Comments for Perceiving Life

Comment on How the FDA Failed Me by Elaine

Elaine — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:56:11 +0000

Jan, you said that “I later learned that doctors had prescribed things years earlier which set me up to develop this problem!”. Are you referring to antibiotics? Or is there something else we should all be aware of in advocating for ourselves as patients? I’d be really interested to hear what you discovered, if you don’t mind sharing…

Comment on Music affects our perceptions by Elaine

Elaine — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:47:20 +0000

Yes! And just like retailers use music to influence our behaviors, we can use it intentionally on OURSELVES. In my time management workshops, I ask people to think about ways they can use music to shift their energy patterns — e.g., to help themselves work faster when doing a monotonous task, to pep themselves up during an afternoon slump, or to help themselves wind down at day’s end so they don’t have trouble getting to sleep. Music can also be a great motivator; I have a mixed CD of “morning music” I created for myself to start me off in a positive and productive mindset on days when I feel like I need a boost.

Comment on Talenti Gelato is exquisite! by Elaine

Elaine — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:32:56 +0000

Yum! Thanks for the tip, Jan! I look forward to trying it…

Comment on Controversy about Statin Drugs for Cholesterol, Inflammation… by Jack Schewxnayder

Jack Schewxnayder — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:27:53 +0000

My stomach hurts and is bloated. I also have constipation all due to taking Zocor. I am thinking about quiting this drug.

Comment on What’s the fuss about Vitamin D? by Usana Jan

Usana Jan — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:40:09 +0000

Thanks, Kin Guy, for your thoughtful response. Clarification – I did not mean to imply that Vitamin D was an antioxidant. Perhaps it was ambiguous b/c I was talking more generally about RDA’s and then referred specifically to oxidative stress.
Good point too about sunshine – a wonderful and natural source of Vitamin D – though I believe sunscreen may limit these benefits. By the way, I don’t think the Vitamin D included in Usana supplements would be considered “mega-dosing”.

Comment on What’s the fuss about Vitamin D? by Kin Guy

Kin Guy — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:13:18 +0000

A lot of careful study and consideration goes into nutritional guidelines like the RDA, DRI, etc. Vitamin D has been especially scrutinized because it has a direct effect on calcium absorption by the body thus contributing to bone formation and strength. This means it would have implications on the possible development of osteoporosis or certain other bone diseases (rickets, etc.) Vitamin D is not an antioxidant. I’m not sure if usanajan meant to imply that it was or not, I just wanted to make sure that wasn’t being thrown out there as a claim. Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium. That’s it. But that is why foods like milk, yogurt and margerine are FORTIFIED with it! One glass of milk provides you with 25% of the RDA of Vitamin D (100IU’s) and I haven’t even got to the best part. Most people must not know this but there is a super easy way to get all the vitamin D you need for free! This is how you do it: GO OUTSIDE IN THE SUN FOR 5-10 MINUTES A DAY! UVB rays from the sun cause vitamin D formation in the skin, enough so that you can achieve your RDA by exposing your hands, arms and face to 40-60min of sunshine per week. I got this information out of my nutrition textbook – Nutrition for Health, Fitness & Sport, Melvin H. Williams. 8th Ed. – and I have a degree in Kinesiology so naturally I have a bias against nutritional quackery. That being said, I’m not naive enough to think that everyone out there eats a balanced diet, gets outside enough, drinks milk, exercises, etc… in fact if my degree taught me anything it’s that most people fail miserably at this. The point is this: if you have a few servings of dairy products a day and get outside in the sun for an hour a week you’re probably doing fine. If you feel like you need to take a supplement because you don’t do these things or you have risk factors for bone disease or osteoporosis then go ahead. A vitamin D pill a day won’t kill you, but be careful about megadosing especially with fat soluble vitamins (they stay in your body much longer). Vitamin D megadosing can lead to hypercalcemia which can lead to a myriad of uncomfortable symptoms including calcium deposits in soft tissues such as your kidneys. I found a good website giving a detailed overview of Vitamin D if you want more info:

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

Comment on What’s the fuss about Vitamin D? by usanajan

usanajan — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:44:49 +0000

Great question! The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) is set by the Food and Nutrition Board of NIH – a government agency. Basically, the RDA is – by their own definition – the lowest level of nutrient intakes that will prevent deficiencies in apparently healthy individuals. These minimal RDA levels may have helped us to avoid acute deficiency diseases, but the RDA of vitamins and minerals is not always enough to help prevent certain degenerative diseases or to provide protection from oxidative damage.
As for Vitamin D, it seems that it takes a long time for policy to catch up with science. Clinical trials with humans (2007 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) suggest a much higher upper limit as well, in the absence of toxicity.

Comment on What’s the fuss about Vitamin D? by Susan B

Susan B — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:21:47 +0000

At my Toastmasters meeting yesterday, Dr. Kennedy, a chiroprator, spoke on the value of Vitamin D. What confuses me is why the RDA is set at 400 units and many in the medical field emphatically state that that number is too low.

Who decides the RDA?

Comment on Inventive adaptations for computer users by Susan B

Susan B — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:15:56 +0000

Excellent idea, Jan. I like it and think it would do wonders, esp. for those of us not so close to the equator.

Comment on Inventive adaptations for computer users by Martha Ann

Martha Ann — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:35:51 +0000

I love that idea!