Will taking vitamins really shorten your life?

Suddenly everyone is talking about nutritional supplements. And the IowaWomen’s Health Study that showed that they may be actually bad for you.  In case you missed it, this study showed that taking certain supplements causes older women to die prematurely. If you are thinking “Oh, no, I’ve been doing it all wrong!” – just hang on a minute.

Let me ask you now to get out a piece of paper and start making a list: What kind of supplements have you taken in the past 11 years? What exactly was in them, what was the dosage and how often did you actually take them and for how long of a time period. Do you find this question absurd? Ok, fine. How about the past 7 years?

Sadly, that’s how the study was conducted:  Roughly 29,000 women with a mean age of 62 years self reporting 3 times over a period of 18 years.

As a nutrition therapist, I can state this with absolute certainty: At least half of you reading this can’t remember what you had for lunch yesterday – let alone what pills you popped 10 years ago. And if you think that the women participating in this study simply wrote down their supplement intake for all these years, I’d say probably not.  When I ask my new clients to come to their first appointment having written down 3 days of diet diary most either forget it or only sit down once or twice during those 3 days to actually try to remember what they put in their bodies.  And that’s something I ask them to do for 3 days. Not for 18 years.

There was also no control group, no accounting for why those women who were taking more supplements were taking them in the first place (Did they have underlying illnesses they were trying to remedy by taking extra supplements? Were they already less healthy than those taking less?), on the specific combinations taken, no report on the quality of the supplements or their origin (synthetic or food based), very little reported on lifestyles and dietary habits, no note on quality of life for the participants of the study. In fact, the reported deaths were categorized as “Cancer”, “Cardiovascular Disease” and “Other” with no further explanations. There was never any causality established. Just correlation – and not a very significant one at that.  

All in all, I have to admit, I’m a bit confused how this passes for science. No, I don’t think supplements are without risks but I think the way the media is passing on this information, essentially discouraging all supplement intakes, is very counterproductive to the average person.

And if you are wondering: I am not a supplement pusher. I generally recommend only taking supplements to support specific underlying imbalances or to correct a deficiency – both under a practitioner’s care. I do like professional quality food based multi vitamins which I recommend often – though you could argue those are simply food ground up and put in a pill…

How I fixed my Sinus Infection

I have been hearing so much about people having sinus infections, I thought I'd quickly type up my experience  with it a few months back.

This was my first experience with sinusitis - and let me tell you, it was no fun. It came on fast and it HURT badly. I had a headache and very intense pressure under my right eye. I was cranky and tired - mostly from all the pain. After a couple of days of this - and right after I talked to someone who had just went to the ER for sinusitis, I decided to make an appointment with my family doctor. I called  but he wouldn't be available for 2 days. I made the appointment though I sincerely thought I'd end up at urgent care before those 2 days would come to pass.

So I kicked into high gear- I knew I was on a deadline. I came home, looked up sinusitis in a bunch of books, did some research, drafted up a plan and set out to do nothing all day except take care of myself and do my best to get rid of the sinusitis. A crucial first step, by the way. In this modern age we all seem to expect to handle illnesses without slowing down - hence we so often wait too long, then end up popping pills for things that could have otherwise been handled naturally.

I took some supplements - these are all things I carry in my practice so luckily I had everything on had. 250 mg of food based Vitamin C (works a lot better than ascorbic acid) every couple of hours is the first thing I start with when I feel under the weather. Since sinusitis can be caused by bacteria, virus, or fungi, I decided to have a broad approach. Obviously, the Vitamin C would support my immune system. Vital Nutrients Herbal Biotic and Vital Nutrients ViraCon are herbal supplements - the first one has anti bacterial, the second has antiviral effects. I decided its not fungi - mostly from gut feeling but also because it seems like if my sinusitis had been fungal, it would have been more chronic, not such sudden onset acute. I took 2 of each pill 4 times that day. I crushed a clove of garlic and swallowed it with some water - then chased it with a bit of honey. I only did this once because I couldn't stomach it that day but there is no reason not to do it multiple times.

About 4 times that day, I boiled some water, added a bunch of salt, hovered over the pot with a towel over myself. I steamed my sinuses but decided to kick it up a notch and added some tea tree oil to sanitize my airways- and quickly found out why that one book specifically said "Add 1-2 drops". Whoa! That stuff stings... but also luckily evaporates quickly. So I ended up adding just a single drop every couple of minutes.

I did compresses with wet, warm washcloths throughout the day which I found very soothing.

I did Neti pot rinses  2-3 times as well.

I drank herbal tea all day long - not that that's really any different than any other day for me but the hot liquid was certainly smoothing. I opted for rosehips, peppermint and chamomile that day.

I ate nothing all day. Mostly because I just wasn't hungry but it is also important to note that your immune system is most active when you are fasting. So in a way it makes sense. However, I wouldn't recommend fasting if a sick person is hungry - but if you are under the weather and can't imagine eating, don't shove food down your throat because you think you have to.

The next morning I woke up and felt okay. The pressure was mostly gone and my hunger was back. I continued my Neti pot rinses and the supplements but didn't do anything else. I did go in to my appointment with my family doctor the next day who said I was obviously recovering on my own but handed me a prescription just in case since the weekend was coming up. I never did use it...

Help Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Victims by Joining My Facebook Page!

In the wake of the devastation in Japan, I have decided that I want to stand up and support people who have lost their homes, their worldly possessions and maybe even their loved ones in this tragedy.

I will be donating a potentially very large portion of my profits (up to 70%) from supplement sales between now and March 31st, 2011 to the Red Cross relief efforts. That’s a little over 2 weeks to make a big difference! Please spread the word so we can maximize this donation opportunity!

Here is how it works.

• No matter what, I will donate a minimum 10% of supplement profits
• If I get at least 300 fans on my Facebook page by March 31st, I will donate 30% of supplement profits as explained above
• If I get at least 1000 fans, I will to donate 50%
• If I get 10,000 fans, I will donate 70%.

If you would like to order supplements, make a list of items you would like from Emersonecologics.com. You can have anything noted as available to the public. If you are a client of mine, I can get you anything I have previously ordered for you as well. Send that list to me at kate@denvermnt.com. Include your shipping address and your phone number and I will call you for a credit card number within 24 hours.

You may pick up your order from my office or elect to get it shipped to your doorstep. If you order over 70 dollars worth of supplements, I will even waive the shipping charges!

Because this is a promotion, all items are nonrefundable and nonreturnable. I can ship anywhere in the continental U.S. and to Hawaii. Sales tax will apply in Colorado as determined by law.

If you don't know me personally and have doubts about the legitimacy of this offer:  My business Vitality Through Nutrition is legitimate and you can find my registration with the Colorado State Secretary of State.  I am also a Broomfield Chamber of Commerce Member. I have also registered this with my local Red Cross who can verify this information. 

Thank you for your support! Please spread the word!
Kate Pfeiffer, MNT

Fine print from the American Red Cross: Vitality Through Nutrition, LLC is helping people the victims of countless crises, like the Japanese earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief , around the world each year by donating minimum 10% for every vitamin supplement sold to the American Red Cross International Response Fund until March 31st, 2011. The American Red Cross name and emblem are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or political position.

For more information about the American Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org. 

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Vitamin D- what you don't know may hurt you

Vitamin D is not only a vitamin, it is actually a hormone. You probably have heard a lot of media buzz around its importance lately but you likely haven't been hearing is your doctor talking about it. I'm not entirely sure why that is - though I would have a few guesses...

The Vitamin D Council is an organization that compiles the latest research regarding this substance. If you are interested, it's a great idea to take a look at their information. For those who don't want to take the time, I'll give you an executive summary here:

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with things like autoimmune disease, cancer, heart disease, and depression. So you don't want to be low!

Vitamin D is made out of cholesterol in response to sunlight exposure in a healthy person. Sadly, many of us aren't able to make this complicated conversion from sunlight to hormone for a variety of reasons. When someone's total cholesterol is under 150, for example, (this most commonly can happen in people taking statin drugs) hormone synthesis is compromised. Also, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes appear to create issues around this conversion as well.

You can get some Vitamin D from animal sources - but generally not nearly as much as one can get from sunlight. Since it is a fat soluble vitamin, it is found mainly in fatty animal foods - assuming the animal had plenty of exposure to sunlight...

So it would make sense for people to take Vitamin D. However, there is a potential toxicity problem. I always recommend all my clients get their Vitamin D levels tested. This is a quick and inexpensive blood test that I offer my clients or alternatively, your doctor will probably be happy to order it up for you if you ask. In fact, you can order it up for yourself at directlabs.com . In fact, it happens to be their March special for $39.

Your test comes back in a couple of days. If your numbers are low, you'll need to supplement with a source of D3 with a dosage determined by your health care professional.

In my opinion, keeping your Vitamin D levels in check might be one of the easiest and cheapest ways to cut down on your risk of cancer.

Hold that iodine...

I have been thinking nonstop about the tragedy that has unfolded in Japan. The earthquake and then the tsunamis, and now an impending nuclear event. I can't even imagine what Japanese people might be going thru. Some lost their cars, some all their worldly possessions and some even lost loved ones.

As I'm reading the updates and keep thinking to myself I need to stop obsessing, I'm starting to see a trend. Various health related resources are starting to recommend iodine supplementation in order to prevent radiation sickness here in the United States. 

Not for me, thank you.

So why? Why should I not run to my corner health food store right now? What's the big deal? I mean, it's just iodine - it's in our salt, right? What harm can it do to start popping pills? Well, great question! 

First, when popping pills of any sort, I feel it's always a great idea to do a quick risk benefit analysis. Are the benefits of taking the pills (Tylenol, your multi, etc) greater than the risk. Let's do this with iodine:

- Iodine can prevent radiation sickness if there is to be a nuclear meltdown - which has not happened. Of course, we are also assuming that the radiation would be significant enough to affect us thousands of miles away. I'd say that's not unreasonable. Assuming the air currents would take them this way - which we are unsure of. And given that it would take days for the fallout to get here (assuming there would be an event), and we'd be able to measure radiation, I'd say we have ample time to pop this particular pill IF and WHEN it ever becomes necessary. Did you know that iodine supplementation is widely associated with the development of Hashimoto's thyroiditis in the scientific literature? I'm not making this up. Check PubMed. You don't even need a high amount. There is a reason iodized salt is banished from my household... And by the way, did you know that 10% of women in the United States have this autoimmune disease? So no mistake, it's not rare by any stretch. And by the way, if you have hypothyroidism, you have a 90% chance that you are in that group. Maybe I'll write more about that another time...

So how would you like to take these pills which can give you an autoimmune disease in order to prevent something that might not ever happen. 

And that's my two cents. If the benefits start outweighing the benefits, I'll be on board - don't worry...