Vitamin D Keeps the Diabetes Away?
Sturgeon Bay, WI (PRWEB) February 25, 2014 -- Vitamin D is actually a hormone that is produced when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Chiropractor and Naturopath Dr. J G Moellendorf, DC, ND, LCP notes that many people in the northern climates are deficient in Vitamin D, as one should have 15 minutes of whole body sun exposure daily. Recent research has found a connection between low levels of Vitamin D and symptoms associated with diabetes.
Depression and pain are commonly seen in women with type 2 diabetes. Several research studies have examined how relieving the pain may decrease the depression, but no studies have been done on how Vitamin D can affect diabetic-related pain. The research team led by Dr. Todd Doyle at Loyola University’s Health Sciences in Chicago studied the effectiveness of Vitamin D on pain in women with type 2 diabetes and depression by giving them 50,000 IUs of vitamin D2 weekly for a six month period. At the beginning of the study, 61% of the women reported neuropathic pain (burning or shooting pain in the legs and feet) and 74% reported sensory pain (numbness and tingling in the hands, fingers, and legs). There were significant decreases in both types of pain reported at the three and six month follow-ups. Dr. Doyle stated, “While further research is needed, D2 supplementation is a promising treatment for both pain and depression in type 2 diabetes.” The findings titled “Vitamin D Decreases Pain in Women with Type 2 Diabetes and Depression,” were reported October 24, 2013 at Loyola’s Health Science Campus research conference.
Research in the last decade has suggested that Vitamin D has effects on insulin action and secretion by the pancreas. Dr. Yiqing Song of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts led a group of researchers to see if there was a correlation between Vitamin D levels in the blood and the incidence of type 2 diabetes. They published “Blood 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Levels and Incident Type 2 Diabetes: a meta-analysis of prospective studies” in the May 2013 issue of Diabetes Care. They reviewed 21 prospective research studies involving 76,220 individuals and 4,996 cases with type 2 diabetes. They discovered that for each 10 nmol/L increase of Vitamin D present in the blood, there was a 4% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The results of this study has spawned another research project by Dr. Song’s co-researcher, Dr. Anastassios Pittas.
The National Institutes of Health has granted more than $40 million to a research team led by Dr. Anastassios Pittas at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. About 2,500 people with a high risk for developing diabetes will be recruited to study whether Vitamin D is effective in reducing the occurrence of the disease. The nationwide clinical trial will be conducted in 20 medical centers in 17 states, with participants being followed-up twice yearly for four years to monitor for the development of diabetes. Dr. Pittas notes, “It is critically important to find new methods that are safe, effective and easy to use to stem the tide of future diabetes cases.” He is concerned because 79 million Americans are at high risk for developing diabetes, 26 million already live with it, and it is the 7th leading cause of death, with 69,000 dying every year. Diabetes can also lead to strokes, blindness, and diseases of the heart, kidneys, and nervous system. It is estimated that diabetes costs the U.S. health care system more than $245 billion yearly. As Dr. Pittas further states, “(Vitamin D supplementation) could have a significant impact on the quality of life for millions of people and could potentially save the American health care system billions of dollars.”
Besides sunlight, other natural sources of Vitamin D are fish liver oils, salmon, mackerel, tuna, egg yolks, mushrooms, and milk. To accomplish the high levels of Vitamin D noted in the above research studies, a supplement is needed.
Using the latest research findings, Moellendorf Chiropractic Office, Ltd. uses a comprehensive package of Chiropractic care, decompression traction therapy, active therapeutic movement training, cold laser therapy, and nutrition for the natural treatment of neurological conditions, neck and back pain, and other health conditions without drugs or surgery. Additional information about Chiropractic, Naturopathy, and other forms of natural health care has been provided by Moellendorf Chiropractic Office, Ltd. at http://www.all-about-wellness.com.
About: Dr. J G Moellendorf, DC, ND, LCP
Dr. J G Moellendorf, DC, ND, LCP attended the University of Wisconsin—Superior where he majored in Physics and Mathematics, with a minor in art photography. While attending the University of Minnesota—Minneapolis, he assisted in research on ribosomal proteins. Completing his Chiropractic studies at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, he graduated Cum Laude (with high honors) in 1983. He started Moellendorf Chiropractic Office, Ltd. in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1983. In 1996, Dr. Moellendorf was awarded his Doctorate in Naturopathy from Trinity School of Natural Health. In 2001, he received Chiropractic’s most prestigious award, the honorary Legion of Chiropractic Philosophers degree, for his thesis “The Workings of Innate Intelligence in Obsessive/Compulsive and Addictive Behaviors.” This paper was chosen for publishing in the book Philosophic Contemplations vol. 2 in 2002. In June of 2012, Dr. Moellendorf authored his first book titled Healthcare’s Best Kept Secret. Dr. Moellendorf can be contacted by phone (920) 493-2126, fax (920) 743-1145, email jgmoellendorf(at)itol(dot)com, his website at http://www.all-about-wellness.com, or send a carrier pigeon to 44.84722N and 87.36416W.
Dr. J G Moellendorf, Moellendorf Chiropractic Office, Ltd, http://www.all-about-wellness.com, +1 (920) 493-2126, [email protected]
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