September 12, 2007
Special Guest: Dr. John Cannell

An interview with Dr. John Cannell, Executive Director of the vitamin D Council.

Dr. John Cannell is founder of the non-profit Vitamin D Council and www.cholecalciferol-council.com, both established to alert the public and physicians to this terribly underappreciated issue.

Topics Covered:

• Vitamin D is not a vitamin – find out what it really is.
• Find out how to have your D levels tested – and what to do with the result.
• Learn how you can produce adequate vitamin D in your body.
• Should you sunbathe?
• Get the best recommendation here.
• Learn the difference between “plant” vitamin D and “human” vitamin D.
• Discover the link between vitamin D deficiency, depression, autism, and other neuro-  developmental disorders.
• Find out how vitamin D supports heart health.
• Learn about the vital link between vitamin D and the absence of most cancers.
• Have you been taking cod liver oil?  Find out why this could actually be defeating your purpose.
• Learn how vitamin A can negate the benefits of vitamin D.
• Is vitamin D toxic?  Read the truth about choosing it as a supplement.
• Learn the role enzymes play in helping you detox, as well as helping you absorb the nutrients in your meals.
• Gain courage to ask friends for the help you need.

In July, the Washington Post reported that “One Billion People Don't Get Enough vitamin D”. Could you be one of them? The Post article said, “There is evidence that people who live at higher latitudes -- where the angle of the sun's rays is not sufficient to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D in the skin -- are more likely to develop and die of Hodgkin's lymphoma, colon, pancreatic, prostate, ovarian, breast and other cancers. And there is an association between low levels of vitamin D and increased risk for type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.”

The paper quoted Dr. Holick as saying that “the current recommended adequate intake for vitamin D needs to be increased to 800 to 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 per day. However, one cannot obtain these amounts from most dietary sources unless one is eating oily fish frequently. Thus, sensible sun exposure (or UVB radiation) and/or supplements are required to satisfy the body's vitamin D requirement."

Clearly, this is something we need to know more about.

Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN Is the host of the Access to Health Experts interview series. She holds a doctorate and is board certified in Clinical Nutrition, is the author of Digestive Wellness, Digestive Wellness for Children, and Leaky Gut Syndrome. She’s the Director of Doctoral Studies at Hawthorn University, and the nutrition editor for Pilates Style Magazine. Dr. Lipski is the founder of several web-based health information sites including Innovative Healing and Access to Health Experts.