The Vitamin D Cure [Hardcover]

Both my spouse and I are physicians. When we read this book, we were shocked to realize how little we had known about Vitamin D. Following Dr. Dowd's suggestions, we began taking Vitamin D from one of the sources listed in the book.

Within two weeks, we could each see significant improvement in the following:

1.) gums/teeth -- we had both had some gum recession over the years, with associated tooth sensitivity. We had asked dentists, orthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons why gum recession occurs. They all said, "It just happens." That never made sense to us, and it is now apparent that they simply did not know about the Vitamin D connection. Our gums now look healthier, and the tooth sensitivity is gone.
2.) tendon/ligament/fascia pain in the ankles and feet -- gone or greatly improved.
3.) skin -- smoother, fresher look with decreased prominence of pores. This isn't talked about in the book and so it was unexpected but most welcome. My personal belief is that it may be related to improved immune function with Vitamin D.

Within four weeks, we had increased muscle strength and decreased muscle fatigue on exercising.

An interesting aspect of this is that we live in Florida, where you might think it would be difficult to be Vitamin D deficient. However, we work inside all week, and when we go out on weekends we use sunscreen or sun-protective clothing.

This book is thoroughly researched and referenced. It is full of specific advice on testing for deficiency, supplements, dietary changes, sun exposure, and more. It discusses the various health problems that Vitamin D can make a difference in, including arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, seasonal depression, diabetes, colon cancer, and many more.

It is important to note that magnesium is essential along with Vitamin D. Though this is discussed in the book, I strongly recommend also reading "The Magnesium Factor" by Mildred Seelig, M.D. It is also excellent and extremely helpful. We have added more magnesium-rich foods to our diet based on Dr. Seelig's advice, and also decided to take one of the magnesium supplements she mentions.

In summary, I think most people could benefit from reading this book and "The Magnesium Factor".

I have been fortunate enough to have been a patient of James Dowd for 1 1/2 years. He suggested the Vitamin D Cure (diet, exercise, supplements,& blood work,) for my severe arthritic pain. It has been an amazing transformation for my physical life. When we first met, I was grosseley overweight, unable to keep my balance and had severe pain in every joint of my 60 year old body. I was clinically depressed, loosing my hair, pre-diabetic and unable to rebound after any cold or illness. I was unable to walk more than ten feet without a rest and forced to retire early. I have a new life thanks to Dr. Dowd and his solutions. I bought other books about pain and diet before "The Vitamin D Cure"was printed. None covered or explained as well how important our diets are to our physical well-being. My hair is no longer falling out. My skin is no longer sandy and gritty, but smoother. Some of my age spots have disappeared. I can walk around big box stores without riding in an Amigo cart. I can bend over and pick up some of my grandson's toys without fear of falling over. My pain is now minimal,although when storm fronts blow through I still have painful periods. The natural diet (as a hunter gatherer) helped take off some of the weight. Slowly, I'm feeling healthier every month. My blood pressure is down and I'm alive! I would highly recommend this book, and its suggestions.

After reading this book, 3 months ago, I started Vitamin D supplementation at 4000 IU's per day. The information in the first-few chapters, alone, was compelling enough to persuade me to supplement with Vitamin D. In fact, I bought Vitamin D supplements before I even finished the 4th chapter. Normally, I am very skeptical of information pertaining to health and wellness; that is, I force myself to find several other sources and corroborate the facts before I finally commit to make suggested dietary changes. However, after reading only a few chapters detailing Dr. Dowd's personal story and the chronicles of his patients and their case histories - I realized I was Vitamin D deficient. I saw such a eerily similar comparison between the case histories in this book and what I was currently suffering from. I knew I was missing Vitamin D. I was completely convinced that I should start Vitamin D supplementation. I realize this review is not a review on Vitamin D supplementation, nor is it a chance for me to ramble on about me. I'm supposed to review this book and tell you whether or not I think it's a good read. And just so we're clear, the book is not only a good read, but a must read. Oh and I'm getting to the review part.

I have never written a book review before (or at least to the best of my knowledge). I took the time to review this book because it changed my life in a very positive way. I believe that if you follow the advice written in this book, it will change your life as well. Sounds like a big statement, but it's very true. Before reading the book I was suffering from all sorts of ailments. I was in a mt. bike accident in 1997, where I suffered 13 fractures and started my lifelong journey of tolerating pain in nearly every bone and joint I had. Here's where it gets interesting.

I used to own a landscaping business that I had started in college, so I was constantly out in the sun. When my "real" job was enough to pay the bills, I sold my landscaping business. About 8 months after selling my business, what used to be "tolerable" pain, soon became pain I could barely deal with. , I had pain ranging from fatigue to arthritis, tendonitis to muscular atrophy; I even started getting acne (I'm 31 years old and never had it before). I went to a plethora of doctors to see why I was falling apart: Internists/Generalists, Endocrinologists, ENT's, Orthopedic Surgeons and Dermatologists. Unfortunately, they didn't help much. They tried to help by prescribing anti-inflammatories, antibiotics for the acne (which came back every time I stopped the antibiotic), physical therapy, and pills that I never took, but nothing worked. Even more unfortunate was the fact that not one doctor tested me for Vitamin D deficiency. I find that very odd since I visited nearly every specialty doctor I could find and not one of them mentioned Vitamin D deficiency. This goes to show just how groundbreaking and revolutionary the information presented in this book is.

The Vitamin D supplementation was so effective, I decided to take it a step further and follow a few of Dr. Dowd's dietary suggestions. More recently, I've decided to cut out cheese and whole grains as I really thought moderation was OK. Then I noticed, every time I ate cheese or whole grains, I felt kind of crummy. Now, I am 100% committed to Dr. Dowd's diet and D supplementation. I noticed the more suggestions I followed from this book, the better I felt. The end-result is, I now feel great - and I will be purchasing more copies of this book, as every family member and friend that I have, will be receiving the Vitamin D cure for Christmas.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 45 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars