Vitamin D Better Than Flu Shot

Health care trumps sick care again, but this time on the road. That's right, health care traveled to sick care's arena--the illness center--and beat sick care at its own game. Booyah!

A recent Japanese study showed that children taking 1,200 IU of vitamin D supplements daily during the winter and early spring helped prevent seasonal flu and asthma attacks. A timely victory in my analysis of true health care versus government-championed sick care.

Sick care pushes the seasonal flu shot, which my regular readers might recall has been fingered by experts as inconclusive in its effectiveness. Proponents of health care, on the other hand, myself included, really push upping the vitamin D intake. I think 1,200 IU is pretty good for children, and most adults need much more, like 5,000 IU per day. As we become more aware of the pervasiveness of vitamin D insufficiency in all Americans, including children, getting adequate sunlight and supplementing becomes paramount.

The study conducted at Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo showed that children taking the vitamin D supplements were almost half as likely as catching the flu as those taking placebo. And as an added benefit, children taking vitamin D were almost six times less likely to suffer an asthma attack. Holy inhalers! That's quite a hit to pharmaceutical manufacturers. You mean, that a simple $8 bottle of vitamin D can prevent what a $30.00-$60.00 Albuterol inhaler treats. Well bless my Obamacare--I wonder if vitamin D is covered on the plan.

According to Dr. Adit Ginde, of University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health: "This is the first time a study has been done that rigorously shows that vitamin D supplementation can reduce a type of influenza in a dedicated clinical trial." Ginde and colleagues published a study a year ago showing that asthmatics with lower vitamin D levels were at five times the risk for colds and flu.

Take that, sick care. Another victory in the arena of truth in health. I'll keep 'em coming.

Get it Right!

Wake up, people! What you are fighting for is not health care--it's sick care. Get it right. There is nothing wrong with wanting accessible sick care. Since most people believe that getting sick is inevitable, they naturally want accessible, affordable sick care. But don't call it health care, because there is nothing health about it.

This distinction is creating quite a bit of confusion among otherwise well-informed people, and it's not their fault. We've been brainwashed into thinking medical care is health care. It's not. One million dollars to anybody who can prove to me that there is a health component to it. Health, not sickness. Health.

The medical definition of health:

the condition of an organism or one of its parts in which it performs its vital functions normally or properly

Which medical procedure fulfills that?

Real health care is that which enhances the health; and in that regard, there are many health care practices: Exercise is health, so trainers you are health care. Nutrition is health, so nutritionists you are health care. A body functioning optimally, smoothly, and without pain is healthy; so chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists and all other body workers, you are health care. Getting proper rest, serenity, and balanced mind and body are health; so yoga instructors, Pilates instructors, meditation teachers, Buddhist monks, and mental health practitioners, you are all health care.

Medicine, psychiatry, rehab, emergency care--you are sick care. Period. Nothing wrong with that; in fact, we need it. Sick care is an integral part of our world, but it's not health care. So all this debate about health care is erroneous, because nobody is really fighting for health care at all, except the true health care advocates--the practitioners. Let's get it straight, all right?