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03-01-2007, 11:47 PM | #1 (permalink) |
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Rep Power: 35 | What nudists, Schlitz beer and vitamin D have in common http://leisure.newstimeslive.com/opi...php?id=1032767 Feb 28 2007 7:26 AM What nudists, Schlitz beer and vitamin D have in common Who would have thought that drinking too much Schlitz beer, years ago, would have not only gotten you drunk, according to Southbury chiropractor Dr. James Prado, but may have overdosed you on vitamin D? "In the late 1800s to early 1900s, they started vitamin D supplementation in foods to prevent rickets (a bone disease) in children," says Prado. "It wasn't really regulated, so they put too much in certain foods -- not only in milk but in things as varied as bread, hot dogs, soda and Schlitz beer. Then, they cut back on supplementation and now, most people are deficient. It's epidemic right now because we're all indoors or wearing sunscreen outdoors." Vitamin D is necessary for maintaining proper calcium metabolism -- regulating calcium balance in our bodies. "The majority of the vitamin D we get comes from sunlight," Prado said. "There are some foods that give us vitamin D but those are fatty fish and cod liver oil -- How many people do you know who take that on a regular basis? Fish oil itself doesn't have a lot of vitamin D; cod liver oil is different and has a fairly high amount. "Milk only supplies about 100 IU (international units) per 8 ounce glass, I believe, and most endocrinologists, finding people deficient, put them on at least 2,000 IU a day..." Prado explained that when the sun hits the skin, it creates a chemical reaction that synthesizes vitamin D. "Adequate sun exposure depends on how much pigment is in your skin. People with very fair skin don't need a lot of sun to produce a relatively large amount of vitamin D. Something like 10 to 15 minutes of full body sun can give them over 10,000 IU of vitamin D, whereas a very dark black person would need well over an hour, if not two, to get the same amount of vitamin D. "The key is not to burn when you're in the sun," said Prado. "On average, 20 minutes of full body (midday) sun exposure four times a week in the summer should last you through the winter months. Get your sun exposure, then apply sunscreen, or cover up instead, because there are so many chemicals in sun screen." Prado added that he believes people take too many supplements these days. " I'd rather see people eat good, fresh whole foods," he said. "We don't put people on supplements unless they're tested first." Seasonal affective disorder and persistent muscular-skeletal pain can be related to vitamin D deficiency, he added. Other conditions he believes may be connected are osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, migraine headaches, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, plus cancers involving the breast, colon, prostate and pancreas. "Right now there's a big debate going on within medicine." Prado points out "There are the dermatologists saying "Stay out of the sun; it's going to cause skin cancer." Then you have researchers now suggesting that by staying out of the sun, you're probably predisposing yourself to other types of cancers that are far more serious than the skin cancer you'll be preventing." Dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Egan, of Ridgefield, warns, "Ultra-violet light is a known carcinogen and it's a statistic that one person every hour dies from melanoma in the United States. A dermatologist saying it's OK to not protect your skin is like a pulmonologist saying that it's OK to smoke a cigarette or two a day -- there's no safe exposure." To put things into perspective, I called my friend, Ed, who declared that being a nudist over the years has put him in communion with nature and, he's heard, gets him the proper amount of vitamin D. "But I've toned it down a bit recently," he adds, "because I've noticed a lot of questionable moles." Linda Napier is a registered nurse working in Danbury and author of the book "Tender Medicine." You may contact her via e-mail at lnapier@mags.net. |
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