Vitamin D Newsletter

The Vitamin D Newsletter
February 24, 2009

As readers from 3 years ago remember, this newsletter first published evidence vitamin D would prevent influenza and many varieties of the common cold in 2005:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2005-nov.shtml

I then published the theory in:
Cannell JJ, et al. Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Epidemiology and Infection. 2006 Dec;134(6):1129-40.

As Science News reported, I realized this after observing an influenza epidemic at Atascadero State Hospital

The antibiotic vitamin: deficiency in vitamin D may predispose people to infection. Science News, November 11, 2006

Last year, we used vitamin D to explain virtually all of the many unsolved mysteries of influenza.

Cannell JJ, et al. On the epidemiology of influenza. Virology Journal. 2008 Feb 25;5:29.

Our second influenza paper is by far the most accessed paper in the journal this year.

Top 20 most accessed articles for last year in Virology Journal

Today, researchers from Harvard and the University of Colorado, writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, published convincing evidence my observations at Atascadero State Hospital were correct.

Vitamin D deficiency linked to more colds and flu. Scientific American, Feb 23, 2009

Adit A, et al. Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(4):384-390.

Influenza kill around 35,000 Americans every year and similar viruses cause additional mortality and untold morbidity. As I have said, It appears Linus Pauling was right about everything he said about vitamin C, but he was off by one letter. The Vitamin D Council, the nearly broke non-profit educational organization, now believes most influenza deaths and many other respiratory infections, like the common cold, could be prevented if Americans, and their doctors, understood some simple facts:

• Vitamin D is not a vitamin, but a steroid hormone precursor, which has profound effects on innate immunity.
• The amount of vitamin D in most food and nearly all multivitamins is literally inconsequential.
• The correct daily dose of vitamin D for adults is approximately 5,000 IU/day, not the 200-600 IU recommended by the Institute of Medicine, the National Institutes of Medicine and the FDA.
• The only blood test to determine vitamin D adequacy is a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, not the 1,25-di-hydroxy-vitamin D test many physicians now order.
• Healthy vitamin D blood levels are between 50-80 ng/ml, levels obtained by fewer than 5% of Americans.
• Medicare’s new proposed rule change, which forbids Medicare carriers for paying for virtually all vitamin D blood tests (Draft LCD for Vitamin D Assay Testing (DL29510)), will kill tens of thousands of Americans yearly.
• The mechanism of action of vitamin D in infection, dramatically increasing the body’s production of broad-spectrum natural antibiotics (anti-microbial peptides or AMP) suggests pharmaceutical doses of vitamin D (1,000 IU per pound of body weight per day for several days) will effectively treat not only influenza and the common cold, but help treat a host of other seasonal infections, including meningitis, septicemia, and pneumonia, in both children and adults.
• In 1997, when the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) set the current guidelines for vitamin D intake, they forgot to correct for the widespread sun avoidance that began in the late 1980’s when the AMA’s Council of Scientific Affairs warned against sun-exposure, and recommended that all Americans should make every effort to never let a photon of sunlight strike their skin. The failure of the 1997 FNB to compensate for sun-avoidance, has led to millions of deaths around the world.
• Physicians who ignore vitamin D deficiency will eventually suffer medical-legal consequences.
• While many think the influenza virus causes influenza, Cannell notes it was George Bernard Shaw who first understood: “The characteristic microbe of a disease might be a symptom instead of a cause.” George Bernard Shaw, (Preface on Doctors, The Doctor’s Dilemma, 1911).

If you want professional newsletter services, you will need to help find a foundation that will fund us.

John Cannell, MD
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
The Vitamin D Council
9100 San Gregorio Road
Atascadero, CA 93422

Medicare's Idiocy - Vitamin D Alert

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Vitamin D Council Newsletter

Emergency!

On Friday, February 6, 2009, Medicare announced its intention to stop paying for vitamin D blood tests in many Medicare districts. If this rule passes, the change will quickly extend to all Medicare districts. Private insurers will then follow suit, denying payment for vitamin D blood tests, even for the diagnoses of vitamin D deficiency. Medicare proposes to pay for vitamin D blood tests for only few limited indications, such as rickets, osteomalacia and chronic renal failure.

Draft LCD for Vitamin D Assay Testing (DL29510).

This rule change flies in the face of an enormous amount of research, some of it published in the last few months. For example, several weeks ago, the British Journal of Cancer reported that in men with prostate cancer, those with highest vitamin D blood levels were 7 (seven) times more likely to survive than were men with the lowest levels (RR 0.16). If any media stories appeared about this amazing discovery, I am unable to locate them.

Association between serum 25(OH)D and death from prostate cancer

Apparently, Medicare's reasoning is not understood in England. A week ago, researchers at Oxford discovered the long-sort genetic link vitamin D has with multiple sclerosis. According to Medicare's new rules, if you have MS, or don't want your unborn baby to develop it, or have a family history of MS, or just don't want to get MS, you will have to pay for the blood test to decide how much vitamin D you should take to optimize your 25-hydroxy-vitamin D level.

MS link to vitamin D deficiency hailed by politicians as giant leap forward

If you are pregnant, and want to reduce your risk of caesarian section by four-fold, you will have to anti up.

Low vitamin D may increase chance of a caesarean delivery

Patients with diagnosed colon cancer are 48% less likely to die if their vitamin D levels are high. If you have this dreaded cancer, how do you know if your levels are high?

Vitamin D May Promote Colon Cancer Survival

If you fear getting demented, pay up. Recent research indicates people with impaired cognition are twice as likely to have vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D is mental health aid

If you have Parkinson's disease, or don't want to get it, get our your wallet.

Study finds link between low vitamin D and Parkinson's disease

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recently stated,

"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-hydroxy-vitamin D concentrations of pregnant women."

Prevention of rickets and vitamin D deficiency in infants, children, and adolescents.

That is, the American Academy of Pediatrics now suggests vitamin D blood levels be measured in all pregnant women. Expectant mothers, concerned about their baby's "fetal development," will soon have to pay for the only test that will do what the American Academy of Pediatrics now advises, tell them if their unborn baby is vitamin D deficient.

I could go on and on. Now is the time the Vitamin D Council needs your help. I want you to do two things:

1) Email the person taking comments, Medicare's Ms. Gina Oliveri, at Gina.Oliveri@ugswlp.com, and tell her your feelings about this proposed rule change. Include your reason why this test is crucial for the health of Americans.

2) Send an email to your Congressperson and ask them to investigate Medicare's "Draft LCD for Vitamin D Assay Testing (DL29510)." Tell your representative not to let this happen. Simply click on the link below, fill in your state and zip code, go to your Congressperson's website, and then click on "contact."

Write Your Representative

Of course, this rule change will help the finances of the Vitamin D Council, as it will increase sales of ZRT's in-home Vitamin D test, which generates ten bucks per test to us. However, this rule change will end up killing Americans. We cannot let it happen.

I can't stress enough how important this is for the public health of the United States. On February 21st, in just nine days, Medicare will not allow any further input by citizens, so email both Gina.Oliveri@ugswlp.com and your Congressperson right now.

John Cannell, MD
The Vitamin D Council
9100 San Gregorio Road
Atascadero, CA 93422

Valentine's Day, Wine with Heart

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Valentine’s Day, Wine with heart.

Since we are talking about the Cardiometabolic Syndrome, why don’t we start by looking at what the cardiovascular surgeons are doing to celebrate?

http://www.mercurynews.com/lauriedaniel

I can vouch for the Fogarty product, for the rest you are on your own.

Obesity with Antidepressants

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We have recently seen many individuals who have been placed on antipsychotics and have gained weight. On further evaluation we find they have triggered the metabolic syndrome or even diabetes 2. I feel this is so common an outcome and so frequent that I feel this is a new epidemic.

The use of the new antipsychotic drugs may just reflect a sampling of new patients’ who find the ballooning of abdominal fat must be treated quickly. But it seems to be a new phenomenon that must be quickly and appropriately treated to prevent progression that leads to the complications of the full blown Cardiometabolic Syndrome.

1: Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2009 Mar;119(3):171-9

Among the second-generation antipsychotics, clozapine and olanzapine are associated with the highest risk of substantial weight gain, similar to the weight gain potential associated with low-potency first-generation antipsychotics such as thioridazine or chlorpromazine. There seems to be an individual variation in the susceptibility to develop the metabolic syndrome but I have found the off label use of Byetta to be quite useful in controlling the situation.

Scattered reports on improvement of the psychological problems have been noted with the generous use of Vitamin D if additional management is needed.

Vitamin D3 Spray

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Vitamin D3 oral spray is now available!

This is to announce the availability of the new “Dr. Joe’s” vitamin D3 spray to the public.

Although not yet available in stores or pharmacies it can be purchased by patients, friends and family or Synergy distributors.

Call the office, 650 566 9810 ext 107 to order yours or send email

ashley@endocrinemetabolic.com

Those of you who know Mark Rosales and wish to order wholesale or in bulk can contact him directly.

5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 is obtained with 8 sprays into the mouth.