Vitamin D: New recommendation still woefully inadequate

November 10, 2008

Hello,

a few days ago I posted an article about the new dosage recommendation

by the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to some, f.e.

Dr.Mercola, this is still far too inadequate.

/Switzerland

Avoid Flu Shots With the One Vitamin that Will Stop Flu in Its Tracks

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/avoid-flu-shots-vi\

tamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx

Another influenza season is beginning, and the U.S. Center for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) will strongly urge Americans to get a flu

shot. In fact, the CDC mounts a well-orchestrated campaign each season

to generate interest and demand for flu shots.

But a recent study published in the October issue of the Archives of

Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children

against the flu appeared to have no impact on flu-related

hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons.

At first glance, the data did suggest that children between the ages

of 6 months and 5 years derived some protection from vaccination in

these years. But after adjusting for potentially relevant variables,

the researchers concluded that " significant influenza vaccine

effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or

setting " examined.

Additionally, a Group Health study found that flu shots do not protect

elderly people against developing pneumonia -- the primary cause of

death resulting as a complication of the flu. Others have questioned

whether there is any mortality benefit with influenza vaccination.

Vaccination coverage among the elderly increased from 15 percent in

1980 to 65 percent now, but there has been no decrease in deaths from

influenza or pneumonia.

There is some evidence that flu shots cause Alzheimer's disease, most

likely as a result of combining mercury with aluminum and

formaldehyde. Mercury in vaccines has also been implicated as a cause

of autism.

Three other serious adverse reactions to the flu vaccine are joint

inflammation and arthritis, anaphylactic shock (and other

life-threatening allergic reactions), and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a

paralytic autoimmune disease.

One credible hypothesis that explains the seasonal nature of flu is

that influenza is a vitamin D deficiency disease.

Vitamin D levels in your blood fall to their lowest point during flu

seasons. Unable to be protected by the body's own antibiotics

(antimicrobial peptides) that are released by vitamin D, a person with

a low vitamin D blood level is more vulnerable to contracting colds,

influenza, and other respiratory infections.

Studies show that children with rickets, a vitamin D-deficient

skeletal disorder, suffer from frequent respiratory infections, and

children exposed to sunlight are less likely to get a cold. The

increased number of deaths that occur in winter, largely from

pneumonia and cardiovascular diseases, are most likely due to vitamin

D deficiency.

Unfortunately, now, for the first time, flu vaccination is also being

pushed for virtually all children -- not just those under 5.

This is a huge change. Previously, flu vaccine was recommended only

for youngsters under 5, who can become dangerously ill from influenza.

This year, the government is recommending that children from age 6

months to 18 years be vaccinated, expanding inoculations to 30 million

more school-age children.

The government argues that while older children seldom get as sick as

the younger ones, it's a bigger population that catches flu at higher

rates, so the change should cut missed school, and parents' missed

work when they catch the illness from their children.

Of course, this policy ignores the fact that a systematic review of 51

studies involving 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months found no

evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo.

Sources:

• LewRockwell.com October 3, 2008

• EMS Responder September 9, 2008

• WebMD October 6, 2008

• Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine October 2008;

162(10):943-51

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Back in 2005, The Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

(ACIP) recommended that all children between 6 months and 5 years old

receive flu shots each year. Now they have expanded their guidelines

to include children up to 18 years, which means everyone except those

between the ages of 19-49, who are in good health, are urged to get a

flu shot.

It should come as no surprise to find out that a majority of the ACIP

members who came up with these guidelines have financial ties to the

vaccine industry, and stand to gain personally for every additional

person getting a yearly injection. It's actually the only explanation

that makes any sense for recommendations as insane as these.

Three Reasons to Reconsider Flu Shots

There are three major reasons why this government push to vaccinate 84

percent of the U.S. population with a yearly flu vaccine is so

incomprehensible:

1. The majority of flu shots contain 25 micrograms of mercury; an

amount considered unsafe for anyone weighing less than 550 pounds! And

which groups are most sensitive to the neurological damage that has

been associated with mercury? Infants, children, and the elderly.

2. No studies have conclusively proven that flu shots prevent

flu-related deaths among the elderly, yet this is one of the key

groups to which they're pushed.

3. If you get a flu shot, you can still get the flu (or flu-like

symptoms). This is because it only protects against certain strains,

and it's anyone's guess which flu viruses will be in your area.

So why would you take a flu shot – EVERY YEAR -- that has NEVER been

proven to be effective, that can give you the very illness you're

trying to prevent, and has potential long-term side effects that are

far worse than the flu itself?

The powers that be have done an excellent job of instilling fear into

the population so they believe that they must get a shot to stay

healthy, but the simple reality is it's doing you more harm than good.

And, even if the flu vaccine could effectively prevent the flu, there

have been several examples in past years where government health

officials have chosen the incorrect influenza strains for that year's

vaccine. In 2004, the National Vaccine Information Center described

how CDC officials told everyone to line up for a flu shot that didn't

even contain the influenza strain causing most of the flu that year.

Two-Thirds of This Year's Flu Vaccines Contain a Full-Dose of Mercury

According to Dr. , MD, two-thirds of this year's flu

vaccines contain 25 micrograms of thimerosal. Thimerosal is 49 percent

mercury by weight.

Each dose of these flu vaccines contains more than 250 times the

Environmental Protection Agency's safety limit for mercury.

By now, most people are well aware that children and fetuses are most

at risk of damage from this neurotoxin, as their brains are still

developing. Yet the CDC still recommends that children over 6 months,

and pregnant women, receive the flu vaccine each year.

In addition to mercury, flu vaccines also contain other toxic or

hazardous ingredients like:

• Formaldehyde -- a known cancer-causing agent

• Aluminum -- a neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer's disease

• Triton X-100 -- a detergent

• Phenol (carbolic acid)

• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)

• Various antibiotics: neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin – which can

cause allergic reactions in some people

The Evidence Against Flu Vaccines

For those of you who are still unconvinced, know that there's plenty

of scientific evidence available to back up the recommendation to

avoid flu vaccines – if nothing else, then for the simple reason that

they don't work, and don't offer any real benefit to offset their

inherent health risks. For example:

• A brand new study published in the October issue of the Archives of

Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children

against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or

doctor visits during two recent flu seasons. The researchers concluded

that " significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be

demonstrated for any season, age, or setting " examined.

• A study published in the Lancet just two months ago found that

influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of

pneumonia in older people. This supports a study done five years ago,

published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

• Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and

Critical Care Medicine last month also confirms that there has been no

decrease in deaths from influenza and pneumonia, despite the fact that

vaccination coverage among the elderly has increased from 15 percent

in 1980 to 65 percent now.

• Last year, researchers with the National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health published

this conclusion in the Lancet Infectious Diseases: " We conclude that

frailty selection bias and use of non-specific endpoints such as

all-cause mortality have led cohort studies to greatly exaggerate

vaccine benefits. "

• A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence

that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children.

The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.

Might Influenza be Little More Than a Symptom of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vitamin D, " the sunshine vitamin, " may very well be one of the most

beneficial vitamins there is for disease prevention. Unfortunately

it's also one of the vitamins that a vast majority of people across

the world are deficient in due to lack of regular exposure to sunshine.

Published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006, the

hypothesis presented by Dr. Cannell and colleagues in the paper

Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D actually makes a lot of sense.

They raise the possibility that influenza is a symptom of vitamin D

deficiency!

The vitamin D formed when your skin is exposed to sunlight regulates

the expression of more than 2,000 genes throughout your body,

including ones that influence your immune system to attack and destroy

bacteria and viruses. Hence, being overwhelmed by the " flu bug " could

signal that your vitamin D levels are too low, allowing the flu virus

to overtake your immune system.

How to Prepare For Flu Season Without Getting a Flu Shot

I often find that some of the simplest explanations are the truest,

and this sounds about as simple as it gets. And, getting appropriate

amounts of sunshine (or taking a vitamin D supplement when you can't

get healthy amounts of sun exposure) is one of my KEY preventive

strategies against the cold and flu, as it has such a strengthening

effect on your immune system.

Interestingly, last week the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled

its recommended dose of vitamin D. Unfortunately this is still a

woefully inadequate recommendation as the dose should be TEN times

larger. Rather than going from 200 to 400 units per day, it should

have increased to about 2,000 units per day.

For most of you reading this it is " vitamin D winter, " which means

there simply isn't enough sunshine to make significant amounts of

vitamin D, so you will need to use a tanning bed or take oral supplements.

Although supplements are clearly inferior to sunlight or safe tanning

beds, I am becoming more convinced of the value of vitamin D

supplements as they are less potentially toxic than my initial

impression, and they are certainly more convenient and less expensive

than a tanning bed.

For those in the winter with no or very limited exposure to sunshine,

4,000-5,000 units per day would seem appropriate for most adults. If

you are very heavy you may need to double that dose, and for children

the dose can be half that.

The key though is to make sure you monitor your vitamin D levels by

blood testing, to make sure your levels are therapeutic and not toxic.

I advocate getting your vitamin D levels tested regularly, but as I

reported recently, you now need to beware of where you're getting your

test done. For an in-depth explanation of what you MUST know before

you get tested, please read my updated article Test Values and

Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.

You can also use vitamin D therapeutically to TREAT the flu. But

please understand that if you are taking the above doses of vitamin D

the odds of you getting the flu are VERY remote. The dose of vitamin

D you can use would be 2,000 units per kilogram of body weight (one

pound is 0.45 kg). The dose would be taken once a day for three days.

This could be a very large dose if you were very heavy (2-300,000

units per day) This is the dose that Dr. Cannell, founder of the

Vitamin D Council, has been using very successfully for a number of years.

I have not received a flu shot nor had the flu in over 20 years. Here

are the other " secrets " I use to keep the flu (and other illnesses) at

bay:

• Eat right for your nutritional type, including avoiding sugar

• Eliminate sugar from your diet

• Eat garlic regularly

• Consume a high-quality krill oil daily

• Exercise

• Get adequate sleep

• Address emotional stress

• Wash your hands regularly (but not excessively)

Another useful supplement you could try, should you come down with a

case of the flu, is olive leaf extract, which you can find in most any

health food store.

Olive leaf extract has been found to be a potent broad-spectrum

antiviral agent, active against all viruses tested, including numerous

strains of influenza and para-influenza viruses.

November 15, 2008

So, it is perfectly safe and advantageous for a 3 yr. old to take 2,000 units of vitamin D daily throughout the winter months? Where would I get such high strength vitamin D in a form that I can hide in food?

Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Vitamin D: New recommendation still woefully inadequateTo: DownSyndromeInfoExchange Date: Monday, November 10, 2008, 8:58 AM

Hello,a few days ago I posted an article about the new dosage recommendationby the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to some, f.e.Dr.Mercola, this is still far too inadequate./SwitzerlandAvoid Flu Shots With the One Vitamin that Will Stop Flu in Its Tracks http://articles. mercola.com/ sites/articles/ archive/2008/ 10/21/avoid- flu-shots- vitamin-d- is-a-better- way.aspxAnother influenza season is beginning, and the U.S. Center for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC) will strongly urge Americans to get a flushot. In fact, the CDC mounts a well-orchestrated campaign each seasonto generate interest and demand for flu shots. But a recent study published in the October issue of the Archives ofPediatric & Adolescent Medicine found

that vaccinating young childrenagainst the flu appeared to have no impact on flu-relatedhospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons.At first glance, the data did suggest that children between the agesof 6 months and 5 years derived some protection from vaccination inthese years. But after adjusting for potentially relevant variables,the researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccineeffectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, orsetting" examined.Additionally, a Group Health study found that flu shots do not protectelderly people against developing pneumonia -- the primary cause ofdeath resulting as a complication of the flu. Others have questionedwhether there is any mortality benefit with influenza vaccination.Vaccination coverage among the elderly increased from 15 percent in1980 to 65 percent now, but there has been no decrease in deaths

frominfluenza or pneumonia. There is some evidence that flu shots cause Alzheimer's disease, mostlikely as a result of combining mercury with aluminum andformaldehyde. Mercury in vaccines has also been implicated as a causeof autism. Three other serious adverse reactions to the flu vaccine are jointinflammation and arthritis, anaphylactic shock (and otherlife-threatening allergic reactions), and Guillain-Barré syndrome, aparalytic autoimmune disease.One credible hypothesis that explains the seasonal nature of flu isthat influenza is a vitamin D deficiency disease. Vitamin D levels in your blood fall to their lowest point during fluseasons. Unable to be protected by the body's own antibiotics(antimicrobial peptides) that are released by vitamin D, a person witha low vitamin D blood level is more vulnerable to contracting colds,influenza, and other respiratory infections.Studies show

that children with rickets, a vitamin D-deficientskeletal disorder, suffer from frequent respiratory infections, andchildren exposed to sunlight are less likely to get a cold. Theincreased number of deaths that occur in winter, largely frompneumonia and cardiovascular diseases, are most likely due to vitaminD deficiency.Unfortunately, now, for the first time, flu vaccination is also beingpushed for virtually all children -- not just those under 5.This is a huge change. Previously, flu vaccine was recommended onlyfor youngsters under 5, who can become dangerously ill from influenza.This year, the government is recommending that children from age 6months to 18 years be vaccinated, expanding inoculations to 30 millionmore school-age children.The government argues that while older children seldom get as sick asthe younger ones, it's a bigger population that catches flu at higherrates, so the

change should cut missed school, and parents' missedwork when they catch the illness from their children.Of course, this policy ignores the fact that a systematic review of 51studies involving 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months found noevidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo.Sources:• LewRockwell. com October 3, 2008• EMS Responder September 9, 2008• WebMD October 6, 2008• Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine October 2008;162(10):943- 51Dr. Mercola's Comments: Back in 2005, The Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices(ACIP) recommended that all children between 6 months and 5 years oldreceive flu shots each year. Now they have expanded their guidelinesto include children up to 18 years, which means everyone except thosebetween the ages of 19-49, who are in good health, are urged to get aflu shot. It should come as no surprise

to find out that a majority of the ACIPmembers who came up with these guidelines have financial ties to thevaccine industry, and stand to gain personally for every additionalperson getting a yearly injection. It's actually the only explanationthat makes any sense for recommendations as insane as these.Three Reasons to Reconsider Flu ShotsThere are three major reasons why this government push to vaccinate 84percent of the U.S. population with a yearly flu vaccine is soincomprehensible: 1. The majority of flu shots contain 25 micrograms of mercury; anamount considered unsafe for anyone weighing less than 550 pounds! Andwhich groups are most sensitive to the neurological damage that hasbeen associated with mercury? Infants, children, and the elderly.2. No studies have conclusively proven that flu shots preventflu-related deaths among the elderly, yet this is one of the keygroups to which

they're pushed.3. If you get a flu shot, you can still get the flu (or flu-likesymptoms). This is because it only protects against certain strains,and it's anyone's guess which flu viruses will be in your area. So why would you take a flu shot – EVERY YEAR -- that has NEVER beenproven to be effective, that can give you the very illness you'retrying to prevent, and has potential long-term side effects that arefar worse than the flu itself? The powers that be have done an excellent job of instilling fear intothe population so they believe that they must get a shot to stayhealthy, but the simple reality is it's doing you more harm than good. And, even if the flu vaccine could effectively prevent the flu, therehave been several examples in past years where government healthofficials have chosen the incorrect influenza strains for that year'svaccine. In 2004, the National Vaccine Information

Center describedhow CDC officials told everyone to line up for a flu shot that didn'teven contain the influenza strain causing most of the flu that year.Two-Thirds of This Year's Flu Vaccines Contain a Full-Dose of MercuryAccording to Dr. , MD, two-thirds of this year's fluvaccines contain 25 micrograms of thimerosal. Thimerosal is 49 percentmercury by weight. Each dose of these flu vaccines contains more than 250 times theEnvironmental Protection Agency's safety limit for mercury. By now, most people are well aware that children and fetuses are mostat risk of damage from this neurotoxin, as their brains are stilldeveloping. Yet the CDC still recommends that children over 6 months,and pregnant women, receive the flu vaccine each year. In addition to mercury, flu vaccines also contain other toxic orhazardous ingredients like:• Formaldehyde -- a known cancer-causing agent •

Aluminum -- a neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer's disease • Triton X-100 -- a detergent • Phenol (carbolic acid) • Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) • Various antibiotics: neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin – which cancause allergic reactions in some people The Evidence Against Flu Vaccines For those of you who are still unconvinced, know that there's plentyof scientific evidence available to back up the recommendation toavoid flu vaccines – if nothing else, then for the simple reason thatthey don't work, and don't offer any real benefit to offset theirinherent health risks. For example:• A brand new study published in the October issue of the Archives ofPediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young childrenagainst the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations ordoctor visits during two recent flu seasons. The researchers concludedthat

"significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not bedemonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.• A study published in the Lancet just two months ago found thatinfluenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk ofpneumonia in older people. This supports a study done five years ago,published in The New England Journal of Medicine. • Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory andCritical Care Medicine last month also confirms that there has been nodecrease in deaths from influenza and pneumonia, despite the fact thatvaccination coverage among the elderly has increased from 15 percentin 1980 to 65 percent now.• Last year, researchers with the National Institute of Allergy andInfectious Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health publishedthis conclusion in the Lancet Infectious Diseases: "We conclude thatfrailty selection bias and use of non-specific

endpoints such asall-cause mortality have led cohort studies to greatly exaggeratevaccine benefits." • A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in theCochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidencethat the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children.The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months. Might Influenza be Little More Than a Symptom of Vitamin D Deficiency?Vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," may very well be one of the mostbeneficial vitamins there is for disease prevention. Unfortunatelyit's also one of the vitamins that a vast majority of people acrossthe world are deficient in due to lack of regular exposure to sunshine.Published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006, thehypothesis presented by Dr. Cannell and colleagues in the paperEpidemic Influenza and Vitamin D actually makes a lot of sense. They

raise the possibility that influenza is a symptom of vitamin Ddeficiency!The vitamin D formed when your skin is exposed to sunlight regulatesthe expression of more than 2,000 genes throughout your body,including ones that influence your immune system to attack and destroybacteria and viruses. Hence, being overwhelmed by the "flu bug" couldsignal that your vitamin D levels are too low, allowing the flu virusto overtake your immune system. How to Prepare For Flu Season Without Getting a Flu ShotI often find that some of the simplest explanations are the truest,and this sounds about as simple as it gets. And, getting appropriateamounts of sunshine (or taking a vitamin D supplement when you can'tget healthy amounts of sun exposure) is one of my KEY preventivestrategies against the cold and flu, as it has such a strengtheningeffect on your immune system. Interestingly, last week the American Academy

of Pediatrics doubledits recommended dose of vitamin D. Unfortunately this is still awoefully inadequate recommendation as the dose should be TEN timeslarger. Rather than going from 200 to 400 units per day, it shouldhave increased to about 2,000 units per day.For most of you reading this it is "vitamin D winter," which meansthere simply isn't enough sunshine to make significant amounts ofvitamin D, so you will need to use a tanning bed or take oral supplements.Although supplements are clearly inferior to sunlight or safe tanningbeds, I am becoming more convinced of the value of vitamin Dsupplements as they are less potentially toxic than my initialimpression, and they are certainly more convenient and less expensivethan a tanning bed.For those in the winter with no or very limited exposure to sunshine,4,000-5,000 units per day would seem appropriate for most adults. Ifyou are very heavy you

may need to double that dose, and for childrenthe dose can be half that.The key though is to make sure you monitor your vitamin D levels byblood testing, to make sure your levels are therapeutic and not toxic.I advocate getting your vitamin D levels tested regularly, but as Ireported recently, you now need to beware of where you're getting yourtest done. For an in-depth explanation of what you MUST know beforeyou get tested, please read my updated article Test Values andTreatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.You can also use vitamin D therapeutically to TREAT the flu. Butplease understand that if you are taking the above doses of vitamin Dthe odds of you getting the flu are VERY remote. The dose of vitaminD you can use would be 2,000 units per kilogram of body weight (onepound is 0.45 kg). The dose would be taken once a day for three days. This could be a very large dose if you were very heavy

(2-300,000units per day) This is the dose that Dr. Cannell, founder of theVitamin D Council, has been using very successfully for a number of years.I have not received a flu shot nor had the flu in over 20 years. Hereare the other "secrets" I use to keep the flu (and other illnesses) atbay:• Eat right for your nutritional type, including avoiding sugar • Eliminate sugar from your diet • Eat garlic regularly • Consume a high-quality krill oil daily • Exercise • Get adequate sleep • Address emotional stress • Wash your hands regularly (but not excessively)Another useful supplement you could try, should you come down with acase of the flu, is olive leaf extract, which you can find in most anyhealth food store. Olive leaf extract has been found to be a potent broad-spectrumantiviral agent, active against all viruses tested, including numerousstrains of influenza

and para-influenza viruses.

November 15, 2008

And what is the difference between D-3 and D-2 ? Which one is best?

From: Müller <mueller-winter@ hispeed.ch>Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoEx change] Vitamin D: New recommendation still woefully inadequateTo: DownSyndromeInfoExc hange@yahoogroup s.comDate: Monday, November 10, 2008, 8:58 AM