“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)

Source: Annals of Oncology

Pancreatic cancer is a disease in which malignant cells are found in the tissue of the pancreas. In 2009 in the United States there were 42,470 new cases and 35,240 die from the disease. The prognosis is relatively poor but has improved; the three-year survival rate is now about thirty percent (according to the Washington University School of Medicine), but less than 5 percent of those diagnosed are still alive five years after diagnosis. Complete remission is still rare. Pancreatic cancer is sometimes called a "silent killer" because early pancreatic cancer often does not cause symptoms, and the later symptoms are usually non-specific and varied. Therefore, pancreatic cancer is often not diagnosed until it is advanced.

Folic acid (also known as folate) is a member of the water-soluble B vitamin group. Isolated in 1946 from spinach leaves, its name comes from folium, the Latin word for leaf. In the body, folic acid is converted to a more biologically active form. Folate has many clinical applications such as: Alzheimer’s disease, alcoholism, atherosclerosis, birth defects, cervical dysplasia, cognitive enhancement, depression, gingivitis, pregnancy and lactation. Folic acid is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies. Vitamin E is actually a group of eight compounds including four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) and four additional tocotrienol derivatives. Alpha tocopherol is the most common and the most potent form. It is what is usually meant by the term vitamin E. Pure vitamin E compounds are easily oxidized, so they are manufactured as acetate or succinate esters. Earlier research has shown an association between vegetable and fruit consumption and pancreatic cancer, but there has been no consistency in the identification of certain components in these foods. Scientists from the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy investigated the role of 15 vitamins and carotenoids and 6 minerals play in preventing pancreatic cancer. They surveyed 326 patients with pancreatic cancer and 652 controls by having the participants fill out a food-frequency questionnaire. The results were the highest quintile of intake of vitamin E, vitamin C, folate and potassium were less likely to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer compared to those with the lowest quintile intake of the nutrients. These findings suggest vitamins E and C, selected carotenoids, and folate play a role in the prevention of pancreatic cancer.(1)

1.    Bravi F, Polesel J, Bosetti C, et al. Dietary intake of selected micronutrients and the risk of pancreatic cancer: an Italian case-control study. Ann Oncol. 2010

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

Power E Complex

WEDNESDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) — A new study has identified vitamin E, also known a d-alpha tocopherol, as a viable treatment that can provide relief for many of the estimated 10 million Americans who have the most common chronic liver disease.

“This clearly shows that vitamin E is effective for treatment of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty infiltration of the liver) who don’t have active diabetes,” said study author Dr. Arun J. Sanyal, chairman of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Virginia Commonwealth University. A report on the trial is published in the April 28 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The 96-week study included 247 adults with the condition, none of whom had diabetes. Some patients were given 30 milligrams a day of Actos, some were given 800 International Units of vitamin E daily and others were given a placebo. A significant rate of improvement in markers of the disease, such as inflammation, was seen in 43 percent of those getting vitamin E, compared to 19 percent of those getting placebo. Similar improvement was seen in 34 percent of those getting Actos, compared to 19 percent of those getting placebo, a difference that was not statistically significant.

Actos might be a viable treatment for some people with fatty liver disease, but the study found its use was associated with significant weight gain that continued throughout the study, Sanyal said.

Power E Complex

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one cause of fatty liver changes, when fat is deposited (steatosis) in the liver when this is not due to excessive alcohol use. It is related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, and may respond to treatments originally developed for other insulin-resistant states (e.g. diabetes mellitus type 2), such as weight loss, metformin and thiazolidinediones.^[1]

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most extreme form of NAFLD, which is regarded as a major cause of cirrhosis of the liver of unknown cause.^[2]

1. ^{a b c d e f} Adams LA, Angulo P (2006). “Treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease”. Postgrad Med J 82: 315–22. doi:10.1136/pgmj.2005.042200. PMID 16679470. http://pmj.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/82/967/315.
2. ^{a b} Clark JM, Diehl AM (2003). “Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: an underrecognized cause of cryptogenic cirrhosis”. JAMA 289: 3000–4. doi:10.1001/jama.289.22.3000. PMID 12799409.