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For many years Vitamin D was the forgotten vitamin. After its addition to milk in the 1930's to aid in calcium absorption in the the small intestine and the prevention of rickets in children there was not much said about it. The belief was that it only played a role in calcium absorption and pretty much nothing else.
This began to change about 15 years ago when it was discovered that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients had quite low levels of Vitamin D. This began a number of studies to determine if the disease caused the low levels of Vitamin D or if low levels of Vitamin D caused the disease. While the overall cause of MS remains a mystery to this day, it has been found that Vitamin D supplementation can often slow and in some cases reverse the progression of MS in many sufferers. This relationship between Vitamin D and MS lead to some other questions. With Alberta having the highest rate of MS in the world, studies were begun on the overall levels of Vitamin D in Albertans (and western Canadians in general). A number of studies have shown that at least a one point during the year, more than a third of people have low levels of Vitamin D. How could this be? After all, Alberta is known for its large amounts of sunshine even in the winter. The reality is that while it is sunny in February, the temperature makes it unlikely that anyone is going to go out and a swimsuit and tan. Minus 20 is just a little to cold for the average Albertan (your naturophathic physician included)! Tanning booths are a poor option due to the substantial increase risk of skin cancer. So what is one to do? First, come see your naturopathic physician as he is best suited to discuss and evaluate your specific situation. It is unlikely that rickets is an issue for you, and unlikely you have MS. However, Vitamin D deficiency plays an important role in a number of health concerns. It is involved in preventing, osteoporosis, cancer, inflammation, fibromyalgia, type I diabetes, upper respiratory tract infections, overall immune function, and mood to name just a few. So what is your Vitamin D status? Find out! Book your appointment today! Earlier this year the University of Kansas published a study on the effectiveness of high dose, IV vitamin C in the treatment of ovarian cancer. It is interesting to note that the University of Kansas has been looking into high dose vitamin C (IV) for a few years now and the results are showing what naturopathic clinicians have found: that high dose vitamin C (intravenous Vitamin C) is an effective addition to chemotherapy. I, myself, have seen high doses of vitamin C give hope where the conventional treatment has left none. My preference is a complimentary approach to cancer - not one or the other but both conventional and naturopathic. The science continues to grow for alternative treatments. This helps yet further dismiss one of my pet peeves: uninformed people who say there is no science behind complementary treatment when actually there is quite a bit, but that is for another post.
I use high dose vitamin C to treat cancer patients on a regular basis and find that it is well tolerated by patients and can be quite effective. It is important to note that you cannot simply take lots of vitamin C orally and hope it will work - it won't. The maximum daily oral dose that can be absorbed into the blood stream from the gut by whatever formulations one wants to concoct is about 8 g (8000 mg). With IV, most naturopathic doctors start at 25 g directly in the blood stream and get to a value of 100 g or more over time. The other important thing to remember is that at low doses (oral doses) vitamin C acts as an anti-oxidant and may actually help cancer cells survive (theoretically). However, at high doses (IV) vitamin C is a pro-oxidant which can aid in the killing of cancer cells. If you or a loved one is suffering from cancer and would like to find out more about this treatment or any other complimentary (naturopathic) cancer treatments do not hesitate to get a hold of me. I would be happy to talk with you. (Contact us!) Note: for more on the University of Kansas story: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/592898-high-dose-vitamin-c-helps-ovarian-cancer-researchers-say |
Naturopathic Blog
AuthorThis is Dr. Michael Schaplowsky,ND's blog written from the great metropolis of Edmonton to provide you with excellent naturopathic information - enjoy! Archives
October 2024
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