The bill does not erode healthy parental relationships; it provides adolescents with rights in family situations where they need them

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If this bill becomes law, it is a provision in the interest of teenagers who do not enjoy the parental guidance they deserve

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Santo Domingo.- Although our bodies can naturally produce vitamin D through sun exposure, deficiency is surprisingly common—even in tropical countries such as the Dominican Republic. Despite the sunny climate, many people have low levels without realizing it.

What causes this deficiency? How can we detect it, and what are the consequences of not treating it in time?Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, a specialist in Family and Preventive Medicine at Médico Express, answers these and other questions to help better understand this silent yet significant health condition.

Why is Vitamin D so important?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that functions like a regulatory hormone in many vital bodily processes. It is mainly produced in the skin after exposure to UVB rays from sunlight and is also obtained in smaller amounts through food or supplements.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and various scientific societies recognize its essential role in calcium and phosphorus absorption and metabolism, bone health maintenance, and the proper functioning of the immune, cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems. It’s also linked to the prevention of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, respiratory infections, autoimmune disorders, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Why do so many people have a deficiency?

Globally, vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent. According to the WHO and studies published in The Lancet and Endocrine Reviews, over one billion people have insufficient levels. The main causes include limited sun exposure (due to urban lifestyles, sunscreen use, or clothing), older age, obesity, darker skin (melanin reduces synthesis), digestive or kidney diseases that affect absorption or metabolism, and diets low in vitamin D-rich foods.

These factors explain why deficiency is common even in sun-rich countries like the Dominican Republic.

How can you tell if you have a deficiency?

Vitamin D deficiency can remain silent for a long time. When symptoms do appear, they may include:

• Fatigue, muscle weakness, and generalized pain

• Bone pain (especially in the back or legs)

• Increased susceptibility to respiratory infections

• Mood changes like irritability or depression

In children, signs include growth delays and bone deformities.Due to the vague nature of these symptoms, the only reliable way to confirm a deficiency is through a blood test measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

What’s the recommended sun exposure for adults and children?

The WHO and the International Vitamin D Research Society recommend 10 to 30 minutes of direct sun exposure daily (without sunscreen), depending on skin type, age, latitude, and time of day.

• Light-skinned individuals: 10–20 minutes

• Dark-skinned individuals: up to 45 minutes

It’s advisable to expose areas like the forearms, legs, and face during safe hours (before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m.). If staying outdoors longer, sunscreen should be applied to prevent UV damage.

What foods are natural sources of Vitamin D?

Top natural sources include:

• Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines)

• Beef liver

• Egg yolks

• Mushrooms exposed to UV light

• Fortified products: milk, cereals, juices, and plant-based drinks

Still, diet typically provides only a limited amount, making a combination of sunlight, balanced nutrition, and, when needed, tailored supplementation the most effective approach.

Can you have low Vitamin D even with a healthy diet and sun exposure?

Yes. Many people have suboptimal levels despite healthy lifestyles due to factors like genetics, sunscreen use, poor intestinal absorption, liver or kidney dysfunction, or excessive storage in fat tissue (in cases of obesity). That’s why lab testing is essential—especially for individuals with risk factors, fracture history, autoimmune diseases, or low sun exposure.

What health risks can arise from untreated deficiency?

Chronic deficiency can lead to:

• Osteomalacia or osteoporosis in adults

• Rickets in children

• Higher risk of falls and fractures

• Weakened immune system

• Worsening of autoimmune diseases

• Possible links to high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and neurological issues

Recent studies also connect low vitamin D levels with increased severity in infections like COVID-19.

Are Vitamin D supplements reliable? How is the right dose determined?

Supplements are safe and effective when properly prescribed. The preferred form is vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) due to its better absorption. Doses can be taken daily, weekly, or monthly. The correct dosage depends on the person’s blood levels, age, weight, medical conditions, and underlying health status. Therefore, supplementation should not begin without prior evaluation and should always be medically monitored.

Guidelines from the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM), the Endocrine Society, and the WHO recommend maintaining blood levels between 30 and 50 ng/mL for most adults.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is stepping up security in response to recent violent incidents targeting healthcare workers — with plans to fill key vacancies, enhance officer training, and explore the introduction of batons and body cameras.

Chief Executive Officer Neil Clark confirmed the measures in an interview with Barbados TODAY, saying the hospital is actively recruiting to fill ten security posts and reviewing options to better equip its frontline security personnel.

The move comes amid concerns over staffing shortages, delayed training and a lack of resources for security personnel. 

“There are some vacancies in the security team,” Clark said. “I think there are ten vacancies, and we’re out to recruitment for those, so hopefully that will be addressed. So, I have the posts, the posts have been approved, and I can recruit to those posts, and that’s active recruitment.”

Discussions are also ongoing about equipping security personnel with batons and restraints to improve safety for staff, patients and officers themselves.

“We’ve had discussions with the security team about batons and how they can protect themselves, protect the patients, protect the staff, about restraints, how they can restrain patients, and we’re working with our security team and with the police force to understand what the rules and regulations are pertaining to giving those services or those tools to our security team,” Clark explained.

The hospital CEO also revealed plans to introduce body-worn cameras. 

“I’ve also asked about giving the security team body cams, which gives them a little bit of protection and a little bit of overview of what’s happening on the ground, and after any incident, there’s a clear indication of what happened,” he said.

The security team has been conducting security awareness sessions for nurses and staff.

“They engage with us very actively in providing some awareness sessions as to how to keep themselves safe,” Clark said, adding that improvements often stem from frontline staff.

“Any issues that the security staff have… they know my door’s open. They come and see me and we discuss this, and they’ve come forward with a number of ideas, and a number of those ideas that they come forward with, we take forward. All the ideas for any of my departments come from the staff who work within them.”

He encouraged officers to bring concerns directly to him.

Regarding the Barbados Nurses Association’s call for panic buttons on wards, Clark confirmed a review is underway.

“There’s something that we need to review about how we keep the staff safe on the wards. So that’s a piece of action that we’re in now, given the recent attack on some of the nurses on one of our wards.”

louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb

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A man with the deadliest form of brain cancer has no signs of the disease after taking an experimental drug.

Ben Trotman was 40 when he was diagnosed in 2022 with glioblastoma, the most aggressive cancerous brain tumor. Patients typically live an average of 15 months after diagnosis, and the five-year survival rate is just 6.9%.

Trotman was referred to The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), where he was treated by consultant UCLH medical oncologist Dr. Paul Mulholland, as detailed in a press release.

ANCIENT 'PHARAOH'S CURSE' FUNGUS SHOWS PROMISE IN KILLING CANCER CELLS

As the only person enrolled in a trial that ultimately closed due to lack of patients, Trotman received a medication called ipilimumab, a targeted immunotherapy treatment.

Ipilimumab is an antibody that binds to a protein on immune cells (T cells). It keeps cancer cells from suppressing the immune system so it can then attack and kill the cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Trotman also received radiation and chemotherapy. 

More than two years later, his quarterly scans show no signs of cancer.

"It is very unusual to have a clear scan with glioblastoma, especially when he didn’t have the follow-up surgery that had been planned to remove all of the tumor that was initially visible on scans," his oncologist, Mulholland, said in the release. 

"We hope that the immunotherapy and follow-up treatment Ben has had will hold his tumor at bay — and it has so far, which we are delighted to see."

Two months after receiving the ipilimumab, Trotman married his wife, Emily. In April 2025, they welcomed their daughter, Mabel.

"Getting this diagnosis was the most traumatic experience — we were grappling with the fact that Ben had gone from being apparently perfectly healthy to having months to live," Emily Trotman said in the release. 

"Had we not met Dr. Mulholland, that would have been it for us. We felt we had a lucky break in an otherwise devastating situation."

Ben Trotman added, "We obviously don’t know what the future holds, but having had the immunotherapy treatment and getting these encouraging scan results has given [us] a bit of hope."

"We are focused on rebuilding the life we thought we had lost and enjoying being parents."

Mulholland and his team have now opened another clinical trial for patients who have been newly diagnosed with glioblastoma.

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Sixteen patients will be recruited for the trial, which is sponsored by UCL. 

The treatment will be administered at the NIHR UCLH’s Clinical Research Facility and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, according to the press release.

The patients will receive ipilimumab before proceeding to standard treatments that may include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

"The crucial element of this trial is that patients will have their immune system boosted by the drug before they have any other treatment, when they are fit and well enough to tolerate the immunotherapy," Mulholland said in the release.

The Win-Glio trial — nicknamed "Margaret’s Trial" — is funded by the efforts of Dame Siobhain McDonagh, sister of Margaret McDonagh, a London woman who died of glioblastoma in 2023 and was treated by Mulholland.

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Ben Trotman said he is "delighted" that the new trial is moving forward with the same immunotherapy drug he received. 

"It will give people newly diagnosed with glioblastoma some hope."

Puerto Plata — The humanitarian mission “Continuing Promise 2025″ aboard the U.S. hospital ship USNS Comfort carried out a comprehensive medical operation this Saturday at the Professor Javier Martínez Arias Polytechnic in Puerto Plata, where more than 1,500 people received free care in various medical specialties.

The event was conducted by Comfort staff in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Health and the U.S. Embassy, providing services in general medicine, dentistry, optometry, women’s health, dermatology, pharmacy, and cardiovascular evaluation. Participants were also provided with medications, vitamins, corrective lenses, and school kits.

Captain Dan Reiher, deputy commander of the mission, explained that, in addition to the care provided on land, 35 surgeries were performed on board the ship, following a medical evaluation process that began on the first day of the mission.

“This visit included medical care, training, and veterinary assistance . We performed surgeries such as cataracts, hernias, and breast reductions. We also provided dental care, medications, and school supplies. It has been a very positive effort,” said the captain, who also confirmed that the ship will depart on Monday for its next destination: Costa Rica.

• The medical event was part of a broader agenda that also included, hours earlier, a beach cleanup on the Puerto Plata boardwalk in collaboration with the Clean Ocean Foundation, and an earthquake rescue drill with the participation of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), Civil Defense, the Red Cross, and specialized units of the Armed Forces.

The day’s agenda continued with first aid training for first responders at the Puerto Plata Air Base, veterinary assistance sessions, and a free concert in Central Park featuring the Comfort Crew’s band, Uncharted Waters.

About the Continuing Promise 2025 mission and the USNS Comfort

Continuing Promise 2025 is a U.S. Southern Command humanitarian mission, coordinated by the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, that aims to strengthen regional cooperation through free medical services, joint training, and community activities.

The USNS Comfort, one of the largest U.S. hospital ships in the world, has visited the Dominican Republic seven times. This time, it concentrated its operations in Puerto Plata before continuing its route to Costa Rica.

The mission combines healthcare, disaster response, cultural exchange, and support for vulnerable communities.

A leading cancer specialist has warned of a worrying rise in liver disease among non-drinkers, as poor diets and widespread use of unhealthy cooking oils fuel an increase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Consultant radiation oncologist Dr Lalitha Sripathi raised the alarm on Friday.

“Initially we used to see liver disease only in alcoholics, and we used to attribute that to alcoholism,” she told journalists.

“Now we see something called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on the rise, and we see that in people who are not alcoholics.”

Sripathi singled out seed oils such as canola and sunflower oil as a contributing factor, noting that these oils are commonly used in cheap, processed and deep-fried foods.

“What is causing the liver disease in them is those seed oils… the cheap ones,” said Dr Sripathi. “There definitely needs to be a lot of education.”

The oncologist’s comments formed part of a broader message on lifestyle-related diseases, including cancer, diabetes and hypertension.

She warned that too many people in Barbados are relying on highly processed, readily available foods that are packed with preservatives, chemicals and unhealthy fats.

“It’s unfortunate that they’re so easily available, so affordable… but they are to be avoided at all means,” she cautioned.

Dr Sripathi advised people to reduce their intake of deep-fried foods and instead use healthier alternatives such as olive or avocado oil – occasionally, and in moderation.

“If you need to have it, please have it in a healthy way—like you can use substitutes like olive oil and avocado oil for your cooking,” she said. “But only as a cheat-day diet, not on a regular basis.”

Dr Sripathi also cautioned against the use of plastics, non-stick cookware, and aluminium pots at high temperatures, which she said can leach harmful chemicals into food.

She recommended using steel, cast iron or earthenware alternatives.

“Ultimately, it all narrows down to living as naturally as possible and avoiding all the things that are convenient, easily available, but are ultimately harming your health,” she said.

The senior oncologist’s remarks at a hospital news briefing come at a time when health authorities across the region are paying closer attention to non-communicable diseases and their links to modern diets and lifestyles.

She called for greater public awareness and education, particularly for younger people and families making daily food choices that could affect long-term health outcomes. (SM)

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Cancer patients in Barbados are now being seen within just two weeks of diagnosis at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), a dramatic improvement from previous wait times that stretched to nearly five months.

Hospital officials on Friday hailed the development as a major step forward in cancer care, bringing the QEH in line with — and even exceeding — international standards.

“We’re achieving better than world standards,” declared QEH Chief Executive Officer Neil Clark.

“Fourteen days is the standard the NHS in the UK aspires to and often doesn’t achieve. I’m so proud of what the team has done.”

The announcement came on Friday at a media briefing where doctors and senior staff outlined a sweeping overhaul of the hospital’s oncology services.

The transformation, they said, wasn’t driven by any drop in demand — quite the opposite. It was the result of deliberate decisions to expand clinic capacity, clear patient backlogs, and increase frontline staffing.

Consultant radiation oncologist, Dr Lalitha Sripathi, said the difference has been dramatic: “Once a new cancer patient is registered with us, the time to see the patient used to be around 140 days. Now it has come down to just a couple of weeks.”

The number of new patients seen each month has also doubled, from around 25 to nearly 50, while follow-up visits now top 700.

Officials further reported that the department is on track to exceed 800 visits this month, following a campaign to bring forward patients who were previously scheduled for later in the year.

“We had patients who were registered in March and weren’t scheduled to be seen until September,” said senior radiation therapist Ian Weithers.

“We made adjustments to bring them in earlier,” he added, clarifying that the new numbers do not necessarily represent a spike in new cases, but an intentional move to become more efficient.

Weithers, who also serves as operations manager, acknowledged that the shift required more than just rescheduling.

“Our staff are sometimes here from early in the morning, pressing on until 5 p.m. to handle new consultations,” he said.

“It’s intense work, but there’s deep commitment in this department. We all have family and friends who have been through this system.”

The team credited much of the progress to new leadership and structural changes within the oncology unit, noting that the department is preparing to deliver even more advanced treatment with the linear accelerator set to be commissioned soon.

“We’re gearing up to provide world-class radiation treatment and we’re also adding a clinical oncologist, a haematologist, a medical oncologist, physicists, and radiographers to make this a comprehensive cancer service,” Dr Sripathi said.

The specialist didn’t just focus on treatment. She used her time at the podium to deliver a blunt and passionate message about cancer levels in Barbados, encouraging prevention.

“The most common cancers I see in women are breast cancer. In men, it’s colon cancer, followed by prostate,” she said. “And sadly, we’re seeing them in younger people, including a 20-year-old recently diagnosed with breast cancer.”

She warned against red and processed meats, sugary drinks, and canned foods, calling them proven carcinogens, while also urging Barbadians to stay active, cut alcohol and tobacco use, and undergo regular screening.

“Most cancers are preventable,” she said. “And once mutations happen, they can become hereditary. That’s when we start seeing cancer in the next generation.”

Dr Sripathi encouraged women to begin annual mammograms at age 40 and also advised men to start prostate screening by age 40.

She further recommended colonoscopies from age 50, or earlier in cases of family history.

Her warnings were solidified by a simple but profound statement: “Cancer is becoming a lifestyle disease.” (SM)

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