Vitamin D is in the news again with the announcement of two studies about the effect it has on our health.

In the Sunday Star Times this morning there was an article about a $5.5 million study that Auckland researchers are undertaking to determine whether vitamin D helps heart disease patients.

Many articles have been written about how vitamin D can help with heart disease and there is much anecdotal evidence to support the theory. Now the study will provide evidence of the exact impact it has. According to the Sunday Star Times, interest in vitamin D and the heart goes back 30 years to an Auckland-based study comparing blood from heart attack victims with those of people without heart disease. The results showed those with heart disease had lower vitamin D levels.

Harvard Medical School professor Carlos Camargo will work with Professor Robert Scragg of Auckland University Tamaki campus to conduct the research and the four-year study will look at 5000 patients with cardiovascular disease. The Health Research Council and ACC are funding the research.

What I find interesting is that medical doctors, the Health Research Council and ACC  have obviously found sufficient anecdotal evidence of how Vitamin D can help heart disease patients to justify spending $5.5 million dollars on proving whether the theory is correct.

To read the full story on the Sunday Star Times website click Kiwis spearhead major vitamin D clinical trial

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Another recent article in the Sunday Star Times says that a landmark study shows that vitamin D deficiency is putting Australians at risk of developing diabetes.

The research found that people with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with lower levels.

The study’s co-author Ken Sikaris, a pathologist at Melbourne Pathology, said the research could have a big impact in slowing increasing rates of diabetes. He is quoted in the article saying that between a third and a fifth of the Australian population could be vitamin D deficient and rates are highest in the southern states, which get less sunlight.

The study was published in the journal Diabetes Care and presented by Dr Lu at a conference of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

Peter Ebeling, the chair of the NorthWest academic centre at the University of Melbourne and Western Health, said that in light of the findings he was conducting a trial to test whether vitamin D supplements could help prevent diabetes. He said such research had progressed slowly in the past because it had not attracted funding, particularly from drug companies.

To read the full story on the Sunday Star Times website click
Lack of vitamin D increases risk of diabetes

It affects us all.

And most people don’t even know because this legalised drug lord has sneakily and illegally recruited (read bribed) influential medical professionals with millions of dollars to persuade unwitting yet highly trusted doctors to prescribe their drugs to the sick.

Doctors are not to blame directly but do need to ask more questions about the validity of the information they are given by the pharmaceutical companies. They also need to stop accepting the gifts offered by these companies so they can retain their integrity.

Patients trust their doctors to tell the truth (92% according to UK research with politicians coming last at a low of 13%)  and the doctors trust the pharmaceutical companies. That last step has been breached and must be challenged. Here’s why.

You, The Trusting Public Have Bought US$ 5.5 Billion Worth of Drugs A Year From This One Factory

Be it through public health systems globally, medical insurance policies or directly as privately paying patients, we are all paying for their lack of morals with every purchase of their products.

We expect the labels on these medicines to be 100% accurate and the products pure, yet  some of the drugs produced at this plant:

• contained micro-organisms
• were not sterile even if labelled as such
• contained less or no active ingredient than stated on the label.

GSK Headquarters

Who Is This Company Ordered to Pay 750 Million?

GlaxoSmith Kline (GSK)is the world’s largest drug company. And although they say sorry  – it comes across as – sorry we got caught, or maybe sorry we have to pay $150 M in fines and another $600 M in related claims.

It all started when their global quality assurance manager Cheryl Eckard led a team to the Puerto Rican factory in Cidra to investigate manufacturing violations identified by the FDA. Eckard had warned the company about problems at the plant back in 2002 that included:

• pills of different strength appearing in the same bottles
• cross contamination of products due to faulty air systems
• contaminated water systems
• failure to maintain sterility of intravenous cancer treatments

As the warnings fell on deaf ears she raised the issues with senior management in the company detailing the problems. After failure of remedial action steps to begin she raised the issue with executives in the company.

When action finally came it was not what Eckard expected. She was made redundant within 9 months. And so began her battle which cost her friendships and a considerable amount of emotional strain. It’s not all bad though as the whistleblower has just been paid a record $96 M as part of the settlement. GSK fought continually until finally conceding and agreeing to make all payments on 26th October 2010.

Which Drugs Were Affected?

The list is surprisingly long – not confined to just one or two. And this is the problem, it is a systemic company wide culture that has allowed this problem to develop, grow and persist. New Zealand specific brand names are listed last.

• Tagamet (acid-reflux) – Tagamet produced by GSK  has been withdrawn from the NZ market

• Paxil (anti-depressant) – Aropax – licensed since 1992

• Kytril (anti-nausea) – Not marketed in NZ by GSK

• Coreg (heart) – Not marketed in NZ by GSK

• Bactroban ( antibacterial ointment) – Licensed since 1985 as Bactroban 2% ointment

• Avandamet (diabetes) – Avandamet licensed in 2005 – the same year that the FDA ordered all Avandamet off the shelf in the US as a result of the law suit being discussed here.

• Avandia (diabetes) – Licensed as Avandia since 2000.

What Can You Do?

Consumer power can be strong when wielded. GSK has an endemic and arrogant culture disseminating right from the top. They have a history of doing what ever it takes to get to their dominant position in the pharmaceutical world. Read more here.

And they are not alone. Pfizer was fined $2.3 billion last September when pleading guilty to a felony charge relating to fraudulent marketing.

You can fight back and in my view it all counts. When being prescribed  any medication, just ask who makes it. Every tiny voice will gradually get the message out there. Share this story with friends and relatives. Be an advocate of morals in medicine.

In many cases an alternative medication produced by another company may be available. Just ask. And of course there may be more holistic, equally effective if not more so – particularly if the drugs you are prescribed don’t have the active ingredient in they should.

GSK and Pfizer do not deserve your trust – and more importantly – your money.

One message is clear – do not burn. But when that message is trumpeted in isolation we’re missing another even more important message that has a far more wide reaching impact on your health and on cancer incidence than too much sun exposure and that is lack of vitamin D.

You can read an overview of why vitamin D is so important here, or you can watch the best 15 minute video that simply explains how vitamin D insufficiency contributes to cancer.

But the main purpose of this article is to highlight three things you should consider before slapping on sunscreen this summer.

1. False Sense of Security

Because of the huge amount of advertising surrounding beauty, tanning and the weekly magazines, a tanned body is held as more attractive than a pale white body. It is part of our culture and you hear it from youth. Pale skin is derided and tanned skin lauded. The pressure to become tanned is high.

Countless varieties of sunscreen lotion are available. Five years ago a lotion with SPF 30 was deemed strong. Then the SPF number size war began – and even better if there is a + after the number. And what about UVA or UVB protection? Which is better? Do you need both? Waterproof and longer lasting or nice to apply and one that doesn’t make you look like a walking meringue?

But there’s the dark side of using many sunscreens. They contain chemicals that in some instances can cause significant rashes and irritations as was graphically proven by one reader of my blog – just follow the link from comment #2. Not only may they cause rashes, but others are actually carcinogenic. So while you may be reducing the risk of burning and the subsequent damage that causes, you can be soaking your body in a slew of chemicals that are hazardous to your health.

You can find a list of harmful chemicals many sunscreens contain on this page in my blog – as well. Now when I checked at the local chemist last year, only three out of 30 different brands had none of the chemicals listed. Essentially what you are after is the boring old zinc oxide with no fragrance. And the really good news is there are lots more offering this product this year. And surprisingly the Cancer society even has one out, so that’s what I bought just yesterday. Great to see.

For a more comprehensive list (if you’re brave enough) of potentially hazardous and cancer causing chemicals commonly found in sunscreens you can also visit the EWG website in the US. You’ll find many brands like Coppertone listed there. One of the big challenges here is that some of these chemicals are actually activated by the sun’s radiation. This is also highlighted on that site.

2. You’re Blocking Out Vitamin D

For your skin to make vitamin D it must receive enough UV B rays. And by following the slip slop slap campaign rules, you’re going to reduce the ability for UV B rays to even reach your skin cells and create the essential and protective vitamin D that you need.

We accept there are competing forces. Avoidance of burning versus reaching  an individually desirable or socially admired skin colour.

Gradual tanning is best and one thing for certain is that sunlight is good for you – both emotionally and physically. Get enough unimpeded sun exposure to optimise your vitamin D levels – and for an average adult 3 minutes of full body midday sun (with a UV index of 10) should be adequate to generate about 3,000 IU of Vitamin D and if you can only get out there with your hands and face exposed, then you’ll need about 30 minutes. Then apply the sunscreen, shade and hat.

The following is a really useful guide that NIWA scientists Dr Richard McKenzie, Ben Liley, and Paul Johnston produced and was funded by the Health Research Council. Some of the best and most practical use of public money I’ve seen in years.

The Real Meaning of Being Sun Smart

Vitamin D producing UV (blue) vs Sunburning UV (red) in Lauder (Central Otago, NZ)

Indicative UV exposure times required to achieve optimal UV production (minimum of 3,000 IU per day for adults)

Ready reconer indicating your risk versus your shadow length in comparison with your height.

3. Vitamin D from the sun is Free.

But just because it’s summer don’t assume you’re getting enough. Regular readers of my blog will remember the research conducted by John Livesay and his team that showed 88% of Cantabrians in February (height of summer) in 2004 had insufficient levels of vitamin D.

Enough said.

To Your Increasing Health

Nick Lyttle

From time to time Vitamin D and other products are offered at special prices to my newsletter subscribers. Join now and go in the monthly draw to win $50 worth of our products.

“The use of performance enhancing drugs has become possibly the most vexatious
problem facing modern sport.”

World class amateur and even professional athletes take their desire to win right to the very edge….. and sometimes over it.

“Performance enhancers” in one form or another have been around for centuries – since competition  began but during this time the supplements and substances have changed dramatically. When it comes to performance enhancers there are some you’ve no doubt heard of and some you probably haven’t.

Hard Work or Hard Drugs?

Some that have come and gone as fads of the past are:

•    Ginseng – claimed to reduce lactate production and increase VO2 max
•    Wheat germ oil – increased muscle strength and endurance
•    Energol – dramatically increased endurance
•    Vitamin B-15 – another endurance enhancer

The substances that are popular now might not be so popular in the future. So the question is, how can we make the decision on what doesn’t work and what does work?
Well,  here’s  Seven Tips to Expose Total BS Claims To Improve Sports Performance

1.    There is a quick fix promise
2.    Simple conclusions drawn from a complex study
3.    Recommendation based upon a single study
4.    Dramatic statements that are refuted by a reputable scientific organization
5.    Recommendations based upon studies without peer review
6.    Recommendations based upon studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups
7.    Recommendations made to help sell a product by a celebrity without scientific evidence, or simply by the manufacturer directly

Now you know I’m a huge believer in the benefits of vitamin D and so when I saw an article published in the Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 May issue called  Athletic Performance and Vitamin D, I was intrigued.

Could it be true? A positive link between sports performance and sunshine,  and if so is that a worthy discussion.  Does Vitamin D really have a beneficial role when it comes to improving athletic performance? Is it fact, fiction or just another fad?
It turns out that the positive response was found in athletes that  had insufficient levels of vitamin D. Now as this research carried out in Canterbury showed, 88% of people were insufficient in February (that’s our peak summer month here in NZ) . So if you’re at all interested in peak performance it’s be worthwhile to have your vitamin D levels checked to ensure that low levels are not impeding your results.

Where does vitamin D come from?

Vitamin D is not just as a vitamin but actually a hormone precursor. It acts through many different pathways in your body and you can it in one of three ways – in order from the most efficient to the least:

1.    Made in the skin when exposed to  UVB rays from the sun
2.    From supplements (some artificial and others from natural sources such as NZ sheep’s lanolin)
3.    From foods like oily fish, egg yolks, fortified cereals, fortified milk and dairy products and some types of yeast products (but you have to eat enormous quantities)

The challenge for people living in sub-tropical or temperate climates with definite seasons it getting enough sun exposure all year. While your body can store vitamin D for some weeks, lifestyle changes may seriously reduce skin exposure and access to UVB rays. This begs the question, how prone to a Vitamin D deficiency are you?

Strong Bones Are Critical for Every Athlete

Sports performance is a very good indicator of both body composition and type, especially when it comes to the musculoskeletal system. Vitamin D has been proven to play a very important role when it comes to the serum levels of both calcium and phosphorus. Both critical minerals needed for bone development.

With vitamin D deficiency you’re at a higher risk of a multitude ailments, such as, muscle weakness, osteoporosis, osteopenia and osteomalacia, particularly if you are over 50 when your ability to manufacture your own vitamin D is on the decline.

Vitamin D deficiencies don’t just affect your sports and athletic performance but all aspects of daily life from reducing risk of cancer to boosting your immune system and its ability to ward off common ailments like the flu that can easily get int he way of training.

The research is promising but don’t expect it to be the silver bullet. If you’re down and not at your peak performance I’d challenge you to get your levels checked, you’ maybe surprised at what you find. Vitamin D could just be another sports performance field failed fad of the past in a few years time. But it could also be a missing nutrient that unlocks your competitive advantage.

To Your Continued Health

Hear and see evidence at a biochemical and genetic level exactly how vitamin D can empower your defences against rogue cells that turn cancerous. Readers of this blog will know about the hundreds of genes that simply don’t function optimally without vitamin D.

In this video Dr Cedric Garland presents a model of cancer development that is gaining increasing support from around the world as a viable and plausible replacement fora model that’s been widely used in the past. Simply it’s labelled with the Acronym DINOMIT.

Dr Garland is Professor, Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

Up until now you’ve probably read that cancer began with mutation, followed by overgrowth which if left unchecked lead to mutation.

At 5:38 into the video you can see how the presence of vitamin D after only 48 hours increased some defense functions 24, 39 and up to 74 times in colon cancer cell line studies.

Expanded Cancer Model Explained

The DINOMIT model (explained from 6 minutes into the video) lays out a far more comprehensive model that describes clearly how the mutation begins – through a breakdown in the cell to cell connections – called tight junctions, which literally stop you from falling apart. Without this failure the subsequent steps could not occur.

The essential role of vitamin D to strengthen these tight cell to cell junctions is becoming clearer and clearer as research from around the world is published.

The blood levels of vitamin D to maintain that assist to prevent the progression of cancer are explained towards the end of the video  – remember these are the units typically used in the US. To convert for NZ simply multiply by 2.5.

The video is 15 minutes long – but the best I’ve seen to explain how to reduce the risk of becoming diagnosed with cancer.

To your increasing health

In times of uncertainty, danger and fear it’s even more important to remember how lucky you can be. No matter how bad things are with your health, posessions or relationships, if you search deeply enough you will be able to find something to smile about. Even if it is just in your dreams.

I first head this song by Kat Edmonson as a sound track to an advert and it was very memorable – although i can’t remember what the add was about. Then I heard it being talked about on Radio NZ as someone’s “Best song every written” and when Google presented this little video, the opportunity to share it with you could not be turned down.

It’s just 3 minutes long – so why not stop and enjoy the wonderful work that’s gone into creating this brief piece of pleasure.

And let yourself smile while you remember past or plan something int he future but always remember that your smile is only happening right now. For a treat, allow yourself to watch twice. The second time with your eyes shut and without other audio distraction – you’ll feel better.

Enjoy.

Smiles and health are partners. So smile more, be healthier and you’ll be lucky.

To Your Increasing Health.

There are many causes of both bladder and bowel incontinence and they’re well documented on the Internet. A quick search of Wikipedia or WebMD will provide good explanations of the various causes of both common and uncommon forms of incontinence for both sexes.

The crux of the problem is either a partial of total failure of the muscles balancing their opposing roles of keeping an orifice shut and allowing it to open to rid the body of waste. So we have a muscle problem at the core.

And muscles get their instructions from the brain via nerves. Incontinence is expected with any damage to the nerves leading to the muscles causing contraction or relaxation of the sphincter muscles. So in simple terms we can have either a direct musculo-skeletal problem or a nervous system malfunction leading to the incontinence.

But what causes those systems to fail? The range of causes are well know from sudden trauma such as a motor vehicle accident severing the spine to a more subtle and gradual onset as can be seen with Parkinsons disease. For women, childbirth is a significant contributing factor and for men it is commonly a result of prostate disease and it’s treatment.

But incontinence is not a normal part of the aging process so something is failing – and maybe preventably.

New Study Shows Less Risk With Higher Vitamin D Levels

Of the thousands of studies being published annually there are an increasing number contributing markedly to an increased understanding of important role vitamin D plays in your overall health.

The April edition (115) of Obstetrics and Gynecology has just published a study from the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey in the US that looked at 881 non-pregnant women over 20 years of age for whom there was knowledge of both their pelvic floor status and their vitamin D blood levels.

Of these women 23% had one or more pelvic floor disorders and irrespective of age, women with the lower levels of vitamin D had more issues.

Put another way, for all women there were significantly lower risks of urinary incontinence and pelvic floor issues with higher levels of vitamin D. And in a sub group of women 50 years and older, there was a significant reduction in incidence of pelvic disorders when vitamin D blood levels were over 30ng/ml (or 75nmol/L).

But Why?

Back in 2008 when I first started writing about vitamin D deficiency I listed the bodies vast array of receptor sites for vitamin D.  It is not surprising that low levels of vitamin D will be associated with impaired muscle strength and loss of muscle mass. Given that the insufficiency of vitamin D is epidemic in adults it is not surprising to see this recent revelation.

For men who might have thought this was all about the distaff side, there is a strong correlation here and a double benefit.

Not only is there a reduction of the major risk factor for incontinence in men – the treatment of prostate cancer – because of a reduced risk of getting cancer in the first place, but also an improved treatment response with vitamin D metabolites calcitriol and calcidiol. Additionally add the improved muscle strength and tone retention with exercise when vitamin D levels are adequate and you have an effective defence against incontinence.

The good news is that both men and particularly women (who are at higher risks of pelvic floor disorders subsequent to pregnancy) have a very simple and inexpensive prevention and remedy. Get more sunshine.

And if that’s not possible or desirable – not only is supplementation safe and inexpensive but there will be a host of other benefits apart from the many already documented that will be attributed to increased vitamin D levels.

Desmond may be offended by me using the analogy of an old dog to describe his achievement, but my hope is he will understand.

It’s one of the benefits I get from doing what I do and it’s time I wrote more of these stories I’m told. By who you ask?

By an Oracle.

A what? The description will do because in my mind it really means someone who is wiser than their years should rightfully allow. And this Oracle is also known as Sunami. A woman short in stature, yet very tall in peaceful energy. A warming energy I’ve not come across before, and may not again. But that’s another story.

She encouraged me to tell more stories and give less facts. She knows me well for I love facts and figures, yet I also love the emotion of a good story and that’s why today I thought I’d indulge in this story of one man’s determination to take control of his health, in the hope it will inspire others to know that nothing is fixed in stone.

Developing Habits- Good or Bad

We all develop habits and it’s these that landed Desmond in a place he didn’t want to be at the age of 66. Overweight and sore. With a weight of 104.6 kgs and a height of 6′ 2.5″ or 1.89m tall Desmond had a BMI index of 29.6. And 30 and over on that scale is considered obese.(Sunami – sorry about the facts and figures ). You can check your BMI index here.

How did it happen? Gradually over many years. Partly because Desmond married a lovely young woman who cooked wonderful food. Food he enjoyed. Just a little too much.

But habits develop and whether we eat selfishly or socially we all have developed ideas about the process. How much we dish up, how quickly we eat, how frequently we snack and how we talk to ourselves while we’re doing all this.

Rationalisations come quick and fast. I do alot of exercise. It’s Easter and one  more hot cross bun or Easter egg wont hurt. The post prandial feeling is powerful and pleasant. And this is where the trap lies. A little too much, too often and then when we really start to think about – the habit has become our silent partner. Whispering enticements into our mind.

And we let it – until one day. The decisioin is made. Enough is enough. I am in control and I will change.

A Decision Was All It Took – But Is It Really That Easy?

Ok Desmond was in South Africa at the time – and attending the Miss World Pageant – (and no I haven’t asked him in what capacity yet. Maybe he’ll post that here.) And he saw a chink in his ego’s armour. Could the odds be stacked in his favour? It was as good a place and time to start as any. And he had two weeks to get started on a new habit. But why then?

Desmond is a determined person. And he was aware of a few things:

1. He loved his wife very much and he wanted to give her a reason to be proud instead of the source of playful jibes about his weight.
   
2. His knees were increasingly painful with arthritis – although some relief had begun with recent dietary adjustments and supplements
   
3. Challenging the strength of his positive mental attitude
4. He knew he was eating too much and weighed too much – since about 2000.
   
5. A growing sense of disgust at the weaknesses and stupidity portrayed on many weight related reality TV shows
6. His was finally able to hear the messages his body had been telling him for years.

So he changed. Giving up volume first. And sticking to it.

By the time he got back home the new habit had formed and he continued to eat less volume. More raw foods. Less sugar, no soft drinks (the odd beer and wine though) and still a few treats.

And the Result Is

Since December the 1st 2009 Desmond has lost just over 24 kilograms. That’s nearly 1/4 of his weight. There are other benefits as well.

• His knees are significantly better.
• He feels he’s actually saving nearly $50 per week on food they no longer need.
• Maybe he’ll be able to reduce the investment he’s making on some of his supplements.
• His quality of life is no doubt significantly improved.

  So congratulations and a great big round of applause.

But It Doesn’t End There – It’s Just The Beginning

You see just today Desmond told me that not only has he made these great changes in his life, but he has two friends who are following his lead and joined him on a similar journey of their own. So this seems like not only a case of teaching an old dog new tricks but one of the old dog teaching others as well.And if he can teach others to teach others – the pay it forward concept – then just imagine.

Imagine the impact of that simple act. What if they each inspire two others to do the same – and so on… and so on?

To your increasing health.

Reading the local paper this week, I was struck by a large photograph of an older -probably over 50- gentleman being given his annual flu jab by a young healthy looking nurse. He was gaunt.

The contrast was striking.

My first thought was – he’s doing the right thing. For him.

No doubt his immune system was compromised from the mal-nourishment he clearly suffered and therefore his risk is higher. And vaccination is giving his immune system an advance warning – a preparatory wake up call. It’ll take two weeks after the vaccination for protection to increase, so now is a good time…for him.

The next piece of information to add to the picture was that this man was also an asthmatic. This was given as another reason why he should be vaccinated well in advance of the flu season.

Sensible sound advice. Or is it the perpetuation of habituated behaviour commercially driven by companies with massive lobbying budgets?

In other words we expect vaccines to work and we believe they work and so we use them. While there is a decline in disease frequency once vaccines are developed and introduced there is a bigger picture as discussed in an earlier article. The graphical evidence presented earlier is a clear picture of a different reality of vaccination succes.

Startling Research Sheds New Light

In an interesting paper published this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there was strong statistical evidence from a multi-centred, double blind placebo controlled interventionist study clearly showing that vitamin D supplementation nearly halved the incidence of seasonal flu. For people with scientific bias – this is highly significant.

Now a surprising incidental finding on this study was there was clearly a positive impact on asthma as well. Asthma attacks occurred in only 2 of the children receiving vitamin D supplements compared with 12 that were on the placebo.

Add to that another recent paper published on March the 7th this year in Nature Immunology online showing clear evidence that vitamin D controls the signalling and activation of human T cells – they’re the white blood cells that are critical to your immune system. (Wikipedia has a good description of their function.)

So back to the beginning – would our man receiving the vaccine be better off without the vaccination? Not unless his malnutrition can be corrected. And that’s the point here.

In stead of the government spending millions on free vaccines why not take an other step back from the cliff edge and provide some fundamental support for a proven winner that is not only going to help provide protection against the three strains of virus in this year’s seasonal flu vaccine and put it into better use boosting the population’s immunity!

To your increasing health.

The major risk factor for the appearance of melanoma is exposure to UV radiation.

Or so we are lead to believe by News and Current Affairs pieces such as Campbell Live on Monday 1st March 2010 on TV 3. The story centered around an incredible woman from Wellington who has malignant melanoma. It has spread throughout her body and she has undergone many surgeries to remove metastatic melanoma growths from bone, kidney, glands and many other parts of her body.

She is a courageous and defiant young woman who has a message. She is sensible, smart and has a fantastic attitude. She has outlived all informed lifespan predictions and hopefully will continue to do so.

NZ Doctors Hope To Release World First

But the TV story was actually focusing on the development in NZ of a potential vaccine to use as a treatment of early stage Melanoma, by a group of medical specialists. From the description given this would not be a classical vaccine which most people relate to. It is not given as a preventative but given to stimulate your immune system to attack the melanoma cells once an early diagnosis of melanoma has been made.

Valuable research and I’m sure this will be a welcome weapon to fight melanoma where today the only medically accepted method is surgical removal with or without chemotherapy and with or without radiotherapy. It is radical stuff.

But Why Half Baked?

This story perpetuates what I believe will be proven to be an incorrect representation of the full story of UV radiation and all skin cancers not just melanoma. Lets stay with melanoma though.

The primary risk factor for melanoma is an inability to tan. Fair skinned people cannot produce as much melanin and that is the pigment that produces your tan and protects against the damage from UV radiation.

Read that again – it’s important.

What it means is that a person with fair skin like the women on this TV3 story are  more likely (about 20 times according to www.aimatmelanoma.org) to get melanoma than someone from Nigeria. Melanoma does afflict all races, so being dark skinned is no free ticket.

And What Other Factors Could Contribute?

In an earlier article the theory of a link between the increased use of sunscreens, sun protection and covering up with the reduction in your natural vitamin D levels has been offered. With the lowering national levels there has been an increase in incidence of vitamin D insufficiency and every scientific study I have found recently from the Journals of Epidemiology to Journal of American Medical Association all simply concluded – More Research Is Needed.

Sadly the fear mongering with stories like this and mis-guided emotional appeals to keep out of the sun continue to be appear and my fear is this simply exacerbates an already challenging and all to common situation of vitamin D insufficiency at best and deficiency at worst. The subsequent perpetuation of chronic diseases associated with incompetent immune systems and the lack of full genetic expression due to the requirement for adequate vitamin D levels is pandemic.

Common flu, swine flu and many other should be easily dealt with by your robust and fully functional immune system. And effective levels of vitamin D are critical to achieve this.

You can get vitamin D for free from adequate sun exposure – but don’t be silly and burn.