The Vitamin D Cure
by Diane Stafford, James Dowd
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Book Summary Information
Author: Diane Stafford, James DowdEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-26
ISBN: 0470455756
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of The Vitamin D Cure
Book Review: worthy but there are now more helpful books on vitamin D
Summary: 4 Stars
This book presents important information about the value of vitamin D and sunshine - and about just how much more we all need than has been officially acknowledged. There are also food recommendations which I thought were a bit odd; I suspect the author doesn't really know much about nutrition - as indeed most medical doctors are very lacking in that field as they get less than a day's training in this subject. Dowd also recommends exercise but then admits towards the end that improvements are not dependent on exercise, although he argues that exercise improves results. If most of the people interested in this book were well enough to exercise, they would probably not be looking at books like this!
Of the 8 books I've read on vitamin D (and I'm wondering why there are so many!), last year I preferred Soram Khalsa's "The Vitamin D Revolution". Although smaller than this book, everything was much more simply and clearly explained; also some basic details were covered that I did not see in this book, such as the differences between the three forms of vitamin D (D3 is the important one according to most of the books, although those published this year claim either D2 or D3 will work), the pros and cons of getting vitamin D from sunshine or tanning beds, which of the several vitamin D tests you/your doctor should use (and why). The Revolution book also contained several careful pages on dosage, which this book glossed over.
"Vitamin D Prescription" by Eric Madrid is also good. Otherwise there is the comprehensive but somewhat technical "Sunshine and Vitamin D" by Frank Murray - mainly brief compilations of hundreds of studies but no practical guidelines, so not really suitable for the layman who wants to experiment with high-dose vitamin D. The fifth book I read was "Vitamin D" by Michael Merrill which was too brief and simply inadequate.
In early 2010 further books came out: "Vitamin D" by Rona and "Power of Vitamin D" by Zaidi are both brief but quite good and the one that is now my favourite pick is "The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problem" by Holick. It is a practical and easy read. At 300 pages I also found it thorough. I liked that it straightforwardly explained that sunshine, when it shines strongly enough, is always better than supplementing with Vitamin D.
It's worth noting that, over a decade ago, several books were already lauding the much-overlooked benefits of sunshine, the best way to get vitamin D, although the further away from the equator, the less effective. Anyone living above the 35th parallel is highly likely to have a sunshine/vit D deficiency that can also lead to many common symptoms. (Those who react badly to Vitamin D and/or sunshine may have a rare disease called sarcoidosis.)
Apparently, vitamin D can cure cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, bone density issues, arthritis, flu, muscle pain, chronic pain, fatigue, seasonal (and other) depression and various autoimmune disorders. Perhaps it's just my cynicism from decades of reading endless books singing the praises of so-called miracles such as DMSO, MMS, DHEA, vitamin C, magnesium, iodine, omega 3 EFAs, breathwork, oxygen therapy, hydrogen peroxide, water, thyroid hormone, adrenal hormone, liver cleanses, detoxes, fasts, exercise, neutralising electromagnetic stress, juicing, mangosteen, noni juice, superfoods, organic foods, wholefoods, celiac diets, dairy-free diets, veggie diets, protein diets, carb diets, food combining, acid-alkaline balancing diets, glycemic index diets, high fibre diets, raw food diets, candida/fungus elimination, parasite cleansing - oh dear, the list of my gullibility seems endless.
Yes, I've tried all of these, sometimes repeating them in various combinations and on each occasion with enthusiasm and bright-eyed hope. "Trick and Treat" by Groves explains in detail just why all my efforts were doomed.
There are many interesting case studies in this book, all claiming fantastic results, although these days I have my doubts about books that claim only success. Nowadays, I wonder how many are made up or at least exaggerated. Dowd however does mention that some people don't assimilate Vitamin D properly, especially as they get older - this is missing in most of the books, which don't cover lack of success at all, a major failing to my mind. Dowd doesn't explain what to do about this whereas Holick more helpfully recommends activated vitamin D (calcitriol) for people whose bodies have trouble making the active form, such as older people or those who have a wheat/gluten intolerance (much more common than realized).
Actually, I was startled to learn, also in Holick's book which I read months later, that about a third of the population has kidney disease (which never gets diagnosed until too late and allegedly little can be done for it apart from horrible treatments like dialysis) and that about the same number are obese (hello... anyone making a connection here?) and that their bodies may not be able to produce enough activated vitamin D: as compared to the non-obese, vitamin D levels rose only 50% as much in the blood levels of the obese when using a tanning bed or getting a dose of 50,000iu of vitamin D. The obese get a lot of blame for what is not actually their fault: studies now show that calcium also plays a key role in reducing obesity (elsewhere I have seen studies showing large weight loss in about 30% of obese women who take both calcium and vitamin D).
Based on my personal experience of taking 10,000iu daily of vitamin D3 for 6 months, I'm not convinced that vitamin D supplementation of the non-prescription kind is a panacea, as so many of the books are claiming - and I am not convinced that all these authors got the unanimously fantastic results they allege. Too many single-strategy books have a way of sounding a little overzealous, attributing every malady to whatever deficiency they're tackling and proposing it as the magic solution across the board.
[Later note: D-Ribose and Xylitols are healthy sugars that I have recently been experimenting with, and am happy to report early signs of success. D-Ribose provides energy and Xylitol is anti-fungal and helps balance the pH of the body (both major factors in health). For D-Ribose, read "The Sinatra Solution" (although it is not an easy book: I read it twice and still did not feel I had understood it thoroughly) and for Xylitol try "The Sweet Miracle of Xylitol" and "Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye". I am also just starting to study about Creatine, the best book is probably the research-based but expensive and jargon-ridden "Essentials of Creatine in Sports and Health" by Stout, Antonio and Kalman.]
Summary of The Vitamin D Cure
Groundbreaking new research has traced the source of a wide array of to a single common factor?vitamin D deficiency. Leading rheumatologist and researcher Dr. James Dowd reveals the causes of vitamin D deficiency and offers a simple, easy-to-follow five-step program that can eliminate or alleviate a host of seemingly incurable conditions, such as arthritis, in as little as six weeks. Better yet, by staying on the program, you can enjoy robust health and improved fitness for the rest of your life.Diets Books
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