Vitamin D Needs Magnesium/EMF-Blocking and Autoimmune Diseases/The Peanut Butter Test/Cleaning Supplies and Lung Damage        

A recent article in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association points out that vitamin D cannot be metabolized if the body does not contain adequate magnesium. The RDA for magnesium is 420mg for males and 320mg for females, but the standard diet in North America provides only about half that amount. This leads researchers to believe that as much as 50% of the population is consuming a diet deficient in magnesium.

“Without magnesium, Vitamin D is not really useful or safe,” says study co-author Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, a professor of pathology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

So, one could take supplemental vitamin D and, for example, start experiencing leg cramps—a symptom of magnesium deficiency. In this case, the extra vitamin D one is supplementing with is essentially taking magnesium out of the body, exacerbating an already existing magnesium deficiency. But worse than that, while one might not gain the benefits of the vitamin D if they are deficient in magnesium, the increased supplemental vitamin D can still increase calcium and phosphate levels in the blood. This, in turn, could cause vascular calcification (over time), if magnesium levels are not sufficient to prevent this from occurring. (One would also require adequate levels of vitamin K2 to prevent arterial calcification from occurring. Quick K2)

Of course, if one has sufficient levels of magnesium in the body, they will then require less vitamin D in supplement form, in order to attain sufficient vitamin D levels for optimal health.

“By consuming an optimal amount of magnesium, one may be able to lower the risks of Vitamin D deficiency, and reduce the dependency on Vitamin D supplements,” said study co-author M. Razzaque.  (Source)

While those who believe in the total safety of electromagnetic frequencies like to mockingly refer to those of us who do not as the tinfoil-hat wearing brigade, there is ironically some truth to this categorization.

There are many companies now selling clothing that will block out most forms of electromagnetic pollution. This shielding clothing (and tenting for over the bed) is made of silver-coated polyester threads (www.lessemf.com), sometimes mixed with other fibers (such as bamboo or cotton). These specialty fabrics are capable of (to greater or lesser degree, based on the quality of the product) blocking the penetration of electromagnetic frequencies into the body of the wearer.

In a recent study (Feb, 2017)  researchers took 64 patients with a variety of autoimmune conditions (celiac disease, lupus , rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and Sjogren’s syndrome) and fitted them with a cap made of material (silver coated fabric) that would block “microwave electrosmog” (cellphone antenna and wireless signals). The caps were to shield the brain and brain stem of these patients, many of whom were disabled and house-bound. The subjects wore the caps for four hours during the day and for four hours at night, and the researchers collected data from the subjects on their symptoms.

The study “resulted in 90 % reporting ‘definite’ or ‘strong’ changes in their disease symptoms. This is much higher than the 3-5 % rate reported for electromagnetic hypersensitivity in a healthy population and suggests that effective control of environmental Electrosmog immunomodulation may soon become necessary for successful therapy of autoimmune disease.’’  (Study)

The Peanut Butter Test                                                                                        

As the boomers age out it is projected that Alzheimer’s could affect up to 25% of the population in the next 20 years. Since the cause is poorly understood, and the treatment is seldom effective, it becomes all the more important to find tools for early diagnosis and prevention.

One simple diagnostic tool was discovered by a graduate student (Jennifer Stamps, University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute Center for Smell and Taste), and reported in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

Since Stamps realized that “the ability to smell is associated with the first cranial nerve and is often one of the first things to be affected in cognitive decline”, she decided to try a smell test on 24 patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Stamps chose to use peanut butter because “it is a ‘pure odorant’ that is only detected by the olfactory nerve and is easy to access”.

Patients were asked to close their eyes and mouth, and hold one nostril closed while breathing normally through the other. Then, using a ruler, the researchers measured the distance between the peanut butter and the open nostril determining the distance at which the subject was able to detect the odor. After a 90 second delay, the procedure was repeated with the other nostril.

They discovered that those diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s (which was done through other clinical testing) experienced a significant difference in their ability to detect the odor between the two nostrils. According to the featured report: “[T]he left nostril was impaired and did not detect the smell until it was an average of 10 cm closer to the nose than the right nostril had made the detection in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This was not the case in patients with other kinds of dementia; instead, these patients had either no differences in odor detection between nostrils or the right nostril was worse at detecting odor than the left one.”

It is too early to tell whether this test might be reliable enough to become widely used, without more research, but it can at least be used to confirm a diagnosis. (Study)

For more on Alzheimer’s disease follow this link to the first of four blogs I have on the subject.

Cleaning Supplies and Lung Damage                                                                

Clinical studies from the past have revealed that common cleaning agents expose the users to chemicals that can be harmful to the respiratory system. As well, an increased risk of asthma and respiratory problems has been documented to occur among professional cleaners.

Exposure to cleaning chemicals (including, but not limited to, ammonia and bleach) have an irritative effect on the mucous membranes of the airways. Long term exposure to such irritants, causing low grade inflammation over decades, could lead to persistent damage to the airways, resulting in accelerated lung function decline.

A new study confirms that respiratory health is seriously impaired in those who have been cleaning for one or two decades. What they found was accelerated lung function decline in women, following both occupational cleaning and cleaning at home. And these women (both categories) also had more diagnosed asthma than women who did not clean.