Real Food Cures: Vitamin D for Bronchitis and Iodine for Moles
ENTER TO WIN! Learn to cook healthier meals for your family! Click here to enter to win Real Food for Rookies, a new online class -- retail value $120, plus over $60 worth of discount coupons. Don't miss out! contest ends this SATURDAY Sept 4th at midnight Pacific.
This is primarily a food blog, extolling my love of cheese, raw milk, butter, and so on. But it is also fundamentally a blog about health and nutrition. Which is why I’m writing this post. I get so excited about the power of food to heal, I just have to share when I see something amazing happen.
I had a couple pretty awesome experiences in the past week that I want to share with you. Both events underscored how powerfully nutrition impacts the human body.
Vitamin D and Bronchitis
I was diagnosed with bronchitis a few weeks ago. The doctor said it was viral, and my only hope was to just rest and wait it out. He gave me antibiotics anyway, in case it turned bacterial. I got worse and worse so I finally took the antibiotics (as much as I don’t like them). They didn’t help.
Nor did anything else. Chicken broth, vitamin C, coconut oil, cod liver oil, holy basil, lemon, garlic cayenne. I was miserable, wheezing and coughing and sneezing for weeks on end.
Finally about a week ago, I came across a website that said you could kick a virus with very high doses of vitamin D3.
If you do get a virus, you can treat it with high doses of Vitamin D for seven days after onset of symptoms. My friend K.A. tried this last week when she came down with a bad flu and she wrote, “It really worked…I took just 4 [16,000IU of D3] and it worked… it was miraculous….I was on the mend and so surprised! Source
I figured it was worth a shot. So I took 1 1/2 tablespoons (about 16,000 IU of vitamin D) of fermented cod liver (Green Pasture’s Blue Ice brand) oil once a day for 4 days straight. [UPDATE: Please see comments below -- I did the math wrong! 16,000 IU = about 3.5 TBS of fermented cod liver oil liquid version and about 3 TBS of the gel.]
And it worked! No more sneezing or coughing. Just like that.
This is interesting to me because it reflects the studies that are being done lately regarding low vitamin D levels and susceptibility to colds and flu.
Levels of flu-fighting vitamin D reach their lowest point in the winter when ultraviolet light disappears.
Michael Holick, a vitamin D researcher, said that immune cells have a vitamin D receptor, and that the cells activate vitamin D as a response to infection.
“What vitamin D really does is play a sentinel role,” said Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine.
First, it is used by immune cells to fight the virus. Then, it helps temper the overall immune response and limit inflammation.Source
Considering that 70% of American children have insufficient levels of vitamin D, I believe we should all be having our vitamin D levels checked going into flu season. I just ordered my test, and am ordering tests for Kate and Seth, too.
Here’s where to order vitamin D tests at a discount: Vitamin D Council
While you can take synthetic vitamin D3 pills or drops, I really recommend taking cod liver oil. It is much easier for the body to absorb and it’s a real food, not a synthetic vitamin. It also contains vitamin A which works synergistically with vitamin D. My favorite brand of cod liver oil is the naturally fermented Green Pasture’s Blue Ice brand. Because it’s actually fermented, it also contains vitamin K2 and probiotics.
For sources of fermented cod liver oil, see my resources page.
Iodine for Moles
I have had an ugly mole on my thigh for a couple of years now. No idea why this mole showed up but it’s been growing and becoming darker ever since it appeared. I have been putting off going to the doctor to get it removed.
A couple of weeks ago I got my new Wise Traditions quarterly journal from the Weston A. Price Foundation, which I always read cover to cover. I read in the Letters section someone reporting that they had had success removing a mole with iodine.
Then I went on the Earth Clinic website and read a whole bunch of stories about people using iodine to remove moles. I figured I had nothing to lose. If it didn’t work, I could just go to the doctor and have it removed.
I started putting iodine on the mole a couple of weeks ago. Three weeks maybe? I don’t know — I’ll have to check the date I started. Anyway, I can definitely see a difference. It’s several shades lighter for one thing. It’s also starting to disappear.
I wish I had taken a “before” picture but of course I didn’t. However, I took a photo two days ago to show you what it looks like now. Sorry the photo is a bit dark (only had my iPhone).
Here’s the mole as of two days ago:
I drew a line around it to show you how big it used to be:
Isn’t that amazing?
I’ll take another one in another week or two and update you.
By the way, I am using Lugo’s 2.2% concentrated drops. I have heard that you can use regular iodine tincture (the kind you buy at the drug store for a buck or two) but I think the Lugol’s is more concentrated so it might work faster.
I have no idea why this works. If anyone knows why iodine would work on moles, please comment.
Disclaimer: I can’t say this will work on all moles, nor can I say the vitamin D will work on everybody’s bronchitis. (I’m not a doctor so please don’t construe this as medical advice! Please get advice from your doctor.)
Photo source: jaded on Flickr
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, hosted at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
NEVER MISS A POST! Sign Up for FREE Email Updates:
You can also Subscribe in a Reader
28/10/2009 at 9:33 am Permalink
You and I started our mole-removal test on the same day, I don’t remember what day it was either. I’m using tincture only and have had a little lightening but nothing dramatic yet.
I tend toward bronchitis after every single bug, so I will most definitely keep a spare bottle of CLO around for the next battle. I have no luck with anything helping when I get it, it just comes and stays for three weeks before tapering off. Makes me crazy miserable.
Did you keep taking the higher dose for any length of time after you stopped coughing?
28/10/2009 at 10:13 am Permalink
I totally agree with your personal experience with Vit. D.; and fortunately I am hearing more Western docs. advising it for everyone because most of us are Vit. D. deficient. I had never heard of iodine for moles, but I am going to try it. Thanks.
28/10/2009 at 10:24 am Permalink
Peggy -
It will be interesting to compare our results since you are using the tincture only.
Have you had your vitamin D levels tested? Maybe you wouldn’t get the recurring bronchitis if you had more vitamin D. Just a thought!
It’s only $40 to get it tested via the link I posted above. $40 is a small price to pay to sidestep crazy-miserable, methinks.
I didn’t keep taking 16,000 IU but I did keep taking a higher than normal dose. Anywhere from 1/2 tablespoon to a tablespoon.
I am interested to see what my vitamin D test will show. I bet you I’m nowhere near optimal. Probably wouldn’t be getting sick if I was. I haven’t been regular about taking my cod liver oil this past year and even though we live in LA, I don’t go outside much (too busy working!). We shall see…
28/10/2009 at 10:29 am Permalink
Great information! I’m a little wary of taking megadoses of vitamins unless there is a need (in your case I think there was a good reason to though!) because there can be side effects of huge quantities of just about any vitamin. Just to add my 2 cents, I guess. Sometimes people see ‘vitamins’ or ‘natural’ and think that it can’t hurt, but some things can, so everyone would want to research on their own before taking megadoses of any vitamin. I do agree with you about real vitamins vs synthetic, with my first child I took a synthetic prenatal, and with my second I took one that was derived from food, and what a difference it made.
I’ve had a mole on my back for a while now that I’m going to try that iodine with. Thanks for mentioning that!
28/10/2009 at 10:58 am Permalink
I’ve been experimenting with iodine myself ever since I was diagnosed with fluoroderma (acne caused from fluoride ingestion). Like iodine, fluoride is a halogen and it is known to displace iodine from the body. One of my readers suggested the work of Dr. Guy Abraham when it comes to iodine research. You can find more info at the following link. Perhaps it might help answer some of your questions!
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml
28/10/2009 at 11:17 am Permalink
Wow! That doesn’t even look like a mole. I am going to have to try this. Thanks! I’m posting a link blog in a few days, I will include this one.
28/10/2009 at 11:18 am Permalink
Wow! That doesn’t even look like a mole. I am going to have to try this. Thanks! I’m posting a link blog in a few days, I will include this one.
28/10/2009 at 11:18 am Permalink
Wow! That doesn’t even look like a mole. I am going to have to try this. Thanks! I’m posting a link blog in a few days, I will include this one.
28/10/2009 at 11:18 am Permalink
Wow that’s amazing about the iodine, did the article say anything about skin tags? I have a bunch on my neck and all the docs. will say is that they can be easily burned off. I’d like to know why I have them but if the iodine would work I’d opt for that. At least they’d be gone.
28/10/2009 at 11:21 am Permalink
Sorry about the dupe comments – computer error.
28/10/2009 at 11:29 am Permalink
So great to see you posting again! Glad to know you are feeling better and up and around.
These ideas sounds so interesting. Whoulda thunk it?!
On a totally unrelated subject, where do you get rapadura from? I’ve been looking in stores and can’t find it. Is there a site you like?
28/10/2009 at 11:33 am Permalink
Thanks for the heads up about vitamin D. I’m currently taking 15,000 IU of D3 daily due to ridiculously low levels and MS (in hops that it prevents relapses).
I didn’t know that about the iodine though I take 12 mg of kelp daily for unrelated reasons.
28/10/2009 at 11:43 am Permalink
We’ve loaded up on vitamin D lately in hopes of staving off the flu that’s been making the rounds. It is insane how more people suffer from low vitamin D levels than have optimal levels. Never heard that about iodine though – cool!
28/10/2009 at 12:59 pm Permalink
My doctor has developed a protocol for folks who get the flu. Part of it includes 100,000 units dose of vitamin D on the first day of illness. They knew no one would believe it, so it says in the document “yes, that’s right, 100,000 units” just so people wouldn’t think it was a typo.
28/10/2009 at 2:12 pm Permalink
Too funny, my whole family just came down with flu like symptoms, coughing etc. about 2 weeks ago. I starting taking 4,000 IU of D3 from CLO in capsules for joint pain a few days before. When I went to my dr last week and mentioned in passing about my family, the first thing he said was “You probably didn’t get it because of the D3.” and bumped me up to 6,000. He takes 10,000 but is much taller than I am. Suppose to notice something in the joint pain after 6 weeks. Can’t wait.
I also take 5 drops of iodine daily in my kombucha for thyroid problems. A friend of mine is putting iodine on a skin cancer on her face. It has dried it up and she says she has to do again every time it comes back till it dosen’t come back. hmmm. Hope your mole goes away.
28/10/2009 at 2:17 pm Permalink
I completely believe in the power of foods to heal – and specifically, the nutrients contained within them. In addition to eating a healthy diet most of the time, I also take whole food, organically produced with cofactors and enzymes vitamin supplements (along with Omega 3, 6, and 9 essential fatty acids – the 6 I actually take because this spring I was told by my nutritional therapist that I was LOW on Omega 6s because I really don’t eat them anymore!), probiotics (as well as raw milk and whole milk yogurt), and digestive enzymes and bile salts (my appendix and gallbladder were both removed eight years ago, so I’m challenged digestive-wise anyway). We also take the Green Pastures cod liver oil during the months we are not exposed to the sun regularly.
I am also excited that you were able to get rid of your bronchitis with the Vitamin D supplementation. I actually wrote an article this summer on my web site about how I finally kicked a horrible sinus infection I had for nearly four weeks – and I had thought I was doing everything right too. I almost succumbed to antibiotics…but the naturopath I went to did some facial and neck manipulations, inserted powerful essential oils deep into my nasal passages, and told me to do alternating hot and cold packs. She said this would be the last ditch effort since I had been treating it naturally for so many weeks, and that if I didn’t see marked improvement by the next day, we’d do a culture to see what were were dealing with.
The same day my nutritional therapist suggested I add probiotics to my neti-pot treatment. I tried all of these things in succession, and by the next morning, my sinus infection had disappeared. I can’t tell you how shocked I was to find the pain disappearing so quickly when I did the neti-pot treatment the night before, and then within minutes there was not a trace of it left! I’m sure if I had mega-dosed on Vitamin D before I tried this, I would have had dramatic results as well…but I hadn’t thought of that yet.
I also believe iodine is great for so many things too. It’s fantastic that you have been able to reduce the size of your mole! Unfortunately, I’ve been taking Iodoral for three months now in hopes of making my fibrocystic breast condition better…but that has not caused anything to change. I’ve been doing a lot of other things too such as taking an herbal extract from my acupuncturist and I have completed several detoxification protocols since spring to do with parasites, heavy metals, and candida as well. Evidently breast cysts are associated with toxin overload (lymphatic from liver congestion). My next step is to complete a colon cleanse when I finish my current heavy metal detox with homeopathic supplements I’m taking. I’ve had the cysts for five years and cannot figure out what on earth to do to make them go away. I’ve tried everything I can think of short of surgery. I eat a really healthy, traditional diet and have detoxed myself to pieces. I’m getting ready to consider surgery just to remove it if these last few things don’t make a difference. I know you wrote about fibrocystic breast condition and iodine deficiency. But I’m scared to death that this will turn into cancer, and I’m doing all the things I should be. I must be missing something?
28/10/2009 at 2:24 pm Permalink
Raine -
How much iodine are you taking and in what form?
28/10/2009 at 3:22 pm Permalink
I’m taking Iodoral, and the amount my doctor told me to take one tablet per day…but I’ve read in some places (maybe one of those was here) that you have to take 150 mg per day. I’m wondering though, if my body is still too toxic, maybe that wouldn’t matter because the digestive tract cannot absorb nutrients if it is “clogged”.
28/10/2009 at 5:11 pm Permalink
I got rid of my chronic, hereditary fibrocystic breast condition with daily doses of evening primrose oil (caps). Evidently caffeine exacerbates the condition (not that I’ve had any coffee for decades, but I do drink tea, in the past up to 6 cups per day, although now more like 2 or 3). Evening primrose oil might work for you, Raine, and is certainly something you should try before surgery. My physician, who isn’t particularly real food/nutrition oriented, recommended evening primrose oil, but even she can’t get over the improvement.
Somewhat off-topic as to Vitamin D and iodine, but on-topic about how real foods heal, my husband’s hereditary high cholesterol dropped more than 30 (and possibly up to 120 points, but it’s hard to tell based on a change in medication) within 2 months of us switching from 1% organic milk (pasturized, homogenized) to whole raw milk. His HDL/LDL ratio improved as well. We’ve now started drinking kefir (me about a quart a day (osteoporosis issues), him a glass every other day or so). I am really looking forward to his next blood test.
I also started taking iodine tabs to see if I can stave off incipient Hashimoto’s Disease. My iodine levels were so low that even after taking the tabs for several weeks, the iodine tincture I put on my arm as a skin test vanishes in less that 6 hours. The jury’s still out on this one.
28/10/2009 at 5:24 pm Permalink
Another great all natural cure that I have used is to use Raw Apple Cider Vinegar on Warts.
My daughter had a cluster of warts on her knee a few years ago, the doctor we went to at the time recommended the over the counter wart medicine. Didn’t help at all. I went online to try to find something to do naturally. Came across the ACV thing. I put some on a cotton ball, taped it to her knee overnight, took it off in the morning and put a bandaid over it to send her to school. Within 2 weeks it turned red, then black and fell off, all the little ones around it turned black too and went away. It has never come back.
Just recently my son had a large wart on his finger, it turned black within a week and it fell off at about 2 weeks, with still a bit of a wart left there, so we are still treating it.
It is amazing how well it works.
Lisa
28/10/2009 at 5:25 pm Permalink
Just to be clear, we put the ACV on the wart each night and took it off each day for a couple of weeks till the wart is gone.
28/10/2009 at 7:25 pm Permalink
Another good site for info on Vitamin D & a number of others is Andrew Saul’s Doctor Yourself. http://www.doctoryourself.com/index.html
Excellent source of info. (Also a good forum is Hawke’s Health: http://www.hawkeshealth.net/community/index.php but they are currently having bandwidth problems & won’t be back up for another 4-5 days.)
29/10/2009 at 2:21 am Permalink
Ok, I am most DEFINITELY going to try this!!! Oh, have you heard about keeping onions in bowls around your home to prevent or stave off viral infections? Check it out:
“Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food” Hippocrates
In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was a doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.
The doctor came upon one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn’t believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.
Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work. (And no, she is not in the onion business.)
The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.
If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick; all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.
Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!
Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:
Thanks for the reminder. I don’t know about the farmers story…but, I do know that I contacted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put one end on a fork and then place the forked end into an empty jar…placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs… sure enough it happened just like that. The onion was a mess and I began to feel better. Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties
PS: use the strongest smelling brown skinned onions you can find
(maybe this is why the farmers tied up the garlic and onions in the family main rooms!-not just to dry them)
Onions are Beneficial for Your Health
What would life be like without onions? The onion has been used as an ingredient in various dishes for thousands of years by many cultures around the world. World onion production is steadily increasing so that onion is now the second most important horticultural crop after tomatoes.
There are many different varieties of onion, red, yellow, white, and green, each with their own unique flavor, from very strong to mildly sweet. Onions can be eaten raw, cooked, fried, dried or roasted. They are commonly used to flavor dips, salads, soups, spreads, stir-fry and other dishes.
Onions (Allium cepa) belong to the lily family, the same family as garlic, leeks, chives, scallions and shallots.There are over 600 species of Allium, distributed all over Europe, North America, Northern Africa and Asia. The plants can be used as ornamentals, vegetables, spices, or as medicine. There are over 120 different documented uses of the Alliums.
Onion and other Allium vegetables are characterized by their rich content of thiosulfinates, sulfides, sulfoxides, and other odoriferous sulfur compounds. The cysteine sulfoxides are primarily responsible for the onion flavor and produce the eye-irritating compounds that induce lacrimation. The thiosulfinates exhibit antimicrobial properties. Onion is effective against many bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella, and E. coli. Onion is not as potent as garlic since the sulfur compounds in onion are only about one-quarter the level found in garlic.
The Value of Onions
Onions have a variety of medicinal effects. Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects. In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to treat angina, coughs, bacterial infections, and breathing problems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) supports the use of onions for the treatment of poor appetite and to prevent atherosclerosis. In addition, onion extracts are recognized by WHO for providing relief in the treatment of coughs and colds, asthma and bronchitis. Onions are known to decrease bronchial spasms. An onion extract was found to decrease allergy-induced bronchial constriction in asthma patients.
Onions are a very rich source of fructo-oligosacchar ides. These oligomers stimulate the growth of healthy bifidobacteria and suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon. In addition, they can reduce the risk of tumors developing in the colon.
Cardiovascular Help
Onions contain a number of sulfides similar to those found in garlic which may lower blood lipids and blood pressure. In India , communities that never consumed onions or garlic had blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels substantially higher, and blood clotting times shorter, than the communities that ate liberal amounts of garlic and onions. Onions are a rich source of flavonoids, substances known to provide protection against cardiovascular disease. Onions are also natural anticlotting agents since they possess substances with fibrinolytic activity and can suppress platelet-clumping. The anticlotting effect of onions closely correlates with their sulfur content.
Cancer Prevention
Onion extracts, rich in a variety of sulfides, provide some protection against tumor growth. In central Georgia where Vidalia onions are grown, mortality rates from stomach cancer are about one-half the average level for the United States . Studies in Greece have shown a high consumption of onions, garlic and other allium herbs to be protective against stomach cancer.
Chinese with the highest intake of onions, garlic, and other Allium vegetables have a risk of stomach cancer 40 percent less than those with the lowest intake. Elderly Dutch men and women with the highest onion consumption (at least one-half onion/day) had one-half the level of stomach cancer compared with those consuming no onions at all.
Western Yellow, New York Bold, and Northern Red onions have the richest concentration of flavonoids and phenolics, providing them with the greatest antioxidant and anti-proliferative activity of 10 onions tested. The mild-tasting Western White and Vidalia onions had the lowest antioxidant content and lowest anti-proliferative activity. The consumer trend to increasingly purchase the less pungent, milder onion varieties may not be the best, since the onions with a stronger flavor and higher astringency appear to have superior health-promoting properties.
Use and Safety
Onions have a universal appeal. They are safely consumed by most people. However, consuming large quantities of onions can lead to stomach distress and gastrointestinal irritation that may result in nausea and diarrhea. There are no known interactions with drugs except that they can potentiate the action of anticoagulants.
Conclusion
Onions, and other Allium species, are highly valued herbs possessing culinary and medicinal value. Some of their beneficial properties are seen after long-term usage. Onion may be a useful herb for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, especially since they diminish the risk of blood clots. Onion also protects against stomach and other cancers, as well as protecting against certain infections. Onion can improve lung function, especially in asthmatics. The more pungent varieties of onion appear to possess the greatest concentration of health-promoting phytochemicals.
Author: Winston Craig, MPH, PhD, RD
29/10/2009 at 3:02 am Permalink
I am currently testing Oil of Oregano for moles. I read a personal account of fading moles like the ones I have so I thought I would give it a try. I am hoping it will get rid of these raised pink/red moles that I started getting after my first child. I had some removed years ago but other ones just pop up. It is just oil of oregano in olive oil so the side effect is that you smell like pizza.
BTW, I read about OoO being used on skin tags and sun damaged areas as well.
29/10/2009 at 4:52 am Permalink
I’m always happy to see another article about Vit D3, especially in FCLO, protecting against colds, flu, etc. It’s even better coming from someone who has tried it with good results. Thanks for sharing!
I was just wondering about the math on the vitamin D in FCLO. According to my calculations, it would take almost twice as much (a little less than 3T) to get 16,000 IU. That is with the gel though, where 1/2 tsp. is a serving and contains 230% DV (920 IU). With 3t =1T, I would multiply 920 by 9 and get 8,280 IU vitamin D in 1.5T of the gel. I know the regular has a smaller serving size, but also contains 190% DV, so I would think it would be similar. (by my calculations 1.5T regular FCLO has 8,428 IU) I also realize that those values could be larger, as fermented CLO will have different amounts of Vit D in each batch, and contains isomers which make it hard to measure.
If 1.5 T contains 8,000 to 10,000 IU vitamin D, then it is encouraging! Maybe we would need less FCLO than other supplemental Vit D3 to achieve the same effect!
PS – I really don’t mean to be knit-picky! I just need to sort it all out! Love what you do here!
29/10/2009 at 7:21 am Permalink
My mother will NOT take CLO (says fish burps aren’t worth it) but takes Rx vitamin D. She is “allergic” to the sun and breaks out in a full-body rash and anaphylaxis reaction from 5 minutes of sun exposure. (I suspect a porphyria variant) She also gets nasty bronchitis at least twice a year for which she takes steriods. When she developed breast cancer, I suggested she have her vitamin D level tested. The doctor said she was “on empty” and put her on Rx D3.
I love my CLO. It, along with grassfed meat and raw dairy are on my “no compromise” list. Turn off my internet. Cart away my TV. Shut off my phone. Disconnect my air conditioning. But you’ll get my CLO when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
29/10/2009 at 8:39 am Permalink
My question would be, does the iodine cosmetically fade the mole only, or does it cure the problem which the mole is symptomatic of? For example, if the mole were cancerous, would it cure the cancer? My guess is, no, since with skin cancer being such a serious problem, if iodine cured it, there would be no more skin cancer. Well, it would appear,but be cured. (Sorry, this is getting pretty stream of consciousness…)
So I guess my question is, is it better to have the mole checked by a doctor first, told it is not malignant, and then treat with iodine for cosmetic reasons, rather than reduce or eliminate a mole that could be indicitive of a real and serious problem (skin cancer) that then doesn’t get treated?
29/10/2009 at 2:21 pm Permalink
Onions around the house? Sounds great and cheap too! I take shots of apple cider vinegar (raw and unfilitered, of course) when I feel a head cold or sinus infection coming on. I’ve been feeling a bit sickly the last couple of days and have been doing the apple cider vinegar shots and it’s helped but I just took a tablespoon of fermented cod liver oil. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.
I used to get sinus infections twice a winter and would take antibiotics each time – the infection just wouldn’t go away w/o antibiotics. I’ve been doing the apple cider vinegar shots and haven’t been to the doctors (except for pre-natal visits and having a baby) or on antibiotics in four years.
I’m hopeful that taking extra fermented CLO will make me feel better faster and give me more energy!
I take Lugol’s iodine and give it to my 1 and 4 year olds as well.
29/10/2009 at 2:45 pm Permalink
Jassica -
Can you tell I was not a math major?
I always get nervous about my math when I do posts because invariably I screw it up. And whenever I see a comment questioning my math, I pretty much expect the commenter to be right.
I reworked the math again and you’re right (I am using the numbers for the old FCLO — the first batch before they came out with the new flavors and the gel).
1 serving size = 1 mil (or 1/5 tsp)
1 serving size provides 150% DV of vitamin D
100% DV of vitamin D = 5 mcg or 200 IU (this number is for children, men & women under age 50)
So 1/5 tsp provides 150% of that or 300 IU.
So 1 tsp = 1,500 IU and 3 tsp (1 TBS) = 4,500
So, yes 1.5 TBS only provides 6,750 IU of vitamin D.
In order to get 16,000 IU of vitamin D, you would need to take about 3.5 TBS.
So I wonder if I would have gotten better even faster if I had taken more FCLO? That’s pretty cool.
29/10/2009 at 6:45 pm Permalink
With the reworked math, I’m off to take 2.5 more tablespoons of FCLO!
29/10/2009 at 7:31 pm Permalink
LOL Tina thanks for putting up with me and my flawed math!!!
I really love you guys and appreciate your patience with me. :-*
30/10/2009 at 1:11 am Permalink
Tina, I second the raw ACV cure for sinus infections. My husband gets them every spring and fall as well, and has always had to take antibiotics to get rid of them.
This year when he mentioned that he felt one coming on, I asked if he wanted me to look for a natural treatment online. He did, and I found thousands of people who swear by raw ACV (and for many more issues than sinuses!). So he’s been drinking his “concoction” of 1 cup hot (not boiling water) with 2 T raw ACV and 1 tsp. raw honey every morning and night since. You guessed it… NO infection, clear sinuses, and NO antibiotics this fall! I LOVE natural treatments.
Great post!
30/10/2009 at 2:29 am Permalink
I had the swine flue( H1N1 ) In August – and normally I don´t take any D3 at that time of the year but I took 70 mcg- 100 mcg /2800 IU-4000 IU a day
- and it was really mild and I was actually feeling Ok on day 3-4.
so my teen is having 50/ 2000 iu and I take 35 mcg 1400 IU from September to April. There is no need to test here- the majority of Danes get too little sun- only June and July provised enough D from the sun.
Interesting about the moles- I don´t think we can get Iodine here.
30/10/2009 at 10:51 am Permalink
Have you ever heard of a connection between CLO and stuttering? I gave it to my 28m son for about a week straight (before it was pretty sporadic), and he started stuttering on saturday – about 3 days in. I read a comment on a blog that said this woman’s daughter started stuttering and stopped a few weeks after stopping the clo. Weird! We have the fermented clo from green pastures also. I didn’t give it to him thurs or today, and he hasn’t stuttered these two days. I was hoping to keep him well all winter with the help of the clo, but I might have to find another way!
30/10/2009 at 5:41 pm Permalink
Hi!!
Did you increase your daughter’s dose of clo while you were sick? Or during flu season? How much do you give her on a regular basis and during flu season?
My son is 19 months old and I just don’t want to give him too much or too little =) We use the same brand as you.
Thanks!!
01/11/2009 at 8:41 am Permalink
Great post!
I’m a h-u-g-e fan of Vit D. I tuned into the need for Vit D a few years ago after spending about 8 years avoiding the sun after having a basal cell nodule removed. What a mistake. Now I realize I need some some midday sun exposure, I just need to take care not to overdo it and cover up before I burn.
For several years I’ve had great success avoiding or shortening cold viruses with high doses of Vit D. Even my skeptical research scientist husband is convinced now, after we both spent an evening in Urgent Care (for a non-viral matter) exposed to lots of sick & sniffling people; he got very sick and I didn’t. It had to be that UC exposure, because we went there within an hour after he and our son returned from a 4+ day trip on the opposite coast; I had been alone at home the entire time. If it was the airplane where he was exposed, our son probably would also probably have gotten sick and he didn’t. Our son was at a neighbor’s house while we were at Urgent Care, so he wasn’t exposed to the sick people in the waiting room. As soon as we returned home from UC, I tripled my Vit D dose to 15,000iU and took a double dose of 10,000iu for the next few days, but my skeptical husband continued to take his usual 4000iu daily dose. I got a few minor sore throat symptoms for 2-3 days, then the cold stalled and was over. My husband started a sore throat the same day I did, but he suffered the entire range of cold symptoms for two weeks. Now he takes no chances and gladly takes a higher daily dose of 8,000iU D3 and doubles that for a few days when he’s exposed to colds and viruses.
We regularly test Vit D levels either via our doctor or with http://www.grassrootshealth.net as part of a Vit D study 2 times a year. GrassrootsHealth is a great way to get an inexpensive finger-prick blood spot test at home for $40 (and without the need to make a trip to the doc and lab for a needle/tube blood draw). The study collect data on Vit D levels around the world and how they correlate with health (there is a brief questionnaire about your health for the previous six months to complete online when you do the test). GrassrootsHealth is a University of California faculty research study – they have some very informative UCTV video lectures on YouTube and audio lectures on iTunes. The study is administered in the San Diego area where I live so I’ve had a chance to meet the director.
Our family has had good results taking Vit D3 in a formula of 1000iU for *each* 25 pounds of body weight. That keeps our levels at least at 60ng/mL, though I aim for closer to 70-80ng/mL. Even in Southern California, I find that we need to supplement, because we don’t get nearly as much midday sun exposure as is needed to keep our 25 (OH)D levels above 60 ng/mL (My gynecologist reports that 80% of her patients are deficient – San Diegans just assume they get lots of sun and Vit D – ha!). In 2007 when I began supplementing with D3 and testing 25(OH)D, my level only got up to 40-44 ng/mL on 2000iU D3 (Carlson’s) a day, so without supplementation, it probably would have been much lower. I also make sure we get some preformed Vit A, K2, and magnesium/calcium either in foods or supplements, too, as they all work synergistically with Vit D3.
Prescription Vit D is D2, is a cheaper synthetic irradiated plant form (ergocalciferol), which isn’t the same molecular structure as the bioidentical D3 (cholecalciferol) form humans and animals make. So we have to convert it into D3 first and some people aren’t very efficient at the task. I choose less expensive OTC D3 instead of Rx D2 or OTC D2. If the label doesn’t specify which D is it (like in some multi-vits) it probably is low dose D2, which is very cheap. Also, D3 needs to be taken with some fat or oil for optimal absorption, so oil-filled capsules are better absorbed than hard tablets (some doctors report very mixed absorption results with hard tablet forms). This year I’ve been taking very economical Bio-Tech 5,000iU D3 powder filled capsules that I bought from the Protein Power website (with a bit of a high fat food) and my latest 25 (OH)D test assures me that the powder D3 in the capsules is well absorbed. 5000iU per capsule D3 is hard to find in stores so I ordered it online via the Drs. Eades’ website (100 capsules for $8, which is a good value for high dose D3). The shipping cost was the same for 1 to 11 bottles, so I stocked up and then mailed half the order to my SIL & MIL in the UK (both were very deficient after they had a test early last spring). The bottles are small and light, so they take up little space, and were easy/cheap to ship. When we travel as a family instead of carrying the various forms we take, I carry along a small bottle of Carlson’s D3 oil drops (2000iU/drop) and add it to a bit of high fat food.
We do take CLO that has some natural Vit D (Sonne’s & Green Pastures), but to get the amount of D I think we need, it would mean taking in a LOT of Vit A, which makes me a bit uncomfortable. So we take most of our Vit D as a separate supplement.
I’ll also note that with these higher doses of D3, we always take them earlier in the day. If I take 5000iU of Vit D3 after 3pm, I experience difficulty getting to sleep. That makes sense, considering that Vit D3 is really a pre-hormone, not a true vitamin (“vital amine”), and it is normally formed in response to midday sun irradiation, so taking a high dose late in the day probably throws off melatonin production (another hormone that rises in response to darkness), therefore interfering with sleep cycles. If I forget to take the D3 early, I wait until the next morning and double my dose the next day. Even at these doses, the research has shown as long as my 25 (OH)D stays under 200ng/mL, there is no D3 toxicity. Last December we supplemented at really high levels when we traveled cross-country by plane and were surrounded people with really virulent colds. When we returned home to SD we were surrounded by people with colds, so we kept up the double dosing. At the end of January I did a 25 (OH)D test and the result was 122 ng/mL but I experienced no toxicity effects, just resistance to colds. I stopped supplementing and resumed my 5000iU dose inMarch. In late April my 25 (OH)D was a nice 68 ng/mL.
I think the current Vitamin D research is some of the most exciting and useful areas of research I’ve seen in a long time. Unfortunately, it is an underfunded and under-appreciated area, though hopefully that will change. With the increase in media attention this past year, I expect it won’t be long before the pharmaceutical industry tries to get in on the D action to develop Vit D analog therapies (they can’t patent natural Vit D 3 but they can potentially make massive profits money off D analogs, like they do with the Rx D2). I’ll stick to the sun and inexpensive natural D3.
01/11/2009 at 8:44 pm Permalink
I’ve been reading about the importance of vitamin D in preventing and treating illness. We take the same CLO as you (the chocolate gel), though I can’t get my husband to take it, and I was wondering what dose you would give a two or four year old when they are sick?
They take a maintenance dose of 1/2 ts every day but my two year old has a cold and I was hoping to curtail it.
03/11/2009 at 8:31 am Permalink
Very interesting article, and fun to read. The information provided by you is very good.The information provided by you is very excellent. I got good knowledge from your summery.
information-about-vitamin-a
13/11/2009 at 3:10 pm Permalink
Here is a link that shows the onion story is false.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/swineflu/onion.asp
21/02/2010 at 8:17 pm Permalink
I have not enough information on what you say above. then I search more information online and at last found your posting. Its very valuable to improve my information about it to manage my blog as well.
thanks a lot,