“Get On My Level” confronts the health disparities amongst Black Americans, and provides tangible tools and goals to attain a general healthier standard of living backed by science. Startling statistics show African Americans are more at risk for coronavirus complications as well as various conditions and diseases, including heart disease, high-blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, stroke, Peripheral Artery and Sickle Cell diseases. While there are so many things in life outside of your control, understanding your nutrient levels, particularly vitamin D, is something you can own as a proactive tool to improve your health status.
Purchasing an at-home nutrient level testing kit and inexpensive vitamin D supplement can be a cost-effective way to dramatically improve the status of you and your family’s health.
Ken Redcross, MD, recognizes that access to healthcare and relevant medical information geared towards African Americans is crucial to the improved health status of the larger community. An underlying health risk to all illnesses and diseases that's not talked about frequently is racism, which induces a stress producing hormone called cortisol that can lead to hypertension. A related medical term known as “weathering” is when external factors produce internal changes to the body or even epigenetics, in which genes are turned on according to stress levels leading to long-term complications and an erosion to the body brought on by constant stress. Dr. Redcross believes knowing your vitamin D level is a simple step all people, and especially people of color, should embrace in order to elevate their health status and the health of their families.
Dr. Redcross focuses on developing the patient-doctor bond as a unique characteristic of his concierge services that allows for a more strategic and customized approach to each patient’s healthcare plan. He earned his medical degree from the prestigious Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, specializing in internal medicine. During his training, he participated in fellowships in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, to fulfill his passion in serving the underserved. He serves on the scientific advisory council for Organic & Natural Health Association and is author of, “Bond: The 4 Cornerstones of a Lasting and Caring Relationship with Your Doctor.”
Dr. Joseph Mercola discusses the importance of vitamin D optimization in hard hit communities and COVID-19 hot zones with Dr. Ken Redcross.
> Read moreThere is still plenty we don’t know about COVID-19, but one fact is inescapable: African Americans are disproportionately represented among the dead. Although the numbers are incomplete, the non-profit APM Research Lab estimates that, as of May 27, the overall death rate from COVID-19 is 2.4 times greater for African Americans than it is for white people. An ethical, scientific response to COVID-19 demands that we honor the highest standards of evidence in evaluating genetic guesswork, while measuring the biological costs of systemic racism and intervening to stop it.
> Read moreA team of researchers at Northwestern University found that people with severe vitamin D deficiency were twice as likely to experience major coronavirus complications. One researcher noted that the communities who've been hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic are also the ones at a significantly higher risk for vitamin D deficiency, including Blacks, Hispanics and those residing in nursing homes.
> Read moreIn this lesson, students will analyze data on race and the coronavirus and share their opinion on what should be done to prevent deaths in Black and Latino communities.
> Read moreThe disproportionate death rate of Black and brown people from COVID-19 is no coincidence and directly related to the history of racial oppression in our nation say, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California's first surgeon general, whose recent essay says, "As a doctor and a policymaker, I often hear the question 'what is it about Black and brown people' that makes us more vulnerable to the virus? That question infuriates me. Science makes clear how powerfully our experiences and environments shape our biology."
> Read more
Dr. Joseph Mercola, Pioneer in vitamin D research and practice, sits down with Dr. Ken Redcross to discuss how practitioners can better support and communicate this epidemic of vitamin D deficiency to Black communities.
