“These are the 5 most common nutritional deficiencies I see in my Orange, chiropractic and integrative medicine practice: Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Omega 3 Fatty Acids (ALA, EPA, DHA). I feel that these deficiencies are not just representative of my local area but are a glimpse of what the world, in general, is experiencing. Below is a brief summary for each nutrient. My ranking of nutritional deficiencies are based on dietary analysis, clinical observation and blood tests.” Marcus Ettinger BSc., DC

1. Magnesium

Deficiency: 8 out of 10 clients show clinical signs of magnesium deficiency. The average American diet only contains 50% to 60% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). According to Dr. Guosong Liu, half the population of industrialized countries have a magnesium deficit, which increases with aging.

Symptoms: Anxiety, confusion, heart attack, hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), insomnia, nervousness, muscular irritability (twitches, spasms or cramps), restlessness, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), weakness, heart palpitations, depression….

Recommended Foods: All green leafy vegetables (ex. Swiss chard and spinach), Seeds (pumpkin or sunflower seeds), Beans (black or navy beans).

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Calm “magnesium caps” See: Magnesium and the Pathogenesis of disease (400 – 600 mg’s per day)

2. Zinc

Deficiency: 7 out of 10 clients show clinical signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Acne, ADD/ADHD, brittle nails, delayed sexual maturity, depression/apathy, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, growth impairment, hair loss, high cholesterol levels, immune impairment, impotence, irritability, lethargy, loss of appetite, loss of sense of taste, low stomach acid (HCl), male infertility/abnormal sperm, memory impairment, night blindness, paranoia, white spots on nails, poor wound healing, psoriasis….

Recommended Foods: Calf’s liver, beef, mushrooms, spinach, green peas and pumpkin seeds.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Zinc Glycinate (50 – 100mg’s per day).

3. Vitamin D

Deficiency: 10 out of 10 clients show deficiency (99.8% of all of my Labcorp, client blood tests have shown deficiency).

Symptoms: Allergies, auto immune diseases, burning sensation in mouth, cancer, diarrhea, insomnia, myopia, nervousness, osteoporosis, poor calcium utilization, rickets, scalp sweating, weight gain….

Recommended Foods: Cod liver oil, shrimp and eggs.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Power Vitamin D3 or Power D3 Softgels. Recommended dosage of Vitamin D3/Cholecalciferol is (6,000 – 10,000 IU’s per day for adults and 2,000 IU’s for children above the age of five. A base-line blood test should be done with a goal of achieving a blood level between 50 – 70 ng/mL ). Skin exposure to the sun, 15 minutes per day, is another great way to get adequate Vitamin D exposure. Note: living in southern California, I only take my Vitamin D during the months of October – the beginning of June. I surf a lot and as soon as my wetsuit comes off and I can get 15 minutes+ of direct sunlight, I no longer need the supplement form. In fact if if I kept taking it I would sunburn within 15 minutes. This is what your body does when the vitamin D level is sufficient.

4. Vitamin E

Deficiency: 3/10 Males and 2/10 Females show signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Neurological disturbances (gait disturbances, poor reflexes, loss of position sense, loss of vibration sense), shortened red blood cell life….

Recommended Foods: Green leafy vegetables (Mustard greens, chard, spinach and turnip greens), almonds and sunflower seeds.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Power E Complex – d-alpha Tocopherol w/mixed Tocohperols (400 – 800 IU’s per day)

5. Omega 3 Fatty Acids (ALA, EPA, DHA)

Deficiency: 8/10 show signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Diarrhea, dry skin and hair, hair loss, acne, eczema, psoriasis, immune weakness, infertility, poor wound healing, premenstrual syndrome, gall stones, liver degeneration, ADD/ADHD and depression….

Recommended Foods: Wild-caught salmon (Important: avoid farm-raised salmon because of pollutants, artificial color and lack of EFA’s), flax seed and/or flax seed oil, walnuts and sardines.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Ultra Omega 3-6-9 (2 – 4 caps per day) or High Lignan Flax Seed Oil (3 – 6 caps per day)

Reducing breast cancer risk by nearly a third could be as easy as supplementing your diet with fish oil, new research finds.

Chock full of essential fatty acids EPA and DHA, and Omega-3, fish oil, in food or capsule-form, is often credited with bolstering heart health and brain function, but a new report from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center suggests that when taken directly as a supplement, this powerhouse oil may have another trick up its sleeve: cancer prevention. (See our Omega 3-6-9 formula)

Researchers questioned over 35,000 postmenopausal women on their use of 15 different supplements — fish oil included — and followed these women over the next six years.

Over that time, 880 women were diagnosed with breast cancer . While most of the supplements seemed to have no effect on breast cancer risk, those women who reported current use of fish oil supplements were less likely to develop invasive ductal breast cancer, the most common type of the disease.

Beyond fish oil's role in breast cancer prevention, White and colleagues also found a connection between fish oil supplements and a lowered risk of colorectal cancer.

Why might fish oil supplements be having this effect?

Fish oil is naturally anti-inflammatory, and some research suggests that prolonged inflammation may increase the risk of cells becoming cancerous.

"Anti-inflammatory supplements reduce the events within a cell that lead to inflammation," White says. "Specifically, by reducing inflammation, they reduce cell turnover."

Reducing this turnover is important because the more cells replicate, the higher the chance is that they will accumulate genetic errors — a precursor to a cell becoming cancerous.

Thus, it is possible that reducing inflammation can lower the risk of cells becoming cancerous, White notes, though this is not yet proven.

Dear Dr. Ettinger:

What are the ingredients in your lecithin? – 100% Non-GMO Soy Lecithin Granules
Does your lecithin contain any liquid lecithin or any soy flour? -  No Other Ingredients

What is the percentage of Phosphatidylcholine, Phosphatidylinositol, Phosphatidylethanolamine, Phosphorus and Potassium per serving: (below are approximate values)
Phosphatidylcholine (2,300 mg)
Phosphatidylinositol (1,400 mg)
Phosphatidylethanolamine (2,100mg)
Phosphorus (300mg)
Potassium (120mg)

Phosphatidyleanolamine (The spelling is wrong here and on Ferns Lecithin ingredient page.  Above is correct spelling). Based on this, I am assuming you are comparing ours to theirs.  Ferns is not a “Non-GMO” product.  As far as I am concerned, this is the main point in picking a lecithin.  Genetically Modified Organisms, crops and the products made from them contain herbicide (RoundUp) and pesticide residues and other nasty ingredients.  I would never ingest it or give it to my patients or family.

Do they contain any triglycerides, protein or calcium? -  No

Helen K.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Dear Dr. Ettinger,

Thank you so much for the previous info on the lecithin granules from CAOH.  My husband and I are now taking your product.

Q: I am wondering if soy isoflavones are naturally in lecithin granules, as I have been taking them for awhile and do not want to double up.

Thank you very much.

Helen,

You are welcome.

A: Lecithin does not contain isoflavones so please continue with the product you were previously taking.

E-mail me any time.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

100% Non-GMO lecithin – a vegan product.

Power E Complex

May 17, 2010 — Long-term, regular use of vitamin E supplements (600 IU”s per day) appears to reduce, by 10%, the risk of chronic obstructive lung disease or COPD in women, according to a new study.

The risk reduction for women on vitamin E supplements (Power E Complex) was equal in people who smoked — the primary risk factor for getting COPD — and people who didn’t, says Anne Hermetet Agler, a PhD candidate at Cornell University and lead author of the study involving women.

Besides acting as a powerful antioxidant, vitamin E is involved in immune system functioning and signaling between cells and other processes in the body. Everything you always wanted to know about Vitamin E

Note from Dr. Marcus Ettinger: Absorption and utilization of Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) is both dose dependent (less is actually more – 400-600 IU’s per day)  and dependent on the levels of HDL’s (good cholesterol) in the blood.  Since women naturally have a higher concentration of HDL’s then men, women will naturally receive more protection from vitamin E supplementation then men.  Below is a recommendation of what I have personally done to help raise HDL levels.

In 21 years of practice and running thousands of lipid panels, I have found that the only way to naturally boost HDL levels, in most people, is to increase the level of Omega 3 fatty acids (ALA, EPA and DHA – Omega 3,6,9), along with adding a high concentration of phospholipids (Non GMO – Lecithin Granules – 2 Tbsp per day ) and cardiovascular exercise (30-45 minutes, 3-4 days/week).

Related Products:

Power E Complex
Omega 3,6,9
Non-GMO Lecithin Granules

Omega 3,6,9 (DHA, EPA and ALA)

Pregnant women need them for their babies’ brains. Kids need them to learn. Adults get healthier hearts from them. The do-it-all nutrients known as omega-3 fatty acids appear to reduce pain in people with rheumatoid arthritis — and may help treat autism, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD and prostate cancer.

Even dogs and cats need omega-3s to stay healthy.

So eat more fish. Take fish oil pills (or their vegetarian counterparts). Start buying fortified foods. However you do it, you — like most Americans — could likely benefit from getting more omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA and EPA.

“There’s very strong, medical-nutrition, literature-based evidence in humans suggesting that the average American would probably have a healthier life, a lower risk of dying from heart disease and improved brain function by consuming more fish, more supplements or more functional foods with DHA and EPA,” says nutritional scientist Bruce Holub, of the University of Guelph in Ontario and executive director of the DHA/EPA Omega-3 Institute there.

Related Products:

Ultra Omega 3,6,9

Organic Flax Seed Oil

100% Tahitian Organic Tamanu Oil
(Kamani Oil)

Sea Buckthorn Oil

Dogs with arthritis can really benefit from glucosamine and omega 3's

Question: Hi Dr. E,

I seek your advice regarding my eight year old collie.  he is about 90 lbs and is having trouble laying down and getting up and his general mobility seems difficult for him.  our vet recommended fish oil as well as glucosamine/chondroitin. I am taking three capsules of your ultra omega 3-6-9 and i was wondering if this might be a good regimen for my dog.

Thanks so much.

Steve

Answer: Steve,

Your veterinarian gave you good advice. Our Omega 3,6,9 (3) and Liquid Glucosamine and Chondroitin with MSM and Vitamin C (1/2 tbsp) would be great.

Omega-3 fatty acids:

There is a lot of ongoing work on the effects of antioxidants like DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), the primary omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. In addition to serving an important role in reducing the joint inflammation associated with arthritis and degenerative joint disease, omega-3s are important in cardiac health, and in suppressing the inflammation associated with chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal problems and inflammatory skin problems, as well as promoting mental alertness in older individuals.  There is an excellent controlled study showing that feeding a diet enriched with DHA, EPA and other nutritional supplements, such as MSM and glucosamine, results in a substantial and measurable improvement in older dogs’ memory and level of mobility. Although it’s difficult to make exact recommendations, it seems safe to say that we can help our pets by insuring an adequate intake of omega 3 fatty acids.

Glucosamine:

Glucosamine is the primary component of nearly all multi-ingredient arthritis formulas and seems to be the most important. It is essential for the formation of joint cartilage and synovial fluid.  Glucosamine should certainly be an ingredient in whatever formula you use.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM):

MSM has value as an anti-inflammatory agent. This anti-inflammatory effect slows the progression of arthritis and relieves pain.  All dogs showing chronic joint pain should be receiving MSM regularly.  It seems to work nearly as well as aspirin and is much less likely to cause problems.

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Full product catolog for California Academy of Health (CAOH).

Nutritional drink and Alzheimer’s

Scientists have developed a drink called Souvenaid that is a “medical food”, meaning it’s taken under the guidance of a physician to manage a specific condition. The drink has three components — uridine, choline, and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA — that, working together, help restore synapses, said Dr. Richard Wurtman, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-author of the study. Uridine is a molecule used in the genetic coding for RNA, choline is in the vitamin B family, and DHA is found in certain fish and fish oils.

You can read more about this article from CNN here (link). But what we wanted to point out is this statement in in the article: “These nutrients are already found in the human body and have been shown to be safe, he said. But taking a supplement of any one of them will not have the same beneficial effect, he said. Together in the right proportions, the cocktail increases the production of fatty constituents and proteins needed for synapses…..“

These nutrients are abundant in fish oils, whole foods like tomatoes, seaweeds, phytoplankton and our Liquid Power Multi-V™ and Ultra Omega 3-6-9™.

Q: I am a 55 year old woman in good health and get plenty of exercise.  Can you recommend a daily supplement regimen for me?  You have way too many products for me to make a good choice.

Thanks,

Jeanie Atkinson

A: Jeanie,

I think this is exactly what you are looking for:

For breakfast have a protein shake that includes all you daily supplements. This is what I’ve done for the last 15 years.

Whey Protein Powder – 1 scoop (caoh product)
Liquid Power – 1 ounce (caoh product)
Flax Seed Oil -  1 Tbsp  (From health food store)
Lecithin Granules – 2 Tbsp (caoh product)
Ultra Supreme Greens – 1 Tbsp (caoh product)

8oz water
Frozen strawberries and blueberries

Blend in blender till smooth

This covers all bases and will give you tons of energy. My grandmother started on a version of this at 83 and lived till she was 96.

I hope this helps. Talk with Heather 800-643-7188 if you need any help ordering products.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Question: Hello,