WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 Prepare to have your health questions answered 00:00:02.660 --> 00:00:06.599 here on Safe, Effective, Natural Solutions with 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:10.000 Dr. Todd Binkley, owner of Binkley Healing Center 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:14.800 in downtown Ventura. Now, here's Dr. Todd. Good 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:16.879 afternoon. I'm Dr. Todd Binkley, board -certified 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:19.640 doctor of non -force chiropractic and practitioner 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:22.300 of functional medicine. Thank you for tuning 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:24.820 in to learn how to take better care of your health 00:00:24.820 --> 00:00:27.339 and perhaps even be entertained in the process. 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:29.300 We're going to talk about essential vitamins 00:00:29.300 --> 00:00:32.179 and minerals this week, a continuation of some 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:34.689 things we talked about last week. Last week, 00:00:34.710 --> 00:00:38.350 I did a calm, dispassionate, unbiased dissertation 00:00:38.350 --> 00:00:41.369 on why no one should take gummy supplements, 00:00:41.729 --> 00:00:45.090 especially gummy multivitamins, because they're 00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:49.009 mostly candy and simply not useful for maintaining 00:00:49.009 --> 00:00:51.530 human health. But in the course of explaining 00:00:51.530 --> 00:00:55.609 a related topic, namely why the U .S. government's 00:00:55.609 --> 00:00:59.130 recommended daily values of vitamins and minerals 00:00:59.130 --> 00:01:03.609 are nearly useless as health information, Instead, 00:01:03.729 --> 00:01:05.450 think of them as the minimum amount necessary 00:01:05.450 --> 00:01:08.549 to prevent severe vitamin deficiency diseases. 00:01:09.069 --> 00:01:11.230 They have nothing to do with maintaining health. 00:01:11.329 --> 00:01:13.030 But in the course of looking up the exact numbers, 00:01:13.129 --> 00:01:15.590 I came across a really good website hosted by 00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:18.450 the FDA. Not all government websites are useless. 00:01:18.510 --> 00:01:22.269 Some of them still provide really useful information. 00:01:22.390 --> 00:01:24.409 And I'm going to post this one in the podcast, 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:27.780 and it'll be listed in the transcription. I recommend 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:30.500 it. Check it out. It's a chart called the Interactive 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:33.780 Nutrition Facts Label from the U .S. Food and 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:36.180 Drug Administration. What's great about it is 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:39.340 in addition to the uselessly insufficient amounts 00:01:39.340 --> 00:01:42.040 of each vitamin recommended, If your goal is 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:44.540 to maintain health, in addition to this, it also, 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:47.140 and more importantly, it tells what each vitamin 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:49.439 does, the function of each of these vitamins, 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:51.700 why they're important, what function in the body 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:55.099 it helps support, and good food sources of that 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:58.219 vitamin. So, for example, it explains that folate 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:01.879 or folic acid helps prevent birth defects. Many 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:03.939 people know that folate is one of the most important 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:07.340 vitamins in any prenatal vitamin, and for that 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:09.560 reason, and it also helps with protein metabolism. 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:13.080 and the formation of red blood cells. Next to 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:15.800 this, it lists good food sources to get folic 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:18.840 acid from, including asparagus, avocados, beans, 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:22.099 and peas, and green leafy vegetables. Of course, 00:02:22.139 --> 00:02:23.960 it also recommends getting folate from enriched 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:27.280 grain products and fortified orange juice, which 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:30.120 I don't recommend. Another good example is it 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:33.509 lists the fact that vitamin B12 It's essential 00:02:33.509 --> 00:02:36.729 for conversion of food into energy. A lot of 00:02:36.729 --> 00:02:40.710 people get B12 shots or take B12 for energy, 00:02:40.849 --> 00:02:43.569 but B12 doesn't give you energy. It is essential 00:02:43.569 --> 00:02:47.490 for the conversion of food into energy. It's 00:02:47.490 --> 00:02:50.129 also important for nervous system function. and 00:02:50.129 --> 00:02:52.750 to produce red blood cells for red blood cell 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:54.650 formation. And this is why B12 is one of the 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:57.370 most important vitamins for anyone to get adequate 00:02:57.370 --> 00:02:59.509 amounts of. And it's also one of the most common 00:02:59.509 --> 00:03:02.969 deficiencies. Most people do not get enough B12 00:03:02.969 --> 00:03:06.090 in their diet. So this document lists good food 00:03:06.090 --> 00:03:09.330 sources of vitamin B12. Dairy products, eggs, 00:03:09.530 --> 00:03:14.430 fortified cereals, I do not recommend. When you 00:03:14.430 --> 00:03:16.729 see the word fortified on a quote -unquote food 00:03:16.729 --> 00:03:19.250 label, quote -unquote food product, what you 00:03:19.250 --> 00:03:21.750 really want to think is, imagine that it says 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:24.150 instead, we've stripped almost all the nutrients 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:26.289 out of this ultra -processed food, so we're going 00:03:26.289 --> 00:03:28.129 to put a few of them back in their cheapest possible 00:03:28.129 --> 00:03:31.310 forms and call it fortified to confuse you into 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:34.969 thinking that it's good for you. Fortified foods 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:37.830 are basically denatured foods stripped of nutrients 00:03:37.830 --> 00:03:41.699 to make them, to give them long shelf life. And 00:03:41.699 --> 00:03:43.939 in certain situations to give you sufficient, 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:47.039 just tiny doses of things to save your life if 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:48.740 you live in an area where you don't have access 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:50.840 to real food. So if you live in an impoverished 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:53.960 area and have no access to fresh fruits and vegetables 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:57.159 and quality animal protein, then fortified bread 00:03:57.159 --> 00:03:59.379 and rice will be better than eating nothing. 00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:02.759 Only just. So you get decent amounts, you get 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:05.340 good amounts of B12, mainly from meat, poultry, 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:09.180 and seafood. So animal protein, B12, there's 00:04:09.180 --> 00:04:12.500 lots of B12 in liver, which is why carnivores, 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:16.019 if you ever watch the shows showing lions and 00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:18.759 tigers and bears ripping into animals that they've 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:21.240 caught, they often eat the organs first because 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:23.759 they instinctively know that they need the nutrients, 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.560 especially in the liver, and B12 is one of the 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:29.829 main ones. But many people choose not to eat 00:04:29.829 --> 00:04:32.230 any animal protein, vegans and vegetarians, and 00:04:32.230 --> 00:04:34.269 even the vast majority who do eat sufficient 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:37.329 amounts of animal protein often don't absorb 00:04:37.329 --> 00:04:40.509 all of it. They don't absorb the protein, and 00:04:40.509 --> 00:04:43.209 especially it's difficult to absorb the B12, 00:04:43.230 --> 00:04:45.750 even if you're eating a sufficient amount of 00:04:45.750 --> 00:04:47.829 it for a whole host of reasons. And this is a 00:04:47.829 --> 00:04:49.889 great example of why it's so important for many 00:04:49.889 --> 00:04:53.430 people to take a good multivitamin or other supplement 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:55.769 source to make sure that you're getting. adequate 00:04:55.769 --> 00:05:01.230 amounts of vitamin B12. The paltry 2 .4 micrograms 00:05:01.230 --> 00:05:04.230 is the USRDA recommended for B12. That's just 00:05:04.230 --> 00:05:08.129 barely enough to prevent pernicious anemia. Pernicious 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:10.889 anemia used to be a death sentence until it was 00:05:10.889 --> 00:05:13.269 discovered in the early 20th century that if 00:05:13.269 --> 00:05:17.269 you fed people liver, it would cure. And then 00:05:17.269 --> 00:05:20.129 around the 50s or 60s, a few decades later, they 00:05:20.129 --> 00:05:23.350 found out, they identified that B12, vitamin 00:05:23.350 --> 00:05:26.209 B12, was the substance that is in abundance in 00:05:26.209 --> 00:05:30.079 liver. That cures and prevents pernicious anemia. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.560 It's essential for forming red blood cells. Well, 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:36.180 so you can also just take a vitamin B12 supplement. 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:38.360 A lot of people go out and get B12 shots, quote 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:41.360 unquote, for energy. So, you know, it's a good 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:43.720 idea to understand that B12 doesn't give you 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:48.079 energy. B12 is essential for converting food 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:52.459 into energy. So if you lack energy and you suspect 00:05:52.459 --> 00:05:54.319 that you're deficient in B12, of course, the 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:56.680 best way is to test. You don't even need to test 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:59.579 B12 directly. I prefer to test a CBC, a complete 00:05:59.579 --> 00:06:03.500 blood count. If you're deficient in B12 and folate, 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:05.680 what you'll see on a complete blood count is 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:09.259 that your older red blood cells get larger to 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:11.560 take up the slack for the fact that your body's 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:13.540 not making enough new ones. They get bigger. 00:06:13.620 --> 00:06:17.579 That's a classic sign of insufficient B12. and 00:06:17.579 --> 00:06:19.079 folate, but you don't need to get a shot. You 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:21.699 can just take a sublingual underneath the tongue 00:06:21.699 --> 00:06:24.899 tablet of B12. And especially if you get the 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:30.220 active form methylcobalamin instead of cyanocobalamin, 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:33.639 99 % of supplements, all cheap supplements have 00:06:33.639 --> 00:06:35.800 cyan. Read your labels. If you have a cheap one 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:39.459 a day multivitamin or a B12 supplement that you 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:41.259 bought from Costco, read the label. I guarantee 00:06:41.259 --> 00:06:45.420 you it will say cyanocobalamin. That's a little 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:47.019 bit better than nothing, but it's much better 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:50.680 to take methylcobalamin, the active form, and 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:53.360 especially in a sublingual. It's a little pink 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:56.139 tablet that you hold under your tongue. It dissolves 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:58.759 and directly enters your bloodstream under your 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:00.899 tongue, and it works just as well. In fact, for 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:03.300 many people, it works better than getting a shot 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:04.959 because you're not getting a huge dose all at 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:07.199 once that your body stores and then slowly releases. 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:09.420 There's nothing wrong with doing it that way, 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:11.680 but it just makes more sense to me to get a little 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:13.720 bit every day, especially if you're deficient 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:15.420 in it. Let it dissolve under your tongue. Your 00:07:15.420 --> 00:07:19.019 body will store up any excess. As with all water 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:21.420 -soluble vitamins, vitamin C and all the B vitamins, 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:24.220 it is virtually impossible, very difficult to 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:27.699 take too much of any B vitamin. And so many people 00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:29.639 are deficient because there's a host of reasons 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:32.600 that make it difficult to absorb. B12, especially 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:35.180 from your digestive tract. There's a gene snip 00:07:35.180 --> 00:07:37.459 that about 15 % of the population have that make 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:40.259 it difficult to absorb it. You need hydrochloric 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:42.160 acid in your stomach to break it down. And then 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:44.500 it's not actually absorbed until about 30 feet 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:46.600 later at the very end of your small intestine. 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:49.060 And there are a lot of things, including effects 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:51.259 from your gut microbiome that can impair the 00:07:51.259 --> 00:07:52.800 ability to absorb it. There's a whole bunch of 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:54.839 things that need to happen. When you're super 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.339 healthy and young, you absorb B12 easily. As 00:07:57.339 --> 00:07:59.800 you get a little bit older, it becomes increasingly 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:02.089 difficult. And that's why for many people is 00:08:02.089 --> 00:08:06.649 a good idea to supplement vitamin b12 this fda 00:08:06.649 --> 00:08:09.769 website fact sheet on vitamins recommended amounts 00:08:09.769 --> 00:08:12.689 and sources the recommended amounts are way too 00:08:12.689 --> 00:08:15.230 small but as another example it shows explains 00:08:15.230 --> 00:08:18.149 how vitamin c is important because it is an antioxidant 00:08:18.149 --> 00:08:21.129 vitamin c is essential for collagen and connective 00:08:21.129 --> 00:08:24.569 tissue formation for wound healing and general 00:08:24.569 --> 00:08:27.329 immune system function. So nobody gets enough 00:08:27.329 --> 00:08:29.850 vitamin C from their diet to keep their immune 00:08:29.850 --> 00:08:32.549 system strong. That's why it's important. I recommend 00:08:32.549 --> 00:08:35.929 most people take at least 500 milligrams of vitamin 00:08:35.929 --> 00:08:39.549 C a day. Well, the recommended daily value is 00:08:39.549 --> 00:08:42.990 sometimes 60. I think on this page it says 35. 00:08:43.169 --> 00:08:45.889 It's ridiculously low amounts, just enough to 00:08:45.889 --> 00:08:49.210 prevent scurvy. But it's almost impossible to 00:08:49.210 --> 00:08:50.750 take too much vitamin C. If you take too much 00:08:50.750 --> 00:08:53.129 vitamin C, all it'll do is cause soft stools. 00:08:53.289 --> 00:08:56.070 So Linus Pauling, the discoverer of vitamin C, 00:08:56.129 --> 00:09:00.389 took 15 grams. That's 15 ,000 milligrams of vitamin 00:09:00.389 --> 00:09:03.710 C every day, four years. Well, if you take that 00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:05.730 much, it might cause diarrhea. It might cause 00:09:05.730 --> 00:09:10.570 soft stools. But if someone is really sick, if 00:09:10.570 --> 00:09:12.809 somebody has a severe cold or flu or infection, 00:09:13.149 --> 00:09:15.889 it's a good idea to take somewhere in the neighborhood 00:09:15.889 --> 00:09:19.990 of 12 ,000, 3 ,000 milligrams of vitamin C three 00:09:19.990 --> 00:09:22.210 or four times a day. You quickly get up to... 00:09:22.509 --> 00:09:25.710 12 to 15 ,000 milligrams in a day when you're 00:09:25.710 --> 00:09:27.450 sick because your body uses a lot more then. 00:09:27.590 --> 00:09:29.190 And the worst thing that'll happen if you take 00:09:29.190 --> 00:09:31.169 too much is you get a little soft stools and 00:09:31.169 --> 00:09:33.210 then you back it off by a thousand and it'll 00:09:33.210 --> 00:09:35.149 go back to normal. But in the meantime, it'll 00:09:35.149 --> 00:09:37.470 boost your immune system and maximize your body's 00:09:37.470 --> 00:09:40.330 ability to fight off whatever bug your immune 00:09:40.330 --> 00:09:42.490 system is trying to get rid of. And vitamin C 00:09:42.490 --> 00:09:45.350 is an essential component of that natural healing 00:09:45.350 --> 00:09:48.610 response. Anybody, for example, who just finds 00:09:48.610 --> 00:09:51.529 themselves constantly sick or finds that if they 00:09:51.529 --> 00:09:53.309 get a cold or a flu, instead of it going away 00:09:53.309 --> 00:09:55.090 in a couple of days, it takes a couple of weeks 00:09:55.090 --> 00:09:57.289 or a couple of months. People in this situation 00:09:57.289 --> 00:09:59.929 should take at least a thousand milligrams of 00:09:59.929 --> 00:10:02.429 vitamin C every day and preferably a thousand 00:10:02.429 --> 00:10:04.750 milligrams three times a day. So you're keeping 00:10:04.750 --> 00:10:06.750 that in your system. It's water soluble. Your 00:10:06.750 --> 00:10:08.909 body flushes it out in a few hours. So that is 00:10:08.909 --> 00:10:11.230 one vitamin that it's good to spread out over 00:10:11.230 --> 00:10:14.009 the day. Take a thousand milligrams three times 00:10:14.009 --> 00:10:15.830 a day if you're a person that finds it difficult. 00:10:16.009 --> 00:10:18.750 to fight off a cold or a flu, or even up to two 00:10:18.750 --> 00:10:21.210 or three times that amount when you're sick. 00:10:21.309 --> 00:10:25.889 3 ,000 milligrams three times a day. The FDA 00:10:25.889 --> 00:10:28.669 website lists good food sources. Everyone knows 00:10:28.669 --> 00:10:31.509 you can get vitamin C from oranges and strawberries, 00:10:31.649 --> 00:10:34.250 but it often surprises people that you can get 00:10:34.250 --> 00:10:36.649 lots of vitamin C from broccoli and Brussels 00:10:36.649 --> 00:10:39.929 sprouts and peppers and tomatoes. And many of 00:10:39.929 --> 00:10:42.820 these sources have more vitamin C. Then oranges 00:10:42.820 --> 00:10:44.779 and strawberries. Of course, the FDA website 00:10:44.779 --> 00:10:47.539 recommends that you get your vitamin C from fruit 00:10:47.539 --> 00:10:50.460 like cantaloupe and citrus fruits, obviously 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:54.139 kiwi. But a lot of these things, grapefruit juice, 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:56.179 a lot of these things have so much sugar that 00:10:56.179 --> 00:10:59.259 they're better off avoiding a lot of fruits and 00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:01.259 especially any kind of fruit juice. If you're 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:03.399 pre -diabetic, if you're overweight, if you're 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:06.120 fatigued, then a component of that is probably 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:08.960 getting too much sugar in your diet. And all 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:12.759 fruit juices should be a no -go. I'm Dr. Todd 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:14.879 Bankley. You're listening to Safe, Effective, 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:17.840 Natural Solutions to Almost Any Health Challenge. 00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:19.940 If you just tuned in, we're talking about a really 00:11:19.940 --> 00:11:22.500 good website that I recommend people check out 00:11:22.500 --> 00:11:25.120 from the Food and Drug Administration. There's 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:27.779 something that's really useless about it, which 00:11:27.779 --> 00:11:30.450 is the ridiculously low amounts. that are called 00:11:30.450 --> 00:11:32.850 the daily value for each vitamin and mineral. 00:11:32.950 --> 00:11:35.850 Those are also on this website. But in addition 00:11:35.850 --> 00:11:39.149 to those useless, overly low values of each vitamin 00:11:39.149 --> 00:11:41.429 and mineral that are recommended to keep your 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:44.509 body healthy and strong, it does list good food 00:11:44.509 --> 00:11:47.090 sources for each vitamin and the functions, what 00:11:47.090 --> 00:11:48.830 each vitamin does in your body. And these are 00:11:48.830 --> 00:11:50.429 things that most people are interested in. So 00:11:50.429 --> 00:11:52.730 another great example of the egregiously low 00:11:52.730 --> 00:11:56.490 values listed is the FDA -recommended daily value 00:11:56.490 --> 00:12:00.200 of vitamin D. 20 micrograms 20 micrograms of 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.860 vitamin d is 800 international units 800 iu which 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:05.539 is the highest they recommend on any product 00:12:05.539 --> 00:12:07.940 many many vitamin products still list the daily 00:12:07.940 --> 00:12:11.480 value of 400 units a day or 600 if you're pregnant 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:14.460 or elderly and that's just barely enough to prevent 00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:17.639 your bones from collapsing it is nowhere near 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.740 enough to begin dramatically reducing your risk 00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:23.740 of osteoporosis and absolutely nowhere enough 00:12:23.740 --> 00:12:27.039 to keep your immune system strong vitamin d has 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:30.139 a function in virtually every organ and system 00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:32.500 in your body. But the most important of them 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:35.860 is to keep your immune system strong. And many 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:37.659 people think they don't need to eat anything 00:12:37.659 --> 00:12:40.059 to keep vitamin D. Everybody knows we get vitamin 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:42.759 D from the sun, right? Oh, I garden. I spent 00:12:42.759 --> 00:12:47.080 two hours yesterday with my shorts on and I must 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:49.059 be getting plenty of vitamin D. Well, you have 00:12:49.059 --> 00:12:52.360 no idea if you're getting enough vitamin D unless 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:55.159 you get your blood tested. And guess what? I've 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:57.200 tested thousands of people, colleagues of mine 00:12:57.200 --> 00:13:00.139 test millions. of people. Even your regular doctor 00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:02.019 will order the vitamin D test if you ask him 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:04.580 now. Medical doctors are aware of the overwhelming 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:07.100 research that shows the importance of vitamin 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:09.519 D on preventing cancers, maintaining immune system 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:12.080 function, reducing your risk and severity of 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:14.940 colds and flus, heart disease, brain health. 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:18.159 The research is out there. So any doctor will 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:20.960 order that test for you if you request it. And 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:23.159 that's great. But the problem is they'll also 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:25.559 tell you that if your vitamin D level in your 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:29.840 blood is 30, you're fine. Well, that's egregiously 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:32.320 misinformed. The healthy range of vitamin D is 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:35.740 50 to 90. If you want your immune system to work 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:39.960 normally at its peak, reduce your risk of colds 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:42.080 and flus and the severity of a whole host of 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:43.879 diseases. If you want your immune system to be 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:45.740 strong, you need your serum level of vitamin 00:13:45.740 --> 00:13:48.980 D to be between 50 and 90. And if you are not 00:13:48.980 --> 00:13:52.299 taking a vitamin D supplement, in the range of 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:54.759 5 ,000 units a day, then I can virtually guarantee 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:56.960 you that your blood level will not be between 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:00.600 50 and 90. So hardly anyone gets enough vitamin 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:02.879 D from the sun. In Southern California, if you're 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:05.960 a white person and you expose your torso with 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:09.120 your shirt off, your torso to the sun without 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:11.980 any sunscreen on for 20 minutes, three times 00:14:11.980 --> 00:14:14.789 a week. then your blood level is likely to be 00:14:14.789 --> 00:14:17.830 in that healthy range. But hardly anyone does 00:14:17.830 --> 00:14:19.850 that. When we go out in the sun, we wear hats 00:14:19.850 --> 00:14:22.450 and clothes and sunscreen. Any part of your skin 00:14:22.450 --> 00:14:25.110 that is covered by clothes, obviously, but people 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:26.730 don't realize if you have sunscreen on, you're 00:14:26.730 --> 00:14:30.950 also not making any vitamin D. And the more important 00:14:30.950 --> 00:14:33.309 thing is most people think if they're out in 00:14:33.309 --> 00:14:35.370 the sun in short pants and a short -sleeved shirt 00:14:35.370 --> 00:14:37.730 that they're getting any significant amount of 00:14:37.730 --> 00:14:39.490 vitamin D. And they're usually not. Not enough. 00:14:40.169 --> 00:14:41.870 To keep your immune system strong. Not enough 00:14:41.870 --> 00:14:45.159 to test. your blood level in the range of 50 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:48.059 to 90. So yeah, if you go, if you ask any doctor, 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:49.679 they will test that. They'll do that test for 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:50.960 you and then your insurance will pay for it. 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:54.220 That's great. But don't ask them if it's good. 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:56.519 Ask them what the number is. Get them to give 00:14:56.519 --> 00:14:58.899 you a printed report. You want to know if that 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:01.799 number is at least 50, not if it's at least 30. 00:15:01.899 --> 00:15:04.360 MDs will tell you the broad range on the lab 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:07.159 report from LabCorp, Request, or any major lab 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:10.179 says that the normal range for vitamin D is 30 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:13.299 to 100. And that's really interesting because 00:15:13.299 --> 00:15:15.820 a lot of doctors will say, if it's above 30, 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:18.259 you're fine. That's not true. It should be above 00:15:18.259 --> 00:15:21.220 50. But I've also had so many patients come in 00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:23.899 and they'll say, oh, my doctor told me I need 00:15:23.899 --> 00:15:25.820 to make sure I'm not taking any vitamin D right 00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:28.759 now because it's too high. It was 40 or it was 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.919 45 because they think it should just, apparently 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:35.279 they just think it should be right at 30. And 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:38.000 the bottom of the normal range used to be 20 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.440 for many years. So that's an increase. So a lot 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:42.340 of misinformed doctors that don't do the research, 00:15:42.419 --> 00:15:44.399 don't keep up with the research on vitamin D 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:47.820 still think that... 30 on your blood test is 00:15:47.820 --> 00:15:49.860 adequate, and it is not. You need it to be between 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:52.259 50 and 90, and anything below that is certainly 00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:55.419 not high. Anything below 100 is not high. That's 00:15:55.419 --> 00:15:58.100 the worst part. MDs will tell, regular doctors 00:15:58.100 --> 00:15:59.700 will tell people that their vitamin D is high 00:15:59.700 --> 00:16:04.580 when it's 50 or 60 or 40 even, when it says right 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:07.240 on the report that the normal range is 30 to 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:10.659 100. The main reason most doctors are worried 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:13.129 about people taking too much vitamin D. is because 00:16:13.129 --> 00:16:16.149 if you take too much long enough, then it can 00:16:16.149 --> 00:16:19.870 increase your risk of kidney stones. But does 00:16:19.870 --> 00:16:23.110 that ever actually happen? To increase your risk 00:16:23.110 --> 00:16:24.750 of getting kidney stones, you have to take vitamin 00:16:24.750 --> 00:16:27.870 D long enough and take crappy calcium. A lot 00:16:27.870 --> 00:16:31.129 of people do take crappy calcium by buying Costco 00:16:31.129 --> 00:16:33.570 multivitamins or calcium carbonate supplements. 00:16:33.929 --> 00:16:36.250 If you take that and 5 ,000 units of vitamin 00:16:36.250 --> 00:16:39.250 D, actually, you have to take about 10 ,000. 00:16:39.659 --> 00:16:42.759 Units of vitamin D every day for a year to even 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:45.460 start to increase your calcium levels. That's 00:16:45.460 --> 00:16:46.840 the most important part. The only way you're 00:16:46.840 --> 00:16:48.659 ever going to take too much vitamin D is if it 00:16:48.659 --> 00:16:51.419 starts to increase your serum calcium levels 00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:54.629 and you're taking crappy calcium. carbonate supplements, 00:16:55.049 --> 00:16:57.509 then vitamin D keeps calcium in circulation. 00:16:57.809 --> 00:17:00.409 So if you keep crappy calcium in circulation 00:17:00.409 --> 00:17:02.909 for too long, again, it has to be a long time. 00:17:02.950 --> 00:17:05.869 You have to really overdo it for a year or two 00:17:05.869 --> 00:17:08.150 before it will even begin to increase. I've had 00:17:08.150 --> 00:17:11.910 patients that took 10 ,000 units of vitamin D 00:17:11.910 --> 00:17:15.650 a day for a year, and it still didn't at all 00:17:15.650 --> 00:17:18.170 increase their calcium levels. Even two years 00:17:18.170 --> 00:17:20.410 sometimes. I've had patients that take 20 ,000 00:17:20.410 --> 00:17:23.559 units of vitamin D for several months. No increase 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:26.599 in their calcium levels. So it's possible to 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:28.420 take too much vitamin D, but it almost never 00:17:28.420 --> 00:17:30.859 happens. And if you test your calcium levels 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:32.579 at the same time and make sure that they're normal, 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:34.680 you're totally fine. And even when it does, I've 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:37.900 had a couple of patients that their serum vitamin 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:40.740 D levels were over 100, and I'll just tell them 00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:42.259 to quit taking vitamin D for a month, and it 00:17:42.259 --> 00:17:44.400 goes back to normal. I had one patient recently 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:46.559 who came in and their vitamin D level was 150. 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:51.519 Well, the toxic level of vitamin D is 150. That's 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:54.460 the government. determined level of the point 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:57.700 at which it can become toxic. And that's the 00:17:57.700 --> 00:18:00.240 first time in 30 years that I've seen anybody 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:03.019 that had, and I've touched thousands of people, 00:18:03.059 --> 00:18:04.359 it's the first time I've ever seen anybody that 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:07.680 had a vitamin D level of 150. And that was because 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:10.480 she was taking, this woman was taking 20 ,000 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:13.519 units of vitamin D every day for a couple of 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.299 years. So nobody needs that much except for a 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:18.430 few days when they're sick. The point is, it's 00:18:18.430 --> 00:18:21.289 very difficult to take too much. And most people, 00:18:21.390 --> 00:18:23.890 if they want to be healthy, should take 5 ,000 00:18:23.890 --> 00:18:26.930 units a day and get your blood tested. Make sure 00:18:26.930 --> 00:18:29.730 your blood level is between 50 and 90. And you 00:18:29.730 --> 00:18:32.170 should always know, if somebody's convinced you 00:18:32.170 --> 00:18:34.589 otherwise, you should know that you will never 00:18:34.589 --> 00:18:37.990 have a blood level of 50 to 90 by just wearing 00:18:37.990 --> 00:18:41.349 short pants and walking outside in the sun. You're 00:18:41.349 --> 00:18:42.710 never going to get that amount from the sun to 00:18:42.710 --> 00:18:45.779 get that level and maintain it. Except for a 00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:47.400 few months in the summer, if you sunbathe naked 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:50.039 three times a week for 20 minutes, you're going 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:52.579 to be deficient unless you take about 5 ,000 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:55.509 units a day. Shifting gears here a bit, there's 00:18:55.509 --> 00:18:57.269 some really exciting, some more information that's 00:18:57.269 --> 00:18:59.509 come out recently in the medical press about 00:18:59.509 --> 00:19:02.849 a test that has been around for quite a while, 00:19:03.009 --> 00:19:05.390 but some, you know, very few doctors use it, 00:19:05.450 --> 00:19:07.970 cardiologists use it. It's called Lipoprotein 00:19:07.970 --> 00:19:11.750 A or LP, capital A, Lipoprotein A. This is a 00:19:11.750 --> 00:19:14.089 test that's kind of like testing your cholesterol 00:19:14.089 --> 00:19:16.769 levels, but it's much more important than the 00:19:16.769 --> 00:19:19.069 standard cholesterol tests because it's much 00:19:19.069 --> 00:19:21.069 more specific. It's much more strongly associated 00:19:21.069 --> 00:19:25.059 with some of the worst outcomes. of plaque hardening 00:19:25.059 --> 00:19:27.500 of the arteries. So, for example, it's associated 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:30.180 with blockage in the coronary arteries, as is 00:19:30.180 --> 00:19:32.759 a number of other things, but also blockage of 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:34.940 the arteries in the kidneys and in the lower 00:19:34.940 --> 00:19:37.319 extremities, people that have peripheral artery 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:40.059 disease and might have to have surgery because 00:19:40.059 --> 00:19:43.259 of that. Another peripheral artery, the carotid 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:46.400 arteries in the neck, if you have blockages in 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:48.539 that, that's a huge risk factor for a stroke. 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:51.299 The little pieces of plaque that break off and 00:19:51.299 --> 00:19:54.660 cause a stroke often cause come from the carotid 00:19:54.660 --> 00:19:58.079 arteries in your neck. So this test, lipoprotein 00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:01.500 A, is a way of measuring what is your risk of 00:20:01.500 --> 00:20:04.559 having a large amount of blockages, not just 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:06.819 in the heart, but blockages of the arteries, 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:09.160 plaque formation in the arteries, arteriosclerosis. 00:20:10.140 --> 00:20:11.819 Anywhere in your body, but especially the heart, 00:20:11.900 --> 00:20:15.039 but also the legs, the kidneys, and among other 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:17.819 places, the carotid arteries in your neck, which 00:20:17.819 --> 00:20:19.279 increase your risk of a stroke. So this is a 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:21.539 study that was done on 460 ,000 participants 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:24.839 in the United Kingdom Biobank that had their 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:28.720 LPA, lipoprotein A concentrations measured. And 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:32.279 then they were followed for about 14 years. And 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:35.380 the concentrations varied significantly from 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:38.329 the people that did have... arteriosclerosis 00:20:38.329 --> 00:20:41.450 and those who did not. And it was strongly associated 00:20:41.450 --> 00:20:45.029 with stenosis of the carotid arteries, narrowing 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:47.750 of the carotid arteries. If people had carotid 00:20:47.750 --> 00:20:50.509 stenosis and an elevated LPA, it increased their 00:20:50.509 --> 00:20:54.250 risk of stroke by 40%. If they had peripheral 00:20:54.250 --> 00:20:56.230 artery disease, the most common place for that 00:20:56.230 --> 00:20:59.670 is in the legs, that increased their 60 by 60 00:20:59.670 --> 00:21:02.490 % of having a major adverse limb event, meaning 00:21:02.490 --> 00:21:04.609 they had bad enough blockage of an artery in 00:21:04.609 --> 00:21:07.910 their legs or the hips where the aorta branches 00:21:07.910 --> 00:21:10.230 off to each leg that they would have to have 00:21:10.230 --> 00:21:13.190 surgery to fix that. So this test has been around 00:21:13.190 --> 00:21:15.150 for a while, a lot of progressive cardiologists. 00:21:15.170 --> 00:21:17.750 There are functional medicine practitioners who 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:20.049 are also cardiologists, and they order separate 00:21:20.049 --> 00:21:22.730 panels of a number of additional tests, some 00:21:22.730 --> 00:21:24.569 of which I've talked about on this show before, 00:21:24.630 --> 00:21:28.869 like BNP, B -type matriotic peptide, homocysteine. 00:21:29.450 --> 00:21:32.769 other lipoproteins. There are a whole host of 00:21:32.769 --> 00:21:34.970 other blood tests that there's a plaque test 00:21:34.970 --> 00:21:38.049 that can be measured, simple tests, simple blood 00:21:38.049 --> 00:21:41.369 tests that can more accurately assess your risk 00:21:41.369 --> 00:21:44.069 for a heart attack or a stroke versus just testing 00:21:44.069 --> 00:21:47.250 your cholesterol levels. The question is, should 00:21:47.250 --> 00:21:49.690 we test it? Everyone gets their cholesterol checked. 00:21:49.809 --> 00:21:51.690 Anytime you go to get blood work done by any 00:21:51.690 --> 00:21:52.890 doctor, they're going to check your cholesterol. 00:21:53.029 --> 00:21:55.109 I do the same. It's an important test. It's not 00:21:55.109 --> 00:21:57.190 as important as people make it out to be, but 00:21:57.190 --> 00:21:59.289 it is important to check. Your cholesterol levels, 00:21:59.390 --> 00:22:02.150 it's just equally important to not go crazy and 00:22:02.150 --> 00:22:03.910 immediately think you need to take a statin drug 00:22:03.910 --> 00:22:05.349 if it's elevated because there's lots of other 00:22:05.349 --> 00:22:07.089 ways to lower your cholesterol without taking 00:22:07.089 --> 00:22:10.470 statin drugs like Lipitor, Torvastatin, Simvastatin, 00:22:10.509 --> 00:22:13.309 etc. And cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease. 00:22:13.410 --> 00:22:15.430 Inflammation causes heart disease. So the inflammation 00:22:15.430 --> 00:22:18.470 that actually drives the formation of hardening 00:22:18.470 --> 00:22:20.329 of the arteries, this formation of plaque in 00:22:20.329 --> 00:22:22.890 your blood vessels, pieces of which can chip 00:22:22.890 --> 00:22:25.390 off and cause a stroke or... Become thick enough 00:22:25.390 --> 00:22:28.109 to close off an artery to your heart and cause... 00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:30.180 A heart attack, there are other ways to measure 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:32.279 for this. The only way to directly measure it 00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:35.819 is with invasive scans that have a lot of radiation, 00:22:36.019 --> 00:22:39.440 like a CT scan of your heart, a CT arteriogram 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:42.400 is the most accurate way to measure how much 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:43.960 plaque you have in your arteries. But that involves 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:47.200 a lot of radiation and the injection of a dye, 00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:49.339 and it's just not necessary most of the time. 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:50.960 You're not going to screen everybody with that 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:53.500 kind of a test like we screen most people anytime 00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:55.799 they go to a doctor with a serum cholesterol 00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:59.079 test. Some things that are in between, there's 00:22:59.079 --> 00:23:00.500 a lot of people have heard about the calcium 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:04.460 score. This is a very low dose radiation CT, 00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:07.500 very thin slice through the heart. Just a couple 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:10.339 of images, CT scan through the heart to measure 00:23:10.339 --> 00:23:13.900 your calcium score, which shows calcified plaque 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:18.160 in your coronary arteries. And the only downside 00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:20.960 of that is calcium calcified plaque. It means 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:22.400 it's been there for a long time and there's not 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:23.839 really anything you can do about it. You can't 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:26.720 get rid of the calcified plaque. It's the softer. 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:30.460 softer plaque in formation that hasn't become 00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:33.279 fully calcified yet that is the most dangerous, 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:35.460 that is the most likely to cause a heart attack 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:38.960 or a stroke, that is also reversible. And because 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:41.039 that's soft and not fully calcified, it doesn't 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:44.849 show up on a CT scan or an x -ray. The main reason 00:23:44.849 --> 00:23:47.549 the test is useful is if you have a lot of calcified 00:23:47.549 --> 00:23:50.089 plaque that shows up on those tests, then you're 00:23:50.089 --> 00:23:52.869 very likely to have larger than normal amounts 00:23:52.869 --> 00:23:55.309 of the softer plaque as well. But it doesn't 00:23:55.309 --> 00:23:57.109 measure that directly, and that's why it's nice 00:23:57.109 --> 00:23:59.089 to have these other blood tests that show your 00:23:59.089 --> 00:24:02.269 risk. heart attack or stroke by measuring things 00:24:02.269 --> 00:24:04.769 that we can actually reverse and eliminate with 00:24:04.769 --> 00:24:06.930 nutrients to break down the scar tissue that 00:24:06.930 --> 00:24:08.789 begins the process of hardening in the arteries 00:24:08.789 --> 00:24:11.109 looks like we're about out of time thank you 00:24:11.109 --> 00:24:13.529 as always for tuning in remember the condition 00:24:13.529 --> 00:24:16.410 of your body is always more important than any 00:24:16.410 --> 00:24:19.509 condition you've been diagnosed with try and 00:24:19.509 --> 00:24:21.569 do something today to become a little healthier 00:24:21.569 --> 00:24:24.470 than you were yesterday have a fantastic weekend 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:28.200 You've been listening to Safe, Effective, Natural 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:31.420 Solutions with Dr. Todd Binkley. If you have 00:24:31.420 --> 00:24:33.539 a health question you want discussed on the show, 00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:38.619 email your health questions to drbinkley at binkleyhealingcenter 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:42.319 .com. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:44.940 questions for yourself and for your loved ones 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:48.700 because our health matters. Join him next Friday 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:52.910 at 2 p .m. for Safe. Effective Natural Solutions, 00:24:53.150 --> 00:24:56.069 here on 98 .3 FM, The Word.