GET OUTSIDE, PLAY WITH YOUR DOG, AND EAT DIRT

"Atopic dermatitis (AD)" is the medical term for what is more commonly called "childhood eczema." A new study out of Harvard shows that lower levels of prenatal maternal Vitamin D (25(OH)D) correlates with a higher risk of atopic dermatitis in early childhood. The researchers did not find a correlation between Vitamin D intake and early childhood eczema but did find a slight correlation between intake and mid-childhood atopic dermatitis.

In my own practice, we drew Vitamin D blood levels on approximately 1000 patients. ONLY ONE patient had a normal level. All of the rest were below normal. Granted, this was in a predominately White suburb of Milwaukee but the message is clear: get your Vitamin D on. If you can get outside, do it. Observe the normal precautions against sunburn, of course. If you cannot get outside every day, consider taking Vitamin D as a supplement. As always, discuss this with your health care provider first. Personally, I take a fish oil/Vitamin D combination capsule twice a day. Each capsule contains 2,0000 International Units (I.U.) of Vitamin D3 and 600 mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Vitamin D supplementation is also an effective treatment for AD.

Other non-medical treatments (meaning that you don't need a physician's prescription) for AD include probiotics (the greater the variety of bacterial strains the better), moisturizers, and possibly a gluten-free diet. Exposure to ultraviolet light also helps flare-ups.

Prevention entails letting "kids be kids." Those who are raised in a "sanitized" environment develop eczema more often than children who habitually play outside. In the dirt. And children who are exposed to dogs while growing up also have a lower risk of developing AD.

So the moral of the story is this: get outside, play around, and pet your dog. Sounds like a prescription for a good life anyway.

My Worst Thanksgiving Ever

I am taking a break from writing about health issues here to promote my new book My Worst Thanksgiving Ever which is an account of the abduction of my son Benjamin by the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua over the Thanksgiving weekend of 2013. Even worse, I was subsequently blamed for "abandoning" him despite being mugged 5 times in two nights trying to find him. That just confirms one of my sayings: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.

So please do me a favor and download the book. It will be available for free for the next three days. You can download a free Kindle Reader here. There are also free versions for your iPhone or Android device.

Download, read, relate, and pass on the news. I really appreciate it.