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To D Or Not To D
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To D or Not To D
After collecting and filing material that interested me for some time I decided to create this web site. It became evident that the "Big Shift" is causing us to think differently about almost everything we consider as our "normal" world. We are living in a hyper-state of our normal "reality" and attached to it are elevated levels of stress and frustration which are growing in intensity. I researched medical papers for a means of strengthening my immune system and share the information I found that all of us be a little less affected by the days ahead.
 It is well known that elevated mental stress very often triggers other health problems. Stress depletes our bodies internal defenses and increases the incidence of illnesses, viruses and influenza. In a recent study, researchers asked healthy individuals to focus on two different emotions—anger and care—while a key immune system antibody, secretory IgA, was measured. IgA (immunoglobulin A) is the first line of defense in the immune system. Stress was found to decrease IgA levels, leaving us more vulnerable to respiratory problems such as colds or flu. The study found that by simply recalling an angry experience caused a six-hour suppression of the immune system. As part of the same study feelings of care or compassion boosted IgA levels.
It is also well accepted that meditation is a very good way to get grounded, relieve stress and the related issues. But I was curious if particular foods or dietary supplements could be of additional benefit. What I found in professional journals in the Spring of 2008 pointed to new findings about vitamin D. I wondered why the general public had not been made aware of this new information. Fortunately, much of what I found has recently become more publicized. Here are some insights about vitamin D, D3 in particular that might surprise you.
The sun is a major source of vitamin D but only recently was it discovered that a vitamin D deficiency is common to many diseases. Vitamin D deficiency is directly associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, periodontal disease, macular degeneration, mental illness, propensity to fall, and chronic pain. And there is a lot of clinical evidence that influenza epidemics, and the common cold, are due to seasonal deficiencies in Vitamin D. Often, complaints of a feeling of heaviness in the legs, chronic muscular and skeletal pain, fatigue, and easy tiring can be directly attributed to a vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency is more common in people the further they live from the equator, especially in the winter. During cold winter months we head outside bundled up to stay warm and cut ourselves off from the suns source of natural vitamin D. When we cut ourselves off we create a deficiency and when we create the deficiency we are susceptible to attacks from viruses and influenza. Also, when the sun is lower on the horizon, ozone, clouds, and particulate air pollution deflect ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation away from the earth's surface so vitamin D production is absent early and late in the day. Areas most affected during the winter months are latitudes 35 degrees and greater from the equator. Boston has a four month "lull" which is centered around the winter solstice. In northern Europe and Canada the lull is six months long. Virtually everyone has chronic deficiency at least in the winter. Anyone who avoids sunlight regardless of where they live is at risk of vitamin D deficiency any time of the year. A high deficiency rate exists in Miami, Florida, despite its sunny weather and subtropical latitude.
Vitamin D, whether from the sun or taken as a dietary supplement, targets for health more than 200 human genes in a wide variety of organs, tissues and skeletal functions. One of the most important genes vitamin D up-regulates is a naturally occurring broad-spectrum antibiotic. Vitamin D acts as an immune system modulator and plays a major role in protecting the lungs from infection. Cells lining your lungs and digestive tract can activate vitamin D to help fight infection. Cells that activate vitamin D can also inactivate it when vitamin D is needed by other cells of the body. This happens when there is an overall deficiency in the body. The respiratory system is deprived of the vitamin D it would normally receive and left susceptible to colds and influenza. So, the lungs stop using the vitamin D it would normally use to protect itself allowing the D to be used elsewhere in the body. The lungs become defenseless to take care of themselves and why pneumonia is often a cause of death with influenza.
Dr. James H. O'Keefe, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City is the lead author of a review of a study published in the Dec. 9, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. According to the report, experts estimate that up to half of adults and 30 percent of children and teenagers in the United States are vitamin D-deficient.
The amount of vitamin D needed varies with body weight, body fat, age, skin color, season, latitude, and sunning habits. Ideal levels can not be set to blanket all the population, but there are guidelines to make a reasonable decision for what may be good for each of us. In the links section below you will see GrassrootsHealth, a resource to find out what your vitamin D level is and take corrective action if necessary for your health. You can order a vitamin D blood spot test kit to be used at home (except in the state of New York) and the results are sent directly to you. I like this option, be proacative.
The Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) says the Upper Limit for both one-year-old children and forty-year-old adults is 2,000 IU/day. This is old and faulty information. In a study by R.P. Heaney, participants who took 2,000 IU /day for one year failed to achieve what was considered normal body concentrations for that sized person. Another study where grown males took 4,000 IU/day for six months produced greater than needed concentrations with no side effects other than improved mood, who couldnt use a little more of that. One thousand IU of vitamin D sounds like a lot. In fact, it is only .025 mg or 25 micrograms, one mcg is 40 IU. The access link below to the "Use of vitamin D in Clinical Practice" article has much excellent information about this incredible vitamin. Well worth taking the time to read.
Since I started my research on vitamin D3 much has been published and recently it has been estimated that 25 to 50 percent of any healthcare budget could be saved with adequate vitamin D blood serum levels. That's a pretty high percentage attributed to just a single vitamin supplement. The most recent research, fall 2009, suggests the proper dosage as 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight. So for a child weighing 40 pounds, the recommended average dose would be 1,400 IU’s daily, and for a 170-pound adult, the dose would be nearly 6,000 IU’s. It is important to understand that vitamin D requirements are highly individual. Your vitamin D status is also dependent on other factors, such as the color of your skin, your location where you live, and how much sunshine you’re exposed to on a regular basis as mentioned earlier.
One other thing you need to be aware of if you choose to use vitamin D as a supplement. There are basically two types – one is natural and one is synthetic. Above I mentioned there was D and D3. The natural one is D3 (cholecalciferol), which is the same vitamin D your body makes when exposed to sunshine. The synthetic one is vitamin D2 and is often just referred to as just D, which is sometimes called ergocalciferol. Once either form of the vitamin is in your body, it must be converted to a more active form. Vitamin D3 is converted 500 percent faster than vitamin D2. So D3 is of course the better alternative. And something else, nearly all the prescription-based supplements contain synthetic vitamin D2, so if your doctor gives you a prescription for vitamin D, it most likely will be for the inferior vitamin D2.
Cod liver oil contains vitamin D but also contains high amounts of vitamin A. Studies have shown that vitamin A reacts with vitamin D and interferes with vitamin D's protective effects on distal colorectal adenoma, I hate when that happens.  The authors of the study do not recommend cod liver oil even if it was one of Grandma's favorite remedies. An 8 oz. glass of milk contains only 100 IU's of vitamin D so it is also not a viable means to maintaining needed levels alone. Most multi-vitamins contain an ineffective 400 IU of vitamin D. Many companies use a less effective form of D when D3 is the most effective form of vitamin D available. If you decide to start taking vitamin D and it is not labeled as vitamin D3 it is probably the cheaper and less effective form. You may as well get the most bang for your buck.
Most information published on vitamin D by government agencies and private researchers varies significantly on proper dosage's and they dont specify if they are referencing D or D3. As with most things in life, we need to decide what is best for ourselves. Dietary supplements are just that, 'supplements' to what we should be doing for ourselves daily to maintain our healthy physical and mental/spiritual well being. They are ineffective on their own and will cause greater problems if relied solely upon for proper health. I hope you find this information helpful in guiding your 'immune' health program.
The information in this section is for educational use only. Do not attempt to self-diagnose or treat any condition. Please consult your healthcare practitioner if you believe you may have any of the signs or symptoms discussed. You should also consult with a healthcare professional before starting any supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. (There, that should keep the attorneys content.)
Below is a link to a site for testing your blood serum level and links to other vitamin D articles.
GrassrootsHealth, test for your blood serum level and learn your current needs
http://www.grassrootshealth.net/d-action
Vitamin D and Kids
http://www.wellnessresources.com/studies
Vitamin D in Clinical Practice, pdf may take a moment to open but is excellent report
http://www.thorne.com.pdf
Dr. James H. O'Keefe, heart article
http://www.hon.ch/News
Vitamin D A Gene-Regulating Super Nutrient
http://www.naturalnews.com
Source for 4,000 IU's of vitamin D3. Page will say "not found" but, click the search button and it will take you to the product.
http://www.vitacost.com/productResults
There are more links related to this category and other hot topics as they
constantly surface. Just click on the "This Just In" button on the menu bar.
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