by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Organic?  Grass fed?  Non GMO?  Washed?  Non processed?  Gluten free?  Healthy Fats?  Safe packaging?

All of these questions and all you want to do is eat foods that are tasty, nutrient rich, and transported to our stores in a healthy way! Staying informed, it seems, is the only way to do it. But then the media is telling us about spinach and melons contaminated with e-coli, chickens fed with hormones, milk with additives. There’s no time to even think about making choices because we’re so busy filtering the messages!

So many women tell me that it feels overwhelming to decide what to eat. Fish lovers are concerned about mercury and other toxins, fruit and vegetable lovers are concerned about pesticides and packaging. Egg and chicken lovers are concerned about stress and cages…and the list goes on.

While it seems that many women may want to just throw their hands up, more and more women are talking with me about making good choices, informed choices and healthy choices.

Here’s what I tell them:

Take time to enjoy your food!  With our mile-a-minute lifestyles, expectation (whether self imposed or not!) to multi-task and increasing responsibilities, we often eat on the run or eat without even knowing it. Slowing down and enjoying your food doesn’t stop you from ingesting the pesticides which may have been sprayed on your vegetables, but it helps by keeping your stress level on an even keel. This will help your body function better – you’ll be able to detox more efficiently and your immune response will stay strong.

Eating is a pretty complex body function. Once food enters our body there are multiple complex functions which take place to insure that our bodies can utilize the nutrients contained in our foods. The digestive process is long and complex and a healthy digestive system is critical to a healthy body! We all have a complement of organisms which live in our bodies which help with metabolism, immune response and digestion. Enhancing the number, type and quality of the microorganisms helps strengthen our systems and protect us from harmful bacteria or toxins which enter our bodies. In many cultures, adding foods like yogurt, kimchee, or kefir to the diet is thought to help longevity. Something to think about, isn’t it?

When possible, know where your food is coming from. When possible, chose fresh instead of canned, local when possible. For most women cultivating a garden isn’t a possibility – shopping at a local farmer’s market might be – or at a grocery store which carries locally grown fruits and vegetables. Many large grocery stores are listening to consumer request and carrying meat and dairy products from local farms. Does yours?

Raise your awareness about the three P’s – pesticides, packaging and preparation.  Let’s think about pesticides for a minute – pesticides are designed to kill pests. This means that they are toxic. When you ingest a pesticide, your body’s response system must be working well in order to move this pesticide through your body and out without causing damage. That’s quite a job!

The Environmental Working Group regularly publishes a list of the safest and most heavily pesticide ridden fruits and vegetables. The list is called the Dirty Dozen and can be found on their site ewg.org. If you are unable to purchase fruits and vegetables which haven’t been treated with pesticides or herbicides, here are two suggestions for removing these vegetables.

Veggie spray:
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 cup of water

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake gently to mix. Be careful because the mix may foam up. Spray on veggies and fruit and allow it to sit for 2-5 minutes, then rinse produce under cold water. Keep the spray refrigerated when not using it. It will stay fresh for about a week.

Veggie soak:
Fill a clean sink or bowl with water. Add ½–1 cup of white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Swish the mixture around with your hands. Allow your produce to soak for 20 minutes, then rinse well.

Packaging – beware of fruits and vegetables packaged in plastic. The off gases from the plastic packaging can deplete the nutrients in the food as well as add toxins.

Preparation – lightly steaming your vegetables is the best way to maintain nutrients! Microwaves and plastics add potentially harmful toxins to these foods. Toxins which can cause havoc in a body struggling to stay in balance.

Seafood

Seafood is known to be high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fats and a great choice for a lean protein! So, why now, do we have to think carefully about seafood choices? High levels of mercury, the regulations within the fishing industry , storm water runoff, fish farming practices and the addition of PCB into the lakes, oceans and rivers are all complexities.

Most of us have heard about the dangers of high mercury levels in fish. Mercury binds to protein so it can be found throughout fish tissue. Smaller fish have less mercury and those species that feed of the bottom of the ocean have less as well. Sardines and catfish are better choices than sea bass and swordfish for example. Canned tuna has long been a favorite in the American diet. Here, too, there are choices to make. White tuna – albacore – is much larger in size than the smaller skipjack tuna – marketed as chuck light. The larger albacore tuna is more heavily contaminated because the larger fish consumes the smaller fish and the contaminants quickly build.

Shrimp can be one of your best choices for seafood! The best choices are Oregon pink shrimp, US farmed shrimp and prawns from Canada. Unfortunately most of the shrimp eaten in the US is imported from countries where environmental regulations aren’t as stringent as the regulations here in the United States.

Antioxidants get an A – keep them right at the top of your list!

Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants which protect us from free radicals which can damage cells and lead to disease. Adding antioxidants to your diet will not only help you rid your body of toxins, like harmful heavy metals or chemicals we ingest, but will also help keep your immune system strong. Sulfides are a group of antioxidants found in onions, scallions, collards, bok choy, cabbage, broccoli and scallions. Sulfides enhance our ability to detox harmful toxins in the body, lessening the burden on our hard working systems!

Stir-frys and soups are an easy way to get a plethora of these great vegetables on your plate at the same time. Be creative and find a way that works for you! The benefit to your overall and long term health is worth it!

Soy: what are the healthy benefits?

by Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN 

It seems as though there are new soy foods added to the market every day. It’s hard to know which ones we should be adding to our diet and if we should be adding them. The choices can be confusing! What adds to the confusion even more is that soy is often being hidden in foods which are not quite so healthy for us, like doughnuts!

Sometimes it may seem like an impossible task to keep up with recommendations made by experts telling us what constitutes a “healthy” diet. Should we include soy in our diet, or should it be avoided?

There seems to be some misunderstanding surrounding this little bean. This article may help to clarify some of the controversy.

People are also searching for options to HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and are wondering if soy could provide the answer for them. Even though soy may not benefit every woman in this way, we have discovered that it does have some positive effects when used during perimenopause and menopause. To read further on the use of soy for menopausal symptoms, see the menopause portion of the Women to Women website.

For those of you who want to know more about the practical benefits of soy, let’s begin with a little history of the soybean. Later, we’ll explore scientific findings, discuss current uses, and talk about how Women to Women is using soy foods and supplements in the medical arena.

The soybean: a brief history

The soybean itself is native to eastern Asia, where it has been grown since ancient times. It was first cultivated in the United States in the 1800s and it was used as a substitute for coffee during the Civil War. No one cared much for it until the late 1800s when it started being grown as a plant to feed livestock.

George Washington Carver, the famous American botanist, developed many uses for soybeans in the late 1800s and they quickly became a major crop in the South and Midwest. New uses and applications became apparent in the early 1900s.

Henry Ford spent millions of dollars on research and on the development of the manufacturing uses for soy. He served an entire soybean meal to the press corps at the 1934 World’s Fair. We don’t know if it was well-received or not!

Today, many plastics are made from soy. It is in everything from paints and inks, to candles and soaps. Soy is everywhere! But what is it?

Soy begins as three little beans in a shell. Several variations can be noticed in the size and color of the flower and of the pod, but the soy plant is strong and hardy. It is able to flourish in temperate weather from the Midwest to the South. The soybean is so versatile, that after harvest it can be eaten or used in its raw form or it can be processed in any variety of ways. For these very reasons we now find that is is used in many different things.

Soy as a food source

Soy is found in just about every venue, from traditional grocery stores to farmer’s markets. It is available in traditional as well as nontraditional forms. It’s difficult to know where the best and healthiest sources of soy can be found.. Soy’s nutritional value is high. It is a plant source of eight of the essential amino acids, making it the only complete non-animal protein. Whole soy foods are also an excellent source of fiber, B vitamins, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Soy researcher Mark Messina states that around 30% of women between the ages of 20 and 69, and 40% of women over the age of 70 are not getting the recommended dietary allowance of protein. Soy foods provide high-quality protein and are low in saturated fat. Messina also notes that in the 1900’s, American’s diets were made up of approximately 70% plant proteins and 30% animal protein. Today, the ratio is around 50:50. Since soybeans are 38% protein, they make an excellent natural dietary choice for women who want to increase quality protein in their diet especially plant proteins.

Soy is the protein vegetarians choose to include in their diet most often. Vegetarian cookbooks contain scores of soy recipes and many soy –based diets are gaining in popularity as a way to improve health and promote longevity.

Soy isoflavones — whole beans are best

Isoflavones are one portion of a group of chemical compounds, called phytochemicals. These compounds are found in all plants and legumes, including beans, green leafy vegetables, yellow and orange vegetables and whole grains. A diet rich in a variety of phyto- (Greek for plant) chemicals is the foundation of a healthy and balanced diet.

In order to get the most benefit from soy, look for labels that read “Non-GMO.” It is a possibility that the chemicals/pesticides used on many soy plants or in the fields may be stored up in our bodies and cause problems. We are also seeing that genetically modified products may not be as innocuous as once thought. This concern is not unique to soy, Soy is a cash crop in the United States, and some varieties have been genetically modified to increase yields. Scientific data offers conflicting reports on the long-term effects of eating genetically-modified foods. Organic foods have not been genetically modified, and most people believe organic foods to be much safer for consumption than any foods that have been modified.

Even though isoflavones are thought to be controversial by some, we feel that the health benefits of these compounds outweigh any risk they pose, unless you suffer from thyroid disorder. This is further explained and more detail offered in our articles related to soy for menopausal, as well as in the update on the soy controversy.

Soy: how much am I already getting, how much should I add?

Attempting to calculate serving sizes, grams of proteins, and milligrams of isoflavones may become overwhelming. It can be fairly easy however if you remember a simple formula: in order to obtain the cardiac benefits of soy, you need two to four servings daily to get the recommended 25 grams of protein. One serving (see chart) is equal to one cup of soymilk, one half-cup of tofu or one-quarter cup of soy nuts.

While some people are busy wondering if they should add soy to their diets, other people are curious about how much is already hiding in our food. It’s true that in the United States, which is the world’s second-largest grower of soybeans, soy is showing up everywhere. However, in spite of its availability, most of us in the Western world still eat comparatively small portions of soy: only 0.15 to 3.0 mg/day of isoflavones, according to some research.

Soy oil is also being over utilized in various food items such as snack foods, fast food and salad dressings. Unfortunately this is probably not such a good thing. Even though soy oil is polyunsaturated it has more of the kinds of fatty acids that most people get an excess of. This can be a problem as , the excessive intake of these fatty acids favors inflammatory reactions in our cells (find out more about this in the truth about fat and cholesterol and our omega-3 articles).

Despite the many delectable soy foods sources available (over 1,600 soy food items are accessible in the United States alone), it may not be easy to get the 60-80 mg per day of soy isoflavones,(the amount considered necessary to treat for hormonal imbalance), from just your diet. Or you may not especially enjoy the taste or the texture of soy. If this describes your situation, you might want to check out other sources of soy like supplements and functional foods. At Women to Women, we’ve found soy shakes made with whole, non-GMO soybeans to be very useful. Discuss your options with your health care provider and ask for his recommendations. Soy shakes and protein bars taste great and they can be an alternative way to supplement your intake of soy isoflavone. All of this is true only if you do not have a soy intolerance, which we see often in the practice.

The key is always balance

As long as people enjoy eating soy products, the key, is balance. While it is possible that there are those who gain substantial health benefits from soy, there may be others who do not. We should all understand however, that a healthy, varied and balanced diet serves us all best.

The best possible suggestion is always to listen to what your body is telling you. If you tolerate soy products without adverse effects, chances are you are able to metabolize them effectively. If you have a negative reaction to soy, you can try digestive enzymes with a probiotic supplement. You could also try a detox diet. Or you can simply avoid using soy. When you buy soy products, be sure to read the labels. Make sure you get a nutritious, healthy diet, whether or not it includes soy. Balance your diet with an abundance of fresh whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, a minimal amount of processed foods, and healthy fats (see our Nutritional and Lifestyle Guidelines.Try to avoid thinking of soy as an additive or as a magic potion. Soy is a unique, excellent food and it can be useful as a supplement also. Talk to your medical provider and then make the decision that’s best for you.

 

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

• Do you need a multivitamin if you eat healthy food?
• Are multivitamins a waste of money?
• Are multivitamins unsafe?
• Does your body benefit from multivitamins?

Essential vitamins

Let’s start by exploring these building blocks of healthy nutrition, called vitamins. Vitamins are the ever-busy worker ants of the metabolic process. They are numerous and their functions are on the verge of miraculous, from protecting eyesight to scrubbing cells to repairing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Vitamins work hard with the help of enzymes to activate (catalyze) body functions. As coenzymes, vitamins regulate metabolism and help in myriad biochemical processes that release energy from food. Most are water-soluble, so any excess is excreted in urine. Those that are fat-soluble—vitamins A, D, E, and K—are stored in tissue and can become toxic at high levels. For this reason, I do not recommend self-prescribing high dosages of fat-soluble vitamins.

There are several subcategories of vitamins. Bioflavonoids, sometimes referred to as vitamin P, are not true vitamins, but are essential for the absorption of vitamin C. Carotenoids/ carotenes, a subclass of vitamin A, are antioxidants thought to help prevent cancer, much like vitamin D. Beta-carotene and lycopene are two of the most widely known carotenes; however, there are as many as 600 and still more to be discovered. Finally, Co-enzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like substance that resembles the structure of vitamin E; it’s a powerful antioxidant and mitochondrial helper.

Should you worry about your vitamins?

Let’s discuss an example that you may find similar to your own experience. One evening on her way home, Heather stopped with her children at the grocery store purchase a multivitamin for herself. The children were hungry, and they were disappointed that the race-car grocery cart they usually sat in wasn’t available. By the time Heather arrived at the vitamins, she picked up two brands, checking each for the quantity of vitamin D (she had read that it was important), then reached for a third brand to compare it to the others. While trying to compare the three bottles to see what she should purchase, she saw her daughter running away. After chasing her through the store and putting the vitamin selections down somewhere near the eggs, Heather gave up, bought a pre-cooked chicken, and went home. The next day Heather was thankful that she hadn’t bought one of the store vitamins because her health-care practitioner informed her that they were a waste of money because her body could not absorb them!

When I heard this story about Heather, I thought, Wow, we’ve got a lot of work to do. You have probably heard about reports that say that multivitamins and nutritional supplements are a waste of good money, a scam, or even hazardous. But if that’s the truth, then why do so many people take them?

If you’ve been confused or frustrated like Heather, this article is for you. Let’s take look at the most common myths about multivitamins. I want you to be able to make a knowledgeable decision about what’s best for you for your healthy balanced lifestyle.

Myth 1:  All multivitamins are created equal

In these difficult financial times, I know that many of us shop at discount stores. But please let me give you a bit of advice regarding purchasing your vitamins and your supplements from these stores. The makers of these supplements may not follow a good manufacturing process. These multivitamins are often poor quality, low on nutrients, and full of unnecessary additives.

If you purchase inexpensive multivitamins, you can probably find that they contain nutrients that are hard for the body to break down and utilize. However, if you choose to purchase professionally formulated brands that combine naturally sourced nutrients and chelated minerals, and then be assured that your body can digest and use those vitamins more readily. Some cheap multivitamins contain preservatives, sweeteners, fillers, and artificial colors or flavoring, while others leave these additives out.

I like to compare multivitamins to salads. Most of us would agree that salads are good for us. However a salad made of lettuce from a bag, which was sprayed with chemicals, and topped with salad dressing made with high-fructose corn syrup is very different from a salad made with organic spinach, topped with olive oil, lemon juice, and walnuts. Salads can be made with different quality ingredients, and multivitamins can be made with different quality ingredients. Be a smart consumer!

Myth 2:  If you eat a healthy diet, you don’t need a multivitamin

How many times have you heard this myth? In a recent Huffington Post blog, my colleague and functional medicine pioneer Mark Hyman, MD, agreed that you don’t need to take a multivitamin—but, listen to what he says: “ONLY if you eat wild, fresh, whole, organic, local, non-genetically modified food grown in virgin mineral and nutrient soils, and not transported across vast distances and stored for months before eaten . . . work and live outside, breathe only fresh unpolluted air, drink only pure, clean water, sleep nine hours a night, move your body every day,and are free from chronic stressors and exposures to environmental toxins.”

We are exposed, whether by choice or happenstance, to a variety of factors that will make it hard to get everything that our body needs nutritionally—even if we eat a healthy diet. Studies show that most of us do not get the basic nutrition that is needed to prevent disease, let alone achieve the optimal health that we’re working toward.

Of course, taking a vitamin is not a replacement for eating healthy food! But there is evidence that some scarcer key nutrients are more reliably obtained from supplements. The current research suggests that vitamin K, for example, is absorbed better from tablets than from food. Iodine is another crucial micronutrient that many women lack. Vitamin D and omega–3’s are simply not found in sufficient quantity in the food we eat to fully guard us from degenerative disorders. A good multivitamin–mineral complex will cover these gaps. This is essential for women who have been under a lot of stress, or if they are on a special diet, or especially if they have food sensitivities.

See Part 2 for Myths 3-5.

What to look for in a multivitamin?

Be sure the multivitamin you choose has some or all of the following characteristics:

•  Pharmaceutical grade.
•  Contains the most bioavailable forms, including chelated minerals
•  Contains naturally-sourced nutrients
•  No preservatives, sugar, artificial flavorings, fillers, dyes, or colorings

In our experience, women cannot resolve the imbalances and symptoms we see most often without filling the gaps in their nutritional foundation. For further guidance, see our articles about choosing a multivitamin.

Electronics and multivitamins?

Did you know that exposure to even extremely low-frequency electromagnetic forces (EMF) through our abundant cell phone use, wireless technology, televisions, computers, and other electronics, is associated with oxidative stress, lowered immune defense, and DNA damage in our bodies?

We may not always be able to modify our environment, but we can help offset this everyday oxidative damage by taking a multivitamin enriched with antioxidant nutrients—putting a little more in our cellular health savings account!

Brilliant yellow urine—what’s that about?

When you take a “rich” multivitamin, you will notice that your urine fairly glows in the dark. Have you wondered if maybe those vitamins just simply went right through you? Women often ask us about this phenomenon, and we’re happy to explain. What makes your urine yellow is a fluorescent component of riboflavin (vitamin B2) called the flavin ring. As it passes along the body’s metabolic pathways, riboflavin plays many important roles and undergoes biochemical changes. Several of riboflavin’s molecular metabolites retain the fluorescent flavin ring that, when excreted, gives your urine that special glow!

Read our other articles about riboflavin metabolism for more information.

by Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN NP

Spending time in the sun can supply the body with vitamin D which is essential in helping to defend against depression, heart disease, stroke, cancer and osteoporosis. Sometimes though, especially during the winter, some of us have difficulty squeezing even a few minutes of sunshine into our busy schedules. Or we live in the northern part of the United States and there is very little sun in the winter months. In winter months daylight hours are shortened and outdoor activities may be less enjoyable for those in colder climates.

When natural sunlight is hard to find, it might be tempting to replace time in the sun with a quick trip to a tanning bed. But do tanning booths provide the same healthy benefits as sunlight? Particularly, are tanning beds a safe source of vitamin D? Tanning salons might like you to believe they are, but don’t be fooled. Tanning indoors is not a desirable source of vitamin D. The reason is because of the harmful characteristics of ultraviolet light rays, and the effects they have on the body.

Both the sun and tanning booths send out two kinds of ultraviolet light rays – UVA and UVB. Your skin absorbs both types, but in alternate ways. UVA rays have longer wavelengths that are able to reach the deepest layers of the skin. UVB ray’s wavelengths are shorter and only penetrate the uppermost layers of skin. Both forms of rays add to the health risks related to sun exposure, for instance the threat of developing skin cancers. But UVB rays also trigger the synthesis of the vitamin D precursor in the skin, and so are solely responsible for the healthy benefits of sunshine. For many individuals, exposing one’s arms and face to sunshine for about 20 minutes each day provides the skin with sufficient UVB rays to do away with vitamin D deficiencies, without causing long-term skin damage.

However, while UVB rays are responsible for the health benefits of sunshine, tanning salons are most concerned with the UVA rays. The reason for this is that overexposure to UVB rays, which affect the surface layers of skin, quickly causes the skin to burn. UVA rays, though, create the bronze-brown tan coveted by most salon-goers. Because of this, most tanning salons regulate their beds to emit approximately 95 percent UVA rays. This calibration maximizes the tanning effects of the booth and minimizes the risk of burning. Unfortunately, it also minimizes the amount of vitamin D that can be used, in proportion to the exposure to damaging UVA rays.

A tanning bed could actually be calibrated to emit a higher percentage of UVB rays. It is vital to remember that the safety of exposure to either type of UV rays depends upon its moderation. Most people do not enter tanning beds fully clothed. Exposing large areas of skin surfaces can result in excessive absorption of ultraviolet light rays very quickly.

While it’s exciting to know that something as easy as spending time enjoying the sun can be beneficial, be careful not to underestimate the risk of overexposure. Approximately 15–20 minutes of sunshine, three or four days per week will provide adequate UVB absorption for most fair-skinned people to optimize their vitamin D levels. People with darker skin colors require more exposure time. Another point to remember is that this natural method does not work equally well at all latitudes and seasons, or in all people.

If you are uncertain of the amount of sunshine you need, you can have your vitamin D levels tested. It might be worthwhile to consider supplementing your vitamin D3 intake. Most tanning booths, while offering a golden-brown hue, place you at high risk for unnecessary and excessive exposure to dangerous ultraviolet rays. They are not a good substitute for old-fashioned sunshine. Most of our patients need vitamin D supplementation – so be sure to have your levels checked.

Women to Women has formulated our own high-quality vitamin D supplement enhance your health – click here to find out more.

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

I just returned from a conference where everyone was discussing vitamin D. It’s been a hot topic in both conventional and alternative medicine lately because vitamin D deficiency is widespread and seems to be related to so many health concerns: osteoporosis, depression, heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes, parathyroid problems, immune function — even weight loss.

Many of today’s conventional clinicians received little to no training in medical school for this problem. They may not be in the habit of testing for vitamin D deficiency or, if they are testing their patients, familiar with treatment. But practitioners from both sides of the aisle are seeing more cases of vitamin D deficiency and awareness is on the rise — one colleague reported that 85–90% of his patients don’t get enough D. And that’s consistent with what we see at Women to Women.

For more information, read our article, “Vitamin D Testing and Treatment – What You Need To Know.”

How can this be happening? And what should you do about it for you and your family? The answer isn’t as simple as drinking more fortified milk.

We’ve been testing and treating patients for vitamin D deficiencies for many years, and I know there are effective, natural strategies that work in most cases. Diagnosis is easy, and treatment with supplementation is easy, safe, affordable, and can bring wonderful results. So let’s explore vitamin D’s role in your health and how to determine what you should do.

What does vitamin D do for the body?

This essential nutrient is called a vitamin, but dietary vitamin D is actually a precursor hormone — the building block of a powerful steroid hormone in your body called calcitriol. It’s been known for many years that vitamin D is critical to the health of our bones and teeth, but deeper insight into vitamin D’s wider role in our health is quite new.

Vitamin D works in concert with other nutrients and hormones in your body to support healthy bone renewal — an ongoing process of mineralization and demineralization which, when awry, shows up as rickets in children and osteomalacia (“soft bones”) or osteoporosis (“porous bones”) in adults.

Researchers are discovering that D also promotes normal cell growth and differentiation throughout the body, working as a key factor in maintaining hormonal balance and a healthy immune system. It appears that calcitriol actually becomes part of the physical composition of cells, assisting in the buildup and breakdown of healthy tissue — in other words, regulating the processes that keep you well.

What’s more, evidence from studies tracking the prevalence of disease by geography and nationality shows clear links between vitamin D deficiency and obesity, insulin resistance, heart disease, certain cancers, and depression. Since most of these problems take many years to manifest, vitamin D deficiency has been overlooked by many providers for a very long time. I test all of my patients, and have been surprised to find that more than 85% come up with a vitamin D deficiency.

Your body can’t create vitamin D on its own. Instead, it’s designed to make it through sun exposure. In theory, you can make an ample supply of vitamin D with as little as a couple of hours per week in the sun — provided the UVB rays are strong enough. You can also ingest D through food, especially fatty fish like wild–harvested salmon. Plus, lots of foods are fortified nowadays, so vitamin D deficiency should be an easy problem to solve, right? But the truth is, we’re just not getting enough, and so many of us aren’t even close.

For more information, read our article, “Vitamin D — The New Giant For Bone Health And Overall Disease Prevention.”

Major vitamin D functions

• Supports key mineral absorption and metabolism (especially calcium and phosphorus in the blood and bones)
• Regulates normal cell differentiation and proliferation (e.g., prevention of cancer)
• Promotes insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation (insulin secretion)
• Regulates over 200 genes through binding to vitamin D receptors throughout the body

Vitamin D requirements

The growing awareness of how much our bodies rely on vitamin D has raised concern that the dietary recommended daily intake values (DRI’s) are woefully obsolete — 200 IU (International Units) a day for adults 19–50 years old, 400 IU for those 51–70, and 600 IU for those over 70. Experts now agree that the DRI’s for vitamin D are way too low, particularly for people who don’t get sufficient sun exposure.

Some studies have shown that adults need 3000–5000 IU per day, and others indicate healthy adults can readily metabolize up to 10,000 IU vitamin D per day without harmful side effects. The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food lists 2000 IU per day as the safety cut-off, as does the US Food and Nutrition Board. But the latest science strongly suggests most adults should be taking more. What gives? We agree that unless you have testing and monitoring, there is wisdom in keeping the safe upper intake at 2000 IU per day. On balance, the point here is that vitamin D at doses far higher than today’s daily intake values (DRI’s) appears to be safe, to promote optimal health, to reduce the risk of many serious diseases, and even to speed healing for serious health concerns.

Vitamin D supplementation appears beneficial throughout our lifespan, from in utero to advanced age. A recent long-term study indicates that we are at less risk of developing osteoporosis later in life if our mothers had adequate stores on board while pregnant. Another age group needing ample vitamin D is teenage girls living in northern climates, who for much of the year cannot get enough sunlight to make enough vitamin D naturally. Optimal bone growth and accumulation during puberty may be a factor in preventing osteoporosis later on in life, and a new, higher daily recommendation for teenage girls (2000 IU — up from 200 IU) would be wise, particularly in winter.

It’s important to note that we lose some of our ability to synthesize and absorb vitamin D as we age. As we grow older and our skin thins, the amount of the vitamin D precursor (a derivative of cholesterol) in it decreases, too. Women entering perimenopause and menopause, when there can be accelerated bone loss, can slow bone loss by getting enough vitamin D on board. The elderly, who are at increased risk of falls and fractures, also stand to benefit from taking vitamin D. Some studies in the US indicate that supplementation with vitamin D and calcium significantly reduces bone loss and incidence of nonvertebral fractures in women 65 and over. Even in sunny Australia, a two-year study conducted among the elderly showed that supplementation with vitamin D reduced incidence of falls and fractures. But supplements alone are not enough to protect your bones for life — see our Bone Health section for more guidance.

Another consideration is that not all forms of vitamin D are created equally — some are more readily usable (bioavailable). The average healthy body can naturally synthesize about 10,000–15,000 IU of vitamin D3 in the skin within just minutes of sun exposure, without ill effect. We have natural checks and balances that shut off vitamin D build-up once we get enough. When we eat sources of vitamin D, they enter the lymphatic system through the intestines, bypassing the skin’s natural shut-off valve. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest the body can use large periodic doses of oral vitamin D3 every few weeks or so and not become toxic. Still, this is a practice reserved for the therapeutic setting, where the individual is being closely monitored.

Getting back to what happens in the body, both sunlight-generated and dietary vitamin D forms go into circulation and are passed along to the liver, where they get converted into calcidiol. This is the circulating form of vitamin D (25[OH]D, or 25-hydroxyvitamin D) that gets measured by testing labs when you have your blood drawn for a vitamin D test.

Next, calcidiol is converted in the kidneys and other organs into calcitriol. This is biologically active form of vitamin D, also known as vitamin D3 (or 1,25[OH]2D; or simply cholecalciferol). This is the form that goes to work by attaching itself to vitamin D receptors present throughout the body. Today we know there are vitamin D receptors in some three dozen different target organs in the body! Researchers have also recently found that in addition to being converted in the kidneys to this active form, calcidiol is converted into calcitriol in about ten other organs in the body — the lymph glands and skin tissue, too, for example. These discoveries are exciting because they lead us to understand how important vitamin D is for whole-body wellness, not the least of which include prevention — and treatment — of certain types of cancer.

But you don’t need to remember a lot of forms and formulas to appreciate what this powerhouse vitamin/hormone has to offer you. The bottom line is, we still don’t fully understand all the mechanisms behind vitamin D’s actions and forms in the body — we just know our bodies rely on a certain amount and that many of us aren’t getting enough. The truth is that adequate levels are probably highly individualized and depend on a variety of factors. To know whether you’re vitamin D deficient, you need to get a blood test from your healthcare practitioner. For more information, read our article about vitamin D testing.

How do I know if I’m getting enough vitamin D?

Awareness of vitamin D first took center stage in the early part of the 20th century, although it was described in medical writings as early as the 17th century. Children with vitamin D deficiency developed rickets, a condition where the body fails to mineralize bone. This led to the daily dosing of children with cod liver oil, and a movement to fortify milk and cereal with vitamin D as well. By the 1960’s, rickets had become a relatively rare disease.

These days, most commercial milk suppliers fortify their products with vitamin D in the form of ergocalciferol (also known as D2) or cholecalciferol (D3). Some orange juice makers are doing the same, and like many food fads, you can soon expect to see lots of other products claiming to be good for you because they’re fortified with vitamin D. While the amount in these beverages is enough to ward off malnutrition, you’d have to drink gallons a day to reach optimal levels. That’s just too much milk or juice for most adults. And, while a tablespoon or two of cod liver oil a day is still a superb idea, many people won’t touch it — you could say it’s an acquired taste!

In reality, there really is no sufficient dietary source. But let’s not write off vitamin D-fortified foods altogether. A bakery here in the US recently created a new vitamin D-fortified bread, but it contained so much vitamin D they had to go to Europe to test it, where allowable limits are more progressive. The recipe also included calcium carbonate, and the bread was reported to increase lumbar bone mineral density in the elderly patients consuming it. Fortified bread isn’t the way to go for everyone, of course, but it could provide a dietary option to weakly fortified milk and orange juice.

As we now know, sun exposure was critical for sufficient vitamin D to our ancestors. Until modern times, human beings spent a great deal of time outdoors. The origin of our species was subtropical, meaning we naturally got enough sun exposure to generate vitamin D. But as Homo sapiens migrated to less temperate climes this changed. Over many generations, the shift from a hunter-gatherer to an agrarian-based to an increasingly industrialized society also meant less and less time in the sun. Today many of us work inside sealed buildings with glazed windows, and we wear sunblock and drive everywhere in cars instead of walking outdoors. Any glass windows or sunblock with an SPF above 15 will block the UVB rays necessary for vitamin D conversion.

If you live in a region above latitude 40 (a horizontal line that runs from just below New York City west to northern California), then the sun is only strong enough between May and September to trigger the vitamin D conversion (or the converse in the Southern Hemisphere). This means that a large percentage of the population is at significant risk much of the year for vitamin D deficiency. For all these reasons we recommend 2000 IU per day for anyone at or above this latitude, at least from the fall through the spring months. But the ideal course of action is vitamin D testing, since there is so much individual variation. You would really need to see your practitioner and have your vitamin D levels tested before upping your supplemental dose beyond 2000 IU per day.

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms

Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones and fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient.

Vitamin D, menopause, and osteoporosis

As we age, our bodies slowly lose the ability to mobilize vitamin D, a process that lowers our calcium absorption rates. This creates a higher risk of osteoporosis, particularly in post-menopausal women.

We’re not sure how sex hormones affect vitamin D conversion, but women seem to have a harder time stimulating the mechanism that builds bone tissue when their estrogen levels are reduced.

Calcium is clearly an important co-factor to vitamin D, and may lose efficacy if vitamin D is deficient or estrogen levels are low, as vitamin D appears to be the more critical factor in bone health. A recent study by scientists at the University of Massachusetts found that a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D can help control some symptoms of PMS, such as tearfulness, anxiety, and irritability.

What does this mean? No one knows for sure, but it is more evidence that all the systems of the body are connected and we can’t look for easy answers in one place.

Vitamin D and weight loss

I’m sure many of you have seen the “diet with dairy” ads launched by the American Dairy Council. Some studies have shown that weight loss does occur with an increase in calcium intake, while others appear to refute this. Since vitamin D is directly involved in calcium absorption, it stands to reason that vitamin D is also a factor in how the body regulates weight.

Moreover, people who have a reduced capacity to mobilize vitamin D often weigh more and have more body fat than those with full capacity. In the past 20 years multiple studies have shown a correlation between higher blood levels of vitamin D and leaner body mass.

To my thinking, what seems essential for us to understand here is the vitamin D connection with insulin resistance. Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the wide set of disorders associated with metabolic syndrome (syndrome X), as well as to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). In a study published in 2004, the authors saw a 60% improvement in insulin sensitivity in healthy, vitamin D replete adults — and concluded vitamin D was more potent than two prescription medications commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes! But the cadres of drug reps spread out across America are not likely to be reminding your healthcare practitioner about this study. They are not likely to have heard about it!

For more information, refer to our extensive article list in our Insulin Resistance section.

Clearly, vitamin D seems to be very important in regulating our weight, but we don’t yet understand the mechanism involved or how it relates to our environment and individual biochemistry. Still, there seems to be a correlation between rising rates of obesity and vitamin D deficiency. If you are having difficulty with insulin resistance or weight gain — or can’t keep the pounds off once you lose them — you may want to have your vitamin D levels checked by your healthcare practitioner.

Vitamin D and cancer

Evidence is mounting that vitamin D may protect against some cancers, particularly breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancers. In fact, over 60 years of research have shown vitamin D supplementation or sunlight-induced vitamin D conversion to be associated with lower incidence of cancers.

There is also a higher incidence of breast cancer in northern climates, but whether that is associated with lower levels of vitamin D is still speculation. Vitamin D deficiency most certainly affects your immune system because calcitriol actually helps regulate cell division, so adequate levels may help sustain normal cell growth. And stress and other physiological markers can disrupt the function of vitamin D receptors, among others, making us more susceptible to unusual cell activity.

Vitamin D and depression

Another area of vitamin D research is its relationship to depression. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a situational mood disorder brought on by decreasing daylight in the winter months. High doses of vitamin D during these months have proven to be a very effective natural remedy for SAD, leading most practitioners to believe that normal neurotransmitter function depends in part on adequate vitamin D synthesis.

Vitamin D levels are inversely related to those of melatonin, another mood-regulating hormone. Melatonin helps modulate your circadian rhythms, with darkness triggering melatonin secretion by the pineal gland within your brain, bringing you down gently at night for sleep. Insomnia, mood swings and food cravings are influenced by melatonin. Sunlight shuts melatonin production off, while triggering release of vitamin D — that’s why doctors recommend getting outdoors as a remedy for jet lag.

Most of us can sense the positive influence of sunlight in our own lives by the immediate lift we get from taking a walk outdoors on a beautiful sunny day. Now there may be many factors at work that brighten our mood in such cases, but sun exposure is almost certainly a critical piece. Soaking in the warmth of the sun is one of the most relaxing activities we share with all living creatures — just watch a cat dozing in a beam of sunlight.

Healthy sunbathing — is it possible?

Our bodies are remarkably efficient. During the summer months, even as little as 15 minutes in the sun (without sunblock!) in the early morning and late afternoon is enough for most light-skinned individuals to create an ample supply of vitamin D. Skin with more pigment (melanin) may require up to 40 minutes.

But some say we are trading our longer lifespan for an increased risk of skin cancers, so don’t throw away your sunblock! It’s still important to protect your skin, particularly on your face and scalp, during the sun’s peak hours (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM) by using a lotion with SPF–15 (or higher), preferably PABA–free. Melanoma is a serious condition, and I’m not in favor of increasing your risk with unhealthy sun exposure.

This means taking care, not to be out in the sun unprotected for more than 15 minutes twice a day, in the early morning and late afternoon. If you begin to turn red before 15 minutes, cover up completely or go inside. It is never a healthy practice to burn your skin. It is also not safe to rely on tanning beds as a primary source of vitamin D, because their lamps are usually calibrated to favor UVA rays, not the UVB rays that stimulate vitamin D production. For more information, read our article, “Vitamin D And Tanning Beds.”

I do believe from what I see in my patients here in Maine that the problem is on the rise. But it just makes good “body sense” to allow your skin to do what it already knows how — produce vitamin D with sunlight. What’s more, unlike with supplements, it’s impossible to get a vitamin D overdose from sun exposure.

Understanding your own individual needs and levels of tolerance for vitamin D are important parts of healthy self-care. I would like to think that you wouldn’t just assume that because you live at a far northern (or southern) latitude, or work indoors and don’t get much sun exposure, you’re vitamin D deficient and need supplements. To fully answer that question you would need to see a medical professional and get a blood test. See our article on vitamin D testing and treatment for more information on testing and avoiding toxicity.

What you can do to prevent vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency may be a pervasive problem — one that we treat with specific therapies at our medical practice — but the best way to protect yourself from any deficiency is to build your health from the bottom up and let your body balance itself. We acknowledge the controversy over whether our primary source of vitamin D should be the sun, diet, or supplements. Which combination is best for you depends on many variables, including your age, nutritional status, and geographic location. In a world where so many of us are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, we recognize each of these sources as valuable. With this in mind we recommend the following steps to prevent vitamin D deficiency:

• Allow yourself limited, unprotected sun exposure in the early morning and late afternoon (no more than 15 minutes for light-skinned individuals, 40 minutes for darker skin) — particularly between May and September if you live in anywhere higher than about 35–40° latitude. (See the World Atlas to check out your latitude!)
• Eat a diet rich in whole foods. Nutrient-dense, fatty fish like mackerel and sardines are good sources of vitamin D. Egg yolks, fortified organic milk and other dairy products, and some organ meats (like liver) are also reasonably good natural sources of D. Because vitamin D is still somewhat of a mystery, we’re not sure which co-factors are important for its absorption, but we can surmise they are most fully present in wholesome food.
• Take a top-quality multivitamin every day to fill in any nutritional gaps, preferably one that includes fish oil.
• Take a vitamin D supplement. Supplement additionally with vitamin D3 at 1000–2000 IU daily if you do not get testing (or higher with testing, under the care of your healthcare practitioner). For a long time, vitamin D therapy was being prescribed as vitamin D2. To our thinking, this form has more potential for toxicity and is much less effective than natural vitamin D3. Nowadays vitamin D3 supplements are widely recognized as the superior, more bio-ready form for use in the body. How much you need really depends on your particular needs, so testing is really the best way to go for most people.
• Check with your healthcare professional about vitamin D testing. If you think you may be suffering from vitamin D deficiency, get a blood test and ask for the results. I like to see an optimal value of 50–70 ng/mL. A conventional doctor might think anywhere from 20–50 ng/mL is normal, but that recommendation will soon change as the newest research becomes incorporated into the standard of conventional care. Please see our article on testing and treatment for guidelines and precautions.
• Discuss adding a vitamin D supplement to your diet with your healthcare provider. If you don’t get out in the sun every day for 15 minutes in the early morning and late afternoon, consider supplementing with 1000–2000 IU per day — at least during the winter months! But you may need higher levels to reap all the long-term health benefits vitamin D has to offer you, so talk it over with your healthcare provider. This is so important for women of all ages — especially those over 50. Then be sure to get follow-up testing to monitor your response.

Women to Women offers these high-quality, pharmaceutical grade supplements to enhance your health.  Click here to see what we have to offer.

And keep in mind that in the end, optimal health is never about just one thing. Vitamin D is just one component of an ever-changing picture — your health is a work in progress that needs your consistent attention and support.

It may turn out that vitamin D is the key everyone’s been looking for, or more likely an important part of a far greater whole-health picture. But what matters most is how you feel and what works for you. I encourage you to investigate your personal vitamin D level with your medical practitioner as part of a comprehensive approach to your whole health.

For more information, please read our other articles about vitamin D.

by Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN NP

Tea time—12 amazing ways that tea helps keep you young

• Protection against stress and depression
• Protection against weight gain and diabetes
• Protection against infections and chronic disease
• Support for heart and bone health

Take a walk with me into a department store, and let’s see all the shelves of expensive anti-aging products. The media (written and electronic) constantly reminds us that we should look younger. Girls and women are given the impression that they should look a certain way, have a certain kind of body, and often are found trying hard to look like someone that they are not. Let’s change that!

I don’t think it’s as much about how we look, as it is about how we feel! I want to have a healthy balance in my life. I want to feel good as I age, and I want to participate in activities that keep me engaged and passionate. It is possible for us to live to be 90 years old and be living a life that we want. And the good news is that there is something simple and inexpensive to help us do that.

As a practitioner, I was thrilled to find out that the latest medical discovery for healthy aging is actually a remarkably commonplace substance. It’s tea! This is the same kind of tea found in your local grocery or health food store—readily available in a variety of kinds and flavors, and it is reasonably priced. Let’s take a look at this remarkable substance.

Tea, known as Camellia sinensis, has been revered by many cultures for thousands of years, plenty of time to make note of its positive effects on health. But now there is evidence that drinking tea truly does help you live a longer, better life: recent research show that tea (black, green, oolong, and other varieties—and the different ingredients each can contain), has distinct effects at the cellular level that enhance health and slow down the natural aging process. And of course the ritual of drinking it is also very helpful to calm the nervous system.

Let’s review the power that tea has – it can:

• Relieve certain health-related symptoms
• Reduce the risk of developing, and dying from, a long list of illnesses
• Prevent chronic diseases, and those related to lifestyle, by reducing inflammation
• Promote wellness and improve quality of life

You might ask, how could it be that something as simple as tea has such important health benefits? Well, in truth, the list of molecules in various teas is lengthy, and their interactions with the body are quite complex. Researchers have pinpointed a number of individual elements as responsible for tea’s wide-ranging health advantages, and now, a tremendous amount of new research is filling in the details.

More than cozy comfort: tea warms physically and emotionally

Drinking tea is refreshing, comforting, and relaxing, so a direct correlation between tea consumption and better health just adds new benefits to this habit. The newest scientific inquiries are helping define the specific actions that tea has on our bodies and our longevity.

Let’s start with the effects that you can feel, because in some ways those are the most noticeable and immediate benefits. While we’ve learned from experience that a nice, hot “cuppa” can help calm and relax us, research shows that black tea actually promotes quicker recovery from stress events at a physiological level. Because this effect is measured by the speedier return to normal levels of stress hormones, it could also confer significant downstream benefits, such as reduction of adrenal imbalance and risk of heart disease.

If you drink several daily cups of green tea—a common practice all across Asia—you may have less psychological stress overall. And studies on older people show that green tea can also reduce the prevalence of depressive symptoms and even improve psychological well-being. Green tea has also been found to help with the livers detoxification abilities which become that much important as we age.

Health span effects you can measure—and weigh

As the prevalence of obesity and diabetes increases, it’s a relief to know that tea can help with both conditions. While a study of instant tea showed it can help stabilize blood sugar, other research indicates another type of tea—oolong—helps control the blood sugar effect that carbohydrates have on people with type 2 diabetes.

Green tea contains some caffeine, like most teas, but it also contains phytochemicals with powerful antioxidant properties called catechins. Researchers think that both these substances can help increase your ability to lose abdominal fat while exercising and may even reduce triglyceride levels in people who don’t exercise at all! Most detoxification programs encourage the use of green tea on a daily basis.

Green tea is liver-friendly. It helps you metabolize fats, and may even stop the build-up of fatty deposits in the liver. But I think the most interesting and youth-preserving effect is how green tea can improve your body’s all-important ability to detoxify.

The catechins found most abundantly in green tea (but also present in black, oolong, and white teas) increase levels of key protective enzymes. The protective effects of catechins need more exploration, but to date these enzymes have been found to help balance the two stages of liver detox (phase I and phase II), reduce toxic effects of reactive intermediate substances created during the detoxification process, and neutralize certain cancer-causing molecules.

A teakettle-full of immune support

We all try to avoid catching seasonal illnesses, such as colds and flu, but it still happens. When I’m achy or have a scratchy throat, I find a soothing cup of hot tea hits the spot. But now there is scientific proof that this benefit transcends the psychological. Green tea can actually reduce cold and flu symptoms and get you back on your feet faster. In fact, people who drink green tea just seem to get fewer colds overall.

The tea plant contains ingredients that work individually to help you fight germs and bugs, like L-theanine, which is thought to activate the infection-fighting T-cells in your immune system. Theanine is found most abundantly in fine green teas that are shade-grown, but again, in all types of true tea. Theanine is also helpful as a support for the neurotransmitters.

Other tea ingredients have effects that are anti-inflammatory and antiviral—polyphenols or catechins, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In theory, the ability to suppress inflammation may translate into less autoimmune activity in cells exposed to EGCG, accounting for lower incidence of autoimmune diseases, such as dry mouth (xerostoma) and rheumatoid arthritis in green tea–loving populations.

When taken with antibiotics, green tea has been found to effectively supercharge them and help knock out “superbugs” and bacterial strains previously resistant to treatment. White tea can also protect against bacterial infections.

Tea can shrink your risk of chronic disease

In Japan, where even the preparation of tea is an ancient and beloved ritual, green tea is a household staple. Several studies there focus on its health effects offer encouraging results: along with helping prevent cells from becoming cancerous, green tea may also help prevent recurrence of the disease in cancer patients. Emerging research around the globe points to the power that green and black teas may have to prevent gastric cancer, and cancers of the blood, breast, ovaries, colon, mouth, and prostate.

Drinking tea regularly may help ease another common fear many of us have about aging: loss of cognitive function. Research shows that both black and green teas protect against Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and guard against the memory loss that is a telltale hallmark of AD.

In the prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, black and green teas both have value. Black tea decreases your risk of getting PD by a staggering 71%, while green tea is able to slow down the progression of this devastating disease. The research is still not quite clear on the exact mechanism for the action.

Tea for the heart: more than an ounce of prevention

If you’ve followed recent health trends, you know that the greatest overall threat to women’s longevity is cardiovascular disease. After menopause women’s risk of heart disease almost approximates that of men. We’ve learned a lot about how diet and lifestyle can contribute to this degenerative condition, and now we’re starting to pinpoint effective ways to help prevent it. Tea fits right into a healthy lifestyle focused on avoiding cardiovascular disease.

For people who drink lots of green tea, such as the Japanese, there is a measurable reduction in the risk of death from heart disease. The polyphenols in green tea have the ability to facilitate blood flow through the vessels, and this circulatory effect can actually reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and the risk of dying from it.

Stronger bones for longer life

Natural bone health also enhances a woman’s health span as the years advance. Again, tea comes to the rescue with well-documented, bone-conserving benefits. For starters, drinking tea is linked to higher bone mineral density (BMD), a reduction in hip fractures, and preservation of the hip structure in general. And tea helps protect against bone loss even after menopause.

Bone tissue is intended to naturally break down and build back up throughout your life. Green tea can perform double duties in this process because it helps stimulate mineralization to generate bone formation, while simultaneously inhibiting the formation of osteoclasts, the cells that remove bone tissue.

Can tea make you younger?

A large amount of recent, cutting-edge science has focused on the factors that influence our ability to grow old gracefully. Now, tea is not a “fountain of youth,” but it might make a difference in the rate at which you age. Several studies show that black tea, and especially green tea, can help protect your DNA’s telomeres. Telomeres cap the ends of your chromosomes, protecting the genetic information they contain, and by preserving them from fraying, ingredients found in tea can, in essence, help you stay “younger” than your chronological years.

Additional studies show that tea can support healthy aging by promoting eye health and oral health. Specifically, tea has been associated with the preservation of retinal function in glaucoma and ischemia and protects against gum disease.

Invite tea into your lifestyle

The body of scientific evidence proving the health advantages of tea continues to blossom more each year. As a practitioner, I think it’s been fun to watch this familiar, everyday drink—enjoyed for thousands of years and revered as an elixir of longevity—morph into the latest medical marvel. But it makes perfect sense! When we look at the cultures where tea drinking has been most embedded throughout human history, the distinct health benefits of tea are apparent.

Many of us have been told—by our practitioners, families, or society itself—that we are too old to change; or that weight gain, exhaustion, and a loss of energy are the inevitable companions of aging. But both the research I have reviewed and the patients I have treated offer ample evidence that this is simply not true. You’re never too old to change. You’re never too old to lose weight, regain your energy, and face life with a sense of wonder and delight. You may be able to make several changes quickly, or you may need to dig in for a long haul. Either way, if you are determined to make things better for yourself, you absolutely can.

We as women want to become braver and clearer about the path that is right for us. We can choose to follow a better diet that will bring renewed health and vigor. We can choose to support one another in a partnership of growth. And with aging, we will bring the wisdom to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

So today, why not choose one of the many varieties of tea, invite a friend to join you in a cuppa, and sit back and enjoy the moment. What a great way to naturally get a balance in your life! This preventive lifestyle habit might be one that helps keep you as young as you feel. Here’s to your health!

Tea, breathing, and lung health

Green tea

• Helps limit lung damage caused by cigarette smoke
• Limits the mental impairment that may result from obstructive sleep apnea

Black tea

• Prevents oxidative damage (from free radicals), inflammation, and cell death associated with exposure to cigarette smoke

(References)

Tea’s effects on arthritis

It used to be thought that arthritis was an inevitable fact of life for us as we grew older, but there is a lot more to the equation, including a strong inflammatory component.

Studies show tea consumption can protect against autoimmune arthritis, delay the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, and reduce joint damage and inflammation in those who already have it.

(References)

Top 12 health benefits of tea

1. Stress recovery and relief from psychological distress
2. Insulin regulation and weight maintenance
3. Arthritis prevention
4. Immune system support and cold/flu relief
5. Reduction in risk of certain cancers
6. Protection against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
7. Reduced risk for cardiovascular disease
8. Bone health promotion
9. Prevention of lung damage
10. Healthier aging
11. Detoxification benefits
12. Enhances parasympathetic changes

Doesn’t tea contain caffeine?

Yes. Tea’s caffeine content varies according to the variety and steeping time. It’s perfectly fine for most people to have a daily 8–10 ounce cup (or two) of tea or another caffeinated beverage—just don’t overdo it.

• Black tea: 6 oz—50 mg caffeine
• Green tea: 6 oz—30 mg caffeine
• Coffee: 6 oz—110–170 mg caffeine

 by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Are you (or the people around you) “coming down with something” — a respiratory bug you’d rather not have? Some of the most convenient and economical sources of immune support can be found right in your pantry, in the form of immune-boosting foods, herbs, and spices. Some of our favorites are those that act on the respiratory tract as well as the immune system, to be used either before you experience symptoms or when you first notice that tickle in your throat or nose. Including foods that act as natural anti-inflammatories in your diet can also benefit the immune and respiratory systems.

Tea. Many types of tea have long been revered for their health-enhancing effects, and much research has focused on its antioxidant effects. But along with its antioxidant effects, drinkers of true tea (Camellia sinensis) — black, green, white, or oolong — are enjoying a range of phytochemicals that can help them avoid infection. One tea ingredient, L-theanine, appears to prime the memory of core T cells in the immune system, teaching them to recognize certain molecular subcomponents of invading bacterial, parasitic, and viral microbes when encountered for the first time, so they can mount a significantly stronger response than “naïve” T cells.

Another group of compounds in tea called catechins are under evaluation for their antimicrobial effects. Green tea extracts rich in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol in tea, have been shown to have antiviral effects against influenza A virus (seasonal flu) in the laboratory, and EGCG and its relatives are considered to be the likely source of this effect. In another recent study on mice, EGCG demonstrated strong effects against the H1N1 virus in particular. The exterior surfaces of influenza viruses are covered with protein-dense knobs responsible for binding to the cells being infected. Studies on EGCG suggest one way it inhibits the virus’s infectivity is by binding to these knobs so as to “preoccupy” them, actually altering the physical properties of the viral membrane.

And staying well-hydrated by drinking tea infusions also helps keep your sinuses, throat, and nasal passages from becoming clogged up — just take care to ensure the caffeine in these teas doesn’t prevent you from getting the sleep you need.

Herbal tisanes. When steeped in boiling water, just about any herb or plant material that is not tea leaves becomes what is known traditionally as a tisane. If left to brew for some time, it becomes an infusion. Whether brewed as single ingredients or in combination, there are countless varieties of these herbal tisanes and infusions, with an equally diverse range of health-enhancing applications. As observed for centuries, studies on herbs are now elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying these longstanding observations, and we now have a better, albeit still limited understanding of how they enhance our overall well-being.

But you need not brew up a tisane to derive better immunity, as herbs can be compounded in a wide range of forms, including tinctures, extracts, homeopathic and combination preparations. One of the best known and most widely used herbs, Echinacea, has been long considered a source of immune support in traditional medicine but regarded with mixed feelings by conventional practitioners. Laboratory studies on different Echinacea species, plant parts, and preparations have demonstrated a variety of antiviral properties, useful in preventing and fending off respiratory viruses.

These studies also demonstrate, however, that Echinacea preparations can differ greatly, as can their effectiveness. We recommend you look for organically grown or sustainably harvested herbs, and if using supplements, choose high-quality standardized extracts, whether Echinacea or other medicinal herbs. (See the list below of 5 herbs for cold and flu season for our favorites).  For ongoing or more serious immunological or inflammatory concerns, please consult with a qualified professional for the best overall outcome.

Garlic. Used for millennia to combat respiratory and other infections, including viral illnesses, garlic contains a number of compounds, such as ajoene and allicin, that show potent antibacterial and virucidal activity. Scientific data on its proposed antiviral properties are still somewhat limited, but studies have shown that garlic promotes overall immune health, that it is active against specific bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, and that it may bolster the ability of the respiratory tract to defend against viral infection.

Hot peppers. Chili peppers such as jalapeño, poblano, or serrano contain moderate levels of the compound capsaicin, which is what makes peppers burn in your mouth — and clear out your sinuses! Adding these peppers to soups and other dishes can help open up clogged airways and promote better drainage of the sinuses, which in turn helps rid them of infectious bacteria, viruses, and the mucus and cellular debris associated with them. Peppers are also a high-quality source of vitamin C. As with some other natural treatments, the research on vitamin C and cold and flu prevention has been mixed and somewhat controversial. That said, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a powerful antioxidant, and it does appear to benefit the immune response, reduce the duration of respiratory symptoms, and may have some direct effects against influenza.

Chicken soup. Mothers and grandmothers have prescribed homemade chicken soup as a remedy for colds and flu for generations — perhaps since ancient Greece — and with good reason! It may not be a cure-all, but chicken soup does have a number of benefits for overall immune health and a healthy respiratory tract, and it certainly is comforting. As part of the natural inflammatory response, respiratory viruses like the common cold and influenza cause immune cells called neutrophils to migrate to the mucosal lining of the airways — this is thought to be what causes the secretion of mucus. Chicken soup has been shown to significantly limit the number of neutrophils that get drawn in. Steam from chicken soup helps open nasal passages, so it also helps remove infectious particles from your airways in that fashion. And if you make a chicken soup with fresh, homemade broth, garlic, and a jalapeño pepper, you’ll have a triple whammy for your respiratory health!

5 Medicinal herbs for cold and flu season

For generations certain herbs were identified as preventives for colds and flu, widely used in various forms and combinations, and regarded as invaluable for warding off infection and decreasing severity and duration of symptoms.

Modern science has placed these medicinal herbs under intense scrutiny, and the research on some has been mixed yet supportive. We now have a growing body of evidence confirming overall lower incidence of flu and cold infection with the use of certain herbs, while other studies demonstrate intriguing immune-stimulating activity. Herbal medicines are thought to neutralize or limit the success of seasonal viruses in myriad ways, but principally by increasing immune cell numbers and function, gene expression, and cell-signaling activity in the body. Others appear to act upon the virus particles themselves.

Most botanical preparations containing these herbs work best when taken as preventives, or as soon as symptoms become evident. Here are 5 for which the science is strong:

1. Astragalus (A. membranaceous)
2. Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
3. Cordyceps (C. militaris)
4. Echinacea (E. angustifolia, E. purpurea, E. pallida)
5. Eleuthero (Siberian ginseng — Eleutherococcus senticosus)

References

 

 

By Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Despite the fact that the Journal of the American Medical Association published a review advocating that every adult take a multivitamin to reduce the risk of disease, we often hear of doctors who oppose nutritional supplements. This leads many people to wonder – are dietary supplements safe?

Frankly, we understand many of the reasons doctors are concerned about nutritional supplements, and we think you should too before you start taking a multivitamin. So here are some of the common reasons doctors hesitate to encourage nutritional supplements:

Doctors worry that patients will use nutritional supplements as a substitute for regular medical care, a good diet, or other important health habits. These are real concerns. Everyone should see a practitioner regularly. And no pill can replace a good diet and exercise. Nutritional supplements are a good health habit, too — just don’t use them as a crutch for bad health habits.

Doctors have heard scare stories about extreme dosages, drug interactions and poor quality. These are real concerns too. Some patients are cavalier about extreme dosages. Several herbs have interactions with drugs that aren’t yet well understood. Toxins and even drugs have been found in supplements from second-rate manufacturers. But these problems are easily dealt with. Make sure you are taking a pharmaceutical–grade multivitamin, and tell your healthcare providers about any supplements you are taking.

Doctors are skeptical about claims made for nutritional supplements. There are ridiculous claims made for bogus products such as weight loss pills. And some patients think herbs or other supplements can cure serious diseases like cancer. It’s just too bad doctors associate legitimate products with these bad practices.

Most medical schools fail in nutritional instruction. Doctors tend to underestimate the importance of nutrition in general. No wonder: most doctors receive a mere few hours’ nutritional training in med school, and lack adequate time to keep up on the latest research. Their practice is based on disease screening, not prevention, with an emphasis on drug therapies, not nutrition. Such doctors naturally think that nutritional supplements have little therapeutic value. This is changing, especially among recent medical school graduates. Even oncologists at leading cancer institutes are advocating vitamin supplements for their patients. But it will take years before nutrition is a part of most doctors’ methods.

For more information, click here to read our article, “Health and Vitamins – Who Should Take Dietary Supplements and Why?” and our many informative articles in our Nutrition section.

Women to Women offers high-quality, pharmaceutical grade vitamins and supplements to enhance your health.  Click here to check out our store.

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Without a doubt, eating well and having optimal nutrition is the number-one strategy for creating lifelong health, regardless of your starting point. You may be highly conscientious and diligent about your diet, or you may be in despair about your nutrition and miles from reaching your goal. Or, you may be “good” one day then wobble or fall down the next. Whatever the case, this section of our site is all about how to make nutrition and eating well the cornerstone to your health foundation.

Conventional medicine has only recently begun to catch on to the enormous impact nutrients have on disease prevention and even disease reversal. But over the years I’ve seen it time and again in my practice: getting the right combination of nutrients through healthy food choices and high-quality nutritional supplements can make all the difference in a woman’s physical health, energy level, and overall vitality.

As women, we’re taking care of children and aging parents, working outside the home, and still doing much of the housework and cooking — it’s no wonder we reach for frozen dinners or take-out menus when it’s time for dinner! But I’ve found that educating my patients on a new approach to food can make those tough decisions about what to eat and whether or not to use nutritional supplements much easier.

The other problem today is that even when we make an effort to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, they’re often grown in nutrient-depleted soil so they can’t offer us the full armor of vitamins and minerals our bodies require. This means that nearly every woman could benefit from some level of nutritional supplementation, but you need to know which ones are right for you and what to look for to make sure you’re getting all the potential benefits.

Take a look at our many articles on the subject of nutrition and nutritional supplements for guidance. What’s wonderful is that you can optimize your health naturally every day — and it’s not as difficult as it may seem.