july/august 2008

Fourth of July Fanfare Encircles the Firehouseby Kara Robinsonphotos by Mary Anne Marx

Did the eagerly anticipated 2nd Annual South Roanoke 4th of July parade kick off with a violin rendition of “America the Beauti-ful?” The arrival of star-spangled and flag-bedecked Radio Flyer wagons? The flapping of red, white, and blue crepe-paper streamers threaded through the spokes of bicycle tires? The bobbling motion of star-topped headbands as children ran around the firehouse lawn? Or the enthusiastic game of limbo little Juliana Meidlinger played with the shiny flag ban-ner hung to mark the start of the parade? If you responded yes all around, then you know that it was a happy, patriotic time for all who attended. For the second year, Sandy Murray and Leslie Evett brought a tra-dition rooted in Leslie’s New-port News upbringing to our neighborhood. Former New-port News resident Carolyn Hornick, watching the parade with her parents, Jeanne and John Bernard, also recalled this tidewater tradition fondly. “One year, my friends had a band on their front porch during the parade,” Carolyn said.

In the past, Leslie had taken her children back for that hometown parade, but a few years ago Leslie and Sandy decided to start a pa-triotic tradition of their own right here in South Roanoke. As Sandy

explained, “The whole idea was to do it early, while it was cool, and didn’t interfere with any-one’s picnic plans for later in the day.” Around 9:30, neighbors started gathering at the fire-house lawn. After time spent chatting with friends and admir-ing one another’s inventive red, white and blue attire, the crowd enjoyed Meg Evett’s perfor-mance of “America the Beauti-ful.” Shortly after that, the crowd sallied forth in a happy parade around the blocked-off streets. Twila DeMarco, at the pa-rade with husband Daniel and 4-year-old son Adrian, said, “This is one of our favorite com-munity events … Adrian remem-bered from last year, and got so

excited when we got out the bag of flags and decorations. In a four-year-old’s mind, this is huge, and just really fun for everyone.” For next year’s event, Sandy and Leslie would like to increase

— Continued on page 15

centeredon

community.family.you.

The South Roanoke Circle is a publication forged from our belief in bringing people together through the written word. A paper that arrives at each and every home in the neighborhood, The South Roanoke Circle offers monthly glimpses into the everyday lives and minds of South Roanokers. To that end, we hope you’ll be a part of the circle, sharing your ideas about what sustains our neigh-borhood’s spirit of community.

insideBlock Party & July 4th Parade Pix Galore

Shedding (Sun) Light on the Vitamin D Debate

2

Brent Stevenspublisherbrent@southroanokecircle.com

Jill Hufnageleditorjill@southroanokecircle.com

Amy Takacs, Creative Outletgraphic designeramy@creative-outlet.com

Lisa Bowersadvertising representativelisa@southroanokecircle.com353.2380

Mary Anne Marxphotographermaryannemarx@hotmail.com345.6279

Johnny Meidlingerinternet kung fu

The South Roanoke Circle2707 Richelieu AvenueRoanoke, VA 24014540.293.2114

southroanokecircle.com

Our intent is to provide a neighborhood publication that celebrates community and fosters connection among neighbors. In so doing, we seek to strengthen the neighborhood bond, to encour-age our children to share their voices, and to nurture a future of collective growth. Finally, we wish to share in the discovery of the people and places that make this neighborhood thrive.

~We reserve the right to refuse publication of any material we deem unsuitable for this venue and/or our readership.

copyright 2008Writing Associates, LLC

all rights reserved.

She Said I’m beginning to wonder if I am — on some purely unconscious level, of course — trying to find my edge. Not trying to keep my edge, mind you. That would intimate some degree of fringe-level cool. Rather, the very edge of my sanity, the precipice of keep-ing it all together, the border on which that one last ball that will send this whole precarious juggling act into pure chaos. I say this because over the last six weeks I have begun to suspect that I am being tested by the universe. Here’s what’s gone down (in no particular order): we had no electricity for two days, effectively spoiling several bags of groceries. The plug to my laptop (which is the heart of my whole operation, after all) became lodged in the outlet, rendering me off-line and out of juice for four long days. I went to the ER for a massive migraine with a side of dehydration and waited for more hours than I care to recall to be seen. While waiting, I had the plea-sure of barfing in a hospital-issue bag at regular intervals in the waiting room. Variation on that theme: our old dog took to eating untold quantities of crab apples from our back-yard tree and similarly began puking, through-out the house. Hefty vet bill and two weeks of antibiotics later, her belly appears calmed. The milkman called me on my cell phone while I was trying to deliver the lunch my daugh-ter forgot to let me know that while I had not put out my milk order — no big deal — our young Leaping Lena of a dog had punched her front paw through the glass pane of our front door and then bolted. Of course she had, I thought. Makes sense. This calamity was similarly fol-lowed by a variation on a theme, when Brent called to let me know that a massive limb had fallen on his very old car and smashed the windshield. Was there some link going on here, some pattern that I was meant to untwist? Barf, barf . . . window shatter, window shatter. What else might happen in pairs, I wondered? When, in an act of absolute uncle, I retreated to Maryland to visit my family, the curse followed. I kid you not when I say that the following morning we awoke to news reports that the water across their county was potentially tainted due to an unexplained break in a huge water main. We were without purified water for five days. Was I surprised? Not at all. I took to boiling, set up a makeshift hand-washing and tooth-brushing station and recalled that, as Seuss so aptly put it, Wherever you go, there you are. Did I mention that throughout this process, we have been doing a kitchen renovation that included taking down a load-bearing wall? At least the house is still standing. Did I say that aloud? One of the three pendants we splurged on for the kitchen arrived smashed. If we’re lucky, the new one will arrive late August. The floor that was an alleged match is all but. In a twist that could only be described as ironic, yesterday morning I walked into the pan-try — the one area of the kitchen that remained unchanged — only to feel the splash on my bare feet of our very first flood. . . the water line to the fridge (we had been without ice for nearly two years) that seemed to be perfectly in place the night before had sprung a mad leak. Good morning and welcome to day 38 of the curse. So I’m looking to find the good news in all of this. (Dirty) glass half-full: my edge is farther than I might have thought. I’m holding it together — albeit tenuously — and the counters are in. We’re 24 hours from having not only a sink, but the sweet joys of a dishwasher. Glass half-empty: will the corbels really be able to hold the 40” counter atop them? I’m thinking maybe I’ll sit back a bit from that edge, at least until the curse has abated. — JH

Jocks on Your BlockBy Kate Ericsson

Considered to be America’s first sport, lacrosse was born of the Native American and adapted by the Jesuits and Canadians. It is currently the fastest growing sport in the United States--according to US Lacrosse, youth participation in the sport has grown over 500% since 1999. And here in our neighborhood, the Roanoke Valley Ladies Lacrosse Association is part of this trend. There were over 80 young female jocks catching and throwing with lacrosse sticks this spring on elementary and middle school teams with the RVLLA. While the first women’s lacrosse team was established at the Bryn Mawr School in Balti-more, Maryland in 1926, in the spring of 2004 the Roanoke Valley Ladies Lacrosse Associa-tion was established with four teams playing against each other in round robins. Mark Lucas founded the organization after his daughter Claiborne attended lacrosse camp at Washington and Lee and wanted to continue to play. At the time there was nothing here for girls, and her request of, “Why don’t you start something Daddy?” inspired him to organize the program. Having never played the sport himself, he bought videos, DVDs and books and tried to learn as much as he could. Next, he turned to the community. “Parents came out of the woodwork when they heard about lacrosse for girls,” he said. Gordon Poore coached

— Continued on page 6

3

Tremendous Gratitude to the Businesses Who Invested in Our Ideas

(& Made the Party a Reality)

Hampton Inn Virginia Beach OceanfrontWine Gourmet

Etcetera reps: Carrie Duckwall and Amy HunterLoving Hands

Pitman Handyman ServicesFaux Painting by Kate Khalilian

Black Dog Salvage Willow Grove

Taj MapawOakey’s

Immense Kudos to All Those Who Donated Their Talents, Goods, & Services

(& Filled Our Baskets to the Brim):

Amy Anguiano, Christy Cundiff, Lee Demattia, Isha Devine, Kate Ericsson, Lori Fitchett, Hans Hereens, Paul & Beth Higgins,

Pam Logan, Amy McGinnis, Johnny & Lillian Meidlinger, Tish Mitchell, Tracy Morling, Karen & Lewis Pillis, Lynn Raymond, Kara Robinson,

Trey Smith, Megan Tinsley, U.S. Kids Care, Terra Wiley

& Heartfelt Thanks to Our Volunteers (Who Didn’t Mind Sweating a Bit for the Cause):

Wear Violet Yarid’s

Grandin Theatre Margaret Isbell of Designs on Grandin

Taaza Fork in the Alley

My GymArt Museum of Western Virginia

Planet Fitness Sam’s Club

Virginia International Raceway

4

5

Scenes from 2008

See you there next year!Circle the Block Party photos by Mary Anne Marx.

Contributor: Scott Markham.

6

MarketplaceL O V I N G H A N D S T H E R A P E U T I C

C E N T E RN E W L O C AT I O N !

2 1 2 6 R O S A L I N D A V E .( N E X T T O C A R I L I O N E L D E R C L I N I C )

P L E A S E C A L L PAT F O R R E N L I C E N S E D N U R S E / C M T

0 5 4 0 . 3 4 3 . 3 2 0 3 C 5 4 0 . 5 2 0 . 1 3 3 7

SUMMERSPECIAL!

Gift Certificates Available ~ Credit Cards Accepted

from the very beginning, and then Deb Carter, John Merten, Jack Cunningham, Joe Privott, Susan Ward and Rob Ericsson joined the coaching ranks. “The hardest thing about getting this thing off the ground has been getting coaches,” Mark continued. “But once they coach, they always come back.” The association has always been a grassroots, neighborhood effort, and Mark hopes to keep building on local support as the program grows. In order to grow the sport, the RVLLA needs more coaches, and Mark encourages anyone with an interest or experience to consider taking on the challenge. Hav-ing only coached boys high school wrestling, Mark laughed and said, “Girls are much more coachable than boys! And if I can do it, any-one can.” The RVLLA consists of elementary and mid-dle school teams, and in the first few years they played intrasquad games along with play against Salem and the James River Day School in Lexington. Now the girls also play against Hidden Valley, Vinton and the New River Val-ley Lacrosse Club in Blacksburg. To show how far RVLLA has come as a club, this June two teams traveled for the first time to Ocean City, MD to participate in an ACC beach lacrosse tournament where they competed against “A” level teams from established clubs in Northern Virginia, Mary-land and Delaware. In addition, 10 girls who played on the first teams in 2004 were on Patrick Henry’s first girls’ Varsity lacrosse team this spring, finishing out the season with a winning record. For Mark, the most satisfying thing about the RVLLA is how far the girls have progressed. “They really have learned a lot about the sport!” The RVLLA is now ready to restructure. Next year there will be

four levels of teams. The 1st and 2nd graders will play in an “acad-emy” type of format with no formal games, just instruction. There will be an instructional level for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders where everyone will have a chance to play in games, organized more like a rec league. The middle school girls will be broken into two teams: a gold and purple team with the more experienced girls playing gold. Mark’s vision includes growing the RVLLA to 200 girls with 6-8 teams. He wants to create an elite travel team so that the players will have a chance to “get noticed” and possibly recruited for college

level play. If there is anyone to carry out such a vision it is Mark. “Mark is always upbeat and keeps things positive,” said Coach Rob Ericsson. “To make this a community effort you have to listen to different viewpoints and Mark is always open to that.” It will take more parents to make this happen, however, as the RVLLA is in need of more coaches. “I’d encourage any parent who has ever picked up a stick to try coaching. It’s a great group of girls with supportive parents,” said Rob.

At the end of the season BBQ in May, Gordon Poore eloquently remarked that the RVLLA was born of a father’s love for his daughter. She wanted to play lacrosse, and he made it happen for her. Along the way, a club was formed and now there are hordes of girls catch-ing and throwing the lacrosse ball and sporting this year’s purple t-shirts that read, “Don’t be fooled by the skirt!” Kate is a mother of two and is excited to be leading the first Girls on the Run group at CSE.

Continued from page 2 —

Buying Old Postcards, Books, Early Photos & More!Cleaning out? Settling an estate? The long-time local “old paper” gallery buys old postcards, books, magazines, photos, autographs, Civil War and military items, old currency, early sports items, old

fishing lures, old comics, art pottery, old fountain pens, old oil paint-ings, old toys, railroad memorabilia, historic documents, old adver-tising calendars, school annuals, & quality estate items/collections.

Call or visit us to discuss your items or we can come to you.

Paper Memories, LLC

$10 Off any service with

this ad!(New Clients Only)

PC DOCTOR

Custom Built Computers

Residential & Commercialwww.monsterpconline.com

7

The Jefferson Street RealistBy David S. Bowers

Last month was my son’s 7th birthday and my 41st. Thinking about that made me realize that he’s had nearly three times as many birthday parties as I’ve had. When I was a kid, we didn’t have a party year after year after year. At least I didn’t, and I wasn’t invited to all that many, so I’m assuming. Maybe I wasn’t very popular. I can recall all my birthday parties clearly, except maybe the last part of the last two since they involved a fair bit of alcohol. When I was six we had some kids over to my house - all boys of course. I remember exactly who was there: Bobby Bogle, Mark Phillips, Dennis Kenniston, Chris and Mark Sidoti, that kid Spencer who turned out to be a bad egg, and my mother. That’s it! We played games, put on funny hats, and ate cake. It’s was a blast! In 1973, we used to dress up pretty nice to go to our friends’ parties. I’m thinking of the pictures of my party. Everyone wore long pants. One kid even wore a turtle neck. In June. Can you imag-ine? For my sixteenth, I invited over my two best friends Bill and Dan and each of our girlfriends, Laurie, Cathy, and Deidre. We had a cookout and ate in my parents’ base-ment playroom. Then we went down to the park and played basketball for awhile, which was really an excuse to get out of the house so we could go sit by the crick and make out. (Aside: where I come from a flowing body of water bigger than a stream and smaller than a river is a “crick”. You might call it a “creek”. The Dutch call them “kills”. But we went to make out by the “crick”.) That party ended in disaster because the gift my girlfriend Deidre gave me was way too small. It was a necklace with an Italian horn - very stylish in 1983. She broke down into a sobbing mess because we all sort of laughed when I couldn’t get it around my neck. The fun never got back on track after that. She was only fourteen, and I remember realizing that day that she was kind of immature. Of course we went out for another year and a half, but that day was the beginning of the end. My favorite gift that year was The Police’s Synchronicity album. I played it until I wore it out. Well, no not really. It got peed on by my cat, Walnut, along with all my other great records. What a crying

shame that was. For my 25th birthday, my wife, who was married to someone else at the time, and another friend, arranged a happy hour one Friday after work (we all worked at the same place). I was living in DC then. One surprise guest was another former co-worker of ours whom I had casually dated a while before. We hooked up again for a couple months after reconnecting at this party. It didn’t last, though. She lived in Laurel, Maryland, and it was just too much hassle to trek in and out of the city. Shallow, huh? Anyway, I had another semi-serious relationship for a year or so, then my wife got a divorce, I sidled on up, and we ended up here. It’s funny how things work out. Last year, my wife threw a big blowout surprise party here at the house. Seafood catered by The Seafood Company (which closed recently, I just found out), lots of friends, beer, and fun. Good times. To get me out of the house so she could set up, she arranged a round of golf in the early afternoon. We finished quickly, but, fool that I am, I didn’t pick up on the party scheme even when my playing partner drove home all the way from Old Monterrey at 20 MPH. There are my four parties. At seven, our son has had a bunch more. Starting about age three (maybe two, I don’t re-member), we’ve always had some kind of event party for his

friends: the Transportation Museum, Chuck-E-Cheese (only once, thankfully), Thunder Valley, which was a shared

party with another boy - massive chaos, and we did it two years in a row. We gave out cheapo door prizes, but no goodie bags since I ranted about them here last year. Then, of course, we have the “family” birthday

for him here at the house. Since our local family is just the three of us now we invite others as well. So that’s how he’s had a dozen parties to my four. I’m not complaining, just saying that life is good for the boy, no doubt. I’m guessing things will settle down a bit as he and his friends move on toward their

teen years. They’ll probably be arranging their own parties down at the crick by then.

David is a 40ish working husband and father of one. He’s quick to tell you how things ought to be, but real slow to do anything about it.

8

9

CHAMPION GUN DOGS & FIELD TRIAL DOGSENGLISH SETTER PUPPIES FOR SALE

Six males and two females @

Puppies will be

and wormed.

See www.davidpbridges.com for more information and to see pedigrees

Leah Kinder540-588-7670uncluttered@cox.net

Summer To Do List...

First organizing hour is FREE with a minimum

six-hour project.Expires Dec. 1, 2008

Pitman Handyman Services

Don’t have

time to do it?

We do!

Office540.427.2001

Fax540.427.2003

E-mailbderey@ pitman

construction.com

1) Ponder tackling that unruly closet 2) Call Life Uncluttered 3) Get lost in a fabulous book

DO YOU HAVE YOUR OB-GYN DOC’S HOME PHONE NUMBER?

(My patients have mine.)

I specialize in patient-focused, comprehensive women’s healthcare

right here in South Roanoke. If you’re ready for personalized care

and a commitment to excellence, I’m here for you.

Obstetrics

Services include:

2110 Carolina Ave.Roanoke, VA walshmd.com

W. Kevin Walsh, M.D., South Roanoke OB-Gyn

CONTACT MY PATIENT CARE COORDINATOR TODAY!TACT MY PATIENT CARE COORDINATOR TODAY!T MY PREADY FOR A CHANGE?

W. Kevin Walsh, MD

10

Kate Ericsson, M.T., M.Ed.

Reading specialist and private tutor

540.915.1655kate.ericsson@cox.net

Play time, snack time, rest time . . . and a pack of pals to boot!

Doggie Day Care at Taj Mapaw:Sure to be Your Pooch’s Favorite Hang-out

Serving and selling Eagle Pack Holistic-Natural Dog Food. Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am to 6 pm

9:30-11:00 am & 6:15 to 7 pm.

Member of the American Boarding Kennel Association

11

If you’re like most investors, chances are you can benefit from the tax advantages of municipal bonds. And if you’re in the top tax brackets, municipal bonds can be a particularly attractive invest-ment. Municipal bonds are debt obligations issued by states, cities, towns, or public commissions to provide money for schools, hospi-tals and other public works. These securities provide income that is free of federal and, in some cases, state and local income taxes. For the investor, this tax-free benefit can be quite considerable. For instance, a married couple in the 35% federal tax bracket would need to earn nearly 6 1/4% on a taxable investment to equal a 4% tax-exempt yield. If state and local taxes are also accounted for, an even higher return on a taxable investment vehicle would be needed. (Although income generated by most municipal bonds is exempt from taxes, remember that any capital gains earned from the sale of these bonds are subject to taxation. Keep in mind also, that if they are sold prior to maturity, investments in municipal bonds are subject to gains or losses, depending on the level of interest rates.)

Investing in Municipal Bonds Investors may choose from a wide array of municipal bonds with varying maturities. Shares in a municipal bond portfolio may also be purchased through mutual funds, which have the added benefit of professional selection and on-going professional management. If you are going to invest in municipal bonds, should you in-vest in the bonds directly or by buying shares in a mutual fund? The answer to that question will depend on your individual circum-stances. Because no two investors are alike, there is no one correct way to manage a municipal bond portfolio. What is appropriate for one investor may be not be appropriate for another. In addition, as the markets move and your situation changes, your municipal bond portfolio might need to change. Consequently, building a municipal bond portfolio, whether it is of individual bonds, mutual funds or a combination of both, requires an understanding of the investor, the securities and the markets. This is where your Finan-cial Advisor can help.

Individual Municipal Bonds versus Municipal Bond Mu-tual Funds Following are some of the advantages and disadvantages of investing in individual municipal bonds and investing in municipal bond mutual funds.

Investing in individual municipal bonds:Advantages

suitable for high net worth clients

Disadvantages

Investing in a municipal bond mutual fund:Advantages

investments

Disadvantages

prevailing market conditions)

For more complete information about a fund including the invest-ment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses, contact us for a prospectus. The prospectus contains this and other important infor-mation that you should read and consider carefully before investing. The value of funds will fluctuate. There are a host of tax-free municipal bond mutual funds to suit a variety of investor needs. While the majority of municipal bond

funds invest in investment grade securities, there are also high-yield, tax-free municipal bond funds that invest primarily in non-rated or non-investment grade securities. Although these funds entail a greater degree of risk, they also can potentially earn a higher yield. For investors residing in states such as California and New York where state income tax is very high, there are single state municipal bond funds avail-able that provide a “double tax-free” benefit – they are exempt from both the federal and state

income taxes. With the continuing need to actually keep more

of what is earned, consider consulting with your Financial Advisor and taking a close look at your portfolio to determine where munici-pal securities might fit in. Paul Higgins is a Vice President with UBS Financial Services and a Principal of the Trinity Wealth Management Group. He can be reached at 540-855-3381 or paul.higgins@ubs.com.

Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees provide tax or legal advice. You must consult with your legal and/or tax advisors regarding your personal circumstances.Distributions from tax-deferred accounts are subject to income taxes and, if made prior to age 59-1/2, may be subject to a 10% penalty. The information contained in this article is based on sources believed reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

Economics 24014Municipal Securities: Individual Bonds or Municipal Bond Mutual Funds?by Paul J. Higgins, Vice President, UBS Financial Services Inc.

Tag Sale - Ca. 1820 turned maple bed in full size. Perfect for a child’s room. $200.00. 540-344-3844

12

Exclusive Living in South RoanokeJeannine Hanson, GRI, CRSCell: 798-8640 / Home: 774-6730

24 Hour Voice Mail: 966-7297

Quality construction in this all-brick Colonial situated

atop Peakwood Dr. in prestigious South Roanoke. This

spectacular home boasts panoramic views, 4 BRs, 2

Full BAs & 2 Half BAs. Large EIK w/Custom Cabinetry

& Granite Counters opens to Family RM w/Fireplace

& Built-ins. Formal LR & DR. Master Suite w/Luxury

Master Tiled BA. Lower Level Rec RM & Half BA. 3

Car Under Garage. 9’ Ceilings. Hardwood Flrs. Large

Screened Porch. Wide Crown Moldings.

3324 Peakwood Dr., $575,0004 BR, 2.5 BA Immaculate Brick Col. on tree lined street.

Extensive renovations. Great EIK w/Breakfast area (or

Den) w/FP. Glass Doors open to two level Trex Decking.

Formal LR & DR. Wonderful Master Suite w/Walk-in

Closets & Sitting Area. Lower Level Rec RM or Office.

Gorgeous lawn, Garden Cottage. Hardwood Flrs. Tiled

Baths. Hot Tub. Fenced Yard. Patio. 3 FPs.

3256 Brightwood Pl. SW, $399,900256 Briighhtwoodd Pll SSW $$399 900Charming 3 BR, 2 BA Cottage located within walking

distance to hospitals, restaurants and shopping. One

level living on double lot with lots of upgrades. Rock-

ing chair Front Porch. Huge LR w/Stone FP & Hard-

wood Flrs. Formal DR. Upgraded KIT w/SS Appls.

MA BR and 2nd BR on Main Level. Lower Level offers

new Full BA, 3rd BR, large Family RM w/Gas Log FP &

Wet Bar. Stamped Concrete Patio. Storage Bldg.

2315 Yellow Mountain Rd., $299,00015 Yellow Mountain Rd $299 000 3324 Peakwood Dr $575 000

1 2 E A S T C A M P B E L Lr o a n o k e v a 2 4 0 1 1

P h o n e : ( 5 4 0 ) 3 4 4 - 4 0 8 5F a x : ( 5 4 0) 3 4 4 - 4 0 8 6

w w w . a n t i q u e b l u e f u r n i t u r e . c o m

We set the stage. . . Your house steals the show:on the market,

at your next dinner party, in the life you’ve imagined. . .

mazingtaging

R e d e s i g n & H o m e S t a g i n g

Amazing Staging . . . Amazing results540.204.1244

Whether you want to quicken the sale of your home or just add beauty, comfort and organization, we help create simple design solutions.

13

Check out more parade photos by Mary Anne Marx at www.southroanokecircle.com

14

To D or not

to D? That is the ques-

tion. Vitamin D is the new buzz in

medicine and the me-dia. You may have heard

about recent scuffles between prominent dermatologists and ex-

perts on vitamin D, a crucial vitamin obtained in part by exposure to ultravio-

let (UV) light. Dr. Michael Holick, perhaps the most prominent vitamin D researcher in the

country, was forced to resign from the dermatology department at Boston University’s medical school in

February 2008, due to the brouhaha surrounding his re-cent book, The UV Advan-

tage, which touts the health benefits of moderate sun expo-sure and downplays the threat of skin cancer. A recent article in The New York Times, also noted that Dr. Holick’s work is partly funded, and actively promoted by the Indoor Tanning Association, an industry group with obvious fi-nancial interests. Maybe calling vitamin D defi-ciency a “hidden epidemic” would not be an overstatement. It’s easy to see why the conflict has escalated and why many in the public are confused about the basic issues underlying this debate. What exactly are the health benefits of vitamin D? How much does a per-son need? Why is this issue so often framed in terms of sun expo-sure? Why can’t we just drink fortified milk or take a multivitamin? Let’s start with the basics: vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. (It dissolves in and can be stored in body fat.) It is found in salmon, mackerel, sardines, and cod liver oil; fortified foods including milk, breakfast cereals, and some juices; in smaller amounts in beef liver, cheese and egg yolks; and vitamin supplements. It can also be synthesized in the skin during sun exposure. Formed in skin cells exposed to UVB — the invisible form of light that causes sunburn — vitamin D and its breakdown products act throughout the body. The compounds are believed to regulate as many as 1000 genes, including genes that weed out precancerous cells and genes that slow the runaway reproduction of typical of cancer. It has long been known that vitamin D is critical for healthy bones. It also plays an important role in calcium regulation in our body. The presence of vitamin D in our small intestine aids in the absorp-tion of dietary calcium. Calcium is vital to the hardness of bone. People with vitamin D deficiency are only able to absorb a third to half as much calcium as those with sufficient levels.

The two diseases traditionally associated with severe vitamin D deficiency — rickets in children (now rare), and osteomalacia in adults, are characterized by deformities and softening of the bone. Chronic vitamin D deficiency is linked to osteoporosis, a disease defined by loss of bone density and associated with the increased risk of fractures. As mentioned previously, controversy has raged among physi-cians and scientists about whether sun exposure is the most benefi-cial source of vitamin D. They argue that certain people suffer from vitamin D deficiency, and that vitamin D produced in the body by solar UV exposure may help prevent prostate, colon, breast, and other cancers, as well as bone diseases. Vitamin D also appears to be one of the reasons multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoim-mune diseases are twice as common in northern rather than south-ern states. In northern climes like Washington state, solar radiation from October to March is too meager to maintain healthy levels. In other

words, you could stand outside naked for five hours and nothing would happen. Washington’s rate of MS, is one of the highest in the nation. Latitudes below 34 degrees north (a line between Los Angeles and Columbia SC) allow for skin production of vitamin D all year long. Heavy cloud cov-er decreases UV rays by 50%, and shade reduces it by 60%. UVB radiation doesn’t penetrate glass, so sun exposure through glass will not produce vitamin D.

Sunscreens with a SPF of 8 or greater will block vitamin D-producing UV rays. Americans are at greater risk for these diseases, they say, be-cause dermatologists have scared them out of the sun. Our skin manufactures vitamin D in response to UV light, they explain, so the simple solution to this deficiency is 5-10 minutes of unprotected UV exposure from the sun or tanning bed two or three times per week. Most dermatologists and cancer groups have argued strong-ly against this “solution”, since all unprotected UV exposure contrib-utes to skin damage, accelerated aging and increased lifetime risk of skin Cancer. They contend there are effective and almost effort-less non-carcinogenic alternatives — vitamin D fortified foods and/or dietary supplements. The common assumption has been with the fortification of milk, instituted in the U.S. in the 1930’s, and casual sun exposure, most people get all the vitamin D they need. A small resurgence in rickets in the past few years, particularly among African-American children, has caught the medical community off guard. It has become clear that vitamin D deficiency (usually defined as blood levels less than 15ng/ml (monograms/milliliter), and insufficiency (less than 20ng/ml), is far more widespread than researchers expected. The elderly are at particular risk, as are African-American and

Hippocrates’ Cornerby Lori Cranwell, N.P.

All proceeds benefit local charities so please come on out to support local non-profit organizations in our valley!

Outdoor concerts are held at the Downtown Roanoke Rail Car Lot on

Salem Avenue between 1st St. & Jefferson. Must be 21.

www.firstfridaysroanoke.com

August 1st:Driv’n

Charities benefitting...Virginia Amateur Sports

West End CenterRoanoke Valley Historical Society

August 15th:Lloyd Dobler Effect

Charities benefitting...Family Services of Roanoke Valley

Roanoke Valley Crime Line Virginia Museum of Transportation

September 5th:Monkey Fuzz

Charities benefitting...Planned Parenthood of the Blue

Ridge; Free Foundation; Children’s Miracle Network; Habitat for Hu-manity, Roanoke Valley; Valley

Beautiful Foundation; DePaul Fam-ily Services; Red Cross, Roanoke Valley Chapter ; Roanoke Valley

SPCA; Kirk Family YMCA

The Sunshine Vitamin!

15

other dark-skinned people, since skin pigmentation, which protects against damage by UV rays, also interferes with vitamin D produc-tion (those with darker skin need to spend more time in the sun to produce the same amount of vitamin D). Infants who are exclusively breast-fed are also at high risk, as breast milk, for all it’s virtues con-tains almost no vitamin D. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the prevalence of vi-tamin D deficiency among healthy children and adolescents. Less pronounced deficiencies may slip under the radar because they do not cause noticeable symptoms. For this group, insufficient vitamin D can cause improper bone development and increase the risk of disorders such as osteoporosis later in life. Vitamin D deficiency can easily go undetected in adults too. In one study, published in 2003 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, re-searchers tested vitamin D levels in patients suffering from chronic, non-specific muscular pain: 93% of them turned out to be vitamin D deficient- a condition very likely (but not conclusively), related to their symptoms. As a result the researchers in this study argued all patients with such pain should have their vitamin D levels tested be-cause osteomalacia may turn out to be the underlying cause. But, vitamin D’s benefits may go well beyond the protection of bones. There is new research to suggest that vitamin D may also guard against an array of diseases, including colon, breast and prostate cancers. Much of the evidence here is merely suggestive: specific studies have examined levels of vitamin D in the blood, measuring them over time. An inverse relationship was found: lower vitamin D levels, higher risk of cancers. A study of colon cancer published in Lancet, found “the risk of getting colon cancer decreased three-fold” in people with blood vitamin D levels of at least 20ng/ml, the level currently defined as sufficient. Though the role of vitamin D in protecting against cancer has not been proven conclusively, the research remains promising. The potential role of vitamin D in decreasing autoimmune dis-eases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Type I Diabetes, and Rheumatoid Arthritis has generated much interest as well. Although individual mechanisms are not well established, it is known that active vitamin D interacts with cells in the immune system and may very likely play an anti-inflammatory role in the body. So, one of the biggest questions facing researchers now is: how much vitamin D should people really be getting? Are dietary sources sufficient, or should supplementation and/or moderate sun exposure be encouraged as well? The guidelines established by the National academy of sciences currently recommend daily values of 200 IU (international units) for children and adults up to 50, 400 IU for adults 51-70, and 600 IU for adults over 70. But, the threshold required for healthy bones may be less than that needed for protection from cancer and autoim-mune diseases. While no one yet knows precisely what these levels are, most vitamin D researchers believe that a daily value closer to

800-1000 IU would be beneficial. Dr Holick recommends people take 1000 to 1500 IU per day of vitamin D (take note: Dr Holick takes 4000 IU per day). Cholecalciferol, or D3 is the refereed form of the vitamin. Presently, the FDA has not changes their official guidelines on vitamin D. Most vitamin D experts also argue that moderate UV exposure (without sunscreen) is a key part in achieving adequate blood levels-except for people with a history of skin cancer or other medical condition that makes them sensitive to the sun. The main reason for this is mainly a pragmatic one: It is difficult to eat enough salmon and drink enough milk to attain the amount of recommended vitamin D. While it is certainly possible to take separate vitamin D supple-ments, for many this may be impractical or inconvenient- one more health mandate that is easy to let slide. Vitamin D toxicity is rare-the upper limit for adults being 2000 IU/per day, but can occur since it is stored in our fat; symptoms may include vomiting, weakness, weight loss, and kidney stones). Only a small amount of casual sun exposure is needed to trigger enormous vitamin D production. Exact amounts are hard to pinpoint and depends on a person’s skin type and age, latitude, season, time of day, and the amount of skin exposed. Vitamin D experts like Dr. Holick point out that exposing just your arms and legs to the summer sun for less than 15 minutes can generate 5000 IU. He continues to advocate “sensible” sun exposure that shields the face and falls far short of sunburn. Thus, 10-15 minutes of sun a few times a week is all that is needed to produce thousands of units of vitamin D. Re-member, slightly more time is needed for people with dark skin. In addition, when vitamin D is obtained through sun exposure, there is no risk of toxicity, since UV light breaks down any excess vitamin formed (this is why lifeguards, for instance do not suffer from over-doses of vitamin D). Tanning beds that produce UVB will also gen-erate vitamin D, though dermatologists go ballistic when Dr. Holick pointed that out. Of course, any favorable mention of sun exposure is likely to cause skin cancer experts to balk. There worries will be plenty: Un-protected exposure to the sun will increase a person’s skin cancer risk, and that a change in public health policy may cause confusion, leading people to believe that if some sun is good, more sun is bet-ter! So, in the end can we find some middle ground? It is true UV exposure can cause skin cancer, and it is true oral vitamin D supple-ments are out there for those who seek them out. But it is also true that many of us simply aren’t getting enough of this crucial vitamin. For most of us, given vitamin D’s myriad of benefits, both proven and potential, the advantages of a little sunshine probably outweigh the risks. Our guest author this month, Lori Cranwell, is a nurse practitio-ner working with Carolyn H’Doubler at the VA Medical Center in Salem.

Bring the Whole Family to the

Forget Me Not Carnival Fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association at

South Roanoke Nursing Home.

Saturday August 9, 2008

10:00 am to 3:00pm.

Carnival games and activities:$5.00 for age 10 to adult &

$2.00 under age 10.

Concessions & bake sale

neighborhood awareness of the parade with a banner to hang on the firehouse lawn, kazoos for the crowd, and possibly a band or other entertainment for attendees. If you would like to contribute or offer help or suggestions, please contact Sandy Murray at smurray@bsiva.com or 342-8413. Kara Robinson is delighted to have finally used that journalism degree - albeit 16 years after graduation.

Continued from page 1 —

16