Dr L Newsletter

Greetings!

1) Iodine and Breast Health - pdf 2)Vitamin D recommendations 3) Flu testing; 4) Holiday office schedule

1) Iodine and Breast Health - Download a pdf report:
Breast Health: Improving the Odds of Using Iodine as a Weapon , by Dr Sherry Tenpenny, D.O.

2, I want you to know about the new recommendations regarding supplementing with vitamin D. Dr. Michael McClung, MD, FACP, the Director of the Oregon Osteoporosis Institute, spoke to the medical staff at the hospital here in Corvallis and recommended that anyone under age 65 should supplement with 1000 IU/day of vitamin D3, and anyone over 65 years old should supplement with 2000 IU/day of vitamin D3. Be sure to buy D3 and not D2. Where Dr. McClung practices in Portland, they have found vitamin D deficiency to be so prevalent, that they no longer routinely measure vitamin D levels. Contraindications to unmonitored vitamin D supplementation are hypercalcemia and granulomatous diseases (such as Crohn’s disease and sarcoidosis). Having kidney stones means that vitamin D supplementation should be done cautiously.
Vitamin D supplementation has many health benefits. A good article on this can be found at: http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller25.html. It is written by a cardiac surgeon from Seattle, Dr. Donald Miller. He recommends taking 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D3. Here is one of his biggest points: "The number and variety of diseases that vitamin D at this dose could prevent, starting with a 50 percent reduction in cancer, is mind-boggling. If everyone took 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D, the U.S. "health care" industry would shrink."
Be aware that if you are trying to prevent osteoporosis, vitamin D without calcium has little effect on calcium homeostasis. When there is no deficiency of vitamin D, then there is no advantage to a total calcium intake of more than 800 mg/day. Low vitamin D may be the most likely cause of accelerated bone loss with aging. Vitamin D is important is important for bone and muscle health. Even a modest deficiency of vitamin D impairs muscle function and leads to weakness. Severe deficiency of vitamin D is associated with bone pain and marked weakening of bone structure. We can discuss how this information might be relevant to you at your next visit.

3, I am able to perform rapid flu testing for influenza A and B in the office, during an appointment. If you do test positive, then an antiviral may be prescribed which will shorten the duration and reduce the symptoms. The antiviral is best started within 72 hours of onset of symptoms. If you call as soon as flu symptoms develop, we should be able to fit you in and start treatment soon enough. If we are closed, please contact an urgent care provider to be sure they can offer this service and if so, that may be your best option. Hopefully you have gotten your flu shot by now, if you had planned to. I have sold out my supply of flu vaccine for this year, but pharmacies still have plenty available. Let us know if you want to be on the list to get a flu shot for next year’s flu season so we can be sure to have enough. Next year, I plan to offer FluMist to patients under 50 years old (www.flumist.com).

4) Holiday office schedule:

We will be open the day after Thanksgiving. We will be closed Thanksgiving Day. We will be closed from Friday, December 19, 2008, through January 3, 2009. We will be checking voice messages and trying to keep up with prescription refill requests. As there might be a delay in prescription refills during this time, please plan ahead and put in requests in early December, or wait, if you are able, until after January 3, 2009. When leaving a message regarding a prescription request please spell the name of the drug and give the strength and directions and leave the name and number of the pharmacy you wish us to contact. We hope you and your family enjooy a great Holiday Season!

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a happy, and healthy year and holiday season! Thank you for choosing me as your health care provider, either for acupuncture or general medical care.
Sincerely,

Marcia A. Liberatore, MD

Here's part of what the CDC publishes (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm) regarding influenza:
"Influenza usually starts suddenly and may include the following symptoms:
· Fever (usually high); Headache; Tiredness (can be extreme); Cough; Sore throat; Runny or stuffy nose; Body aches; Diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children than adults)
Having these symptoms does not always mean that you have the flu. Many different illnesses, including the common cold, can have similar symptoms.