November 2009

Vitamin D has become a hot topic in traditional and alternative medicine because there seems to be a direct correlation between vitamin D levels and many health concerns – osteoporosis, cancer, depression, immune function and even autism. In the early part of the 20th century, some moms gave their kids a daily dose of cod liver oil to prevent rickets – softening of the bones caused in part by a vitamin D deficiency. Today most of the milk we buy is fortified with vitamin D. That may be enough to prevent rickets but it falls well short of the 1000 to 2000 IU daily dose of vitamin D recommended by the National Academy of Sciences for optimal health. Because our bodies produce vitamin D in response to sunlight, those of us who live above the 37th parallel are far more likely to become vitamin D deficient than our neighbors to the south. Individuals with limited sun exposure should consider taking a vitamin D supplement. It is very difficult to get the recommended daily amount of vitamin D in a typical healthy diet because only fatty fish and fish oils naturally contain significant amounts of vitamin D. The bottom line: Research on the super power of vitamin D is very compelling. So compelling I now offer everyone in my family a daily 1000 IU vitamin D supplement in pill form. I guess I could have gone the cod liver oil route but, I have been told that cod liver oil is an acquired taste.

Do your earlobes make you look old? Do they hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Age, heavy earrings and heredity may have left you with disproportionally large or creased earlobes that have lost their tone. So what’s a girl to do? You can’t exercise your earlobes. But, for about $1000 a plastic surgeon will harvest fat from your belly and inject it in your earlobes. Finally a great use for belly fat!

November is National Pomegranate Month. Make the time to be good to you by having a glass - or two - of pomegranate juice daily. Clinical studies have shown that the antioxidants in pomegranates can reduce your blood pressure and your risk of clogged arteries.

Happy Thanksgiving & Good Health!

Terry

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”
~W.T. Purkiser