By Amy Norton
Reuters Health

Many children undergoing treatment for cancer use herbal remedies, vitamins or other types of alternative therapies, a new research review suggests.

The review, of 28 studies involving 3,500 children, found that anywhere from 6 percent to 91 percent of study participants used some form of alternative or complementary approach at some point during their cancer treatment. In half of the studies, the rate ranged between 20 percent and 60 percent.

It is not clear from the studies whether some children were receiving alternative therapies instead of a particular standard cancer treatment, or whether they were only being used in addition to conventional medicine, according to lead researcher Dr. Felicity Bishop, of the University of Southampton School of Medicine in the UK.

What the studies do indicate, she told Reuters Health by email, is that “a substantial proportion of pediatric cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine at some point in their treatment.”

The bottom line for parents, according to Bishop, is that they should discuss any use of such therapies with their child’s doctor.

She and her colleagues report their findings in the journal Pediatrics.

The public often perceives alternative therapies as “natural” and safe. But while some approaches are unlikely to cause harm — like relaxation therapies to reduce stress — other alternative treatments may present a risk to cancer patients. Research has found, for example, that high-dose vitamin C, St. John’s wort and green tea compounds may (in specific cases typically) interact with certain cancer drugs and lessen their effectiveness.

Some recent studies have had promising results; for example, a clinical trial last year found that the herb milk thistle may help limit liver inflammation as a side effect of chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Another found that adding flaxseed to the diets of men scheduled to undergo surgery for prostate cancer seemed to slow the cancer’s growth in some patients.

However, researchers caution that these are the first well-controlled clinical trials to evaluate those therapies, and more studies are needed before recommendations can be made.

In their review, Bishop and her colleagues found that herbal remedies were the most commonly reported alternative therapies, though use varied widely across the studies — with anywhere from 2 percent to 48 percent of children using herbs.

Between 3 percent and 47 percent of children used special diets or other nutritional therapies, while 3 percent to 30 percent used prayer or other forms of “faith-healing.” Other forms of integrative approaches included high-dose vitamins, mind-body therapies like meditation and relaxation techniques, and homeopathy.

In studies that asked parents why they had turned to alternative therapies, the most common reasons were “to cure or help fight the child’s cancer,” to help ease symptoms and to counter the side effects of conventional cancer treatment.

According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, patients considering alternative therapy should speak with their doctors first to make sure it fits safely into their overall care. Doctors or staff at a patient’s cancer center may also be able to recommend an alternative-medicine practitioner. Some cancer centers now offer alternative- and complementary-medicine programs that can be integrated into standard care.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, April 2010.

For information on how palladium lipoic complexes can nutritionally support the body during cancer and cancer therapy, visit the Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Research’s website.

Original article URL:

 http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62M3PV20100323?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&rpc=76

Exercise is widely recognized as an important therapeutic means in the control of hypertension. Regular aerobic exercise reduces both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (upper and lower numbers) by an average of 10 mmHg.

Overall, people who have mild to moderate hypertension can train similarly to those who have normal blood pressure with some modifications. They should engage in primarily low-impact aerobics, walk regularly and swim as a means of building cardiovascular endurance. Weight training should begin with low resistance at an initial level of 8-12 reps, increasing gradually to 12-20 reps over time.

Exercise intensity levels should be maintained at the lower end of the heart rate range (40 - 65%) and can be measured accurately and easily with the use of a portable heart-rate monitor. They are readily available on the market for costs ranging between $40-$350. People who are hypertensive should try to exercise at least four times per week with initial short durations, gradually increasing the amount of time they spend on warm-up, cool-down and actual exercise to as much as 30-60 minutes per session. The amount of time spent exercising depends upon the individual’s health history, management of hypertensive medications and other health concerns. It is important that graduated time is spent in warm-up and cool-down, beginning at 5 minutes and increasing to 10-15 minutes per session. Warm-up provides for a measured increase in muscle temperature, which reduces the likelihood of muscle injury; improves coronary blood flow; increases the flexibility of connective tissues as well as many other benefits. Cool-down prevents a rapid drop in blood pressure which generally results in feeling light headed or faint; reduces immediate propensity for muscle cramping or spasm and allows for a gradual reduction of adrenaline in the blood.

If you are hypertensive, check with your physician prior to beginning any exercise program. Also check with your physician if you are increasing or decreasing the intensity or duration of an existing exercise program in which you currently participate. Some medications may require a change in program content and it is important to work closely with your doctor in putting together an exercise plan that works for you and is safe. Sometimes, physicians may ask you to keep a record of blood pressure before and after exercise.

© The Better Life Experts | March 2010

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

The hottest topic in medicine isn’t the newest drug or the latest surgical device: It’s vitamin D.

What brought the simmering debate to a boil was a 2007 study showing that people taking normal vitamin D supplements were 7% less likely to die than those who didn’t take the daily supplements.

A year later, a major study found that when women with low vitamin D levels get breast cancer, they have a much higher chance of dying from their cancer than women with normal vitamin D levels.

That was surprising news. But just as surprising is the fact that many men, women, and children have insufficient blood levels of this important vitamin.

How many? Data suggest many of us don’t get the vitamin D we need. For example, a 2007 study of childbearing women in the Northern U.S. found insufficient vitamin D levels in 54% of black women and in 42% of white women.

These findings led the American Academy of Pediatrics to double the recommended amount of vitamin D a child should take — and have led many doctors to advise their adult patients to up their vitamin D intake.

Your health may depend on knowing the answers to these important questions:
• Why do I need vitamin D?
• How can I get enough vitamin D?
• Will a vitamin D test tell me if I need more vitamin D?
• Which foods contain vitamin D?
• How much vitamin D do my children and I need?
• Can I get too much vitamin D?
• What kind of vitamin D is best?
• Does vitamin D interact with other medications? 
 
Why do I need vitamin D?
Your body must have vitamin D to absorb calcium and promote bone growth. Too little vitamin D results in soft bones in children (rickets) and fragile, misshapen bones in adults (osteomalacia). You also need vitamin D for other important body functions.

Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, depression, weight gain, and other maladies. These studies show that people with higher levels of vitamin D have a lower risk of disease, although they do not definitively prove that lack of vitamin D causes disease — or that vitamin D supplements would lower risk.

The Vitamin D Council — a scientist-led group promoting vitamin D deficiency awareness — suggests vitamin D treatment might be found helpful in treating or preventing autism, autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, high bloodpressure, flu, neuromuscular diseases, and osteoporosis. However, there have been no definitive clinical trials.

The best known benefit of vitamin D is its role in helping calcium build strong bones. But that’s far from the whole story. Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system and the neuromuscular system. Vitamin D also plays major roles in the life cycle of human cells.

Vitamin D is so important that your body makes it by itself — but only after skin exposure to sufficient sunlight. This is a problem for people in northern climates. In the U.S., only people who live south of a line drawn from Los Angeles to Columbia, S.C., get enough sunlight for vitamin D production throughout the year.

Dark skin absorbs less sunlight, so people with dark skin do not get as much vitamin D from sun exposure as do light-skinned people. This is a particular problem for African-Americans in the northern U.S.

How can I get enough vitamin D?

Thirty minutes of sun exposure to the face, legs, or back — without sunscreen — at least twice a week should give you plenty of vitamin D.

But this much direct sun exposure might also expose you to potentially dangerous levels of cancer-causing UV radiation. And unless you live in the South or Southwest, you probably won’t get enough sunlight during the winter months for your body to make enough vitamin D.  The American Academy of Dermatology recommends against getting vitamin D from unprotected exposure to sunlight.
 
It’s probably a better idea to get vitamin D from foods or from supplements.
 
Will a vitamin D test tell me if I need more vitamin D?

Yes. As part of your regular blood test, your doctor should order a test for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD).

Everyone agrees that anyone with a 25-OHD level of less than 15 ng/mL or 37.5 nmol/L (depending on the units reported by a lab) needs more vitamin D.  A 2002 study found that 42% of African-American women of childbearing age had vitamin D levels below 15 ng/mL.

The U.S. National Institutes of health notes that 25-OHD levels over 30 ng/mL are optimal, and that there is “insufficient data” to support recommendations for higher levels.

The Vitamin D Council considers the ideal 25-OHD level to be between 40 ng/mL and 70 ng/mL.

Which foods contain vitamin D?

Surprisingly few foods contain vitamin D — unless it’s added to the food. That’s because your body is built to get vitamin D through your skin (from sunlight) rather than through your mouth (by food). But once your body has enough, it doesn’t matter whether you got it through your skin or through your stomach.

There are three vitamin D super foods:
• Salmon (especially wild-caught)
• Mackerel (especially wild-caught; eat up to 12 ounces a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are low in mercury)
• Mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light to increase vitamin D
 
Other food sources of vitamin D include:
• Cod liver oil (warning: cod liver oil is rich in vitamin A; too much may be bad for you)
• Tuna canned in water
• Sardines canned in oil
• Milk or yogurt — regardless of whether it’s whole, nonfat, or reduced fat — fortified with vitamin D
• Beef or calf liver
• Egg yolks
• Cheese
 
Nearly all milk in the U.S. is fortified with vitamin D. So are many brands of orange juice, yogurt, margarine, and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.

How much vitamin D do I need?

The current recommended daily dose of vitamin D is 200 IU for people up to age 50, 400 IU for people aged 51 to 70, and 600 IU for people over age 70.

That’s not enough, Boston University vitamin D expert , MD, PhD, tells WebMD. Holick recommends a dose of 1,000 IU a day of vitamin D for both infants and adults — unless they’re getting plenty of safe sun exposure.

In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that breastfed infants receive 400 IU of vitamin D every day until they are weaned. This doubled the AAP’s previous recommendation.
 
The AAP also recommends 400 IU/day of vitamin D for children and teens who drink less than a quart of vitamin D-fortified milk per day.

The Vitamin D Council recommends that healthy adults take 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily — more if they get little or no sun exposure.

There’s evidence that people with a lot of body fat need more vitamin D than lean people.

The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board is currently updating its 1997 vitamin D recommendations. A report is scheduled for May 2010.

Can I get too much vitamin D?

Too much of any good thing is a bad thing. Too much vitamin D can cause an abnormally high blood calcium level, which could result in nausea, constipation, confusion, abnormal heart rhythm, and even kidney stones.

It’s nearly impossible to get too much vitamin D from sunlight or from foods (unless you take way too much cod liver oil). Nearly all vitamin D overdoses come from supplements.

The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board’s 1997 recommendations — scheduled for a May 2010 update — suggest that 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D is safe for adults and that 1,000 IU per day is safe for infants up to 12 months of age.

However, the relatively small doses of vitamin D in daily vitamin pills are not enough to correct serious vitamin D deficiency. A 2009 study suggested that the best regimen for treating vitamin D insufficiency is 50,000 IU of vitamin D3 taken three times a week for six weeks. This time-limited regimen did not result in vitamin D toxicity.

How much vitamin D is too much? That’s controversial. According to the National Institutes of Health, the maximum upper limit for vitamin D is 25 micrograms (1,000 IU) for children up to age 12 months and 50 micrograms (2,000 IU) for everyone else.

But some recent studies suggest that healthy adults can tolerate more than 10,000 IU of vitamin D per day. John Jacob Cannell, MD, executive director of The Vitamin D Council, notes that the skin makes 10,000 IU of vitamin D after 30 minutes of full-body sun exposure. He suggests that 10,000 IU of vitamin D is not toxic.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 25-OHD levels that are consistently over 200 ng/mL are “potentially toxic.”

What kind of vitamin D is best?

The recommended form of vitamin D is vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. This is the natural form of vitamin D that your body makes from sunlight. Supplements are made from the fat of lambs’ wool.

Many supplements contain vitamin D as vitamin D2 or calciferol. It’s derived from irradiated fungus. Because this is not the form of vitamin D naturally made by your body, WebMD nutritionist Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, recommends using the D3 form for those taking vitamin D supplements.

Because of its potency, different forms of vitamin D are used in prescription medications. If you have a prescription for one of these medications, do not switch to another form of vitamin D without checking with your doctor.

Does vitamin D interact with other medications?

Yes. Steroid medications such as prednisone can interfere with vitamin D metabolism. If you take steroid drugs regularly, discuss vitamin D with your doctor.

The weight loss drug orlistat — brand names include Xenical and Alli — may cut absorption of vitamin D. So does the cholesterol-lowering drug cholestyramine (sold as Questran, LoCholest, and Prevalite). People taking these drugs should discuss vitamin intake with their doctors.

The seizure drugs Phenobarbital and Dilantin (phenytoin), affect vitamin D metabolism and affect calcium absorption. So do anti-tuberculosis drugs.

On the other hand, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and thiazide diuretics increase vitamin D levels.

AMARC Enterprises offers a high-quality D3 product to help you meet your vitamin D needs. Click here for more information or to order.

Original article URL:  http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/the-truth-about-vitamin-d?ecd=wnl_can_041310