Sun Healing

More Evidence Vitamin D Prevents Parkinson's Disease and Cancer

In an excellent paper, a pair of researchers (father and son) presented considerable evidence that vitamin D deficiency is a cause, and possibly the major cause, of Parkinson's disease. The researchers reviewed a 1997 case report in which a patient with Parkinson's disease steadily improved when treated daily with 4,000 IU of vitamin D. At the same time, two new meta-analysis studies (which combine data from multiple reports) have found even more evidence that vitamin D is an important cancer-fighting tool. The first study examined nearly 1,800 records and found that: People with the highest blood levels of vitamin D had the lowest risk of breast cancer Those with the lowest vitamin D levels had the highest rates of breast cancer The second study, which looked at nearly 1,500 people, showed similar results. Raising vitamin D levels (serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D) to 34 ng/ml reduced rates of colorectal cancer by half, while raising levels to 46ng/ml cut the risk by two-thirds.

Movement Disorders January 17, 2007 Science Daily February 8, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

I have been pointing out the relationship between vitamin D deficiency, Parkinson's disease, cancer, and numerous other health problems for many years now. Optimizing your sun exposure and levels of vitamin D may, indeed, be one of the most important physical steps you can take in support of your long-term health. It is important to understand that the ideal and STRONGLY preferred method of increasing your vitamin D level is through appropriate sun exposure. That said, the ideal way to boost your vitamin D levels -- through safe exposure to sunshine every day -- can be a huge challenge during the winter months for many of you. If you choose to take a high-quality cod liver oil to help you get the vitamin D your body needs every day, please have your blood levels checked with regularity, because it can be particularly dangerous not to monitor them. For a while, because of this, I was of the opinion that cod liver oil might not be your ideal method of getting supplemental vitamin D, but after reviewing this with my experts I believe I may have been a bit too harsh on cod liver oil. Cod liver oil also has valuable natural vitamin A, which somewhat limits the vitamin D toxicity. We use large amounts of cod liver oil in our clinic and have not really seen very many people overdose on it. While you can overdose and have toxic levels of vitamin D on it, this will not happen for most people if you are careful and use prudent doses, and most importantly regularly check your blood levels of vitamin D. You CANNOT get vitamin D from full-spectrum bulbs; it has to be a bulb that produces ultraviolet radiation -- UVB specifically, as that is what causes your skin to convert cholesterol into vitamin D. It is possible to get this from a tanning booth, but the EMFs (electromagnetic fields) are of major concern (they are produced by the magnetic ballasts). It is possible to use newer electronic ballasts, though, which virtually eliminate this risk and are safe. They also use about 30 percent less electricity and produce more light so they are far more economical to run. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any regular commercial sources, but I am on the lookout for businesses that offer this service. So if you know of any tanning parlors in the United States that offer this, please fill out the form below. I will be glad to host a directory on my site of locations that offer these services so you can save yourself some legwork. You can also use this as powerful leverage to your current tanning bed place to convince them to switch their ballasts; we will advertise for them for free, so they will likely get a quick return on their healthy investment. In the meantime, here are some other natural weapons that can fight Parkinson's disease: Eating the foods your body burns best according to its unique metabolic type. Reducing your exposure to pesticides. Taking the antibiotic, Minocin. Getting a better handle on your emotions by learning a tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique. Starting an exercise program. And for cancer, you can eliminate your risks by following the proactive, drug-free approach found in my extensive list of recommendations.