Vitamin D Prescription: The Healing Power of the Sun & How It Can Save Your Life
by Eric Madrid
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Book Summary Information
Author: Eric MadridEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-11
ISBN: 1439229465
Number of pages: 228
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Book Reviews of Vitamin D Prescription: The Healing Power of the Sun & How It Can Save Your Life
Book Review: both clear and thorough
Summary: 5 Stars
Of the 8 books on vitamin D I have read so far, this one has perhaps the best combination of practical advice and thorough detail (although several of the other books are good too) but it turns out this book too is lacking in advice for those with long-standing health problems (see end).
I had long been aware that, the further north you live, the worse health problems you are likely to suffer from but for decades we have been told we get all the vitamin D we need from sunshine, that supplementation does not work very well, and anyway deficiency is rare. Until recently, no one seems to have been aware of how common Vitamin D deficiency is, nor the severe health problems such a deficiency creates.
Now, it turns out that most doctors use the wrong blood test. It also turns out that the importance of Vitamin D for health can't be stressed enough: it can apparently cure cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, bone density issues, arthritis, flu, muscle pain, chronic pain, fatigue, seasonal (and other) depression and various autoimmune disorders.
And, it turns out, it's almost impossible to overdose - only one or two cases are known and they had been unknowingly taking truly extreme doses of over 100,000 IUs daily (versus the officially recommended 400 IUs) - and that vitamin D3 is the most effective type. (Why then, all those almost hysterical commonly repeated warnings against overdosing on Vitamin D?!)
Madrid provides dozens of thumbnail conclusions of medical studies on health benefits of specific vitamin D levels based on standard blood tests. There is a whole section covering the protective effect of vitamin D on many forms of cancer. Many other health problems are covered too.
The summaries distill years of medical research into a simple statement; in every case, both chronic and degenerative diseases are clearly associated with a vitamin D deficiency. Case histories give you good insights about real-world situations. Despite a high level of information provided, the book is easy to read and lightened by the author's personal anecdotes.
Although the medical profession does not regard the various study results as irrefutable proof, the author wisely recommends a regimen of vitamin D supplementation while studies continue, since there is much to be gained and little, if any, risk. Specific and clear dosage advice is given. The book is accessible to both the lay person and the medical practitioner. Of all the books, Madrid's best explains the numerical data and also briefly cites clinical research, which gives the work credence for other physicians.
Of the other books (and I'm wondering why there are so many!), "The Vitamin D Revolution" by Soram Khalsa was previously the one I preferred, "Vitamin D Prescription" by Eric Madrid is also good. "The Vitamin D Cure" by James Dowd is not basic, comprehensive or practical. Then there is "Vitamin D" by Michael Merrill which was too brief and simply inadequate.
Of the 2010 books, both "Vitamin D" by Rona and "Power of Vitamin D" by Zaidi are brief but quite good but the one that is now my favorite 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. (Those who react badly to Vitamin D and/or sunshine may have a rare disease called sarcoidosis.)
According to most of the books on vitamin D, the vast majority of us are deficient in vitamin D whereas adequate levels can alleviate chronic pain, stroke, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, depression, arthritis, diabetes, gum disease, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, autism and much more. 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, Glycaemic 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; yes, thoroughly and sometimes repeating them in various combinations and on each occasion with enthusiasm and bright-eyed hope but I saw no measurable benefits. "Trick and Treat" by Groves explains in detail just why so many of my efforts were doomed. Nowadays, when I read about health wonders, I wonder how many claims of success are made up or at least tweaked - and I wonder what proportion of actual patients were successful in any way, much less miraculously so, as is always claimed by books touting miraculous benefits.
I was startled to learn in the Holick book, which I read months after this one, 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).
Only the Holick book told you that the elderly and those with poor health simply cannot produce enough activated vitamin D in their bodies even when taking high-doses of 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 Vitamin D Prescription: The Healing Power of the Sun & How It Can Save Your Life
From children to seniors, up to 80% of us are deficient in vitamin D, claims Dr. Eric Madrid, in his illuminating new book Vitamin D Prescription-The Healing Power of the Sun & How It Can Save Your Life. Vitamin D not only builds strong bones, but it can help prevent or control diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, and even cancer. Madrid urges readers to have their blood vitamin D levels checked by their physicians and to supplement with vitamin D pills. He also advises to limit the sunscreen and soak up the healthy rays of the sun instead. Filled with thought-provoking research studies, personal anecdotes and case histories, Vitamin D Prescription is meant to be an easy-to-read and informative book about the healing powers of this astonishing vitamin.Nutrition Books
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