Most of us are aware that we produce Vitamin D through exposure to sunlight.  During winter even the strong New Zealand sunlight isn't enough to generate adequate Vitamin D and consequently studies show at least 40% of us have insufficient levels of this important vitamin, while 3- 4% are clinically deficient. 

People in residential care facilities are particularly at risk.   Also those taking statin drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol levels can experience vitamin D deficiency, as we need adequate cholesterol to naturally synthesise vitamin D in the body.

Vitamin D is well known to improve bone strength and reduce the risk of fractures.  Recent research is showing many other benefits of maintaining optimum Vitamin D levels.  Prevention and treatment of cancers, diabetes, depression, fibromyalgia, heart disease and flu as well as improving weight loss in overweight people and promoting fertility are all well researched as potential benefits of increasing Vitamin D intake to optimum levels.

There are two forms of Vitamin D supplement:  D2 and D3.  D3 (Cholecalciferol) is the safest and most effective form of supplementation.

View the range of Vitamin D3 supplements available to order online at discount prices from HealthPost.

References:

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-156366456/vitamin-d-deficiency-australia.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/doctors-start-to-include-vitamin-d-in-fight-against-cancer/article1352956/

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/short/117/4/503 (cardiovascular disease)

http://infertility.suite101.com/article.cfm/vitamin_d_deficency_and_infertility

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Vitamin-D.html#cholesterol

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153669.php (weight loss)

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php (flu prevention)

http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/vitamin-d-fibromyalgia-anxiety--depression

http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/You-Me-and-UV/NZ-Research/Measuring-Vitamin-D-levels  

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9443822_ITM

Hi Everyone,

A customer of ours emailed Green Party MP Sue Kedgley about the proposed Natural Health Products Bill (click here to learn more) then shared her response with us.  We thought it was pretty interesting so we've decided, with our customer's kind permission, to publish it here, followed by our response.

Best,

Abel

Sue Kedgley's email, in response to our customer, is as follows:

From: "Sue Kedgley" <Sue.Kedgley@parliament.govt.nz>
Date: 19 May 2010 3:57:22 PM NZST

Subject: RE: Natural Health Products Bill

Many thanks for your email, and let me assure you that there is no Natural Health Products bill.
 
Instead a consultation document has been drafted by Ministry of Health officials and put out for consultation for the express purpose of getting feedback from industry and consumer groups.   

Many positive suggestions for change have been submitted in response to the consultation document and I am confident they will be taken on board.

Let me assure you that the Green party strongly supports natural, holistic healthcare and a health system that is focussed on wellness rather than illness management. We strongly support natural health products as a way of keeping people well. As a consequence, we would not support a regulatory regime that undermined the viability of the natural health industry or limited consumer choice.  

However we have been informed  from sources within the industry that a significant amount of imported product coming in from China and other countries does not have the ingredients it claims to have or is adulterated in some way and we need to protect consumers from this. (It is the same with food of course).
 
Many thanks again for your email,

Sue Kedgley MP
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Room 15.06 Bowen House
Parliament Buildings, Wellington
Ph: 04-817-6717 Fax: 04-472-6003
Email: sue.kedgley@parliament.govt.nz

Our response to our customer is as follows:

While it's somewhat reassuring to see the comments from Sue Kedgley, I note the following points:  

RE: "there is no Natural Health Products bill"  

Perhaps not yet, but surely the consultation document is a step towards this as the ultimate intention?  It seemed clear to me from my reading of the document that this was the case (what would be the point otherwise?).  Apologies if the heading 'Natural Health Products Bill' on our website was misleading to you though, it would be better titled "Possible Natural Health Products Bill" or simply "Proposed Changes to NZ Natural Health Regulations" as we've used elsewhere.  

RE: "we would not support a regulatory regime that undermined the viability of the natural health industry or limited consumer choice"

Well, we'd certainly hope not but have you read the consultation document?  To our reading, it proposes an excessive, heavy-handed, regulatory environment for natural health products with (as just one example of this) the power to ban/approve any given substance vested in the hands of a "small unit within the Ministry of Health".  That doesn't seem kosher to us, especially not with so many vested interests - e.g. the conventional health lobby, pharmaceutical interests etc.  As proposed, it would inevitably increase the cost of producing natural health products in NZ and reduce consumer freedom of choice.  Another proposal, indicative of the mind-set behind the document, is that producers of natural health products would only be able to request approval to make claims of benefit for any product as selected from a list of pre-approved claims provided on a Ministry of Health website.  So despite the existence of any given natural product legitimately and scientifically proven to be able to provide a particular health benefit, actual label/advertising claims of benefit would be limited to a pre-determined list of possible claims deigned suitable by the appointed 'experts'.  

RE:  "we have been informed  from sources within the industry that a significant amount of imported product coming in from China and other countries does not have the ingredients it claims to have or is adulterated in some way and we need to protect consumers from this. (It is the same with food of course)."

We weren't aware of this being the case but if it is then we agree that action should be taken.  But if this is the key problem driving the need for new legislation, then why not create legislation which deals specifically with this issue?  The consultation document proposes changes which would be far, far more wide-reaching and goes way outside this, I'd have thought rather simple, brief.  Also, if goods aren't 'true to label' then shouldn't they (as "with food of course") be covered by existing legislation given the treatment of natural health products as food under current legislation?  The legislation as proposed sets out to address, in our opinion, a problem which doesn't exist.  We believe that New Zealander's, with very few exceptions, are not making themselves sick with natural health products, they're keeping themselves well with natural health products.  We'd be very interested to see some statistical evidence to the contrary.

Hi Everyone,

This new study may be of interest.

Best,

Abel

Fish Oil Supplementation and Autism/Asperger's Syndrome: A New Study

Two American researchers, Louise Patrick, SLP, and Ronald M. Salik, MD, have recently reported the results of a clinical trial of the effects of a fish-oil supplement on language development and learning skills in children with autism or Asperger's syndrome1. Fish oil provides essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are critical for brain health. Children with attention deficit, autistic, and related disorders have been shown to have significantly lower levels of EFAs in their red blood cells2.

The Patrick-Salik trial was an open-label study involving children aged 3 to 10 years who had been diagnosed with autism or Asperger's syndrome by a pediatric neurologist or qualified pediatric specialist. Children with a diagnosis of seizures, an allergy to fish or borage oil, or who were currently taking an EFA supplement were excluded. Parents were asked to refrain from adding new therapies during the study, and parental consent was obtained for each child.

The supplement, ProEFA^TM from Nordic Naturals, combines omega-3 from fish oil and omega-6 from borage oil to provide 247 mg EPA and DHA, 40 mg GLA, and 14 IU Vitamin E. The children were each given one gram of ProEFA (Complete Omega^TM/Omega 3.6.9 Jr.^TM) per day for 90 days. If swallowing the capsule proved difficult, parents were encouraged to squeeze the contents into a food.

On days 0, 45, and 90 of supplementation, 49 developmental items from the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS), a criterion-referenced tool, were used to measure eight primary areas of language and learning: receptive language, requesting, labeling, intraverbals, imitation, play skills, social interaction, and generalization. Both the initial and final assessments were conducted by Ms. Patrick, a certified speech pathologist. An adult who knew the child well (parent, teacher, therapist) and who had been trained in scoring assessed the child on day 45 using the same 49 items. The score from day 0 was not referenced during evaluation on day 90.

Of the initial 22 children, 18 completed the 90-day trial. All of the children displayed significant increases in their language and learning skills based upon the ABLLS. A t-test analysis of the data in the areas of receptive language, requesting, play skills, intraverbals and social interaction resulted in a p-value < 0.0001. A p-value of <0.001 was obtained in the areas of labeling and generalization. In addition a p-value of <0.01 was obtained for vocal imitation. These p-values demonstrate that the increase in scores from day 0 to day 90 had high statistical significance. Ms. Patrick noted the importance of fish oil purity and, keeping in mind the hypersensitivity of most children with autism-related disorders, of beginning with the lowest possible dose for this population. "Our significant results were achieved with a relatively small amount of essential fatty acids," she observed.

Dr. Salik is the Medical Director of the Children's Emergency Center at Tucson Medical Center in Arizona. Ms. Patrick has over 10 years' experience providing services for children with autism and Asperger's syndrome.

Source: NaturalNews.com

More info: Nordic Naturals website

View details of the Nordic Natural range at HealthPost

Pronounced asta-ZAN-thin, this powerful new antioxidant is a carotenoid naturally concentrated in algae and plankton. It produces the pink colouring in flamingos, salmon, trout and shrimp. Astaxanthin is emerging as stronger and more versatile than other antioxidants. Where most antioxidants are 'tissue specific', astaxanthin works throughout the entire body, delivering antioxidant benefits not only through the bloodstream but directly to the brain, eyes and nervous system. It is a highly effective anti-inflammatory getting great results with RSI, arthritis and muscle strain. This extraordinary supplement works internally to raise the skin's sun protection factor, and according to a double-blind Belgium study, it even improves semen quality and conception! Like spirulina, astaxanthin is harvested from cultivated algae that are carefully processed to retain their remarkable properties.

View Lifestream Astazan product & ordering details