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Title: The Vitamin D Cure
ISBN: 0470131551
Author:
James Dowd
Diane Stafford
Publicate Date: 2008-01-14
Publish: 2008-01-14
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $13.47
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $13.89
Amazon Merchant Price: $16.47
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1: Pianist's Arthritis is Cured!
At the ripe old age of 44, I found that I was having problem with hand movement...Why is this is significant, you ask? I am a professional Piano Instructor! In September, I was referred to Dr. Dowd by my orthopedist. My orthopedist diagnosed arthritis, with a possibility of RA.
Later that month, Dr. Dowd saw me in The Arthritis Institute in Brighton, MI. He spent a SIGNIFICANT amount of time, reviewing my medical history, discussing my diet, and my lifestyle. After a series of testing, Dr. Dowd recommended 2000 mg of Vitamin D per day with a suppliment of Omega 3 Fatty Acids (since I DO NOT eat fish!).
Although I thought that there was NO WAY that I could successfully follow a diet of no grains and no cheese, I vowed to try to follow the diet until my 2 month follow-up appointment. One week after following the diet, I definitely needed some scientific research to boost my moral,so I bought "The Vitamin D Cure".
Within a few weeks of following the diet and taking the supplements, I had significant mobility of my hands back. I have followed his diet guidelines closely (I, however, find that I can only stomach a banana first thing in the morning)and have seen remarkable results. It's been over three months, and in addition to playing the piano again, I am ALEVE FREE (and have been for 3 months)! The unforeseen, but welcome, side effect is that I lost 10 pounds and will probably never have to worry about stomach fat again!
THANKS Dr. Dowd for your informative and life-changing book!
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2: A great resource of benefit to everyone
Before I get into the review, let me mention I have read many articles from online medical journals and the popular press, and several books on Vitamin D. The Vitamin D Cure, when combined with some extremely authoritative online articles, will give anyone an excellent background on this somewhat complex, confusing, but important subject.
In the world of vitamin D there are laboratory researchers, epidemiologists, cell biologists, academicians, those who approach it from the dietary/nutritional angle, medical writers, and enthusiasts of alternative medicine. They all bring valuable insight into the fold, and I am sincerely grateful for the wisdom and contributions of all of them. But without question the most valuable information comes from clinicians with years of hands-on experience with real live patients presenting various sets of symptoms. Dr. Dowd's experience as a rheumatologist who has been treating patients with vitamin D for over 20 years gives him great insight.
Reading the book you will be introduced to case studies of actual patients where you can see their initial condition and track their progress. He uses a 5-point rating where a patients subjectively assess bodily functioning, level of pain, fatigue, perception of overall health, and quality of sleep. Looking at these along with standard test results gives him and the reader a snapshot of overall health and a handy way to track progress. He places his patients on a regimen consisting of 5 components, what he calls his 5-step plan:
Find out how much vitamin D you need
Use sunlight and take supplements to reach optimal levels
Alter your diet to reduce acid excess
Take other mineral supplements
Begin an appropriate exercise program
To me one the most useful part of the book appears on page 49 - a chart that relates your weight, starting vitamin D blood level, desired level, and daily dosage to bring you to the desired level. Warning: The chart is a little tricky to decipher but once you figure it out, it gives you absolutely critical information not found elsewhere. Once you know your current blood level and you learn how to decipher this chart, you will never be buffaloed by one-size-fits-all recommendations from well-meaning but misguided sources.
A chart appearing on page 34 shows typical seasonal variations of vitamin D blood levels. My only gripe with it is that what is stated as "normal" should be labeled "optimal". Normal (i.e., the most common) is the same as deficient for well over half the population, but I understand where the author is going with that.
The Q&A in the back has some great practical information. There are hundreds of academic references listed but they are not numbered so you can't tell where specific information came from. However, this is a minor drawback.
Overall, I am giving The Vitamin D Cure a solid 5 stars because it loaded with important information on a subject that everyone would be well-advised learn. It is easy to read, authoritative, the case studies give you good insight, and the advice on vitamin D and everything else is sound.
Like all things promoting health practices, the advice in this book seems overwhelming at first. Following every suggestion in the Vitamin D Cure will take a major commitment, but the good news is boosting your blood level of vitamin D to 50 nanograms per milliliter is easy, inexpensive (under 10 cents a day), has virtually no risk, and will provide some protection against the onset of chronic degenerative diseases that kill millions. The more of Dr. Dowd's 5-step plan you follow, the greater the protection. But even if you do nothing else, medical research strongly suggests that supplementing with vitamin D will give you a major step toward optimal health and a long, vibrant, disease-free life.
Star Trek's Mr. Spock is known to wish upon guests that they live long and prosper. An idle wish is not nearly as good as LEARNING to live long and prosper. Reading The Vitamin D Cure is a good way to start. After reading this highly recommended book, I hope you choose to expand your knowledge of vitamin D still further by reading: Sunshine and Vitamin D by Frank Murray, Vitamin D: Is It the Fountain of Youth? by Paul Stitt, The Healing Sun by Dr. Richard Hobday, The UV Advantage by Dr. Michael Holick, Solar Power for Optimal Health by Dr. Marc Sorenson, and Light: Medicine of the Future by Dr. Jacob Liberman.
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3: Great book, buy it....you won't be sorry
I am really pleased to have found a book written by a Doctor that anyone can actually follow. I have suffered from what they called "fibromyalgia" for years and a simple blood test for Vitamin D showed that I was actually suffering from a severe deficiency of Vitamin D in my body. I wanted to know more regarding this problem so I got online and found this book written by Dr. Dowd. Very basic info, but right to the point of how to care and treat this deficiency. I would recommend that if anyone is questioning or having a health issue such as this, buy this book.....it is a good one. Thank you for such an informative book that has given me my life back.
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4: What I Didn't Know Could Have Harmed Me
I have to admit, before reading this book I thought I got enough vitamin D on a daily basis from my foods -- wrong! The book had me reading labels and realizing that vitamin D is actually found in very few foods, none of which I regularly consumed.
And sunshine? I certainly don't go out when the sun is the highest (too hot here), much less without sunscreen. So no vitamin D from that source.
Drug interactions? After looking at the lists of drugs that interfere with vitamin D uptake, I could only conclude that between them, the lack of sunshine and the inadequate D from foods, that I was certainly in the "deficient" category. And yes, I recognized some of the symptoms of a deficiency all too well.
I appreciated that the author cited studies, so that I could look them up myself (what can I say, I tend to be skeptical of anything touted as a "cure"). They definitely gave me food for thought. And convinced me that I should be taking a vitamin D supplement.
I did find the book fascinating, and I have recommended it to several people for reading. While I don't believe any one vitamin alone is a "cure", I can see where supplementation with D would help a great deal with many disorders.
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5: MUST READ HEALTH BOOK
I am a retired person who reads many "health" books each month. This is one of the three best health books I have read in the past six months, and that is saying a lot! I was diagnosed by my doctor as being low in Vitamin D (a 22, when we should be much higher). Aside from the stunning fact that a conventional doctor " actually caught a vitamin deficiency, I was shocked that I, a vitamin chomper of the first order, could be deficient in any nutrient. I got Dr. Dowd's book to check up on my own doctor's recommendation and realized she was more than right. In the bargain, I learned about this incredible steroid and its importance to our entire body. This information is crucial because most of us are very careful to "protect" ourselves from the sun. I did,--very successfully apparently. I am recommending this book to many friends and relatives for its relevance to cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and a host of medical conditions.
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