Knee Pain

I vividly remember my first bout of knee pain; it was training for the Chicago Marathon 2 years ago and it began during an 11 mile run. Near the end of the run I had some pain on the outside of the knee and I was sore the next day. I didn’t think too much about it then, but in the following weeks it got worse and came on earlier in my long runs. That’s when I started to get worried – if this kept going I’d never be able to run the Marathon and 6 months of training would be wasted (at least that’s how I felt).

Knee pain is a fairly common complaint, most people have pain in their knees at some point but the location of that pain can vary as can the cause. Knee pain due to a specific injury is usually fairly easy to diagnose but knee pain in the front of the knee that develops without a specific injury or event can be a bit trickier.

My knee pain got so bad that during one run I was running about 30 feet and then walking 30 feet just to keep going. I was determined to make the race and finish and knew I had to find a solution. To find it I needed to step back and see myself as one of my patients, a difficult thing for any doctor to do – we are used to treating people not being treated.

I determined that I had “Patellofemoral Syndrome” due to my kneecap moving to the outside of my knee from fatigue of the muscles on the inner side of my knee. Knowing full well that a “lawyer that represents himself is a fool” I did confirm my diagnosis with other Doctors and Physical Therapists.

Now the question was how to manage and hopefully correct this so I could complete the marathon. That’s when I remembered McConnel taping. I was first introduced to this before Chiropractic School through an Athletic Trainer student. She showed me then how to tape a knee to minimize this movement. We also covered this in Chiropractic School but since being in practice I hadn’t seen it.

After conferring with other Doctors and Physical Therapists I re-learned this technique and used it on myself.

And, It Worked. After some trial and error with different tapes I was able to do my long runs pain free. My Marathon experience was great, my knee held up pain free throughout the race.

Since that time I have used the same taping on numerous other athletes, and taught them how to do it themselves.

The video I’ve posted shows the BASICS on how to do this technique (there are many variations, depending on such things as the tilt of the kneecap).

Another resource to check out is an article from American Family Physician
http://www.aafp.org/afp/991101ap/2012.html

This article reviews the common causes of Patellofemoral Syndrome as well as the different treatment options. If you look at the top of the page you’ll also see that there is a patient handout – this has exercises to help with knee pain.

Keep moving and stay healthy.

Update

It's been a busy summer but I'm still in action here, even though I haven’t posted in quite a while. First a little update on my 30 day challenge:
Below are my starting stats:

• Weight 165lbs
• Waist at belly button 36”
• Snatch test 55
• Pull-ups 9
• Push-ups 25

My ending stats were:

• Weight 163lbs
• Waist at belly buttom 34"
• Snatch test 65
• Pull-ups 12
• Push-ups 30

My next goal is the http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/

ALERT: Stress relief for this economy

We are all being hit hard. Your job or your spouse’s job may be in jeopardy. We all need relief. You may be feeling run down and stressed out over the economy and wondering what you can do.

I don’t have any easy answers. But I want to give you some relief. We all know that stress, whether its emotional or physical makes everything else tougher to handle and creates even more stress.

Listening to the new Presidents speech I was particularly taken by the following quote:

"You know, there’ a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit – the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes; to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us – the child who’s hungry, the steelworker who’s been laid-off, the family who lost the entire life they built together when the storm came to town. When you think like this – when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers – it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help."

This made me think, WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP? I have a successful Chiropractic clinic and what can I do to help people feel better during this economic squeeze.

I immediately thought of Massage, I offer it in my clinic and now have an intern from Northwestern. So … why not give away a free relaxing and energizing massage to help people combat the stress they are feeling.

I am giving away free massages from now till the end of February.

Spots are filling up fast, so call now and reserve your spot now to get some relief.

Call: Meehan Chiropractic and Sports Rehab at – 815-267-3707

Weekly Health Tips

Mental Attitude: researchers comparing the IQ of chidren raised in orphanages to those who were rescued at some point by foster parents discovered a dramatic difference. In some cases, it meant the difference between borderline retardation and average intelligence. One-on-one care at a young age has a definite impact on cognitive and intellectual development. According the this work, the earlier children are taken out of the institutional environment, the less stunting occurs. Children rescued before age 2 showed a 15 point IQ increase. Children raised by their biological parents still did much better than both groups – at about 10-20 points higher than the foster care group.
Associated Press, Dec. 2007

Health Alert: Incontinent Memories. A study from Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center suggests people taking anticholinergic drugs face a risk of memory and cognitive problems. Such drugs are used to treat high blood pressure, asthma, Parkinson’s disease and incontinence. Those taking the medications showed a 50% faster decline in cognitive skills and memory.
Associated Press, April 2008

Diet: Breast Cancer and Weight. Keeping off weight after being diagnosed with breast cancer greatly increases a woman’s chance of survival. Comparing survival rates with body mass index calculations, researchers found that for every 11lbs gained after the initial diagnosis, the risk of death from breast cancer or other causes increased by 14%. Women classified as obese died at twice the rate of normal-weight females.
Reuters, Dec. 2007

Exercise: Calories Burned at Rest! Our bodies burn calories as a result of workouts, increased daily activity, and something called “afterburn”, which is an added of strength training exercise. “Depending on how hard you work out, your metabolism can stay elevated for up to 48 hours after you’ve finished lifting.”
Gary R. Hunter, PhD, University of Alabama at Burmingham

Chiropractic: Simple Back Pain Demonstration. Try this: Sit-up straight and have a friend put their hand flat on your low back. Then pretend to drive, work on the computer, read a book, etc. You should feel the muscles of the low back tighten. This is a simple demonstration of how the low back fatigues as everyone holds these positions all day long, over the entire workweek, over their entire lives. Daily stretching and routine chiropractic care can help diminish the effects of everyday activities.

Wellness/Prevention: The Secret of Longevity. Researchers form the University of Cambridge report they have found four basic lifestyle habits that can add 14 years to your life when all are observed: Don’t smoke; get regular physical activity; eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily; and drink alcohol only in moderation.

Quote: “The patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life. Don’t take your body to the doctor as if he were a repair shop.”
Quentin Regestein

Change4Life

A great video to start the year with.





This video is part of a British campaign to improve peoples health. The British are facing the same problems with chronic health problems that we are (obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes etc.). The spot above was made by the people who brought us Wallace and Gromit (if you have children you'll remeber "Curse of the Were-Rabbit").

I particularly like the message of the video "Eat Well, Move More, Live Longer". Too many of us eat poorly, move minimally and as a result live less. If that isn't bad enough, we pass this on to our children and as a result we are seeing rising rates of obesity and adult onset diabetes in elementary school children.

The take home message is: get out, get moving and eat more real food (not fast food or processed food). I know its winter time and going outside can be tough but we all need to move (especially our children) so be creative - if there's snow make a snow man or snow angles, race around the house (as long as its safe). Get moving and stay moving.


For more information on this campaign: http://www.nhs.uk/Change4life/Pages/default.aspx
It has some nice tools for better diet.

Weekly Health Tips

Mental Attitude: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
Thomas Jefferson

Heart Alert: Don’t Ignore the Warnings! According to researchers from Boston Univeristy’s Slone Epidemiology Center, one in 10 children uses at least one cough medication during any given week, and younger children are the most frequent users. Just over 10% of children ages 2-5 were given antihistamines, 9.9% were given decongestants and 7% were given cough suppressants. Even more startling, 7.6% of children under age 2 received antihistamines, 5.9% received decongestants and 9.4% received cough suppressants. The Food and Drug Administration issued a Public Health Advisory recommending parents and caregivers not use over the counter cough and cold products to treat children under age 2, announced it was in the process of reviewing whether the warning should be extended to older children (ages 2-11). In October, drug manufacturers announced they were extending the warning to include children ages 4 and younger, a move supported by the FDA. Apparently, some parents have not heard the warnings or are choosing to ignore them.

Diet: School Food Experiment. An experimental program banned candy, scaled back on snacks, handed out raffle tickets when positive food choices were made and spent time teaching good nutrition to teachers, kids and parents. The number of becoming obese dropped to half that of comparable schools that did not implement this program.
Associated Press, April 2008

Exercise: Interval Training. Lack of time is the number one reason people give for not exercising regularly, and lack of results, once they do start a exercising, isn’t far behind. Interval training every other day is a great solution for both of these common complaints. On the days you exercise, try intense bursts with periodic rest (5 minutes of exercise followed by 10 minute rest, repeat this 2-3 times).
American Council on Exercise

Chiropractic: Why Does it Hurt, I Didn’t Have an Accident? Often tissue fatigue is the answer. Overuse of muscles and soft tissue from repetitive motion can cause micro-tears. At a certain point, the tissue simply fails. It is then prone to inflammation and tightness, which cause pain.

Wellness/Prevention: Be Careful With Your Soap! Antibacterial agents: we have become overly obsessed with killing germs in the name of preventing illness. Antibacterial soaps are not only unnecessary, but may be harmful. The FDA classifies Triclosan, the most commonly used antibacterial agent, as a drug. The EPA classifies Triclosan as a pesticide.

Quote: “Each patient carries his own doctor inside him. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides in each patient a chance to work.”
Albert Schweitzer, MD

Health Tips

Mental Attitude: Adjusting Your Attitude. “Change surroundings and take long journeys. Strictly avoid frightening ideas. Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements. Listen to music.”
Cornelius Celsus, (ca 25BC- ca 50) Roman encyclopedist and physician

Health Alert: United States, Using Drugs for Health?
Top five countries in drug expenditure per capita.
US $752
France $599
Canada $559
Italy $512
Iceland $494
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Diet: Restricted Over-Indulgence. Researchers from the University of Alberta have discovered diet drinks and snacks, at least in juvenile rats can actually promote weight gain. They found after a period of being fed such dietary items, they tended to go “hog wild” when presented with normal foods. While the reason for the effect (which was not seen in adult rats) is not clearly understood, the authors suspect the youngsters’ appetite mechanisms were thrown out of kilter by the specialty foods. In light of this study, they recommend that children be fed a diet of well-balanced foods in their natural form.
Obesity, Aug 2007

Exercise: Strength Training – Just 20 minutes of basic exercises, two days a week, will help firm and tone the whole body. Strength training will modestly increase metabolism, helping to burn more calories, even when you are resting.
American Council on Exercise

Chiropractic: Muscle Tension Test. Remember you are continually re-injuring yourself by carrying groceries, shoveling, sitting at a computer, sleeping wrong or lifting wrong, etc. Try this: sit-up straight in a chair, have a friend feel the muscle tension in your shoulders. Then lean your head and shoulders forward simulating working on the computer. The tension instantly increases, which will lead to muscle soreness if sustained for a long period of time. So watch your posture, stretch and take breaks.

Wellness/Prevention: Sunlight Cuts Breast Cancer. Sunlight exerts a powerful effect against advanced breast cancer. The effect was only significant in light-skinned women, but it translated into a 47% lower risk of the disease. Researchers suspect vitamin D, formed in light-skinned individuals exposed to the ultraviolet rays, is responsible for the benefit. Vitamin D formation is reduced as skin tone darkens.
American Journal of Epidemiology, Oct 2007

Quote: “Without health, life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering.”
Francois Rabelais

Weekly Health Tips

Mental Attitude: Tips for a Positive Mental Attitude. 1. Smile 2. Laugh 3. Greet people courteously 4. Be enthusiastic 5. Dream, set a goal, aim high!
Srivathshem Nagarajan

Health Allert: Killer Bacteria! In 2005, MSRA (methicillin-resistant-staph aureus) was responsible for 94,360 serious infections and 18,650 hospital stay-related deaths in the United States (more death than AIDS). The prevailing thought is that bacteria “learn” to become resistant to new antibiotics faster as their mutation rate surpasses our ability to make new effective antibiotics.
Centers for Disease Control/Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 2007.

Diet: Oil the Heart. Portable heart defibrillators can help save lives but according to a new report from the High Center at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, many more lives could be saved if people just ate more fish or at least took fish oil supplements. A computer simulation, based on the results of past research data, found a 6.4% total death reduction resulted from an increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. In contrast, defibrillators saved about 1% of the virtual population.
The American Journal of Medicine, Sept. 2006.

Exercise: Increased Cardio/Aerobic Exercise Leads to Weight Loss. Aerobic exercise is any activity that uses large muscle groups in a continuous, rhythmic fashion over sustained periods of time (typically a minimum of 20-45 minutes). Walking is a weight-bearing aerobic exercise, as are jogging, rope skipping and dance (as well as my favorite – Boxing). Non-weight-bearing aerobic exercise includes bicycling, swimming and rowing.
American Council on Exercise.

Chiropractic: How fast can a patient with neck pain expect to feel better with chiropractic care? British authors studied which neck symptoms respond the quickest to hands-on treatment. Overall, considering all possible neck complaints, about 70% of patients reported immediate favorable responses to manipulation. However, if patients complained about specific things like headaches, shoulder or arm pain, reduced arm or neck movement, neck pain, or upper or middle back pain, the percentage of those who reported immediate improvement in pain rose to an incredible 95%!
Journal of Manipulative and Physiologiacal Therapeutics, March 2008.

Wellness/Prevention: “Cancer has one prime cause! The replacement of normal oxygen respiration of the body’s cells by an anaerobic (oxygen deficient) respiration” Dr Otto Warnburg 1883-1970 Nobel Prize 1931. So don’t stop your deep breathing exercises, as nothing is more important than a constant source of oxygen from slow deep breathing.

Quote: “Diseases are penalties w pay for overindulgence, or from our neglect of the means of health” Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (May 25, 1803 – January 18, 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician.

Age and Fitness

Age should never be an excuse or impediment to being fit. I frequently here the complaint “I too old to workout” or “I’m to old and out of shape to start”. We are never to old to get exercise as we are never to old to start living a healthier life. I just came across this video of a 67 year old man demonstrating some intense but short workouts. If you are feeling to old, run down or discouraged by your lack of exercise let it serve an as inspiration to you.


If you are already active and working out think about adding some of these exercises to your routine – they require little equipment, a pull-up bar and a pair of dumbbells. So try it out.

Health News

Mental Attitude: Run away from depression? A study from Duke University Medical Center reports regular exercise can help patients suffering from depression. Patients performed group based exercise therapy 3 times a week, home based exercise, took a typical antidepressant or took a placebo pill. The researchers concluded group based exercise worked every bit as well as typical antidepressant drugs. Using a home based exercise program did not yield as much benefit as exercise in a group setting, but still better than taking a placebo. Psychosomatic Medicine, Sept. 2007

Health Alert: Prescription Drug Poisonings! The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) reports unintentional deaths due to drug poisoning (mostly prescribed medications) increased by 68% between 1994 and 2004. This is now only second to motor vehicle accidents as the major cause of accidental deaths. The rate in 2004 was 7.1 deaths per 100,000. Psychotherapeutic drugs were the largest contributor to the problem in the study. Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report, Feb 2007

Diet: Stay Away from Artificial Colors! Most artificial colors are derived from coal tar, which is known to cause cancer. Generally artificial colors are designated either FD&C, D&C or as a color with a number after it, such as FD&C Red No. 40, D&C Green No. 5 or Yellow No. 6. FDA 2007

Exercise: Painful Playtime! The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued warnings in 1977, 1981 and 1999, emphasizing the dangers of trampolines and recommended they not be used. Despite these warnings, visits to emergency rooms skyrocketed between 1990 and 2005. The number in injuries has increased exponentially each year, leading the AAP to characterize trampoline injuries among children as “epidemic” and to recommend banning them from home use entirely.

Chiropractic: How Important is Posture? Chiropractic adjustments allow for proper motion of the spine making it easier to maintain posture “90% of our brain’s energy is used for posture alone.” –Dr Robert Sperry (Nobel Prize 1981)

Wellness/Prevention: Tackle Your News Year’s Resolutions all at Once. People who tried to cut back on sodium and quit smoking at the same time were twice as likely to succeed as those who tried each goal separately, 6 months apart. For example, in the group of people who tried both goals at once, 30% lowered salt consumption, compared with 17% of the group that tackled one at a time. “There’s synergy when you make several changes together,” explains lead author David J. Hyman, MD. “Why keep puffing cigarettes once you’ve revamped your diet?” 44% of Americans resolve to fix at least one unhealthy habit in 2007. Baylor College of Medicine

Quote: “Mystery creates wonder and wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” – Neil Armstrong

Winter asthma, a rude awakening

As many of you already know I have asthma and this hasn’t stopped me from living a very active life, physically. This past weekend I ran a 5k trail race and had a rude awakening as I started the run. Before the race I used both my long and short acting inhalers but due to the cold and very dry air I was wheezing through the first 2 miles of the race. I pushed on and finished with a much slower time than I expected.

Many of you have asthma of have children with asthma (I fall into both categories since my daughter has asthma also). Winter can be a very difficult time. We all think of asthma in relation to allergies and as a result think of the warm months when flowers, trees and grasses are producing pollen. But, winter offers another challenge. Cold dry air is a potent activator of asthma. When you, or a loved one with asthma, are exposed to cold dry winter air your airways react by constricting.

If you or a loved one has asthma you need to be vigilant when outside in the cold weather – well before you go outside make sure that you use your medications (follow your doctors recommendations).

• Rescue inhalers need to be kept warm – keep your inhaler in an inside pocket close to your body and insulated from the outside air and wind (a cold inhaler won’t work when you need it). This also applies to those who need to carry EpiPens (they won’t work if they are frozen).

If you are already aware that cold dry air increases your asthma symptoms some additional things you can do when you go outside are:

• Gentle exercise outside for 15 minutes prior to engaging in more strenuous activities (like shoveling or snow blowing)


• If you are going to exercise or run outside do 5 30sec sprints with a 2:30 rest before your actual workout.

Last night I did a 3 mile run, which included the sprints and felt great – compared to my wheezing during the same distance on Sunday with no warm-up.

Yours in health, Dr. Tom Meehan

FREE STUFF for "Winter Nose"

While supplies last, I’ll be giving away free samples of NeilMeds “Sinus Rinse” and “NetiPot” to any people who stop in and would like one. I don’t sell this product but get free samples from NeilMed a few times a year. If this product works well for you then you can get refill packs at Walgreens or Jewel. Just stop in at any time we are in the office and pick it up.

With the cold weather finally here to stay one of the less pleasant aspects of winter will be following. What I am referring to? Well “Winter Nose” of course (in case you didn’t look at the title). Winter is one of the hardest seasons of the year for our noses – the cold dry air leads to nosebleeds, sinus congestion, runny noses, crusty noses and red noses. One helpful solution that is gaining popularity is the “sinus rinse”. Many of you with dry winter nose are familiar with gels or saline sprays to combat this problem; sinus rinses are another very effective tool.

Below is an educational video on the Sinus Rinse from NeilMed.

Why am I giving away free samples of something I don’t sell? Well, it's simply to let you know where I’m located in case you need my help for some problem in the future.

Yours in health,

Dr. Tom Meehan

Children, exercise, drugs and obesity

I'll have a new post up Monday on this subject. I always hate to see children who don't enjoy the energy and enthusiasm that you would expect to see at their young age. It is hearbreaking to see children who can't or don't play because of some disease that is attacking them. It is even worse to see the same thing but instead it is due to something we could prevent or control.

Monday I'm posting an article on a problem that we can control but if we don't can rob our children of their health, now and in the future.

Earlier today I had to clean up and straighten our house as well as take care of my 5 year old daughter. While I did let her watch TV for an hour, I worked hard and fast. My motivation, getting her outside to play. Children need to move and play and be outside (not inside watching TV and playing video games). As a father and a doctor I take this seriously, it is my duty to make sure she grows up healthy and active. I hope that you feel the same as me.

(post comments, suggestions or questions to "Comments" below).

Wii Sports, real exercise?

We all seem to live our lives with computers, remote controls, cell phones etc. which has lead to our more sedentary lifestyles. With this in mind, can a video game improve our fitness? My initial reaction is no, video games require us to remain stationary in front of a computer – in essence remaining sedentary. Well, the Wii game system was designed to challenge this by making gamers actually stand up and move. But, does this actually equal exercise?

Thankfully, the American Council on Exercise performed a study that they published in August on playing Wii Sports

For those of you not interested in reading the actual article here is a brief summary of it:

• Playing Wii sports does burn more calories than just sitting around (no big surprise).


• To achieve any benefit from the Wii system you need to stand up and mimic the actual movements of the sport you are playing. Still, it does not provide the same benefit as actually playing the real sport but can act as a bridge – if you like the sport then you may be tempted to actually do it (which is more fun and provides a much greater benefit).


• The sport that provides the greatest benefit on the system is boxing. Boxing was the only sport that was found to be intense enough to actually maintain or improve cardio respiratory endurance by the standards set by the American College of Sports Medicine. Good news for me, as many of you already know my preferred exercise is boxing and muay thai kickboxing. Even so, Wii Boxing is burns one third less calories than actual boxing practice. If you want a real boxing workout come to Plainfield Fitness and Fight Training currently I train people for free and have a flexible schedule.

Bottom line:
If you are new to exercise than Wii Sports is something you can start with, its fun and gets you moving. If the Wii system gets you off the coach then that is great. But, that is just the first step. Once you are comfortable playing Wii then you really need to get out and do something, for idea refer to my earlier post on “What are you doing today to stay healthy”.

Yours in health,
Dr. Tom Meehan

PS
The American Council on Exercise is currently conducting a study on Wii Fitness. I will be sure to update you when that comes out.

Cure for the Flu?

As the days get shorter and colder our worries start to turn to the cold and flu season. The questions most of us have are “will I get the Flu?” and “is the anything I can do to avoid catching it?” I’m going to provide you with some strategies to drastically improve your chances.

Like all of you; I hate the flu – I’ve had it (more than once) and I never want to get it again. Nobody wants to get sick and no one wants to take off work because of it. As a result I searched the medical research to find some answers and I made a surprising discovery (more on that in a bit).

• Most of hear the following tips for the flu season:
• Make sure you get enough sleep
• Avoiding touching your eyes and mouth and wash your hands
• Get the flu shot
• Engage in regular exercise
• Air out your house on a regular basis

I endorse and encourage all of these and most of us already do them and still seem to get the flu in the winter. So, what else can we do?”

The good new is that recent research has found a possible answer for why we get the flu and colds in winter. The bad news is that many of our common beliefs for what causes us to get sick have been disproved.

Most of us were brought up with the belief that going out in cold or wet weather caused us to get a cold or flu – recent and past studies have consistently disproved that belief. My daughter is 5 years old and I have to fight this old belief as weather gets colder – I want her to be warm outside and want to say “you’ll get sick if you don’t put a sweater on” but now I hold my tongue because I know better now – its not cold or wet weather that cause’s you to get sick.

If its not cold weather you might think it’s being around people more due to it being cold outside? Again the answer is no, we now work indoors close to people year round and still more people get sick in the winter than the summer when we are huddled together inside in the air conditioning.

So what is it that leads us to get sick more in winter months? Recently a doctor made a surprising discovery:
In 2005 in a hospital over run with the flu Dr John Cannel, a psychiatrist, noticed that none of the patients on his ward caught it. What was different about them? Well, the only thing he could find was that his patients were all on high doses of vitamin D. Think about it, vitamin D is known as the “Sunshine” vitamin since our bodies need sunlight to make it. In winter months the days are shorter and the time we do spend outside we are covered up. In addition vitamin D has been the subject of a considerable amount of research with the immune system, it helps in lowering the risk and severity of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, just to name a few. So how does it work on the flu? The current theory involves a chemical called cathelicidin which is produced by our bodies to fight infection. Cathelicidin needs vitamin D to be active in fighting viruses and microbes.

The USDA, the agency that sets the bar for what we should be getting in our diets, has raised the recommended level of vitamin D from 200 to 400 units a day due our need for it and our reduced exposure to the sun year round but many doctors and researchers put it at 1000 – 2000 units a day, especially in the winter.

You may think you’re getting enough vitamin D since you drink milk, a glass of milk provides just 100 units of vitamin D while 15 minutes in the sun give you up to 20,000 units.

Even if you go outside in the winter you have to cover up to stay warm which limits your exposure to the sun. So supplementation makes sense.

Thankfully, vitamin D supplements are very inexpensive. My current recommendation is to take 1000 to 2000 units of vitamin D a day from November to March – the peak flu season. Investment is minimal – under $10 for a month, less than most people spend on lunch for one day, – is that worth the possible lost work or even your job?

Personally I supplement with 2000 units of vitamin D a day from November to March. I did this last year and even though I didn’t get vaccinated I avoided getting the flu.

In summary

Follow the usual recommendations:

• Get Enough Rest
• Clean Hands
• Flu Shot
• Regular Exercise
• Airing out the house

Add

• Vitamin D 1000-2000 units a day

Cautions
While Vitamin D supplements are safe for most there are some of us who shouldn’t take them: If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood calcium levels, kidney disease or are taking digoxin or other cardiac glycosides, consult your medical doctor or chiropractor before taking vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D toxicity can occur, usually when the dose taken exceeds 10,000 units a day

Yours in health,
Dr. Tom Meehan
www.drmeehan.com

If you’re skeptical, please check out the experts below:
Articles and interviews with Dr Cannel -
Baltimore Sun article http://www.healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8826

Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D, Cannel’s original article
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16959053?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Vitamin D in Clinical Practice (vitamin D supplementation reduces deaths from numerous diseases) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18377099?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

On the epidemiology of influenza (Cannel’s most recent article, full text, on vitamin D and influenza)
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=18298852

Related articles on vitamin D -
Kids should get more vitamin D: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/13/vitamin.d.kids.ap/index.html

Life Extension Foundation article http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/feb2007_report_vitamind_02.htm

Another plug for vitamin D from Opra’s friends (second question on the page)
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/youdocs/1245125,CST-FTR-docs28.article