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.~,,