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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1985)
Portland Observer, February 27, 1985, Page 5 Healthwatch by Slevtn Bailty N. D. Which vitamins, and how much o f each to take, is a com m on question that I hear in both practice and class room. W hile we are individuals, and our personal needs vary accordingly, there are general levels o f supplemen tation that can safely be utilized by the vast majority o f people The word vitam in stems fro m the historical yet inaccurate term "v ita l- am ine." This term accurately described the still common definition that vita mins are " v it a l" to m aintain health (these substances must be consumed in whole vitam in form as we cannot manufacture these substances out o f component parts). W e have found that many vitam ins are not am in o acids (as o rig in ally thought) and therefore we have dropped the end o f "a m in e ,” leaving “ am in " for the more accurate term “ vitam in." O ne o f the m ore confusing con cepts o f vitam ins is the designated R .D .A . or recommended daily allow ance. W hile the R D A w ill suffice to prevent diseases such as Beri Beri, Pellag ra, Scurvey, Rickets, night blindness, etc., the R D A 's fail to con sider the multitude o f functions that these vitamins have since been shown to perform. A good exam ple o f the R D A ’ s discrepancy w ith a m ore optim um daily allow ance ( O D A ) can be seen regrding vitam in C . W h ile the pion eering work with vitam in C revealed that 65 mg. per day w ill prevent the development o f Scurvey (a disease related to the role o f V ita m in C in ct>llagin formation, and characterized by weakness, anem ia, bleeding o f mucus membranes), this level has no relationship with the body's need for V itam in C regarding im m une func tion, adrenal function, prostaglandin synthesis, conservation o f Vitamin E, and no doubt a wide variety o f func tions yet to be discovered. If , as in the m ajo rity o f cases the R D A represents a level o f less than o ptim um intake, how do we decide what is an optimum level. There are a variety o f ways that this can happen. In the case o f V itam in C , man, p ri mates, guinnea pigs and fish are the only vertebrates that do not m anu facture their own V itam in C , and an optimum level o f intake might be a r rived at by measuring the daily pro duction and extrapolating to human weight. T his, in the case o f dogs, would lead to an O D A o f 15 grams or over 200 times the R D A ! A nother way to arrive at an O D A would be to observe the dietary intake o f cultures that maintain a diet that has remained unchanged for many generations. The observation o f p rim itiv e cultures again reveals a daily intake o f ap proximately 15 grams. While 15 grams o f synthetic V itam in C would cause diarrhea in many individuals (a result o f the osmotic properties o f Vitam in C ) there is an ability to tolerate I -10 grams in most individuals. While the R D A of most vitamins is considerably below what w ould be considered optimum, Vitam in D pre sents itself as an exception. Actually Vitamin D is not a vitamin at all and more accurately would be considered a p ro -vitam in . V itam in D ’ s role in it ’ s associated deficiency disease " R ic k e tts ," was originally found in children who worked the entire day inside, and therefore were not ex posed to ultraviolet light, which en ables the human system to m anufac ture its own vitam in D . So if you have any exposure to sunlight your body can manufacture its own D and as a fat-soluble vitamin the ingestion o f additional amounts requries stor age, conversion and elimination of the excess. So, w hile the R D A o f 400 lUs is sufficient to prevent rickets in sunlight-deprived individuals, it is not required at all in the majority of indi viduals. I consider 400 lU s to be the maximum supplementation for most people, and the O D A would probably be even lower Fat soluble vitam ins are the ones most commonly associated with toxic potentials (recent work suggests that B-6 may also cause toxic conditions), yet with the exception o f V itam in D the RDAs for these are also far below an optimum level. The following list of vitamins and estimated O D A s may 'erve as a general guide. Your individ ual need smay vary with these num bers, but the levels outlined below are well within safe limits for adults. V ita m in ODA A ............................................ 25,000 L U . D .................................................. 100 I.U . E .............................................. 2 - 400 I.U . B -l................................................loo mg. B-2................................................. 75 mg. ft-3................................................150 mg. B-5 (pantothenic acid)........... 100 mg. ft-6 (pyridoxine)...................... 100 mg ft-12..............................................ISO mg. C . . . . . . . . . 2 - 4,000 mg. (2-4 grams) Bioflavinoids............................ 300 mg. Folic Acid.........................5 - 800 meg Next week: N a tu ra l vs. synthe*'. vitamins and minerals. Support our advertisers . S » 5' 4 n z lD T , <Ve t a / d PORTLAND OBSER VER SeS Change drinking habits for health Most drinkers think that “ going on the wagon” is a desperate act, almost a confession o f alcoh olism . H o w ever, one expert suggests that oc casional "h o lid a y s " from drinking may actually help prevent alcoholism. D r. N ich o las A . Pace, assistant professor o f clinical medicine at the New York University School of M edi cine, says that a respite o f a few days to a few weeks can give the liver and brain a chance to bounce back from the daily exposure to alcohol. D r. Pace, w ho has helped m any people overcome drinking problems, believes, as do a growing number o f researchers, th at overexposure to alcohol is as likely a cause of alcohol ism as genetic susceptibility, psycholo gical and social factors, brain chemis try and other variables. "W ith a lot o f drinking and a little neglect, almost anyone can develop the disease we call alcoholism , just as any o f us can contract pneumonia by foolishly exposing ourselves to its causes,” he says. “ W hile some people are more susceptible than others, it ’s dangerous fo r anyone to hope fo r some kind o f b u ilt-in im m u n ity . However, people who are alert to the dangers o f alcohol can more easily avoid them.” In ad d itio n to “ takin g holidays fro m d r in k in g ,” D r. Pace recom mends the following program to guard against "unsafe” drinking: A n alyze your d rin k in g behavior. Review the typical situation in which you drink alcohol. W rite down when you drink, what you dnnk, how much, how often and where. Be alert to rit ualistic drinking — two drinks before dinner, fo r exam ple, or a few beers while watching the ball game on T V . P in p o in t d a n g e r s p o ts . A t the same time, don’t let drinking rituals become problem s. T h e cocktails- before-dinner crowd sometimes rig idly insists on its evening lib atio n whatever other drinks the day may have brought. For a physiologically susceptible person, years and years of pre-dinner cocktails may be enough to produce the b io log ical damage that contributes to alcoholism. R a w rita your d rin k in g scanarlo. Sometimes a normal “ safe" drinking pattern may be thrown o ff by a single element. Changing the scenario can avoid the danger. For exam ple, D r. Pace once treated a couple who kept getting smashed at cocktail parties. It turned out they had been d rin k in g before the parties, and drinking again when they got there. This was push- Donor cards available now Last fall, a 24-year-old Washington woman finally received a kidney trans plant after bang tied to a kidney dialysis machine for nine years. A t least 200 people are awaiting kidneys in the Pa cific Northwest. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that more than 100,000 people in the U.S. need organ transplants. But even more dramatic, every year there are 20 to 30 potential heart donors in Washington state alone whose hearts cannot be used because they died with out having signed an organ donor card. Ihe donor card, recognized in all 50 states, is available from hospitals, any state licensing office including the De partment of Motor Vehicles, State Med ical Auxiliaries and from any donor organization. A signed donor card should be carried w ith you at all tim es, and relatives should be in formed o f your wish to be an organ donor. Anyone older than 18 can become an organ donor. Parents can approve consent o f minor children. Even ex cellent health is not always necessary Craigo's Grand Opening formerly More "4” Less Mustard Greens.............................................................................3 bunches $1.00 ing them over the edge By elim inat ing the p re-p arty drinks and also moderating what they drank at par ties, they no longer had episodes of drunkenness. Drink leaa. tw itc h to leaa p o te n t o r n o n -a lc o h o lic d r in k a . I f your ntual is two cocktails, drink one. Also try switching to something less potent — a wine spritzer or glass o f beer, for example. Even better, alternate your drinks. D o n ’ t have tw o alcoholic drinks in a row. At a party, start with a tall, non-alcoholic beverage. This will quench your thirst and postpone the introduction of alcohol into your system. Then, after slowly drinking your first cocktail, return to the non alcoholic beverage. ir YOU USE ELECTRICITY LIKE THIS... Prevent household poisonings Thai cupboard under the kitchen sink w ith all those h e lp fu l, useful household cleaning products: Are you aware that many o f these ar highly poisonous if they are ingested? The Emergency D epartm en t at M o u n t Hood M ed ical Center reminds you that M arch 17-23 is National Poison Prevention W eek. Check and make sure that all o f your potentially dan gerous cleaning products are out o f your child's reach. I f you do have an emergency, call 225-8968, the poison control center. OHSU offers teeth cleaning AUG Teeth cleaning at a reduced fee is available for qualifying patients at the Oregon Health Science University. The School o f Dentistry dental hy giene students will treat qualifying pa tient w ho have not had th eir teeth cleaned in at least a year, or who quickly build up tartar on then teeth. To make an appointment to see if you are eligible for the reduced fee, call the O H S U Dental Hygiene Department, afternoons at 225-8895. Jumbo Yams, 4 b a .............. ............................. $1.00 Derigoid Ice Cream, H gal ............................. $1.09 Olympia Beer, 12 oz. c a n ., $1 98 6 pack + dep. 2% M * , gal......................... ............................. $1 «9 P ric es g o o d th r u M a r c h 3, 1986 Open 7 D ay* a W eek, 8:00 a .m .-9:00 p m. 106 N. Beech O tT NO V DEC IAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY YOU CAN PAY FOR IT LIKE THIS... Black Affairs opens show The Commission on Black Affairs w ill host a reception at 12 noon, March 4, 1985, following the ribbon cutting ceremony o f the exhib it, “ Black W om en: Achievem ent Against the O d d s." State Represent ative M argaret C arter and M rs. D o lores Atiyeh w ill perform the ribbon cutting honors for the first exhibit o f its kind in the State o f O regon to portray Black women and their con tribution to American history, culture and society. The Commission on Black Affairs co-sponsors this exhibit with the Port land Chapter o f the N atio n al Asso ciation o f Black Social W orkers, Alpha Kappa A lpha Sorority, Delta Sigma T h e ta , and the L ittle and Phillips Family Grant. SEPT BUDGET BALANCER PROGRAM. Here’s how it works. First, we calculate yo u r annual cost of electricity, based on previous usage. Then, we divide that equally into eleven m onthly payments. Twelve m onths a lte r you sign up, we either owe you because you used less electricity than yo u r average ...o ry o u owe us because you used more. How do you enroll? Sim ply Itxik fo r the insert inside your current Pacific Power bill. Fill in the applica tion fo rm , and return w ith vour statement. That's all there is to it. The People at Pacific Power. Cl»»' r*. ilk r.~,,
