist every 6-12 months so that dental decay, gum disease and high bacteria levels can be treated in the early stages. This is a step that people often overlook. Inflammation in the mouth can cause heart disease and diabetes. Find a dentist who has the philosphy of ‘find it early, treat it while it’s small’ – this will prevent pain in your mouth, in your body and your pocket down the track.

With respect to step 6 – supplement your diet, I believe that this is a vital step for our well-being. Our environment is not as healthy as it was in our grandparent’s days – it is difficult to avoid the chemicals and toxins that are in the air and the food and water that we consume. To fight the extra free radicals that our body is producing, it is imperative that we use advanced quality nutriceutical antioxidants, multi-minerals, multi-vitamins and omega-3.

I would define Healthy Aging as all of the above, except I would leave out:
1. Get Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.
For many people this step is too expensive. Not only do we have to find a Bioidentical medical specialist and pay them, we also have to pay for the therapy. However, if our hormones do require balancing to improve a health condition I would certainly consider this option.

If you do not have a health condition by adding steps 2 to 9 with step 3 being a healthy diet of “Technicolor” fresh fruits and vegetables, very low sugar, low GI foods, avoiding processed foods, our hormones should be in healthy balance albeit declining as we age.

My intention is to live a long and healthy life which will provide me with the vitality to have fun and to inspire others. What are your long-term health plans and what are you going to do to ensure that your health goals will be achieved?

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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Soy Food & Isoflavone Intakes Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

A recent study among Chinese women showed that those with the highest intakes of soy foods and soy isoflavones had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer.

Soy food consumption and breast cancer risk has been the focus of controversial recently. A recent case-control study was conducted to assess the relationship between soy food intake and breast cancer risk according to the estrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone receptor (PR) status of breast cancer.
Participants included 438 Chinese women with primary breast cancer that were matched by age and residence (rural/urban) with 438 women free of cancer. Dietary intake was assessed by face-to-face interviews using a validated food frequency questionnaire.
Researchers observed a statistically significant inverse association between soy isoflavone and soy protein intake with breast cancer risk. The women in the group with the highest soy isoflavone intake had a 46% decreased cancer risk compared to the group with the lowest intake. Women in the group with the highest soy protein had a 38% reduced cancer risk compared to the lowest intake group. A preventive effect of soy food was found for all subtypes of ER and/or PR status of breast cancer. The inverse association was more evident among premenopausal women.
This study suggests that consumption of soy foods and soy isoflavones may reduce the risk of breast cancer, and that the protective effects of soy do not seem to differ by ER and PR breast cancer status.

Source: Zhang C et al. Cancer Sci. 2010 Feb;101(2):501-7

Advanced Doses of Vitamin D Are Required To Achieve Optimal Vitamin D Status

It is currently estimated that more than 1 billion people worldwide have vitamin D deficiency. Relatively small amounts of vitamin D are obtained through the diet and many lifestyle factors reduce endogenous vitamin D synthesis, therefore supplementation offers an important avenue for achieving and maintaining optimal vitamin D status.

Scientists at USANA Health Sciences and Linus Pauling Institute recently conducted a clinical study to evaluate the effectiveness of moderately high daily doses of vitamin D3 on increasing circulating levels of vitamin D during winter, spring, and summer seasons.

19 healthy volunteers, most using USANA’s HealthPakTM daily dietary supplement packs, BiOmegaTM and/or Active CalciumTM supplements, were randomly divided into the treatment or control (placebo) groups. The treatment group was given a daily supplement providing 4000 IU of vitamin D3 for three months from December 2008 to March 2009. The control group received a matching placebo tablet. Both the Vitamin D3 and matching placebo tablets were manufactured at USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (Salt Lake City, USA). Blood samples were drawn at baseline and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of supplementation, to analyze circulating vitamin D levels (25-hydroxy vitamin D3).

The study found that:

* Treatment with 4000 IU/day significantly increased circulating vitamin D levels during the winter and maintained them in the optimal range above 50 mg/mL.
* Circulating vitamin D levels reached maximal levels after 4 weeks of supplementation and plateaued thereafter.
* Upon cessation of supplementation between weeks 12-16, vitamin D levels declined appreciably underscoring the need for continuous supplementation to maintain optimal levels throughout the winter and early spring.
* Supplementation of 2000 IU/day through the late spring and summer maintained vitamin D levels in the optimal range.
* At the conclusion of the study, vitamin D levels in all subjects that did NOT continue supplementation through the summer returned to the baseline values originally measured in December.

This study shows that continuous intakes of vitamin D are needed to obtain optimal circulating levels of vitamin D above 50 mg/mL throughout the entire year.

Source: Dixon B et al; 2009; USANA Clinical Research Poster; Accessed 21 Jun 2010.

http://www.usana.com/media/File/dotCom/company/science/crb/CR_Vitamin_D_Poster.pdf

A review of the book More Health, Less Care by Peter J Weiss, M.D.

This small book is a huge gem. It is very refreshing to have a book written by a medical doctor who takes into account that people are not like cars; people do need to be treated holistically by the medical profession. We as patients also need to remove our dependence on the medical profession and the “magic” pills and to become responsible for our own health and well-being. Dr Weiss provides a guide line as well as examples to help us to do that.

Dr Weiss encourages us to take into account not only our physical health, but also our emotional and spiritual health as well, because as many of us are aware, they are all intertwined. He strongly suggests that we write our own “Personal Prescription for Good Health”. Dr Weiss encourages us to gather a team to support us with our health goals – not just to rely on a doctor but friends, wellness coaches, pharmacists and other health professionals. He also suggests having an open mind and to look at alternatives.

Dr Weiss does encourage people to take a multi-vitamin (which is an excellent start to a nutritional program). I would also recommend people to also begin taking advanced quality (nutriceuticals) multi-minerals, antioxidants and omega-3′s on a daily basis. A multi-vitamin on its own may be better than nothing but adding the others to the mix may make a greater improvement.

Currently I have three people in my life who may benefit from reading this book, but I think only one of them is ready to make a change for the better. I was thinking of this one particular friend in the part of the book where Dr Weiss discusses willpower. This book also provides guidelines for Wellness Coaches to help their clients achieve their health goals.

By the end of the book you will have a full understanding of the meaning of the title. I read this book in one and a half hours because I am familiar with the concepts. The concepts may be new for many people so it is really helpful that Dr Weiss explains the how-to and he also provides examples of how these concepts can be put into practice. This a book that I am very pleased to have in my toolbox.

If you are ready to write your own “Personal Precription for Good Health” or know someone who is willing to make a change, you may wish to purchase More Health, Less Care from Amazon.com. It could make a difference between living or dying.

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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News.com.au has reported that Gwyneth Paltrow : “has been diagnosed with osteopenia, an illness that can lead to the serious bone disease osteoporosis”. Osteoporosis is ”brittle bone disease” – where the bones begin to look like Swiss cheese. Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly Vitamin D deficient. What happens is that the bones become so weak, that they break easily and then people fall, many times resulting with a broken hip.

Doctor Ray Strand says “Osteoporosis is an epidemic nutritional deficiency in the United States. More than 25 million Americans suffer with this disease at the cost to the economy of the U.S. of approximately 14 billion dollars each year. At least 1.2 million fractures occur each year in the United States as a direct result of osteoporosis. Spontaneous compression fractures of the vertebrae of the back cause tremendous pain and suffering for those with osteoporosis.
The American diet, with its high intake of white breads, white flour, refined sugars, and fat, has been shown to be deficient in many of the essential nutrients needed for healthy bones”.

I remember as a young child, being fascinated by hunched-over old people “looking for coins on the ground” – I later understood that their spines had deteriorated due to osteoporosis.

We can prevent osteoporosis, but we need to start in our teenage years by getting optimal amounts of calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D. Our bones are growing fast at that time and need the nutritional support to grow strong.

At post-menopause we need to continue with adequate calcium in our diet, bearing in mind that we need sufficient magnesium and Vitamin D for the calcium to be utilised by our bodies, along with advanced-quality broad spectrum supplements (nutriceuticals) – antioxidants, multi-vitamins and multi-minerals. We also need to have adequate amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables. Exercise is crucial to the health of our bones – weight bearing exercises such as walking helps the lower legs but does little for the back and hips; upper body weight resistance exercises such as lifting weights over your head are critical. By taking care of ourselves we can prevent osteoporosis.

Can osteoporosis be reversed without medications? Listen to this 74-year old woman’s experience.

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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About two years ago, a friend of mine who is in her 40’s came to me for advice about arthritis. Her doctor had told her that her neck was like a 65 year olds. Not only did she have arthritis in her neck, but in her feet as well. My friend is passionate about horse riding – how much longer will she be able to do that?

Both my parents had arthritis – my father’s was in his feet and hands, my mother’s in her back. My husband has arthritis in his knee – a result of a rugby injury and having cartilage removed. Arthritis is both painful and debilitating.

What causes arthritis?
There are two types of arthritis – osteoarthritis (the most common, caused by wear and tear) and rheumatoid arthritis (inflammation of the joints due to an autoimmune disease).

Doctor Ray Strand says “Osteoarthritis is a degenerative process within the joints. Over 70% of the people over 50 years of age have some degree of degenerative arthritis. This is not a disease that will typically shorten one’s life, but will certainly cause significant pain and disability if left untreated.
“When researchers study joint fluid extracted from an inflamed joint, they note a significant increase in the number of excessive free radicals. In contrast, fluid from a normal joint has no free radicals present. Studies have shown a significant increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in those individuals who have low levels of Vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. Research has further indicated low levels of vitamin D and Vitamin C in patients suffering severe joint disease and whose disease progresses much more rapidly than the norm”.

My horse-riding friend is a ‘health nut’ – she eats organic food and has a healthy lifestyle. But that hasn’t been enough to prevent Osteoarthritis. My suggestion is to add advanced-quality broad spectrum supplements to a healthy lifestyle to support healthy joints and bones. And to also continue with exercise to maintain fitness, muscle strength, heart health, relieve pain and stiffness and to get better quality of sleep.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease – caused by a virus or bacteria. The immune system becomes confused and it attacks itself rather than the bacteria or virus. The joints become inflamed causing chronic inflammation, pain and joint swelling; and the joint fluid which is usually thick becomes thin, so the cartilage becomes less protective.

Further Reading
(NaturalNews) A recent study from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, has found that rheumatoid arthritis is on the increase among Caucasian women. And the culprit is likely an environmental one, like vitamin D deficiency, rather than a genetic one.

Do Glucosamine Supplements Work? an article by ‘Nutrition Diva’ Monica Reinagel, M.S., L.D./N.

Very informative article from the Linus Pauling Institute about Vitamin D and the health impact of not having enough of this critical vitamin in your body.

If you would like to find out which nutritional supplements are recommended for joint health, please request my free eBook, by completing the form on your top right.

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