The number one indicator to know how well your chances are against diseases and illnesses is your vitamin and mineral levels. Sure, there are also environmental factors, lifestyle considerations, genetics, and even your immune system but tied to all of that is your vitamins and minerals.
Is health really that simple?
The short answer is yes and no. There are many factors that determine health but at the most basic level it comes down to how well you can navigate the risks around you. How this is done is through the vitamins and minerals your body uses to sustain health. Understanding what your body is responding to, leads to knowing what types of vitamins and minerals are most susceptible and in turn provides the map for better supporting your health. Without vitamins and minerals we cease to exist and certainly without the level of health necessary for quality of life. It is after all why many vitamins and minerals are labeled "essential."
Case in point, consider the growing problem with Vitamin D deficiency. This is a growing epidemic in our health that is can have devastating effects.
Low Vitamin D, the Real Epidemic to Our Health
Almost every disease we know about today shares one thing in common. A vitamin D deficiency. From heart disease, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders and even mental health problems, low vitamin D is found to be present. I don't think this is coincidence. It can be speculated which came first in a true chicken and egg scenario but the fact is low vitamin D is not only present but could be the open gate for how these illnesses actually started.
In traditional naturopathic medicine that I practice, it is understood that all disease starts from gaps within the body that are not being supported and healed. Long before there is an actual diagnosed disease there is a chain of events that led to that point. At the very beginning of it all were seemingly small things that can be easily overlooked in every living. One of these small things is low vitamin D. Over time these small things start to get compounded into complex entities that overtake normal functions and cause us to feel symptoms, such as fatigue, low energy, mental strain. Eventually, they become even bigger into recurring illnesses like a sinus infection that never goes away or you keep getting the latest bug that is going around. All of this points to the basic start of the process which is a low vitamin D level that has gone on to the point the body can no longer sustain normal activities without it.
Vitamin D is involved in many functions around the body including immune system, digestion, and heart functions. Yet many people, including children and teens, are found to be vitamin D deficient. It is appearing in the most every day situations from child behavior in the classroom, to cognitive decline in our senior populations. Vitamin D is the missing link in many people's daily lives and it is showing in our health and well-being.
The spike in number of people found to have low vitamin D has occurred within the last 50 years. It can be traced to the increase in processed foods, changes in modern lifestyle, and stress. We are burning through what vitamin D we have in our systems faster than it is replenished leaving us feeling fatigued, burned out, and facing complex health issues.
If you want to protect your health then improving your absorption and use of vitamin D could be the single best health improvement you can make.
Why We are Lacking in Vitamin D
Known as the sunshine vitamin, you would think vitamin D would be the least of our health worries as we simply need to go outside to get it. That however, is sort of the problem. We are not going outside enough and when we do we are lathered up with SPFs that are preventing the absorption and use of this crucial vitamin. Then you add in other factors such as environmental toxins such as pollution and chemicals you start to realize even if you are standing in your backyard to get vitamin D it is not entering and processing correctly in the body.
The other issue is our food sources that naturally contain vitamin D. Many food products are enriched to add back in vitamins and minerals that are stripped out during the manufacturing process. What is put into the product to make it enriched with vitamins and minerals are chemically made replacements for the real versions. The human body cannot process these synthetics so we are left not getting the necessary vitamins and minerals directly from the foods we eat.
A great example of where vitamin D used to be present in our diet is with milk. Over time we have been told to drink skim, 2% or an alternative milk product that lacks the level of vitamin D once available through this source. Additionally, the processing that milks go through before they are delivered to the grocery store cooler further reduces and dilutes vitamin D. Unless you are getting your milk from a local farmer and it is a unpasteurized raw milk source you are experiencing this vitamin D situation.
While not getting enough vitamin D is problematic, the other side of the issue is we are burning through it at an imbalanced rate. Vitamin D is one of the first vitamins to be used in the body under stress. It is important to recognize that stress in this situation is not only the stress of a situation we face in our daily life, but anything the body perceives as a threat. This can be germs we are exposed to where the body is triggering the immune system to respond or adjusting our eyesight to align with lighting changes encountered when going into a bright setting. The body is constantly responding to stress of all forms and in each response is an amount of vitamin D that is used to support that function.
Between these issues we start to see why the societal health trends of diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer remain at the top year after year. We also can start to see that old advice of losing a few pounds and eating a healthy diet are maybe not all there is to be said in creating optimal health. Rather it is the combination of the right things for you individually that create that good health status and position you in the best place to fend off what can quickly destroy health.
Combating Low Vitamin D for Health Protection
If we are not getting enough vitamin D through diet and sunshine then the logical place to look next would be supplementation. As a practitioner, I don't disagree supplementation can be a great way to get necessary vitamins and minerals but I caution against that as the only step we take.
Before I recommend any supplement, herb, homeopathy or other natural medicine to a client, I first want to understand what is causing the deficiency. When we address that we can see improvements that may result in not needing a supplement. Ideally, we want vitamins and minerals to come through our diet. There are lots of foods that naturally contain good levels of vitamin D, on top of simply going outside in the sun. When that is not enough supplementation is there to help. However, supplements are supplemental to diet. The beauty of natural medicine is that we are not looking to replace prescriptions and other things with supplements. We want to return the body to receiving support from natural sources and doing what it was designed to do in supporting our health.
Eggs (with yolks)
Real butter
Cheese
Raw Milk
Fish including tuna, salmon, sardines
Pork loin
Mushrooms specifically shiitake, chanterelle, and oyster varieties
When it comes to supplementing we want to also make sure we are not over supplementing resulting in other vitamin and mineral imbalances. Most vitamins and minerals work with other vitamins and minerals. If you raise the level of one you could be creating a deficiency in a partnering vitamin and mineral. We must understand your specific body to know which levels you need raised and monitoring that it doesn't create these imbalances. We also want to make sure we are in most cases supplementing with the partner supplement as well because if you are deficient in one thing, you are likely deficient in the partner element as well. A great example of this is with Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium. These three work closely together and raising one without the other two creates this imbalance.
Vitamin D's primary role is to help the body maintain the right levels of calcium and phosphorus. This vitamin affects how calcium is absorbed from food and how the body builds and reabsorbs bone. It also works on a multitude of other levels including working closely with Vitamin C and Zinc for immune function. Just raising your Vitamin D level may cause imbalances in the other dependent supplementation you may need. This is where working with a naturopathic doctor helps you assess your supplement needs. The other consideration here is that our vitamin and mineral needs change frequently so getting a regular vitamin check-up is helpful to make sure you only take the supplements you actually need.
The other aspect to consider before supplementing is bioavailability, assimilation and the body's conversion of that element to what it needs. Most vitamins and minerals are converted in the body to substances it needs to support cellular life. When choosing to supplement it is important to get a product that closely aligns to its natural food source. Synthetic supplements simply don't work in the human body because they are detected as inorganic and discarded. Your body does know the difference!
Choosing the Right Vitamin D for Your Needs
Generally you will find two primary vitamin D dosages and a variety of brands available.
A high dose vitamin D is considered to be 5,000IU or higher. It is important to read the label of the product you are considering to know the recommended dosage and IU it contains. Depending on age and health need, it will determine which IU is best for you.
Adults who are only mildly deficient may find value in taking a normal dose of 400-800IU daily. This would be in addition to vitamin D obtained through diet and natural sunlight.
You may also find there are times when you need a higher dose such as during winter when days are shorter and sunlight less frequent. Those suffering with SAD often find some relief by increasing their vitamin D in advance of winter dark days.
When it comes to choosing the right brand, again emphasis here is on a product that is based on natural ingredients. There are a couple brands I like and regularly recommend including a chocolate square option called Sunshine.
Knowing which will work best for your body can be figured out with the help of a naturopathic doctor who can muscle test you against different brands and work with you to determine the IU best for your current needs.
I believe addressing the vitamin D deficiency in our health can be pivotal to implementing larger health changes. It is absolutely one of the most important vitamins we need to retain health and well-being. From the common cold to more unfortunate diseases we stand the best chance at reducing the trends on these scary health situations when we start addressing fundamental vitamin and mineral deficiencies that are presenting commonly among these illnesses and diseases.
To work with me, please visit www.dragonspitapothecary.com/care to book your consultation.
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