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Prepare for Cold and Flu Season
September 23, 2011
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The first thing I do when I get to the office each morning is listen to messages on our voice mail system.  This week, some of those voices sounded stuffy, scratchy, and hoarse!  It sounds like cold and flu season is here.  Make it a good season by preparing your immune system to fight off these common nuisances.  Also, have a couple things on hand in case you do come down with a bug.

Good hygiene like frequent hand washing will certainly help prevent the spread of germs.  Good food and smart supplementation help your immune system do a better job at fighting colds and flues.

Good Food:

Many of us live on refined foods: breads, pastas and cereals.  Our foods contain lots of added salt, sugar and fat.  These foods taste good, fill us up, and are cheap and easy to come by.  They do not, however, support good health.

Refined foods raise our blood sugar quickly.  Increased blood sugar effectively puts your immune system to sleep.  Research shows that the white blood cells that look for and attack viruses and bacteria are much less active when blood sugar increases.  Refined foods are also low in many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed for proper immune function.

Concentrate your diet on whole foods that provide essential nutrients without adding to our sugar burden.  Fresh vegetables and fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, all of which help the immune system function well.  Many people think of fruits as too sugary, but they don’t increase blood sugar as much as many “unsweetened” foods such as breads. 

I remember getting together for meals with other families when my children were toddlers.  Their little toddler friends would be forbidden by their parents to eat dessert before they’d finished their bagels!  Truth is, the bagel and the dessert are both basically pure sugar as soon as they hit your stomach.  Avoid them both.

Healthy fat and protein sources also make up part of a healthy diet.  Free-range grass-fed meats, poultry and eggs all provide important nutrition, as do raw nuts, seeds and fish.  Yogurt and cheeses are also good if you aren’t sensitive or allergic to dairy products. 

Smart supplementation:

There are so many supplements and claims on the market.  Where do you even begin?  I like to begin by plugging potential holes in our food supply.  A multivitamin or whole foods supplement provides the vitamins and minerals we are supposed to get from our food.  I tend to prescribe standard multivitamins when I want someone to get a specific amount of some nutrient, like B-vitamins for example.  In most situations though, I prefer whole foods supplements like Juice Plus™ which are made from dried fresh fruit and vegetable juices.  They contain all the nutrients found in these foods without the calories, sugar, or fiber, so they are compact.

I am particularly fond of Juice Plus™ because is helped my own kids.  Both of them have experienced significantly fewer illnesses since starting on that supplement.  And these are kids that eat very healthy diets.  Juice Plus™ is a multi-level product, which automatically makes me averse to it!  However, I have researched and tried other products, and I keep coming back to Juice Plus™.  It’s that good!

Another important supplement is cod liver oil.  When my father was a boy, most people took cod liver oil, and with good reason.  Cod liver oil is packed with omega-3 essential fats and fat-soluble vitamins like A and D.  These are all critical for proper immune system function, and they are all woefully absent from most people’s diets.  Note that “fish oil” may not contain substantial amounts of these vitamins.  “Cod liver oil” does.  Research shows that children who take cod liver oil and a multivitamin significantly reduce the number of doctor visits they make for upper respiratory infections.   Toddlers and children can take up to 4,000 mg daily, which is one teaspoon of oil.  Adults can take 1 -3 teaspoons daily.  Take it with food to improve absorption and reduce fishy burps.  Use capsules if you can’t take it by the spoonful.

Lastly, take a probiotic supplement like Lactobacillus acidophilus daily.  A study of 376 children compared those that took probiotics daily for six months to those that took a placebo.  Those who took the probiotics had 50% - 60% fewer coughs, fevers and runny noses.  They took a staggering 68% fewer antibiotics, and missed 30% fewer days of school.  That’s a nice effect from a simple supplement.  Take probiotics on an empty stomach at bedtime.

What about vitamin C?

Vitamin C and the herb Echinacea both have hefty reputations both as preventative and curative substances for colds and flues.  The medical literature is mixed.  Most studies find them to be ineffective compared to placebo, but very few studies actually use the doses that are commonly used.   Because I know that probiotics and zinc make a difference, that is where I start with my supplementation recommendations.

For example, studies of vitamin C generally use less than 1,000 mg daily.  Many of my patients use several thousand milligrams daily!  Nobel laureate Linus Pauling demonstrated that he could cure cancer with very high intravenous doses of vitamin C, so it stands to reason it can help with a common cold!  But there isn’t hard, fast, indisputable evidence that it does.

If you catch a cold:

At the first sign of a cold take zinc, and you will get better faster.  Take 75 mg per day until you are better.  High doses of zinc over long periods of time may cause other problems, so please follow this recommendation only for the duration of the illness.  In the office we use formulas that combine zinc with other vitamins and herbs, and we match them to the characteristics of the illness.  People with lots of mucous will tend to get a formula with Oregon grape root or goldenseal.  Dry stuffy colds are better treated with formulas containing Echinacea.
 

The homeopathic preparation Oscillococcinum is clinically proven to reduce the duration of influenza infections.  Begin to take it at the first sign of flu symptoms.  My instructions are slightly different than those on the package.  I recommend a small pinch of the pellets four times daily rather than an entire vial three times daily. 

Going deeper:

When you follow the basic rules set forth above, and still get sick repeatedly, you have more work to do.  My next two steps are elimination diets and homeopathy.

Some people have a sensitivity to one or more foods which disrupts the healthy functioning of their immune systems.  Identifying and removing that food from the body can make a huge impact on overall health.  To identify food sensitivities, you have to eat a very limited and hypo-allergenic diet (lamb, pears, carrots, and brown rice) for ten days; then reintroduce one new food every two days.  If you feel poorly within two days of eating a certain food, don’t eat it anymore.  Continue in this fashion until you know what foods you can eat and what foods you can’t.  Avoiding the foods that make you sick will dramatically improve your health.  It is difficult, but for many people it’s worth the effort.

You may be able to cut this process short by eliminating only those foods that are common triggers to the immune system.  Eliminate anything made with wheat, milk, and sugar, and see how you do.  Alternately, try eating just fruits, vegetables, whole grains that you cook from scratch, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, and seeds.  Nothing else.  Either of these two dietary strategies can make a big difference in your health.

Homeopathy is my passion because it can have an effect on the body unlike any other modality.  Think of it this way: nutritional intervention helps a body do more effectively what it is supposed to do.   An elimination diet removes a source of stress from a poorly functioning body.  Neither of these interventions actually changes the body’s innate intelligence to heal.  Homeopathy does.

I am often able to help people reduce their incidence of colds, coughs, sore throats, and the like substantially, and without mega doses of supplements or huge diet changes.  By stimulating the patient at the constitutional level, homeopathy improves immune function and eliminates many symptoms of disease.

Summary:

So give your body its best chance to stay healthy this winter.  Eat more vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, meats, fish and poultry.  Take a good multivitamin or whole food supplement, cod liver oil, and a probiotic with Lactobacillus acidophilus.  You may just notice your friends and co-workers getting sick when you aren’t!

If you are still struggling, consider an elimination diet or contact a qualified naturopathic doctor who can help restore your body’s natural ability to get and stay healthy.

The Only Time You Don't Want to Drink Green Tea
May 11, 2011

I devote a fair proportion of my practice to women’s health and infertility, so I was surprised to learn from a patient recently about green tea and pregnancy that I didn’t know.

 I am a strong proponent of regular green tea consumption. Green tea contains compounds that help people to breathe easier, relax, prevent cancer cells from multiplying, and inhibit cancer cells’ ability to invade healthy tissue. Not bad from a simple drink. Maybe this is why it has been consumed in Asia for thousands of years, with apparent excellent health results.

 I didn’t think there was a downside to green tea. But I learned that there is, or rather that there might be. As it turns out, the compounds that inhibit cancer cell multiplication do so by interfering with the body’s ability to use the b-vitamin folic acid. Folic acid is a staple in every pregnant woman’s multivitamin, as a deficiency in folic acid can lead to neural tube defects, like spina bifida, in her baby. By interfering with folic acid in the body, green tea could theoretically increase the chances of these birth defects. Therefore, I have started to recommend to women currently pregnant or wishing to get pregnant that they avoid green tea.

Black tea does not have the same effect and is safe to drink in moderate quantities. So is coffee. The green tea effect has nothing to do with caffeine.

If you are a green tea drinker and you are pregnant, don’t panic. I actually found no published medical study that demonstrates an increase in neural tube defects in green tea drinkers. The heaviest green tea drinkers do have lower blood levels of folic acid than those who don’t drink green tea. I did read in the abstract to one paper the following sentence: “The association between folate and the consumption of green tea…may be useful to clarify the mechanism which links adverse perinatal outcomes and tea consumption.” So this author makes a statement as though there is an established link. Again, I found not a single published study that actually demonstrated such a link. It is a theoretical risk only.

Nevertheless, when it comes to your baby, why take risks? In my practice, where women are sometimes conceiving after years of inability to do so, we try to tip the scales in favor of a healthy outcome however possible. So abstain from green tea during pregnancy…but start drinking it again after your baby is born!

The Shoemaker's Child
September 2, 2010

“The shoemaker’s children go barefoot.” The saying implies that one’s profession goes unpracticed in his own personal life. Here’s a story of my re-discovery of one of the most fundamental of naturopathic nutritional practices, and its effect on my own daughter. 

I have a fourteen year-old daughter named Ellen who has worn many of her father’s naturopathic “shoes” in her lifetime to deal with a variety of health challenges. When she was a toddler, homeopathic medicine and a very strict therapeutic diet (the specific carbohydrate diet) cured Ellen’s failure to thrive. In preschool, homeopathy helped her get over a paralyzing social phobia. As a school child she suffered from periodic migraines, which became less and less frequent with homeopathy, good nutrition and a good sleep schedule.

When she was eight, Ellen ate a dairy-free diet for a week and had one of the best soccer games of her young career. She had begun playing at the age of seven. She loved the game from the start, and she had good skills, but she was so timid that she was ineffective on the field. Her last game of the season followed her dairy-free week. Suffice it to say that her coach gave her the “most improved player” award at the end of that season. She was an entirely different player when she didn’t eat dairy products!

As is often the case, we drift away from that which is best for us. How meaningful would life be if the things that mattered were easy? At the age of fourteen, my daughter continues to play soccer, now at a much more competitive level than when she was eight. She still eats dairy products, and she still struggles with timidity on the field that prevents her from bringing her technical skills and athleticism to bear.

After a weekend tournament in the middle of August in which she struggled to contribute, she asked me if she could try that diet again. I was eating gluten- and dairy-free myself at the time and encouraged her to do the same. We agreed on a meal plan. The next weekend, she played the best soccer of her life. Parents of the other girls on her team confirmed what my wife and I believed we were seeing on the field. Her game had moved to a whole new level.   She even scored the first goal of her career at the more competitive “classic” level!

Clearly this experiment does not yet constitute tight adherence to the scientific method.   However, it remains quite clear that gluten (a protein found in wheat, oats, rye and barley) and milk products, affect Ellen’s play. It doesn’t change her physical ability, but she plays with more confidence and drive. There’s something in her brain that works better when she is avoiding certain foods. 

The implications of this fact range far beyond the soccer field. If she can approach soccer with more confidence and capability, think of what the effects are on the rest of her life – her schoolwork, relationships, career aspirations, and perhaps her physical health as well. If you have a child with a learning disability, ADD/ADHD, or any other mental or emotional issue, consider trying this diet. It might make a profound difference. If you need help, get it from the internet, or a bookstore, or at a health food store, or from a qualified health care practitioner.

We’re eating healthier as a family these days than when Ellen was eight, and we are all committed to continuing our gluten- and dairy-free diet. Only time will tell what its effects will be on all of our health. Many of Americans’ favorite foods are rich in gluten and dairy products. Consider that we have to give up typical treats like pizza, macaroni and cheese, bagels, cereal, cookies, pastas, cheeses, and ice cream. Yes – even ice cream! (Fortunately, you can find many gluten- and dairy-free versions of these foods.)

I’m also recommending gluten-free diets to my patients with autoimmune and other immune system dysfunction. Gluten often stimulates an over exuberant immune system reaction, leading to a number of diseases. Gluten can also stimulate receptors in the brain that are also stimulated by opiate drugs. This is probably why behavior can change when gluten is removed from your diet.

I encourage you to see how a gluten- and dairy free diet affects your life and your health. This shoemaker will do his best to keep his family in the best possible “shoes.” And hopefully those shoes will continue to play some mean soccer!

Homeopathy Effective in Migraine Treatment
May 2, 2010

A study published in April 2010 in The Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine concludes that homeopathy significantly improves migraines.  Migraine sufferers reported reductions in symptoms and improved quality of life.  They also reduced their use of conventional and other therapies, a good objective measure of improvement.

The study included 212 patients treated by 67 different homeopathic physicians.  Positive results continued for the full 24 months of the study, despite the fact that most patients received treatment for only twelve months or less.  As I often point out to my patients, this is the only true indication of a curative system of medicine: when the symptoms go away and the need for treatment goes away, then the disease has truly been cured.

The authors conceded that the design of the study does not eliminate other factors as influences on patient health.  Influences such as placebo effect and the effect of a positive doctor-patient relationship have been documented in previous studies of alternative therapies for migraines.  I have two things to say about this.  First, if the placebo effect cures migraines, great!  It's better than a drug not curing them.  Second, the way I have seen the placebo effect work out in reality is that it is short-lived.  Patients continuing to thrive for a full year beyond the treatment period indicates true healing.

Read the abstract at this link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20423206

or the full article at http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/acm.2009.0376

Homeopathy vs. Prozac
March 10, 2010
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A 2009 study in the journal Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine compared individualized homeopathy to the drug Prozac.  Ninety-one patients with moderate to severe depression were treated either with Prozac or by individualized homeopathy.  Neither the patient nor the doctor knew which treatment the patient received.

 

Over the eight weeks of the study, patients responded equally well to both treatments.  In other words, homeopathy was just as effective at reducing depression as Prozac.  In addition, the patients treated with homeopathy reported fewer troubling side effects, and they were significantly less likely to discontinue use of homeopathy due to side effects.

 

This is a great study for several reasons:

 

  • It meets one of the key “gold standards” for medical research: it is double-blinded.  Basically, each patient gave a complete medical history to a qualified homeopathic doctor.  The doctor identified what the correct homeopathic remedy was for that patient.  Then the patient randomly received either that remedy or Prozac.  Neither the patient nor the doctor knew which treatment was given.

Thus the results are highly objective.  They cannot be due to reporting bias, where the patient reports more favorably if he knows he’s taking one remedy or the other.  The results are also not attributable to the therapeutic relationship between the patient and doctor.  Homeopathy’s remarkable success is often written off by conventional doctors as the result of the homeopathic physician being so empathic and concerned about his patient.  It feels good to have someone actually take the time to listen to you!

 

  • It compares two different treatment approaches, rather than compare a treatment to placebo.  In the conventional placebo-controlled model, the treatment simply has to be better than nothing!  In this model, the treatment has to be better than the current standard of practice.  This comparative research model is gaining in popularity, as it helps physicians choose among available treatment options.

 

  • It demonstrates what every good homeopath knows:  Homeopathy is wonderful for treating depression, as well as a host of other conditions that destroy lives and stymie the best efforts of conventional medicine.

 

Read the abstract on Medline by following this link:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19687192

 

 

 

Don't suffer from allergies this spring!
February 21, 2010
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Choose homeopathy for allergy relief 

If the snow and cold ever go away in Asheville, its citizens will celebrate -- until, they realize that allergy spring season is just around the corner! But allergies don’t have to control your life. Here is a quick lesson on allergies and their treatment from a homeopathic standpoint. I also present research from the medical literature that supports my experience.

Asheville is a bad place for people with allergies. The immense variety of plant life that lives in this mountainous southern region wreaks havoc on people whose immune systems can’t tell friend from foe. Even people who have never suffered from allergies develop them upon moving here.

Understanding allergies

What are allergies? Merriam-Webster defines an allergy as an “exaggerated or pathological immunological reaction (as by sneezing, difficult breathing, itching, or skin rashes) to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual.” Basically, your body treats a harmless substance (like grass pollen) as if it is a danger (like a virus). It creates the same reaction as it would when you have an infection.

When you have an infection, the immune system can eliminate it and you feel better. When you are repeatedly exposed to an allergen, the symptoms persist. So you have two treatment options: eliminate the exposure (which is virtually impossible), or train the immune system not to react inappropriately.

Conventional medicines like antihistamines and inhaled steroids work by shutting the immune system down generally. They minimize the inappropriate function of the immune system, but they also inhibit the appropriate function of the immune system. They also tend to produce side effects which are generally nothing more than a nuisance, but can be dangerous in extreme cases.

Homeopathy and allergies

Everyone wants to know, “Is there a homeopathic remedy for allergies?” This is conventional medical thinking. There is not “a remedy” for allergies, but there is a remedy for each person with allergies.

For example, a person whose allergy symptoms include thick yellow nasal discharge that is much better when they are outdoors in cool weather might need the remedy Pulsatilla.   This person will tend to be gentle and emotional, warm-blooded, and thirstless. Her or his symptoms are likely to change frequently.

On the other hand, a person with a dry stuffy nose who feels better in hot humid weather will more likely respond to the remedy Nux vomica. This person will more likely be assertive and irritable, with a sensitive stomach and constipated.

There are a hundred other examples. I’ve personally cured people’s allergies with dozens of different remedies: Natrum muriaticum, Sabadilla, Kali bichromicum, Allium cepa, Sepia, Sulphur, Silica, Medorrhinum, etc.

Homeopathy has been practiced for two hundred years, and we still use the same remedies in the same way, based on the same indications. This is a system that has avoided constant overhaul for one simple reason: it works!

Medical research and homeopathy

There are a host of research studies that support the practice of homeopathy. Here are some that pertain to allergies. There is great debate among conventional researchers over the study design of homeopathic studies. Homeopathy does not lend itself well to placebo controls and double-blinding. I encourage you to read the studies for yourself. To me they are convincing. Perhaps that’s because I see their results duplicated in my practice day in and day out.

Colin (2006) reports on 105 cases of ear, nose and throat allergies treated homeopathically. Only two failed to respond and none deteriorated. Respiratory allergies were not as well-treated in this sampling, though many of the respiratory allergy sufferers did not return to the clinic for follow-up, so they had to be assumed to be treatment failures. Read the abstract at: Colin (2006).

Launso et al (2006) surveyed 88 patients who had consulted either a general practice medical doctor or a classical homeopath for allergies. Fifty-seven per cent of those under homeopathic care reported improvement in their health, while only 24% under conventional care reported improvement. Read: Launso et. al. (2006)

Goossens et al (2009) studied the effect of homeopathic treatment on allergic rhinitis (runny and stuffy nose). The reduction in symptoms was dramatic and significant across the population studied. Read: Goosens et. al. (2009)

What is it like to work with a homeopath?

Your experience with a homeopath will be very different from your visit with a primary care physician or allergist. First, the conventional doctor will spend little time with you. There is no need to learn much about your condition when the treatment options are so limited. You are almost certainly going to get a common antihistamine – a drug which blocks part of the immune reaction to an allergen.

An allergist will probably test you to see what it is you are allergic to. Then you will get an antihistamine and/or allergy shots specific to the type of allergen detected by the test. This at least individualizes care to some extent, but only to the extent that you identify your key allergen.  It does not take into account the entirety of your health.

A homeopathic visit involves a thorough examination of your health and health history. Each symptom is examined in detail. I want to know what makes your runny nose better or worse. What exactly does it feel like? When did it begin in the first place and why? What other symptoms or changes in your body come along with allergy season? 

Then I want to understand you as a person. What are your sensitivities? Are you hot or cold? Do you sleep well? What aggravates or annoys you? What soothes you? What causes you stress or ruins your day?

Homeopathic treatment also involves ongoing consultations to make sure the remedy prescribed actually works and that you continue to respond. The end goal of homeopathic treatment is to be disease-free and have little-to-no dependence on medication – including homeopathic medicine. The treatment should fix the problem, not just cover it up. 

You will tend to need more frequent care and repeated doses of the remedy early in the course of treatment. As the season goes by -- and as future seasons come and go – you will need the remedy less and less. This is real health care.

Don’t get caught in the (sick) crowd

People will line up to see their family practitioners and allergists this spring as they always do. They will continue to suffer, and to remain dependent on their allergy medications.   Try individualized homeopathic medicine this year and see what it feels like to conquer your allergies – to remain symptom-free this season, and for seasons to come.

 

 

World's Oldest Man Shares Diet Advice
September 25, 2009
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Click here to read a USA Today article about the world's oldest man.  He follows some of the basic advice we have been promoting for years:  eat less, and include plenty of fruit!  Also note the last line in the article:  His favorite lunch is liver and onions.  Liver contains essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins that are sparce in our food supply.  Always eat liver from organic free-range sources. 

Enjoy!

Take a pill or eat fruit?
September 1, 2009

Much is made of free radicals and antioxidants these days, and with good reason. Perhaps one of the greatest battles in the health-disease continuum is that between free radicals and antioxidants. Tipping the scale in our favor will promote longer life and better health.

A free radical is a molecule with one unpaired electron that carries a single positive charge. Free radicals are what cause your car’s body to rust. In the human body, these same free radicals cause tissue damage and aging. And that single positive charge gets passed domino-like through each molecule the free radical contacts in the body. 

Cigarette smoking, stress, chemical exposure, injuries, and sun exposure are all sources of free radicals.

Antioxidants neutralize that single positive charge and thus stop the “domino fall” of tissue damage. Vitamin C, vitamin, E, selenium, bioflavonoids, and polyphenols are all examples of antioxidants. 

As a general rule, the more antioxidants you have in your body, the healthier you are. In fact, a large British study in 2008 found that people with high blood levels of vitamin C lived four years longer than those with low levels.

Not surprisingly, antioxidant supplements are big business. From vitamin C to whole foods-based products (fruit and vegetable juices and powders), antioxidant products are widely available. The question is, Are these products effective and worth the price?

I’m not going to name products, because I’m not trying to endorse or condemn any one in particular. They will generally contribute to better health, all other things considered. I take a supplement myself, even though I eat lots of antioxidant-rich foods. 

 I’m aware of some powdered drinks that provide a whopping 15,000 – 20,000 ORAC units, a measure of antioxidant capacity, for about $8.00 per serving. This works out to 40 cents per 1,000 units. Can we do better with pure foods? 

 The USDA lists ORAC values for hundreds of foods. Wild blueberries provide about 6,500 ORAC units per 3.5 ounces. I can buy frozen wild blueberries at the store year-round for $4.00 per pound, making the cost per 1,000 units a little more than 13 cents! That’s one-third the cost of the supplement.

 Fresh raw currents have almost 8,000 ORAC units per 3.5 ounce serving. While the USDA does not list the ORAC value of dried currents, drying tends to triple ORAC values. Dried currents are $4.50 per pound locally. Assuming a tripling of antioxidant concentration, the cost per 1,000 ORAC units of dried currants is just four cents. 

Using similar logic, and the ORAC values of dark chocolate and fresh cherries, I come up with a real treat. Chocolate covered dried cherries at a local health food store are $16.99 per pound. Their ORAC value per 3.5 ounces is about 12,000, making the cost per 1,000 units just over 30 cents. Granted this is more than dried currants or frozen blueberries, but it’s cheaper than the supplement powder. And, it puts a smile on your face to think about taking your medicine!

 Now I’m not suggesting that we all live on dark chocolate and fruit. (Though I could suggest worse things!) A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus healthy fats and proteins, are crucial to good health. Berries, artichokes, black beans, tree nuts, artichokes, and culinary herbs and spices are loaded with life-extending antioxidants. Load your diet with them, and you will enjoy optimal health reduce your need for expensive supplements.

 

Children need vitamin D
August 15, 2009

A recent survey of American adolescents revealed that fully 70% are deficient in vitamin D.  Vitamin D is critical for bone growth and proper immune function.  Low levels of vitamin D can cause the bone disease Ricketts in children, and is associated with increased incidence of cancer and heart disease in adults. 

The current study also finds strong links in children between low vitamin D levels and both high blood pressure and diabetes. 

Your body can make vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight.  Fifteen - twenty minutes of sun exposure per day in light clothing is adequate, and puts you at little risk for sun damage.  You can also get vitamin D from oily fish like sardines, mackerel and herring, and from liver.  Mushrooms are a good vegetarian source which ave a multitude of other health-enhancing benefits.  (Mushrooms are nowhere near as rich a source of vitamin D as oily fish and liver, however.)

We routinely recommend cod liver oil for adults and children.  Cod liver oil from a quality manufacturer like Carlson's or Nordic Naturals is a great source f vitamin D andomega-3 essential fatty acids.  It should e viewed as a regular component of a healthy diet.  In adults we recommend 2,000 - 4,000 mg per day with food, and in children 1,000 - 4,000 mg per day depending on individual circumstances.

Eat less and live longer?
August 1, 2009

Consuming fewer calories can lead to a longer, healthier life, according to scientists studying the effect of diet on ageing in monkeys.

During the 20-year study on a group of rhesus monkeys, they found that those on normal diets were three times more likely to develop an age-related disease such as cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease than those on restricted diets.

Previous studies have shown ageing can be slowed in mammals by a calorie-restricted diet or exercise, but the primate study is likely to provide better insight into the potential effects on human beings.

The scientists also found evidence that the brain health of animals on a restricted diet was better, particularly the regions associated with motor skills, memory and problem-solving.

Richard Weindruch, a professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison school of medicine and public health, said: "We have been able to show that calorific restriction can slow the ageing process in a primate species. We observed that calorific restriction reduced the risk of developing an age-related disease by a factor of three and increased survival."

By the end of the study half of the animals permitted to eat as much as they liked had died, while only 20% of the monkeys given a third less calories each day had died.

The incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease of those on restricted diets was less than half of that seen in the control group. Diabetes or impaired glucose regulation, common in monkeys allowed to eat all they want, did not appear at all in the other group. The scientists, who published their findings in the journal Science, also found that a restricted diet appeared to have an effect on brain health.

Sterling Johnson, a neuroscientist and co-author of the report, said: "It seems to preserve the volume of the brain in some regions. Both motor speed and mental speed slow down with ageing. Those are the areas which we found to better preserved. We can't yet make the claim that a difference in diet is associated with functional change because those studies are still ongoing. What we know so far is that there are regional differences in brain mass that appear to be related to diet."

The study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, began in 1989 with a group of 30 monkeys, with a further 45 added in 1994. Today, 33 animals remain in the study: 13 on a normal diet, 20 restricted.

When allowed to feed freely the average calorie intake of the rhesus macaques was 640 calories, while those on the diet were allowed an average of 480 calories.