NEWSLETTER

Greetings!
TOPICS: 1) Iodine and Breast Health - pdf; 2)Vitamin D recommendations; 3) Flu testing; 4) Nutrient testing

1) Iodine and Breast Health - Download a pdf report: Breast Health: Improving the Odds of Using Iodine as a Weapon , by Dr Sherry Tenpenny, D.O.

2) I want you to know about the new recommendations regarding supplementing with vitamin D. Dr. Michael McClung, MD, FACP, the Director of the Oregon Osteoporosis Institute, spoke to the medical staff at the hospital here in Corvallis and recommended that anyone under age 65 should supplement with 1000 IU/day of vitamin D3, and anyone over 65 years old should supplement with 2000 IU/day of vitamin D3. Be sure to buy D3 and not D2. Where Dr. McClung practices in Portland, they have found vitamin D deficiency to be so prevalent, that they no longer routinely measure vitamin D levels. Contraindications to unmonitored vitamin D supplementation are hypercalcemia and granulomatous diseases (such as Crohn’s disease and sarcoidosis). Having kidney stones means that vitamin D supplementation should be done cautiously. Vitamin D supplementation has many health benefits. A good article on this can be found at: http://www.blogger.com/www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller25.html. It is written by a cardiac surgeon from Seattle, Dr. Donald Miller. He recommends taking 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D3. Here is one of his biggest points: "The number and variety of diseases that vitamin D at this dose could prevent, starting with a 50 percent reduction in cancer, is mind-boggling. If everyone took 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D, the U.S. "health care" industry would shrink."Be aware that if you are trying to prevent osteoporosis, vitamin D without calcium has little effect on calcium homeostasis. When there is no deficiency of vitamin D, then there is no advantage to a total calcium intake of more than 800 mg/day. Low vitamin D may be the most likely cause of accelerated bone loss with aging. Vitamin D is important is important for bone and muscle health. Even a modest deficiency of vitamin D impairs muscle function and leads to weakness. Severe deficiency of vitamin D is associated with bone pain and marked weakening of bone structure. We can discuss how this information might be relevant to you at your next visit.

3) Let us know if you want to be on the list to get a flu shot so we can be sure to have enough. We also offer FluMist to patients under 50 years old (http://www.flumist.com/). This is a nasal spray that has a pleasant taste and gives immunity very quickly and which lasts the entire flu season.
Here's part of what the CDC publishes (http://http//www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm) regarding influenza:"Influenza usually starts suddenly and may include the following symptoms:· Fever (usually high); Headache; Tiredness (can be extreme); Cough; Sore throat; Runny or stuffy nose; Body aches; Diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children than adults) Having these symptoms does not always mean that you have the flu. Many different illnesses, including the common cold, can have similar symptoms.

4) We are pleased to offer Spectracell lab testing in our office (http://www.spectracell.com/). They offer a comprehensive lipid profile analysis that is much more informative than the standard cholesteral measurements. They also have a Functional Intracellular Analysis which tests for nutrient deficits of over 21 different nutrients. By using the T-cells this allows a 4 to 6 month window on your nutritional history. Patients who have tested so far have found the information derived from these tests to be very beneficial to their overall health.

5) I am participating in the educational programs offered by the Institute for Functional Medicine. This is an excellent organization with an emphasis on nutritional research rather drug company based research. Please check out their website for more information: http://www.functionalmedicine.com/.

Sincerely, Marcia A. Liberatore, MD