The Vitamin D Cure [Hardcover]

James Dowd (Author), Diane Stafford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 2008

Groundbreaking new research has traced the source of a wide array of to a single common factor—vitamin D deficiency. Leading rheumatologist and researcher Dr. James Dowd reveals the causes of vitamin D deficiency and offers a simple, easy-to-follow five-step program that can eliminate or alleviate a host of seemingly incurable conditions, such as arthritis, in as little as six weeks. Better yet, by staying on the program, you can enjoy robust health and improved fitness for the rest of your life.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

It may sound too good to be true, but it's actually solid medicine based on real science: groundbreaking new research has traced the source of a wide array of disorders that afflict up to 200 million Americans to a single common factor-—vitamin D deficiency. Increasing the amount of vitamin D in your body can cure or help treat a remarkable number of ailments—from obesity to arthritis, from high blood pressure to back pain, from diabetes to muscle cramps. If you suffer from these or many other chronic health problems, you may wonder whether you are getting enough vitamin D and what to do about it.

In The Vitamin D Cure, leading rheumatologist and researcher Dr. James Dowd reveals the causes of vitamin D deficiency and explains why North Americans are particularly vulnerable to it. He then offers a simple, easy-to-follow five-step program that can eliminate or alleviate a host of seemingly incurable conditions, such as arthritis, in as little as six weeks. Better yet, by staying on the program, you can enjoy robust health and improved fitness for the rest of your life.

Citing numerous scientific studies, a wealth of clinical data, and case stories from his practice, Dr. Dowd shows how lifestyle and diet have combined to reduce the vitamin D intake of most of us who live north of the equator. Eating the wrong foods, not getting enough exercise, and spending too much time indoors have produced a major health crisis.

The good news is that you can greatly improve your health with the five easy steps in this life-changing guide. You'll learn how to:

• Find out how much vitamin D you need

• Sun and supplement your way to great D levels

• Calculate your acid excess and tweak your diet

• Cover your bases with total supplementation

• Add a little exercise to the mix

More than you ever realized, the future of your health is in your hands. You can harness the power of the "sunshine vitamin" to transform your life, end your pain, and return to active, vigorous well-being now and for decades to come. Read The Vitamin D Cure and start lettingthe sun shine on your health and your life.

From the Back Cover

Advance praise for The Vitamin D Cure

"The Vitamin D Cure is a revolutionary way to think about health and disease. My daughter suffered from a severe vitamin D deficiency and correcting it made a positive difference in her life. This book is practical and easy to read, and it offers hope for millions of people who suffer from pain, low energy, obesity, or depression."
—Daniel Amen, M.D., Director, Amen Clinics, Inc., and author of Making a Good Brain Great and Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

"For decades nutritional scientists assumed that recommended intakes of vitamin D prevented bone disease but offered few other health benefits. In this skillfully written book,Dr. Dowd expertly explains how vitamin D is actually a hormone whose insufficiency represents one of the most widespread health problems in the United States. By following the individualized program of supplementation and sun exposure outlined in this book, the risk for numerous chronic diseases can be reduced."
—Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of The Paleo Diet

"This is a timely and unique book that highlights the importance of vitamin D in the prevention and control of many common conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Recent clinical studies have documented the fact that most people are vitamin D deficient and that taking vitamin D supplements can reduce the risk of dying from all diseases. Dr. Dowd's five-step plan provides insight into the wonders of the forgotten vitamin and offers a practical and user-friendly game plan to place us on the road to heart health and a longer life."
—Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Nuclear Cardiology at the New York University School of Medicine, coauthor of the Heart Smart Guide for Black Women and Latinas

"Vitamin D is truly a miracle vitamin–it is fundamentally important to health and fighting many different diseases. And yet most people don't come close to obtaining optimal amounts. In this book, Dr. James Dowd explains everything you need to know about vitamin D and how it can improve your health."
—Jack Challem, author of Stop Prediabetes Now, The Inflammation Syndrome, and The Food-Mood Solution

"It is rare these days to have clear and understandable explanations of medical science. Fortunately, Dr. Dowd has the knowledge and has taken the time to provide some excellent insights into the health advantages available to everyone through natural environmental resources like vitamin D. The writers of this book are to be highly commended and thanked."
—Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery and Professor of Neurological Surgery, Oncology, Plastic Surgery, and Pediatrics, the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470131551
• ISBN-13: 978-0470131558
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

145 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, March 3, 2008

By 

Florida MD "Florida MD" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 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".

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NEW LIFE, March 29, 2008

By 

JOAN. "Bird Lady in Michigan" (Milford, Mi.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vitamin D Cure (Hardcover)

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.

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my life in a very positive way - A must read!!, August 4, 2008

By 

M. Norton "M.N. -Chicago, IL" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vitamin D Cure (Hardcover)

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.