Dr. Weeks Comment: Here is a “centsible” health care option:
FROM THE FACT physician service
Reports on Vit D and Swine Flu
Vitamin D seems to be PREVENTING SWINE FLU. What do we have to lose?
Read the reports below and attachment then decide for yourselves.
You can now keep up to date on H1N1 from the leading
science publications. They are free and you can download the articles.
Be the expert on all this and know the facts, as we educate our patients about the facts, which will not be popular with many so called experts who are out to push their own agenda. Go to this link and check again every 2 weeks, as it will be constantly updated. http://www.thelancet.com/H1N1-flu
Be armed with facts that will counter the sales pitch the government
must offer to get rid of the over $1 billion of useless toxic swine flu
vaccines they have purchased sight unseen!!
Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com
#1: 1:30 PM PST, Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Dear Dr. Cannell:
Thanks for your update about the hospital in
I share an office with another family physician. I aggressively measure and replete vitamin D. He does not.
He is seeing one to 10 cases per week of influenza-like illness.
In my practice– I have had zero cases. My patients are universally on 2000-5000 IU to maintain serum levels 50-80 ng/ml.
Ellie Campbell, DO
Dear Dr. Campbell:
That’s good news. Now, if we just had a way for the CDC and the NIH to pay attention.
Critics say we should not recommend vitamin D to prevent influenza until it is proven to do so (It has not been).
The critics are thus saying, although they seem not to know it, you should be vitamin D deficient this winter until science proves being vitamin D sufficient is better than being Vitamin D deficient. Such advice is clearly unethical and has never ever been the standard of care.
This is not rocket science. If I am wrong, and Vitamin D does not prevent influenza, what is lost? A few dollars. If they are wrong, and it does prevent influenza, what is lost? So far, the CDC says 41 kids are dead from H1N1, and the flu season has not yet started.
Please contact your senators and congresspersons. Ask them to have hearings on vitamin D and H1N1:
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
John Cannell, MD
#2: Hi Garry,
Be sure to mention vitamin D. Attached are three relevant publications. Vitamin D will reduce risk of incidence and death.
Cheers,
Bill
1.: August 18, 2009
Vitamin D may reduce the risk of incidence and death from the current A/H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic
William B. Grant, Ph.D.
Sunlight, Nutrition, and
www.sunarc.org
wbgrant@infionline.net
1-415-409-1980
Target journal: The Medical Journal of Australia
Sir:
The current worldwide pandemic of A/H1N1 influenza “swine flu” has the potential to cause the infection and death of many people. This virus appears to have some seasonality, in common with epidemic influenza. There is good evidence that epidemic influenza is seasonal due to annual variations in solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) irradiance and vitamin D production.1 The beneficial role of vitamin D is thought to be induction of human cathelicidin, LL-37, which has antimicrobial and antiendotoxin effects and, thus, seems to explain the reduced risk of infection of epidemic influenza. However, vitamin D did not seem to reduce the risk of infection during the 1918-19 pandemic A/H1N1 influenza. However, there is evidence from an ecological study that solar UVB and vitamin D reduced case-fatality rates after infection by that virus: case-fatality rates were much lower in southern
Disclosure
I receive funding from the UV Foundation (
References
1. Cannell JJ, Zasloff M,
2. Grant WB, Giovannucci E. The possible roles of solar ultraviolet-B radiation and vitamin D in reducing case-fatality rates from the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic in the
3. Gracey M, King M. Indigenous health part 1: determinants and disease patterns. Lancet. 2009;374:65-75.
4. Nowson CA, Margerison C. Vitamin D intake and vitamin D status of Australians. Med J Aust. 2002;177:149-52.
5. Benson J, Wilson A, Stocks N, Moulding N. Muscle pain as an indicator of vitamin D deficiency in an urban Australian Aboriginal population. Med J Aust. 2006;185:76-7.
2.: August 6, 2009
H1N1 2009 influenza virus infection during pregnancy is likely linked to low vitamin D status
William B. Grant, Ph.D.
Sunlight, Nutrition, and
www.sunarc.org
Sir:
The recent paper reporting that pregnancy women in 13 states had four times the risk of hospital admission for pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus than the general population1 represents a serious public health problem. While giving priority for H1N1 influenza vaccine to pregnant women and prompt treatment of such infected women is certainly indicated, it is also important to understand why pregnant women are more susceptible to this virus. It was hypothesized that epidemic influenza is largely seasonal is due to the annual variation in solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) doses and vitamin D production.2 That the infected women had a high case-fatality rate (19%), had a high fraction with Hispanic heritage, often developed pneumonia and required cesarean section delivery are also consistent with vitamin D deficiency. Case-fatality rates in the United States during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic were generally due to subsequent pneumonia and were much higher in northern cities than in southern states, which was attributed to differences in solar UVB doses.3 Low vitamin D is also a significant risk factor for primary cesarean section delivery.4 It has been suggested that pregnant and nursing women require 4000-6000 IU/day of vitamin D,5 which is higher than 2000-4000 IU/day now considered required for the general population based on emerging scientific findings. There are many health benefits of vitamin D, so increasing vitamin D production would have many health benefits.
Disclosure
I receive funding from the UV Foundation (
References
1. Jamieson DJ, Honein MA, Rasmussen SA, et al. H1N1 2009 influenza virus infection during pregnancy in the USA. Lancet. 2009 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]
2. Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Umhau JC, et al. Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Epidemiol Infect. 2006;134:1129-40.
3. Grant WB, Giovannucci D. The possible roles of solar ultraviolet-B radiation and vitamin D in reducing case-fatality rates from the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic in the
4. Merewood A,
5. Hollis BW. Vitamin D requirement during pregnancy and lactation. J Bone Miner Res. 2007;22 Suppl 2:V39-44.