Vitamin D Might Ward Off MS

In a report out today by Amy Burkholder of CNN, Vitamin D may ward off MS (Multiple Sclerosis). A study by the Harvard School of Public Health showed that people who had higher levels of Vit D in their blood were at lower risk for developing MS.

MS is a serious ailment that currently affects 400,000 people in the US with 200 cases diagnosed each week according to the CNN report.

It's a disorder of the central nervous system in which the body's immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, specifically the myelin, the substance that insulates nerve cells and helps messages travel among them.

Researchers were unsure about how to correlate the evidence to prevention of MS."We established with a certain degree of confidence that people with high vitamin D levels have a lower risk of developing MS. What we don't know for sure if increasing their vitamin D levels will actually prevent MS," said study author Dr. Alberto Ascherio of the Harvard School of Public Health.

Vit D is found in cheese, fish and fortified juices and cereals. It can also be produced in the body by exposure to sunlight.

The article goes on to say that people should hold off using a Vit D supplement until they have proved it works. What! How can someone not increase their Vitamin D given the results of this study?

What would be the adverse side effects? Too much sun? Too much cheese? Excessive use of any vitamin would not be good but increasing intake of Vit D at a moderate level would just be smart, whether you think you are at risk or not. Many holistic doctors will tell you the recommended daily vitamin amounts are way below what they should be.

This is what makes me so angry. Our "medical" opinions are always to wait until things are studied when it comes to natural medicine. Does it make sense to wait to take Vit D? Not to me it doesn't.

Somehow we accept the risk of the very serious adverse affects of drugs on the market that were studied according to government standards. Turns out they were wrong in many instances and now are issues warnings. Just today another warning came out about common pain pills.

There are even very serious warnings about the increase of suicide for children taking antidepressants. And what do they want to do? Increase the size of the black box on the label?

But they are warning us about increasing Vit D?

I think the American public is quickly losing faith in our medical system's ability to clearly evaluate natural medicine and they are voting with their feet and using these natural methods. Currently 62% of Americans use some form of natural medicine according to the NIH.

At least we think for ourselves!!