Matthieu Ricard was a Buddhist monk, photographer and author. He devoted his life to seeking happiness guided by his scientific mind and his spiritual discipline. He said: We can train our minds in habits of happiness.
December 31, 2014
December 30, 2014
New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful
From BarkingUpTheWrongTree
New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful
Eric Barker
We all want to be more successful.
But everything you read probably sounds like a lot of work. Isn’t there a scientifically proven method that’s a little more… fun? There is.
Shawn Achor is the bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and for years at Harvard he studied exactly that: happiness.
What’s so special about Shawn’s work? His research shows that success doesn’t bring happiness — happiness brings success.
He did what a lot of researchers never do: instead of scrubbing the freak outliers from the data he aggressively studied them.
He wanted to know what people with happiness superpowers do that we don’t.
Here’s Shawn:
Instead of deleting those people that are weirdos in the data what we do is we intentionally study them. We try and find out why it is that while an entire sales force has low numbers, we’re finding three or four people whose sales are skyrocketing. Or we’re looking at a low socioeconomic school in Chicago, where the academic scores are below average, there are a couple students whose grades are skyrocketing. By studying those outliers, what we’re doing is we’re gleaning information not on how to move subpar performers up toward that average point, but how to move people from average to superior.
Shawn believes (and his research shows) that you can do things to be happier. And being happier will make you more successful.
I gave Shawn a call to find out what he’s learned. Want more joy and success in your life? Here’s what Shawn had to say.
1) Success Brings Happiness? No. Happiness Brings Success.4
We all chase success hoping it will make us happy:
- I’ll be happy once I get that promotion.
- I’ll be happy once I get that raise.
- I’ll be happy once I lose 15 pounds.
But the research shows that isn’t true. You achieve a goal and you’re briefly happier… but then you’re looking toward the next big thing.
What Shawn’s research showed was when you flip the formula and focus on increasing happiness, you end up increasing success.
Read more from BarkingUpTheWrongTree >>
December 29, 2014
In Pursuit of Happiness
We have been pursuing wealth and health, hence the word whealth.
But in pursuing whealth, did we miss something so obvious? Where does happiness fit in?
In the coming year, we will include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, an indelible phrase inked onto the United States Declaration of Independence.
Look out for more articles regarding life, liberty and happiness.
But in pursuing whealth, did we miss something so obvious? Where does happiness fit in?
In the coming year, we will include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, an indelible phrase inked onto the United States Declaration of Independence.
Look out for more articles regarding life, liberty and happiness.
How was your year 2014?
As another year comes to an end, we all prepare or not for the new year.
To some, it is just another day. For those who made resolutions for the year and stuck with them, congratulations! Now is a good time to reflect and plan for your new year resolution. To those who made resolutions but had long since abandoned them, do not despair. Resolve in this new year, 2015 to do better. Key is make easy goals on a quarterly basis and progressively make subsequent goals a little harder. Achieving goals, even easy ones make you feel good and build your confidence.
When making goals, it is always a good idea to categorize them.
Goal 1; Happiness - Determine what would make you happy. This is a difficult one as happiness is quite subjective though for the majority of people it seems, happiness is being able to spend more time with family and close friends.
Goal 2: Health - What health issues do you have? Is this something you can do it alone without professional help? If yes, be diligent and follow a strict regiment of supplements, diets and exercises. If no, seek a professional you are comfortable working with.
Goal 3: Financial - Define that goal - Saving enough money to put a down payment for a house, co-op or condo? Buying a new car (do you really need a new car?). Saving money for a dream vacation?
Goal 4: New Job or new career.
Goal 5; Go for higher education
You get the idea.
Each of us are different and our circumstances are different.
If you want to change your life for the better you have to make conscious efforts to make changes. To get to your desired results you have to find the ways to accomplish the right outcome that in the end would make you happy.
After all, isn't happiness a common goal?
December 28, 2014
Lessons from the world's most successful people
From Fortune
Lessons from the world's most successful people
by Patricia Sellers @pattiesellers MAY 29, 2014
"It reassuring that one of the wealthiest men in the universe doesn’t equate success with money."
In 30 years at Fortune, I’ve interviewed CEOs and billionaires and other titans about what makes them succeed. Here are 10 things I’ve learned, plus wisdom from Warren Buffett.
The best career advice is universal. It applies to a CEO of a Fortune 500 company and to a kid aspiring to make it through college.
I tried to keep this in mind last week when I spoke at Allentown Central Catholic High School, which in 1978 sent me on my way from Pennsylvania to what has turned out to be a thrilling and very satisfying life and career. I told the CCHS students, who packed Rockne Hall for inductions of their new Student Council and class officers, that I’ve spent the past 30 years at Fortune “going to school on success.” That is, my job profiling some of the world’s most successful people–from Oprah Winfrey to Yahoo YHOO 0.41% CEO Marissa Mayer to Rupert Murdoch NWS 0.80% to Melinda Gates–is to learn and explain what makes these extraordinary people win and adapt to all sorts of challenges. I pared my message to 10 pieces of advice, which include a few obvious truths and, I hope, some enlightening points that are universal.
1. Don’t plan your career. Most of the really successful people I’ve met and interviewed these past 30 years at Fortune had no clue what they wanted to do when they were in high school or even in college. They stayed flexible and open to possibilities.
2. Forget the career ladder; climb the jungle gym. In a world that’s unpredictable and changing faster than ever, who knows what tomorrow’s ideal jobs will be? Think of your career as a jungle gym. Sharpen your peripheral vision and look for opportunities over here or over there, and swing to them. Facebook FB 0.01% COO Sheryl Sandberg kindly credits me in Chapter 3 of her best-seller, Lean In, for introducing the concept of the jungle gym.
Read more from Fortune >>
December 26, 2014
Janine Shepherd: I now know that my real strength never came from my body
If you have not watched this TED Talk, you will be glad you did. And if you had watched this video before, you will be grateful to watch it again to remind yourself of the inherent power within each one of us.
"But then I knew for certain that although my body might be limited, it was my spirit that was unstoppable.
The philosopher Lao Tzu once said, "When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be." I now know that it wasn't until I let go of who I thought I was that I was able to create a completely new life. It wasn't until I let go of the life I thought I should have that I was able to embrace the life that was waiting for me. I now know that my real strength never came from my body, and although my physical capabilities have changed dramatically, who I am is unchanged. The pilot light inside of me was still a light, just as it is in each and every one of us."
- Janine Shepherd
"But then I knew for certain that although my body might be limited, it was my spirit that was unstoppable.
The philosopher Lao Tzu once said, "When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be." I now know that it wasn't until I let go of who I thought I was that I was able to create a completely new life. It wasn't until I let go of the life I thought I should have that I was able to embrace the life that was waiting for me. I now know that my real strength never came from my body, and although my physical capabilities have changed dramatically, who I am is unchanged. The pilot light inside of me was still a light, just as it is in each and every one of us."
- Janine Shepherd
December 25, 2014
May your Christmas be Blissful !
May your Christmas be Blissful
And your New Year be a
Happy, Healthy and Prosperous One
|
December 23, 2014
Holiday web sales increase 15% so far this season
From Internet Retailer
December 23, 2014, 12:14 PM
Holiday web sales increase 15% so far this season
BY THAD RUETER , Senior Editor
The final full holiday shopping week brought a year-over-year web sales increase of 18%, comScore says.
Web sales during the final full week of the holiday shopping season increased 18.2% year over year, to $5.817 billion in desktop sales from $4.920 billion for the corresponding period last year, web measurement firm comScore Inc. says in its latest holiday e-commerce spending estimate.
The estimate covers the period from Monday, Dec. 15 to Sunday, Dec. 21 in U.S. e-commerce. The spending figures do not include mobile commerce, meaning consumer spending as Christmas approaches is higher than reflected in these estimates.
So far this holiday shopping season—which comScore says began Nov. 1—online shoppers in the United States have spent $48.269 billion via desktop computers, up 15.0% from $41.971 billion last year.
“This final week of online holiday shopping before Christmas was very strong, finishing off the season on a high note and virtually guaranteeing e-commerce spending will outperform our pre-season forecast,” says comScore chairman emeritus Gian Fulgoni. “We are now running at a 15% growth rate in desktop e-commerce for the season, which should be taken as a very positive sign for the economic health of both the American consumer and the e-commerce channel as a whole. While the heaviest spending days of the season are now behind us, there is still about another $5 billion that will be spent over the balance of the year that will get us to new all-time highs for e-commerce.”
For the most recently completed week, online shoppers spent $1.07 billion on Monday, $1.16 billion on Tuesday and $926 million on Thursday, the day of a promotional event called Free Shipping Day, when numerous e-retailers offer free deliveries. For the most recent weekend—Dec. 20 and Dec. 21—online shoppers spent about $972 million, 36.1% more than the $714 million spent last year, comScore says.
ComScore’s estimates are based on data from a consumer panel that includes some 1 million U.S. online consumers.
Visit Internet Retailer >>
December 23, 2014, 12:14 PM
Holiday web sales increase 15% so far this season
BY THAD RUETER , Senior Editor
The final full holiday shopping week brought a year-over-year web sales increase of 18%, comScore says.
Web sales during the final full week of the holiday shopping season increased 18.2% year over year, to $5.817 billion in desktop sales from $4.920 billion for the corresponding period last year, web measurement firm comScore Inc. says in its latest holiday e-commerce spending estimate.
The estimate covers the period from Monday, Dec. 15 to Sunday, Dec. 21 in U.S. e-commerce. The spending figures do not include mobile commerce, meaning consumer spending as Christmas approaches is higher than reflected in these estimates.
So far this holiday shopping season—which comScore says began Nov. 1—online shoppers in the United States have spent $48.269 billion via desktop computers, up 15.0% from $41.971 billion last year.
“This final week of online holiday shopping before Christmas was very strong, finishing off the season on a high note and virtually guaranteeing e-commerce spending will outperform our pre-season forecast,” says comScore chairman emeritus Gian Fulgoni. “We are now running at a 15% growth rate in desktop e-commerce for the season, which should be taken as a very positive sign for the economic health of both the American consumer and the e-commerce channel as a whole. While the heaviest spending days of the season are now behind us, there is still about another $5 billion that will be spent over the balance of the year that will get us to new all-time highs for e-commerce.”
For the most recently completed week, online shoppers spent $1.07 billion on Monday, $1.16 billion on Tuesday and $926 million on Thursday, the day of a promotional event called Free Shipping Day, when numerous e-retailers offer free deliveries. For the most recent weekend—Dec. 20 and Dec. 21—online shoppers spent about $972 million, 36.1% more than the $714 million spent last year, comScore says.
ComScore’s estimates are based on data from a consumer panel that includes some 1 million U.S. online consumers.
Visit Internet Retailer >>
December 21, 2014
Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes
Fast track to success?
Learn the secrets of success in 8 words in 3 minutes....
Learn the secrets of success in 8 words in 3 minutes....
December 20, 2014
The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance
Happiness - what is it to you?
Does success bring happiness?
Or, does happiness bring success?
Where does health and wealth fit in the happiness picture?
These and a lot more questions....we will try to find answers to in 2015.
In the mean time, watch video of the person who is starting this success vs happiness dialogue, Shawn Achor:
December 8, 2014
December 7, 2014
The Yogurt Must Be Greek
Unless you make it yourself, there are so many choices for yogurt, it can be overwhelming. So what is the best yogurt if you have to buy? The article below is one opinion worth considering.
From The New York Times
The Yogurt Must Be Greek
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR DECEMBER 5, 2014
Greek yogurt, with its beneficial probiotic bacteria, high protein content and rich flavor, is one of the most popular health foods in America, comprising a billion dollar market.
But few people have as much appreciation for Greek yogurt – or expertise in making it – as Maria Loi, an acclaimed chef, author and host of television cooking shows that have aired in her native Greece and on PBS.
For Ms. Loi, Greek yogurt is far more than a snack or breakfast item. It finds its way into nearly all of her recipes. She uses it in place of butter when baking cakes, cookies, brownies, pie crusts and quick breads. Where other chefs might use milk, cream, mayonnaise or sour cream, Ms. Loi’s recipes call for Greek yogurt instead.
Ms. Loi finds that the yogurt keeps these foods moist and flavorful, and as an added bonus it gives them a boost of protein. But don’t mention the commercial varieties of Greek yogurt found in many supermarkets. Many of these are loaded with sugar and stripped of their natural fats, which Ms. Loi considers sacrilege. She only trusts one or two brands, and usually prefers to make her own yogurt using a family recipe, as she has since she was a child.
Born and raised in Nafpaktos, about three hours west of Athens, Ms. Loi has owned gourmet restaurants in Greece and in New York City, where her homemade yogurt is used to make everything from parfaits to cheesecake and even ice cream. She is the author of “Ancient Dining,” the official book of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Recently she published her latest cookbook, “The Greek Diet,” with recipes rich in yogurt, nuts and olive oil. We caught up with Ms. Loi to talk about her new book, her love of Greek cuisine, and why she considers real Greek yogurt one of the pillars of a healthful diet — and even a beauty product.
Read more from The New York Times >>
From The New York Times
The Yogurt Must Be Greek
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR DECEMBER 5, 2014
Greek yogurt, with its beneficial probiotic bacteria, high protein content and rich flavor, is one of the most popular health foods in America, comprising a billion dollar market.
But few people have as much appreciation for Greek yogurt – or expertise in making it – as Maria Loi, an acclaimed chef, author and host of television cooking shows that have aired in her native Greece and on PBS.
For Ms. Loi, Greek yogurt is far more than a snack or breakfast item. It finds its way into nearly all of her recipes. She uses it in place of butter when baking cakes, cookies, brownies, pie crusts and quick breads. Where other chefs might use milk, cream, mayonnaise or sour cream, Ms. Loi’s recipes call for Greek yogurt instead.
Ms. Loi finds that the yogurt keeps these foods moist and flavorful, and as an added bonus it gives them a boost of protein. But don’t mention the commercial varieties of Greek yogurt found in many supermarkets. Many of these are loaded with sugar and stripped of their natural fats, which Ms. Loi considers sacrilege. She only trusts one or two brands, and usually prefers to make her own yogurt using a family recipe, as she has since she was a child.
Born and raised in Nafpaktos, about three hours west of Athens, Ms. Loi has owned gourmet restaurants in Greece and in New York City, where her homemade yogurt is used to make everything from parfaits to cheesecake and even ice cream. She is the author of “Ancient Dining,” the official book of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Recently she published her latest cookbook, “The Greek Diet,” with recipes rich in yogurt, nuts and olive oil. We caught up with Ms. Loi to talk about her new book, her love of Greek cuisine, and why she considers real Greek yogurt one of the pillars of a healthful diet — and even a beauty product.
Read more from The New York Times >>
December 6, 2014
December 4, 2014
A single-day e-commerce sales record
E-commerce will continue to grow world-wide. Are you just going to be an observer? Or are you ready to jump in and be a full-fledged participant? If you are, you have to check out
Market America / Shop.com!
From InternetRetailer
A single-day e-commerce sales record
BY ABBY CALLARD Associate Editor | December 3, 2014
Online retail sales on Cyber Monday topped $2 billion, comScore says, the first time that mark has been breached in a single day. And that just counts purchases on computers, not mobile devices. Consumers spent 17% more via desktop computers than last year, Over the weekend, consumers spent 26% more than 2013.
For the first time ever, U.S. consumers spent more than $2 billion online in a single day, according to an analysis from comScore. And that day was Cyber Monday, Dec. 1, the Monday after Thanksgiving. And that just counts purchases made on desktop computers, not sales via tablets or smartphones.
Cyber Monday web sales via desktop computers reached $2.038 billion—an increase of 17% over the same day in 2013. Consumers spent 24% more via desktop computers over the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.
“With more than $2 billion in online buying on Cyber Monday to cap an exceptionally strong five-day period since Thanksgiving, the online holiday shopping season is clearly going very well at the moment and is currently running ahead of forecast,” says comScore chairman emeritus Gian Fulgoni. “Any notion that Cyber Monday is declining in importance is really unfounded, as it continues to post new historical highs and reflects the ongoing strength of online this holiday season.”
ComScore also found:
ComScore does not include mobile shopping figures in its initial reports, though a spokesman says comScore will release mobile data as the holiday season progresses. Because sales via mobile devices are growing more quickly than sales via computers the addition of the mobile data typically adds 1-2% to comScore’s desktop growth estimates.
Read more from InternetRetailer >>
Market America / Shop.com!
From InternetRetailer
A single-day e-commerce sales record
BY ABBY CALLARD Associate Editor | December 3, 2014
Online retail sales on Cyber Monday topped $2 billion, comScore says, the first time that mark has been breached in a single day. And that just counts purchases on computers, not mobile devices. Consumers spent 17% more via desktop computers than last year, Over the weekend, consumers spent 26% more than 2013.
For the first time ever, U.S. consumers spent more than $2 billion online in a single day, according to an analysis from comScore. And that day was Cyber Monday, Dec. 1, the Monday after Thanksgiving. And that just counts purchases made on desktop computers, not sales via tablets or smartphones.
Cyber Monday web sales via desktop computers reached $2.038 billion—an increase of 17% over the same day in 2013. Consumers spent 24% more via desktop computers over the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.
“With more than $2 billion in online buying on Cyber Monday to cap an exceptionally strong five-day period since Thanksgiving, the online holiday shopping season is clearly going very well at the moment and is currently running ahead of forecast,” says comScore chairman emeritus Gian Fulgoni. “Any notion that Cyber Monday is declining in importance is really unfounded, as it continues to post new historical highs and reflects the ongoing strength of online this holiday season.”
ComScore also found:
- Desktop sales increased 15% for the period Nov. 1-Dec. 1
- Desktop sales increased 32% on Thanksgiving Day
- Desktop sales increased 26% on Black Friday
- Desktop sales increased 26% for the Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving
ComScore does not include mobile shopping figures in its initial reports, though a spokesman says comScore will release mobile data as the holiday season progresses. Because sales via mobile devices are growing more quickly than sales via computers the addition of the mobile data typically adds 1-2% to comScore’s desktop growth estimates.
Read more from InternetRetailer >>
December 3, 2014
5 Complete Lies About America's New $18 Trillion Debt Level
From ZeroHedge
5 Complete Lies About America's New $18 Trillion Debt Level
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/02/2014
On October 22, 1981, the government of the United States of America accumulated an astounding $1 TRILLION in debt.
At that point, it had taken the country 74,984 days (more than 205 years) to accumulate its first trillion in debt.
It would take less than five years to accumulate its second trillion.
And as the US government just hit $18 trillion in debt on Friday afternoon, it has taken a measly 403 days to accumulate its most recent trillion.
There’s so much misinformation and propaganda about this; let’s examine some of the biggest lies out there about the US debt:
1) “They can get it under control.”
What a massive lie. Politicians have been saying for decades that they’re going to cut spending and get the debt under control.
FACT: The last time the US debt actually decreased from one fiscal year to the next was back in 1957 during the EISENHOWER administration.
FACT: For the last several years, the US government has been spending roughly 90% of its ENTIRE tax revenue just to pay for mandatory entitlement programs and interest on the debt.
This leaves almost nothing for practically everything else we think of as government.
2) “The debt doesn’t matter because we owe it to ourselves.”
This is probably the biggest lie of all. Two of the Social Security trust funds alone (OASI and DI) own $2.72 trillion of US debt.
The federal government owes this money to current and future beneficiaries of those trust funds, i.e. EVERY SINGLE US CITIZEN ALIVE.
I fail to see the silver lining here. How is it somehow ‘better’ if the government defaults on its citizens as opposed to, say, banks?
3) “They can always ‘selectively default’ on the debt”
Another lie. People think that the US government can pick and choose who it pays.
They could make a bing stink about China, for example, and then choose to default on the $2 trillion in debt that’s owed to the Chinese.
Nice try. But this would rock global financial markets and destroy whatever tiny shred of credibility the US still has.
Others have suggested that the government could selectively default on the Federal Reserve (which owns $2.46 trillion of US debt).
Again, possible. But given that the Fed (the issuer of the US dollar) would become immediately insolvent, the resulting currency crisis would be completely disastrous.
4) “It’s the NET debt that’s important”
Analysts often pay attention to a country’s “net debt” instead of its gross debt. If you have a million bucks in debt, and a million bucks in cash, then your ‘net debt’ is zero. It washes out.
Problem is, the US government doesn’t have any cash. The Treasury Department opened its business day on Friday morning with just $71.9 billion in cash, or just 0.39% of its total debt level.
Apple has more money than that.
Read more from ZeroHedge >>
5 Complete Lies About America's New $18 Trillion Debt Level
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/02/2014
On October 22, 1981, the government of the United States of America accumulated an astounding $1 TRILLION in debt.
At that point, it had taken the country 74,984 days (more than 205 years) to accumulate its first trillion in debt.
It would take less than five years to accumulate its second trillion.
And as the US government just hit $18 trillion in debt on Friday afternoon, it has taken a measly 403 days to accumulate its most recent trillion.
There’s so much misinformation and propaganda about this; let’s examine some of the biggest lies out there about the US debt:
1) “They can get it under control.”
What a massive lie. Politicians have been saying for decades that they’re going to cut spending and get the debt under control.
FACT: The last time the US debt actually decreased from one fiscal year to the next was back in 1957 during the EISENHOWER administration.
FACT: For the last several years, the US government has been spending roughly 90% of its ENTIRE tax revenue just to pay for mandatory entitlement programs and interest on the debt.
This leaves almost nothing for practically everything else we think of as government.
2) “The debt doesn’t matter because we owe it to ourselves.”
This is probably the biggest lie of all. Two of the Social Security trust funds alone (OASI and DI) own $2.72 trillion of US debt.
The federal government owes this money to current and future beneficiaries of those trust funds, i.e. EVERY SINGLE US CITIZEN ALIVE.
I fail to see the silver lining here. How is it somehow ‘better’ if the government defaults on its citizens as opposed to, say, banks?
3) “They can always ‘selectively default’ on the debt”
Another lie. People think that the US government can pick and choose who it pays.
They could make a bing stink about China, for example, and then choose to default on the $2 trillion in debt that’s owed to the Chinese.
Nice try. But this would rock global financial markets and destroy whatever tiny shred of credibility the US still has.
Others have suggested that the government could selectively default on the Federal Reserve (which owns $2.46 trillion of US debt).
Again, possible. But given that the Fed (the issuer of the US dollar) would become immediately insolvent, the resulting currency crisis would be completely disastrous.
4) “It’s the NET debt that’s important”
Analysts often pay attention to a country’s “net debt” instead of its gross debt. If you have a million bucks in debt, and a million bucks in cash, then your ‘net debt’ is zero. It washes out.
Problem is, the US government doesn’t have any cash. The Treasury Department opened its business day on Friday morning with just $71.9 billion in cash, or just 0.39% of its total debt level.
Apple has more money than that.
Read more from ZeroHedge >>
December 2, 2014
Questioning Medicine: The Vitamin D Craze
From MedPageToday
Questioning Medicine: The Vitamin D Craze
Published: Nov 25, 2014 | Updated: Nov 26, 2014
By Joe Weatherly DO
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner
Joe Weatherly, DO, and Andrew Buelt, DO, are family medicine residents in St. Petersburg, Fla. Together, they co-produce the podcast Questioning Medicine, where they deconstruct issues confronting today's clinicians. In this guest blog, Weatherly gives his take on vitamin D research.
Now that the vitamin D research fires have begun to die down, I wanted to look into this apparent health fad to see what, if any, evidence came from the intense focus on this particular supplement. In 2012 alone, there were more than 3,600 publications in PubMed on vitamin D: opinion articles, small studies, large studies, evidence reviews, and meta-analyses. Then a review of the meta-analyses with a little "expert opinion" to top things off.
In the end, I think an overwhelming lack of definitive evidence was, in and of itself, the conclusion. We did, however, learn a few things about screening for hypovitaminosis D, potential outcomes associated with it, and potential benefits from treatment.
Screening
Just this week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said there was not enough evidence to support screening asymptomatic individuals for low vitamin D.
The main harm associated with testing for hypovitaminosis D is cost. Even though testing may hover around the $100 range, repeat non-evidence-based testing among several groups on an already strained healthcare system could redirect valuable healthcare dollars away from patients with other illnesses.
Causes of Hypovitaminosis D
Some of the most common causes of vitamin D deficiency are believed to be:
Questioning Medicine: The Vitamin D Craze
Published: Nov 25, 2014 | Updated: Nov 26, 2014
By Joe Weatherly DO
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner
Joe Weatherly, DO, and Andrew Buelt, DO, are family medicine residents in St. Petersburg, Fla. Together, they co-produce the podcast Questioning Medicine, where they deconstruct issues confronting today's clinicians. In this guest blog, Weatherly gives his take on vitamin D research.
Now that the vitamin D research fires have begun to die down, I wanted to look into this apparent health fad to see what, if any, evidence came from the intense focus on this particular supplement. In 2012 alone, there were more than 3,600 publications in PubMed on vitamin D: opinion articles, small studies, large studies, evidence reviews, and meta-analyses. Then a review of the meta-analyses with a little "expert opinion" to top things off.
In the end, I think an overwhelming lack of definitive evidence was, in and of itself, the conclusion. We did, however, learn a few things about screening for hypovitaminosis D, potential outcomes associated with it, and potential benefits from treatment.
Screening
Just this week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said there was not enough evidence to support screening asymptomatic individuals for low vitamin D.
The main harm associated with testing for hypovitaminosis D is cost. Even though testing may hover around the $100 range, repeat non-evidence-based testing among several groups on an already strained healthcare system could redirect valuable healthcare dollars away from patients with other illnesses.
Causes of Hypovitaminosis D
Some of the most common causes of vitamin D deficiency are believed to be:
- Inadequate exposure to sunlight (sunscreen or dark skin)
- Obesity
- Fat malabsorption syndrome (e.g., celiac disease)
- Bariatric surgery
- Nephrotic syndrome (vitamin D bound to albumin)
- Drug catabolism (HIV medications and anticonvulsants)
- Granuloma-forming disorders, lymphomas, and primary hyperparathyroidism
Read more from MedPageToday >>
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