Just Ask Terry

Just Ask Terry - March 12, 2010

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “I receive several doctor newsletters and they all seem to talk about the health benefits of vitamin D. I have been taking OsteoStrong from EuroPharma, which I like very much, and it seems it has helped my joint and bone structure. It has 4,000 IUs of vitamin D and I’m wondering if this is a sufficient quantity to satisfy my requirements.” Kathryn L., St. Louis, MO A. Dear Kathryn, I agree with you that vitamin D has a tremendous impact on our health. Unfortunately, many of us are deficient in vitamin D. In just a recent study, 90% of African American children are deficient in vitamin D. That is unacceptable. Vitamin D can affect our bones, immune system, the health of our heart, and the brain as well. I would probably vote for it as one of my top five nutritional must-have supplements. Previously, scientists thought that 400 IUs of vitamin D were adequate, but new research has discovered that 400 IUs was very inadequate and scientists are now demanding new regulations to increase the daily requirements to at least 3,000 IUs for women and 2,000 IUs for men. For some, the optimal dosage range may go as high as 10,000 IUs but for this dosage, I would certainly seek a physician’s advice.

Q. Dear Terry, “I have a wart on my forearm and it seems to catch on everything. I was thinking about having it looked at by my physician and maybe cut off or frozen to kill the wart.” John Z., Boise, ID A. Dear John, I think it’s a great idea that you have your physician look at it. You can never tell if a wart could lead to some other skin complication. A wart basically is caused by a virus. I always recommend that people who are affected by warts, or by any virus, avoid all grain products, particularly those containing gluten, dairy products, sugar and all artificially sweetened soft drinks. Yes, the diet soft drinks can have some weird side effects, so I don’t find where they have any benefit in a healthy diet. I would suggest a good formulation to boost the immune system. I like to take a formula with elderberry, blackcurrant, a source of probiotics, lactoferrin, and zinc. But the bottom line to get rid of the wart, just cover it with duct tape. Change it when it’s necessary and in several weeks the wart will die off.A. Dear John, I think it’s a great idea that you have your physician look at it. You can never tell if a wart could lead to some other skin complication. A wart basically is caused by a virus. I always recommend that people who are affected by warts, or by any virus, avoid all grain products, particularly those containing gluten, dairy products, sugar and all artificially sweetened soft drinks. Yes, the diet soft drinks can have some weird side effects, so I don’t find where they have any benefit in a healthy diet. I would suggest a good formulation to boost the immune system. I like to take a formula with elderberry, blackcurrant, a source of probiotics, lactoferrin, and zinc. But the bottom line to get rid of the wart, just cover it with duct tape. Change it when it’s necessary and in several weeks the wart will die off.

Q. Dear Terry, “I’m a big fan of running, and try to run three to five miles a day, but lately I have been having terrible shin splints. Can you give me any hints on what I may do nutritionally to reduce the pain of my shin splints?” Dan H., Saginaw, MI A. Dear Dan, Well, first of all I would recommend Curamin, which is a formula of four nutritional ingredients that can relieve occasional muscle pain due to exercise and overuse. You might add a good dosage of manganese, I would think in the range of 50 to 100 mg a day for several weeks. Manganese is effective for strengthening ligaments, tendons and muscles. I would also suggest P-5-P (otherwise known as pyridoxal-5-phosphate), and the dosage in the range of 20 to 30 mg twice a day.

Q. Dear Terry, “I have been to the doctor several times to be treated for a toenail fungus, but everything I tried doesn’t seem to work. Is there any kind of natural remedy that you know may be successful?” Sandy J., Albany, NY A. Dear Sandy, I think you might want to try oil of oregano. I am aware of others that tried this remedy and it has been very effective. What seems to work best is to look for oregano oil in softgel capsules. I would think usually about 150 mg per capsule. When the skin is affected, I think it’s good to topically treat it but also to treat it internally. I would take two capsules of oregano oil three times daily for about a week to 10 days. Additionally, pierce a capsule with a pin and squeeze the oil around the area affected by fungus. You may also want to use a q-tip saturated with oregano oil so that you can apply it under the toenail. I have seen excellent results with this treatment.