Time for the Sun – The FDA Intrudes

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Mark Pegram

Before I begin, I would like to apologize for the errors and bad writing in the last post. I was uploading from McDonald’s at the beach and didn’t finish editing before I lost the connection.

By the late nineties, the scientific evidence was clear that sunscreen and sun-block were not preventing skin cancer. The UVA rays were not being stopped from penetrating the skin was a skin cancer issue. Also the many claims by the pharma’s that their products would stop skin cancer were not confirmed so the FDA asked for label changes to drop the cancer prevention claims. There is no scientific evidence that sunscreen stops melanoma. The FDA’s request failed in the courts in 2000 as John Roberts, present Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, ruled that the FDA could not stop the manufacturers from making the outrageous claims about cancer prevention. This ruling was in direct violation of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 about no substance can claim it will prevent, cure, or treat disease without it being called a drug and following all the rules for drugs.

Move forward another decade, the FDA has been able to get the sunscreen industry to make label changes. You may view the detail of the changes and even watch some video shorts of their reasons for making the changes at the FDA website. The videos deal with the two types of frequencies and how the sunscreens will now be required to reduce the UVA rays as well. Also the word ‘sun-block’ will no longer be allowed for use on the label because this is a complete exaggeration, or if you prefer – lie. Also the word waterproof will no longer be allowed because all lotion will eventually lose its integrity. The words ‘Broad Spectrum’ in addition to the SPF number will be required to show that the sunscreen slows UVA rays as well UVB. These changes take place in June of 2012, this month.

Dr. Gorham in his video that we have been referring to, Skin Cancer/Sunscreen – the Dilemma, shows that the chemicals used to slow UVA only works in the frequency range that is closer to the UVB. It does not work in the more intense energy frequency range of UVA that is closer to the violet spectrum of visible light. This means that the slowing of the UVA energy by new ‘Broad Spectrum’ sunscreen may not be adequate to prevent skin cancer. The visible spectrum then continues into the color ranges of indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. To remember the light spectrum you may use the mnemonic name Roy G. Biv. Of course going in shorter wavelength of spectrum you have UVA, UVB, UVC, x-rays, and gamma radiation.

My question is what happens to the energy of the UVA that is being slowed by the chemicals. Does it re-radiate into the longer UVA wavelengths. It is my belief that the only way the sunscreens will ever protect us is to have a lotion that will radiate the UV energy into the visible spectrum. This would be a really ‘cool’ product as well as you could see of the person glow in violet and indigo as they are exposed to UV radiation. The kids would love this. Let’s see how long before this suggestion finds its way onto the shelves. Of course there are sunscreens that reflect the UV radiation with products that have either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These typically look white on the skin and are not consider pleasing to the eye. However, they may be even more effective than dark pigmented skin in preventing melanoma. All UV reduction products prevent the formation of vitamin D!

As a last thought on the FDA, why did the label changes not include a warning that UVB reduction products will prevent an essential nutrient from forming, vitamin D, or more importantly an essential hormone? -1 It would seem that if the government was really concerned about health, especially with the high incidence of osteoporosis it would not want vitamin D in the population reduced.

Now as I am thinking about it there are many other oddities by government in the vitamin D arena. The IOM’s Food and Nutrition Board totally discounted all the evidence pointing toward the prevention of over two hundred other diseases and said there was enough vitamin D in the population to prevent osteoporosis and plainly stated they only considered bone health. -2 The FNB violated the National Academy of Science strict conflict of interest policy without action by the US or Canada for breach of contract. -3 The division of HHS for Research and Health Quality did not separate the studies provided to the FNB for vitamin D3 versus vitamin D2 (confusion by complexity). -4 Our now Chief Justice, John Roberts, ruled in 2000 that the FDA could not stop the outrageous lie that skin cancer was prevented by sunscreen thus increasing the use of sunscreen. -5 Why was this ruling not challenged in the Supreme Court as a violation of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994? -6 Health and Human Services will not allow the use of mandates in the health industry because markets are more important than your health – former Secretary Leavitt’s words. -7 The class action lawsuit of 2006 against the sunscreen industry for their lack of truth about sunscreen was basically dropped with a small payment (less than fifty thousand) to the National Cancer Institute, a US agency – odd as NCI did not initiate the lawsuit. – 8 Does the US health industry increase from five percent of GDP in 1960 to over eighteen percent of GDP in 2009 without the manipulation of a large sick population? -9 Is there a conspiracy going on? Yes I used the word and this is not the first time it has been used in relation to vitamin D. The US Government used it when they took 16 multinationals to court for conspiracy in manipulating the vitamin D market in the 1940’s. Now is that same government intimately involved? Just asking the questions – I know vitamin D professionals cannot ask the questions without fear of their careers. – Pandemic Survivor

Preventing, Treating, and Curing Disease

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Mark Pegram

Bill Sardi, a lifelong medical writer, has just written an article for Lew Rockwell about medical mischief by two Senators: “Senators Intervene To Halt Wellness Ambassadors Who Recommend Dietary Supplements Instead of Drugs at Rite-Aid Stores” This article discusses how the US government is intimately involved in healthcare to maintain that industry’s profits under the guise of protecting your health. The government does not protect your health. It protects the profits of the companies that fund their re-election campaigns.

To maintain a health care system that cost twice as much per capita as the next closest industrial country is not an easy task. The Government was on your side until just after WWII. During the height of the war, the government went after a large number of companies that were up to no good in manipulating vitamin D. These companies are ones that you can still recognize today: Charles Bowman for General Mills Corporation, E. I. du Pont de Nemours, Quaker Oats, Standard Brands, Gelatin Products Corp., Borden Co., Carnation Co., Nestle Milk Products, Inc., Vitamins Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Meade Johnson & Co., William S. Merrill Co., Parke-Davis Co., R. Squibb & Sons, Winthrop Chemical Co. “General Mills Corp. was named as a co-conspirator, but will not be a defendant in the action.” This is from my article on vitamin D for profits.

It seems that the government has crossed over and is now manipulating your health for profits. Bill Sardi explicitly shows, vitamins are a much safer route to health than drugs. All chronic disease is primarily nutritional deficiency. It is amazing to me how our institutions have conspired to keep you in these deficiencies for profit. The really bad actor is the medical insurance industry conspiring with US Congress for political contributions. The reason our health care cost is so much higher than the rest of the world. – Pandemic Survivor

The Vitamin D2 Debacle

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Mark Pegram

Modern medicine has long considered that vitamin D3, cholecalciferol, and vitamin D2, ergocalciferol, to be equal. That is these two compounds will give you exactly the same clinical response. This has been a huge mistake. This extreme error in medicine has cost tens of millions of lives and an unbelievable amount of suffering. It is true that in small amounts, vitamin D2 will cure rickets. In larger amounts it becomes extremely toxic at much-much lower levels than vitamin D3. When the IOM’s Food and Nutrition Board set standards for vitamin D, they address this issue by saying that a serum level for 25(OH)D of twenty nanograms per milliliter made from vitamin D2 was adequate for bone health. They then warned that levels above fifty nanograms per milliliter could result in health issues. This is absolutely correct when using vitamin D2 or the stuff that your doctor typically prescribes. Until recently, vitamin D3 was not available for prescriptions. Under US law, if a doctor prescribes a vitamin to prevent, cure, or treat a disease, it becomes a drug. The medical profession has been extremely concerned of this issue of toxicity from either vitamin D2 or toxisterols that occur from over irradiation when making D2.

It gets even more complicated because vitamin D3 is not a vitamin but a prohormone. It is the substance that our body produces when we are exposed to the UV rays from the sun or our natural connection to the sun that was forever altered with the introduction of sunscreen products. Consider the importance of hormones. Would you give a person estrogen if they had a testosterone deficiency? They are very similar in molecular weight and only differ by the placement of oxygen and OH groups. They are hormones and typically affect the expression of over one hundred fifty genes. The mix up of these two hormones would cause a significant failure of biological functioning. Vitamin D3 affects the expression of over two hundred genes and over twenty seven hundred genes have been found to have vitamin D pathways. So would you want to mix up D2 with D3 that could cause your health to fail?

If you are totally deficient in vitamin D, then a small amount of D2 may be acceptable medical practice until you can get an adequate amount of D3 from either supplementation or spending time in the sun. To show you how the medical schools have taught physicians, my doctor told me that if I took five thousand IU’s per day of vitamin D that my organs would turn to stone. Of course this was before I encouraged him to read the research. The calcification of organs and soft tissue has long been an issue with vitamin D2 and rightly so. However, this has lead to a huge problem with vitamin D3 deficiency where the importance of this vitamin or if you prefer hormone, is not just about bone health. To think that our venerated institutions that we depend on to give us scientific direction for health stated that they only considered bone health when reviewing vitamin D is outrageous. One of the most important hormones in our body and our health institutions give it a ‘one note’ function. It is time that the medical profession gets on with orchestrating the symphony.

I recently had a friend tell me his doctor had just prescribed D2 because his 25(OH)D was 15 ng/ml. I tried to explain the difference between D2 and D3 but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. He kept asking the medical difference and he did not seem to believe the answer. Do not allow yourself to fall into this trap. If your doctor tells you to take fifty thousand IUs of vitamin D2 per week, ask if you can use the natural substance your body makes, vitamin D3. If he says no, then find a new doctor because the one you have does not know what he is doing. – Pandemic Survivor

For the best explanation, The Vitamin D Problem, by Moon and Reich from 1975 that includes the history. A PDF file.

Mesmerized by Epimerization

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Mark Pegram

Franz Mesmer was a German born physician that had interest related to human and animal behavior. He contended that through ‘animal magnetism’, significant physical results could be realized. His name is the basis for the word Mesmerized. It has been an unfortunate occurrence in vitamin D science that the medical professionals and the general population have been hypnotized like chickens with a line drawn in the dirt. (We did this as kids – check it out Chicken Hypnotized) We all need a nudge to wake up from this surreal dream. The following is not for the faint of heart or for those that do not have the curiosity to pursue a deeper understanding. If not curious, then just watch the chicken video and have a good day.

Epimerization is simply the difference in the positioning or bond angle of the OH group in the Carbon 3 position of the vitamin D compound. What do we know about how much difference a bond angle will make? It seems that this bond angle is of significance in genetic expression, so let’s explore. Check out this example for the sugar glucose: Epimers

It came to my attention several years ago that one of the local hospitals that was attached to a state university was doing vitamin D testing only on D2 and its metabolites. The reasoning was that the clinicians wanted only to know the level of the drug, vitamin D2, because this is what had been prescribed. The logic was that the level of the hormonal metabolites of natural vitamin D3 were so low that it was of no consequence. After all, there had been a great job done for the last fifty years of scaring people out of the sun. Or maybe, this was not exactly the logic, but I am sure this is close. So the mixture of treating D3 and D2 as equals and ignoring the total effect of the metabolites of these pre-hormones has done the practice of medicine and the population as a whole a great disservice. It is only through the separation of these two compounds and not allowing peer reviewed papers to be published without designating what is being used that we can achieve our goal of being reconnected to the sun.

I had always thought that the complications of not having accurate serum vitamin D levels or 25(OH)D was a matter of the different test methods not giving either totals of the two or only values for one or the other – 25(OH)D₂or 25(OH)D₃. In the later case I was right as is suggested by what was being done at one of our university hospitals. But it turns out that it is a lot more complicated. Consider the recent release by the American Chemical Society – “New Standard for vitamin D testing to assure accurate test results”, January 25, 2012. The paper describes the storage metabolites of vitamin D: “The researchers developed four versions of the standard, with different levels of the vitamin D metabolites 25(OH)D₂ and 25(OH)D₃ in human serum. They also determined the levels of 3-epi-25(OH)D in the adult human serum samples. Surprisingly, they found that this metabolite — previously thought to only exist in the blood of infants — was present in adult serum. “This reference material provides a mechanism to ensure measurement accuracy and comparability and represents a first step toward standardization of 25(OH)D measurements,” say the researchers.” It seems that these epi-metabolites have a less effect on calcium. In order of effect on increasing hypercalcemia, it is 3-epi-25(OH)D_3,25(OH)D₃, 3-epi-25(OH)D₂, and 25(OH)D₂(and don’t forget the toxisterols that can be made during manufacture of D₂from over irradiation of fungus). It also seems that the epi-compounds are just as effective as the original. Did I get this correct? Here is a starting place for you to begin your consideration. 1α,25(OH)₂-3-Epi-Vitamin D₃, a Natural Physiological Metabolite of Vitamin D₃: Its Synthesis, Biological Activity and Crystal Structure with Its Receptor This is an open access to the full paper. Do you begin to see the need for the separation of D2 and D3 and metabolites?

Now does this really get us to a better place in the understanding of our natural hormone D? Consider the recent attention on cholesterol sulfate and the resulting compounds of hormones that are made from cholesterol sulfate, in particular vitamin D3 sulfate. So now are we looking at eight storage metabolites instead of four? How confusing can it get? Consider what the writers of this paper: HPLC Method for 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Measurement: Comparison with Contemporary Assays, March 2006, had to say: “According to Shimada et al., nearly equal amounts of 25(OH)D₃ sulfate and 25(OH)D₃ are usually present in patient sera.” The Shimada paper: Shimada K, Mitamura K, Higashi T. Determination of vitamin D₃ metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography or immunoaffinity chromatography. J Chin Chem Soc 2000;47:285-228.

Only after the clinical outcomes related to the levels of the eight compounds, 3-epi-25(OH)D_3,25(OH)D₃, 3-epi-25(OH)D₂, 25(OH)D_2,3-epi-25(OH)D₃sulfate_,25(OH)D₃sulfate, 3-epi-25(OH)D₂sulfate, and 25(OH)D₂sulfate are determined will we be able to accurately assess the health benefits of vitamin D.

Just think of the confusion of test methods to determine the amounts of the various vitamin D compounds and correlating clinical outcomes with one thing that we call 25(OH)D. Researchers and reviewers, it is really up to you. If you fail in allowing papers to be published without making the necessary distinctions, then, the population will continue to suffer at your ineptness. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary HHS – Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., Director Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, are you listening? Okay, all you chickens, GET UP!

If you really were not curious and you made it this far anyway, then may God bless you and go spend some time in the sun. – Pandemic Survivor

Color My World Ultra Violet B

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Mark Pegram

“As time goes on, I realize just what you mean to me…..color my world with hope…” Chicago 1970.

This is a familiar song lyric made popular by the band Chicago. Our relationship with the sun has forever changed with the introduction of sun screen and staying inside during the highest incidence of ultra violet B in the summertime because of the introduction of air condition and electronic entertainment. It is a ‘love song’ being song now by many in the world of vitamin D research. However, what I have discovered in writing this blog is that the researchers seem to be talking only to each other. What is the point of this? Until the medical profession embraces the idea that most chronic disease is created by not having enough vitamin D and this embracing is sanctioned by governments, we will continue in a state of severe disease.

The recent release by the Institution of Medicine findings through the Food and Nutrition Board on vitamin D and Calcium has been a major setback for moving forward in resolving disease states. Even though they qualified the findings as pertaining to bone health only, the statements that there was not enough research to support higher amounts to stop disease gave medical institutions and government time. Why is this time needed?

On April 27, Natural News published this article by Dr. John Cannell, Vitamin D Council, describing the need of the medical industry for time to develop vitamin D analogs. Betrayal of a Nation: Why U.S. health authorities are keeping you deficient and who stands to gain. http://www.naturalnews.com/032202_vitamin_D_deficiency_disease.html He references an article that I wrote in December, Conflict of Interest at Nation Academy of Science, about the conflict of interest with members of the FNB for vitamin D.

The egregious violations of the National Academy of Science (IOM is a division) rules can only be allowed to occur by the sponsors. The only answer is that both the government of Canada and the government of the US (primary sponsors) stand to gain significantly by maintaining an unhealthy population. These governments did not only allow it to occur, but most likely sanctioned the results. There is no greater institution of science than the National Academy in the minds of the public. However, politics has entered this arena with the thought that a healthy population would lead to a significant reduction in the health care economy. (I am not big into conspiracy theories, but here institutions are moving together with what they perceive is best for them without empathy for the individuals they serve.) If you had to make the decision between a healthy population and a healthy economy, which would you chose. A thirty percent reduction in the healthcare economy from a healthy population would mean a five percent reduction in the total economy. What would happen with all these additional unemployed people? There is no simple answer.

With that many more people unemployed in the current economy would the economy of the world collapse? Here is the fear by our leaders. There will be no proclamation by the President or by Health and Human Services. Yes the greed of the medical institutions, in particular medical insurance is driving the decision making process. Our government leaders are allowing this to occur, not from lack of knowledge, but from fear of total collapse. It has taken us seventy years to reach this point. Read how the government was involved with vitamin D misadventure through the courts at my post Vitamin D for Profits – 1923 to 1946 https://pandemicsurvivor.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/vitamin-d-for-profits-1923-to-1946/ Will it take us another seventy years to reach a healthy understanding of our relationship with the sun?

Moving institutions is a daunting task, especially when there are significantly large amounts of money involved. My hope is that people of science will stop considering only their individual incomes, the incomes of the institutions that employ them, and start considering the individuals they serve. If not, by definition, they are practicing institutional evil. Until these institutions start to move, our hope is the individual doctors that have embraced the science like my hero Dr. Joseph Prendergast, M. D., Endocrine Metabolic Medical Center. Dr. Prendergast has treated upwards of four thousand people with vitamin D. His take on vitamin D from you tube from 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PYsXQ16Ztg

Of course, my personal physician, Dr. Mark Perini, is my hero because he was willing to listen to me, watched me healed and has fully embraced vitamin D science. His practice has even purchased its own vitamin D testing equipment. The point of this is that the message of the researchers is reaching our doctors and soon, whether sanctioned by government or not, we will move toward health through doctor peer pressure from amazing results. Researchers, you are my hero as well, keep up the great work. Keep reaching the doctors in any way that you can.

Color my world with ultra violet B – Pandemic Survivor

Scared Out of the Sun for Fifty Years

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Mark Pegram

It seems the American Academy of Dermatology has released a new position statement for vitamin D. Here is the PDF. An amazing statement in the opening paragraph is a ‘true grabber’. “Vitamin D should not be obtained from unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.”

Our ancient relationship with the sun has changed forever – to paraphrase a statement made by Dr. Edward Gorham, Ph.D. from UCSD about sunscreen. It is amazing to me that the AAD would attempt to continue its fifty year position on the sun with all of the new science.

Here is the Vitamin D Councils comment via news release: It seems that Dr. Cannell believes that the AAD is fearful of litigation and lost revenues for their members. He may be correct.

In 2007, after I knew that my healing from vitamin D was real, I pursued the possibility of litigation for 25 years of physical suffering, lost income, and mental trauma. I contacted four different law firms and could not find a single one that was interested. The general comment that I got was that it would take at least ten years to litigate. Also, I was not interested in naming my local doctors because they had been miss-directed. I confirm that AAD is fearful of litigation. If I could have found a firm, they definitely would have been named as well as others that medically misdirected me. It is time for litigation, but we need someone with really deep pockets that is willing to take it on.

This battle will only be enjoined when the attorneys finally realize how much money there is to be made. I suspect that ultimately the Supreme Court will make the final decision. If the all of the population could be healed of one fourth or more of all chronic disease, just think how many jobs would be lost in the medical institutions? Economy versus Health! – A battle for the next two decades. Congress will have to act to finally resolve the issues. Battling for your health – Pandemic Survivor

Vitamin D Testing – O Canada

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Mark Pegram

Not often do you find a true ‘elephant in the room’ but I believe that Canada’s effort to reduce the amount of vitamin D testing is a rogue elephant. Of course it may be more like ‘hidden in plain’ site as the majority of people are not aware of the benefits of vitamin D. Ontario Ministry claims that it has nothing to do with the cost in their desire to go back to 2004 testing levels. The medical practitioners are very upset with the proposal by the Ontario Ministry of Health. Here is the article in the Globe and Mail – “Ontario considers curbing vitamin D testing.”

I believe that the truth is a major concern for reducing the amount of total services. Income will be lost when people become vitamin D replete and disease is reduced. Let’s take one minor example. Last year the Canadian health authorities encourage parents to increase the amount of vitamin D per day for children. There were a grand total of 10 pediatric deaths (as of May 1, 2010) in Canada during last year’s flu season. That is for everyone under eighteen years of age. Less than sixty percent of that population had the flu shot. The US pediatric deaths for the 2009-2010 flu season was 281. The population of Canada is about 35MM and the population for the US is about 300MM or a per capita pediatric death rate for the US that is 3.5 times higher than Canada. Is it because of less vaccination and more supplementation with vitamin D or both?

I do truly believe that the Ministry is earnest about its statement that the testing for vitamin D has nothing to do with the cost. I do believe that it has everything to do with the lost income from a healthier population. Given that in August, Oxford University reported that there were 2,776 genes that interact with vitamin D, why would you not want to test. Genetic Influence of Vitamin D. The report states that there are over 200 genes that affect directly- heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

It is going to be really interesting later this year when the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board finally issue their long awaited report on vitamin D and calcium. What will the recommendations be and how will that report be treated? In the last fifty years there have been 25,000 peer reviewed medical journal articles about vitamin D and disease. If the reports states there is not enough research then there is a large gray wrinkly animal just waiting to stump on you. The researchers are basically saying that everyone should have the serum level of vitamin D of people that live in a sunny country. Why are the skeptics calling these MEGA-doses of vitamin D? I don’t know about you, but I feel really good when traveling in sunny countries.

In most of North America we have reach a season where the sun no longer provides an adequate amount of vitamin D. That is if you are not afraid of getting cancer and you go into the sun. Have your serum 25(OH)D tested and try to maintain it at the level of a sunny country or 54 to 90 ng/ml. – Pandemic Survivor

Vitamin D as a Megatrend

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Mark Pegram

In 1982 John Nesbitt wrote a book named “Megatrends.” John’s idea was to track change based on what is going on in the present by tracking newspaper articles. This process was originally developed during World War II as a means to find out what was happening in countries that were at war and information about socioeconomic conditions were kept secret. There were several principles that built confidence in the process.

“The news-reporting process is forced choice in a closed system.”

“Societies, like individuals, can handle only so many concerns at one time.”

The first principle above really no longer exists as we do not have a closed system on the news. Now news can be obtained by the internet and not just from the major media outlets. With the internet, each individual if they choose, can be become a source of news.

The second principle however is still very sound. The health and wellness movement that started as a vitamin movement in California in the late sixties and early seventies continues to pick up steam. This continued trend in personal wellness is developing because of the failure of institutional medicine to fully define proper nutrition and the lust for profits driving allopathic medicine’s directions.

Fast forward to the year 2000 and we find Malcolm Gladwell’s book “The Tipping Point”. Tipping point is the level of interest in any given topic which builds enough momentum to become unstoppable. Has enough interest in vitamin D been built so that the understanding of health from sunshine has become unstoppable? This is an extremely difficult question to answer.

I believe a simple answer to the question is yes. We are starting to see new news articles every day now where only five years ago, news on vitamin D was limited to several articles per week. This is exactly how John Nesbitt’s method for determining the level of activity on any given topic worked. To use a sports example, they typically looked at ‘box scores’ instead of analyst comments to determine level of interest. They would simply look at the final score of the game instead of a commentator’s statement that the failure of a good throw to first by the third baseman caused the loss of the game.

Tracking healthy outcomes and death from vitamin D would be great way to determine if the trend was increasing. Healthy outcomes are virtually impossible to track because who knows how much everyone is taking. Deaths from overdose should be an easy number to find. In 2008, there were no deaths reported from vitamin overdose which has been the case for the last 17 out of 25 years according to Wikipedia if that is reliable. In 2003 there were 59 deaths from aspirin poisoning and 147 deaths from acetaminophen products.

Word of mouth and healthy outcomes is the most likely way that the momentum of vitamin D will increase. This falls into the model presented by Malcolm Gladwell. He suggests that changes in populations spread like viruses with three primary rules. The ‘law of the few’ states ‘connectors’ or information hubs, ‘mavens’ or information specialist, and ‘salesmen’ or persuaders are necessary parts of the information network. The specific content of the message that makes it memorable is called the ‘law of the stickiness factor’. The final law of the ‘power of context’ is in agreement with Nesbitt’s principle that societies can only handle a limited number of concerns at one time or the general impact of environmental conditions.

Economic conditions and health appear to be the major concerns of the time (‘power of context’). With special emphasis placed on flu like infections and cancer. I believe that tracking flu and cancer changes are going to be a great way to track what is happening with vitamin D. Vitamin D has a significant impact on both the flu and cancer. Of course the emphasis on the flu and cancer is being driven by economic forces. However, it locks up nicely with personal emphasis of health as distrust of our medical institutions increase. In other words when people hear of significant outcomes with vitamin D they will start to take it regardless of what institutions are saying (‘stickiness factor’). So a friend tells you that they have not had a cold since starting to take vitamin D two years ago, most likely you will start to supplement with vitamin D as well. As we move into the flu season we will continue to monitor the CDC statistics on the flu and look for anomalies. Also there is the beginning of a trend in the reduction of cancer rates. When we move from 180 neoplasm (tumors) per 10,000 to Mexico’s rate of 90 neoplasm per 10,000 we will know that we have reached the cancer rate for a sunny country. Think what a reduction of fifty percent in the cancer rate would do the medical economy in the US.

The other thing about the course of the Vitamin D Revolution is that it started in California which according to Nesbitt is one of the key states for lasting trends to start. (‘law of the few’) I contribute this to the work of Garlands (much later Grass Roots Health) at University of California SD, the work of the University of California Riverside for vitamin D research and organizing meetings every several years, and because of John Cannell’s exposure to these two institutions his development of the Vitamin D Council which has grown like wild fire as the internet source of information. Thanks, guys.

The sun is shining and the path is lit and vitamin D’s time is now. – Pandemic Survivor

NCI is up to no good on vitamin D

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Mark Pegram

When I first saw the headline, I thought well that is great news. Then as I read the article I became increasingly alarmed at how once again our tax dollars are being used not to promote science, but to further misinformation about vitamin D. Here is the headline:

“Roswell Park Team Receives Grant from the National Cancer Institute to Study the Anticancer Effects of Vitamin D”

That sounds really great and noble until you start to read how the trials are being run. They are not using just plain D3 in the trials but giving directly the active steroid, calcitriol, 1a,25(OH)₂D₃. What about the other 35 plus metabolites that are produced from the parent, D3? Another mater of confusion that comes to mind is the calcitriol going to be made from D3 or D2. You think that I may be picking at something that is not of importance. However, when there have been over two thousand genes identified that vitamin D impacts; the difference of a methyl group between vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 can be HUGE! If you do not believe that then go read Dr. Randy Jirtle’s work at Duke University about how metylation affects genetic expression.

From what I have read of the science of vitamin D the metabolites appear to work synergistically for the full benefit of sunshine. Why would you fund a project that is not part of the normal process of the human body when many studies have already been done to show the necessity of all the derivatives of sunshine? To help you understand my concern read this statement from vitamin D researchers at the University of California Riverside:

“Over the past 25 years, research efforts have largely focused upon understanding how 1a,25(OH)₂D₃ generates biological responses; an enormous scientific literature of over 5,000 scientific papers exists on this subject. By comparison, the biological actions of 24R,25(OH)₂D₃ have been relatively less studied. However, evidence has been presented to support the view that the combined presence of both 1a,25(OH)₂D₃ and 24R,25(OH)₂D₃ are required to generate the complete spectrum of biological responses attributable to the parent vitamin D.” http://vitamind.ucr.edu/biochem.html and http://vitamind.ucr.edu/about.html

The statement above is amazing but even more amazing when you consider that the dimmers that are formed with other nutrients like vitamin A are necessary for complete genetic expression.

In the words of the TV actor Dr. House these guys may be idiots. I really feel empathy for the ones participating in the study that could be healed with just plain D3. DO THE TRIAL WITH LARGE DOSES OF VITAMIN D3! -Pandemic Survivor

Vitamin D’s Time is Now

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Mark Pegram

The media is finally starting to get it. Or should I say willing to write about vitamin D and forgoing the fear of losing medical industry advertising. Now we read that more than half of the world’s population is vitamin D deficient. What does this mean as far as disease states and pain, suffering, and death from these diseases? What does it mean for the medical economy and economy in general?

Some media outlets are writing about vitamin D like it is some new discovery when actuality the understanding goes back to at least the late 1930’s. Then there is the fact that a huge campaign has been waged against sun exposure since the 1960’s. The science has been there all along and now with the internet and not depending on newspaper reporters to tell us what is actually happening; people are finally starting to see the medical industry for what it is.

Here is the news:

NY Times – What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D, Jane E. Brody July 26, 2010.

USA Today – Vitamin D Researchers May Have Doctors Prescribing Sunshine, The Associated Press, May 21, 2005

Wait, I thought that you said this is news? Yes that is right, five years later some changes have started to happen as the public is becoming more aware of the reality of sunshine. The USA Today article from 2005 shows a good indication of the battles that are being waged for your health care dollar and your health. Obviously the sicker the population, the greater the opportunity is for that industry to make money.

Statements are now being made that just maybe the minor cancers that you get from sun exposure are not as significant as the cancers that you get because of being vitamin D deficient. Interestingly enough, this same thing was said by researchers in 1941. In one medical peer reviewed journal paper, Dr. Cedric Garland states that there are over three thousand peer reviewed medical journal papers showing the inverse relationship between vitamin D and cancer. That is as vitamin D levels increase, the cancer rates go down. Every cancer patient’s vitamin D level should be checked and normalized to that of a sunny country.

So what does this look like for other chronic disease? Here is a chart that has been complied by wiki vitamin D. So what you see is a significant decrease in all levels of chronic disease and just maybe eradicating many of them. So how does the serum 25(OH)D levels on the chart represent where my serum level should be? If you notice from the chart that most chronic disease starts to go away at 50 ng/ml. Typically, people in a sunny country have serum levels of vitamin D between 54 ng/ml and 90 ng/ml.

Everyone is now holding their breath and waiting for the release of the vitamin D and calcium report of the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board. The report was supposed to come out in May but now has been put off until November. Can you just imaging what is going on in the board rooms of medical institutions across the world. Given the above chart of the decrease of chronic disease, we could easily be looking at a 25 to 50 percent reduction in disease states, which means a similar reduction in the medical economy. Ouch! Will a spoon full of sugar really make this ‘medicine’ go down? – Pandemic Survivor

Vitamin D Deficiency Survivor

Changing the Face of Health with Vitamin D

Category Archives: Vitamin D Battle