11 Serious Lack of Vitamin D Warning Signs

It's pretty much common knowledge that a person can't get enough Vitamin D from the Sun....even in the summer months. Plus sun bathing for Vitamin D has side effects like skin cancer. I was never a sun bather, but yet had three basil cell spots, about the size of nickels, cut out of my back. I am posting the article below, from Answers.com, as it lists symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency which should be on people's minds. This article does not discuss the daily amount of Vitamin D a person should receive (see my comment at bottom).

Bone Pain.
Shunning the sun and being lactose intolerant can leave you with a deficiency of Vitamin D. This can lead to bone pain. According to the National Institute of Health, this subtle symptom it can be a serious sign of a lack of Vitamin D.

MyAchingKnees comment: Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption to enable normal mineralization for bone repair and growth.

Muscle Weakness.
Muscle weakness is usually caused by a Vitamin D deficiency. Muscles have Vitamin D receptors. They must have a constant supply of Vitamin D to function. If your body has a deficiency of Vitamin D your muscles will have trouble functioning as stated by the National Institutes of Health.

Psoriasis.
Although psoriasis is not always caused by a lack of Vitamin D, it's used in treatment. The Mayo Clinic claims that if you have a lack of the Vitamin D it will be harder for your body to defend itself against psoriasis.

Tiredness.
Vitamin D is one of the necessary vitamins for your body to create energy. Without it you can end up feeling tired most of the day. This will make it hard for you to get around or even get to work. You should consult your doctor if you have constant feelings of tiredness.

Depression.
According to the Vitamin D Council, this essential nutrient helps your brain's neurotransmitters produce the fluid serotonin. This produces our feelings of happiness. Studies have linked low levels of Vitamin D with episodes of depression. Especially during the winter months, because of the lack of sun during that time of year.

Sweaty Head.
Years ago doctors used to ask new mothers if their heads were sweating more than normal. NDHealthFacts claims that the reason for this is because it is a tell-tale sign of a lack of Vitamin D is a sweaty head.

Constant Respiratory Problems.
Studies show that Vitamin D may help defend against respiratory illness. This is especially true in children. Cardiovascular Disease.

Articles published by the National Institutes of Health have shown that deficiencies in Vitamin D can lead to congestive heart failure. Make sure your body maintains the proper amounts to guard against the risk. Home tests are available to check if have a lack of Vitamin D.

Hypertension.
Harvard University conducted a study on women. The study showed that women with low levels of Vitamin D have a 67 percent increased risk of hypertension. If you suffer from anxiety you may want to consider purchasing Vitamin D supplements and adding them to your daily routine.

Chronic Infections.
The Mayo Clinic has advised that Vitamin D is crucial to our body's health. It is a necessary vitamin in helping our body fight infections. If you notice you or your child is prone to getting infections, you might want to ask your doctor to give you a Vitamin D blood test.

MyAchingKnees comment: So how much Vitamin D andn what type do you need? Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms, D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). They are basically the same. The USDA recommends that a person 1 year old to 70 years old receive 600 IU per day and a person over 70 receive 800 IU aa day. Many researchers in Nutritional Medicine believe that these doses are way too low. As evident by my wife working outside much of each day and taking a supplement of 1,000 IU of Vitamin D. Her blood serum test for Vitamin D revealed a slight deficiency which was corrected by adding more Vitamin D to her supplement intake. The nutritional scientists I follow now say that 2,000 IU is pretty minimum for most people. I take 2,000 IU per day in my base supplments and add an optimizer that includes another 2,000 IU of Vitamin D3 (taken twice a day) for a total of 6,000 IU per day. The Vitamin D optimizer only adds about $0.40 per day to my cost and I feel it's well worth it.

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Why Vitamin D deficiency may be killing you

This article came out on Natural News with the long title: "Why vitamin D deficiency may be killing you: how cancer, heart disease and diabetes are all made worse when you lack vitamin D".

Most clinicians and even many people understand that getting the right amount of vitamin D is important for good bone health. In fact, up until the 1930s, the bone disease rickets was a serious health threat, thanks to inadequate levels of the D vitamin. But until recently, few understood the other significant roles that vitamin D plays in maintaining good health and preventing diseases.

To date, low levels of the vitamin have been linked with increased risks of cancer, heart disease, immune system disorders, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and diabetes.

Multiple studies have been conducted to examine why vitamin D deficiency may be playing such a major role in these serious health problems, and what researchers have found is surprising.

The Role of Vitamin D in Preventing Cancer

Researchers have been interested in the role of vitamin D in preventing cancer for years, ever since epidemiological studies revealed that people who lived in southern latitudes where sun exposure was more prevalent also had lower levels of certain cancers. Because exposure to UV rays helps the body synthesize vitamin D, researchers theorized that it was these increased levels of vitamin D that helped prevent the development of cancer.

Scientific studies of the effects of the vitamin on cancer cells have found that vitamin D acts in several ways, including decreasing the growth of cancer cells and stimulating the death of those cells.

Other studies have shown a direct link between levels of vitamin D and the development and prevention of colorectal cancer, and some clinicians recommend that cancer patients take vitamin D supplements in order to improve their chances of fighting the disease.

The Role of Vitamin D in Preventing Heart Disease

Several studies have been conducted linking low levels of vitamin D to an increased risk of heart disease including heart attack, peripheral artery disease, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis, and many studies have also shown that taking vitamin D supplements may play a role in reducing that risk. For instance:

•  A study conducted by researchers at Harvard found that people who had low levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to have a heart attack as those who had adequate levels of the vitamin.

•  Researchers in Utah looked at vitamin D levels and heart disease in nearly 30,000 men and women and found that those with lower levels of the vitamin were more likely to have cardiovascular disease than those with adequate levels.

To date, the cause-and-effect mechanism between vitamin D and cardiovascular disease remains unclear, but researchers believe that the vitamin may work to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing some of the symptoms and conditions that cause it, such as helping to control blood pressure and preventing damage to the arteries.

The Role of Vitamin D in Preventing Type II Diabetes

Type II diabetes occurs when the body has difficulty managing and using sugar intake. Left unmanaged, type II diabetes can cause loss of vision, poor circulation, high blood pressure and other health issues, and it can contribute to the development of heart disease.

Several studies have supported a link between adequate levels of vitamin D and better tolerance and management of blood glucose, or sugar. Although researchers are not entirely clear how vitamin D accomplishes its role in preventing diabetes, they believe it may have to do with the vitamin's ability to help the body synthesize calcium, which plays a major role in glucose and insulin regulation.

Ignoring your vitamin D intake can result in an increased risk of many diseases, so making sure that you're getting enough is important. To make sure that you're getting enough, eat foods that are high in vitamin D (fatty fish are the primary source). Sun exposure can also help the body produce vitamin D on its own, but prolonged exposure to UV rays comes with its own set of risks, and during the winter months, getting enough sunlight can be problematic for most people.

Because of the limited natural sources of vitamin D, many men and women find that they can enjoy the benefits of adequate vitamin D levels by taking a supplement. When choosing supplements, make sure that they're from a reputable source to ensure that concentration levels are stable and correctly represented.

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Anti-Oxidants - You Need Them!

Infographics are rapidly becoming a popular way to impart information as many of us absorb information better through a mix of pictures, graphics and text.

One of the better ones I've seen regardless of topics is an infographic explaining Free Radicals and why Anti-Oxidants are important to fight off the damaging effects of free radicals, that being oxidative stress, which causes damage that is responsible not only for a vast array of degenerative disease but the earlier and earlier onset of these quality of life shortening diseases.

One of the factoids in this infographic is the Japanese Scientist Yuike Niwa states that 85% of chronic and degenerative disease is caused by free radical damage.  This is consistent with some of the studies I've seen that say only 20-25% of degenerative disease is genetic, that the largest percent of these diseases are from our environment - our nutrition (or poor nutrition) and constant exposure to toxins.

Some of the benefits from getting sufficient anti-oxidants are:

A 40% reduction in cancer.

A 46% lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

A 29% decrease in heart disease risk.

This infographic goes on to remind us that anti-oxidants are everywhere,..Vitamin C and E being two of the most commonlyu known anti-oxidants, but we can find others in drinks, foods, vitamins with some of the common sources being:

Coffee
Kidney Beans
Granny Smith Apples
Watercress
Blueberries
Strawberries
Red Wine
Olive Oil

The problem with getting a sufficient daily dose of anti-oxidants is that our food supply is compromised. With GMO foods replacing naturally grown foods; with the reduction of nutrients in the fresh foods we buy today due to soil nutrient depletion; with processing issues which practically force manufactuerers and suppliers to use preservatives; and the over whelming selection of processed foods that have practically all their nutrients sucked out of them, we have to devote time and care to ensure we are eating good foods. You can't rely on foods alone. You have to ensure your body gets the requisite nutrients for your immune system to fight off free radicals. You really have to take a quality nutritional supplements with advanced doses of vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals.

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Anti-Oxidants and Your Health

A friend of mine sent me this article, or partial article, supposedly written by a herbalist named Wendy Wilson. I say "supposedly" since I do not know her not can I verify this article. But the words will speak for themselves.  The bolded print below are what I wanted to highlight.

HEALTH, by Herbalist – Wendy Wilson

THE STRONG ANTIOXIDANTS

I am continuing my series on how we can protect ourselves from the killer viruses and bacteria with our own immune system. Each day that goes by the scientific minds are discovering that what the ancients knew regarding living healthy. Our ancient ancestors may not have known what free radicals were but they knew which plants made them feel better and stronger against disease. They had no idea that the plants and herbs they were eating were rich in antioxidants. The term antioxidant is just what it means; “against oxidation.” Foods with chemical antioxidants will inhibit destruction to living tissue caused by oxidation. What chemicals give antioxidants their power? Is it enzymes, vitamins or minerals? If you answered enzymes and vitamins, you are correct. Your antioxidants are very important in developing a strong immune system defense against killer super bugs.

THE THEORY

In the 1950’s Dr. Denham Harman was the first to seriously link accumulative free radical damage to disease and premature aging. A nutrient problem America has faced is the government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA). One of the problems is that this system divides people into two nutrient categories; those below fifty-years-ofage and those above fifty. Do you think someone who is ninety would require the same nutrition of a fifty-one-year-old? Dr. Art Ulene has stated that there are scientific studies linking free radicals to a decline in immune system function. The elderly may not be eating well and their immune system is not getting old; it just isn’t getting the nutrients it needs to protect them. There is no doubt that antioxidant nutrition can enhance the human immune function and super charge it.

A CHEMICAL FIGHT

There are several ways to wage war. Our bodies encounter foreign matter every day. The job of our immune system is to neutralize any foreign invaders that are threats to our wellbeing and dispose of them. When our bodies do not get the nutrition it needs through vitamins and enzymes it is unable to stop the chain reaction of what are called free radicals. This is a transfer of electrons or hydrogen to an oxidizing agent. All this can occur in your cells and can damage or kill the cell. Your antioxidant nutrition in foods and herbs will terminate the replication of free radicals, which science declares as the cause and consequence of disease.

THE PETRO GUYS

Antioxidants are so powerful as a natural preservative that gasoline manufacturers will add antioxidants to gasoline to prevent the formation of gums, which clog engines. Likewise, we don’t want to gum up our bodies and make us targets to heart disease, neurological disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, cataracts, macular degeneration and so on.

THE MAJOR HITTERS

In the 1990’s researchers discovered that the most potent antioxidants as a human preservative were vitamins A, C and E. Biochemistry was revolutionized by the discovery of the influence these vitamins had on living organisms. The industrial world will use antioxidants to preserve their products; gas, tires or unsaturated fats. That’s great, but you want to use antioxidants to preserve YOU and to rebuild or boost your immune system to stay healthy.

MyAchingKnees comments:  Vitamins A, C and E are the most potent anti-oxidants?   Maybe not, or more correctly depending upon what degenerative disease your body is fighting.  A, C and E are of course very important, so are all the other vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants....Resveratrol and Grape Seed extract among them,.....but we need all the nutrients in doses far exceeding the 70 year old RDA, so these nutrients can work synergystically (someone told me that means efficienctly and together!) to provide our bodies the best chance of fighting degenerative disease and sickness.   

HOW MANY ANTIOXIDANTS?

How many antioxidants you have in your system depends on your lifestyle. Antioxidants are classified into two categories; the water-soluble antioxidants found in your blood and the lipid-soluble antioxidants designed to protect your cell membranes. Your body can make antioxidants but needs the right nutrition to do it. Foods and herbs with selenium and zinc will help the body built your antioxidant reserves. How? These minerals will help the body to utilize your antioxidant enzymes.

SELENIUM AND ZINC FOODS

You can tap into the foods that assist the body to make antioxidants with foods containing selenium and zinc such as; cashews, kidney beans, salmon, haddock, wheat germ, miso, beef, turkey, pumpkin seeds, pecans, pinto beans, walnuts, eggs, peanuts, oatmeal, almonds and anchovies.

FOOD

The general foods which will contain more antioxidants are; fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lentils and even chocolate. I love chocolate! Green tea and vegetables with dark green, yellow and orange pigments will have the most antioxidant nutrition.

ANCIENT HERBS

Way before microscopes and labs were created there were the ancient healers such as Pliny and Elder who wrote about the healing power of plants. Today we know these plants are supercharged with antioxidants and we can tap into them just like the people of ancient Rome. Herbs such as Milk Thistle, Ginkgo, Ginseng, Red Raspberry, Cayenne, Echinacea root, astragalus root, garlic, onion, ginger, horseradish and many others.

STUDIED THE MOST

It is interesting that modern science has focused on milk thistle and ginkgo herbs regarding antioxidants. Ginkgo is said to be the world’s oldest tree species. Science has studied these herbs for years trying to unlock God’s secrets.

IMPORTANT FOR IMMUNE SYSTEM

Fat and oxidized fat is deadly to the organs of the human body, especially theliver. Researchers and Dr. William Lee have stated that using Milk Thistle herb is a proactive way to help prevent fat and poisonous substances from hurting your liver.

Scientific studies have shown Milk Thistle to be effective in detoxifying the liver. So far the essential chemical nutrient identified in Milk Thistle to accomplish this is the antioxidant called silybum marianum (a.k.a. silymarian). Milk Thistle is originally indigenous to the Mediterranean region but is now cultivated all over the world. The early Europeans would also use the seeds of the Milk Thistle plant as a coffee substitute.

SUPPRESSED IMMUNITY

If you have used prescription drugs for heart conditions, infections, arthritis, blood pressure and other chronic disease; then you will also have a suppressed immune system. Your antioxidant foods and herbs can help revitalize the immune system function. It is estimated that between 75% and 85% of Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables for antioxidant protection. A good example of what free radicals can do to your cells is to cut an apple and expose it to oxygen and watch it turn brown and rot. What most folks don’t think about is that although free radicals are a byproduct of our lifestyle, they are also a product of exposure to chemicals, dust, mold, excessive sunlight, water and air pollution. So, your diet and immune support herbs will play a very important role in protecting you from free radicals and the killer viruses and bacteria.

MyAchingKnees comments:  The apple test is a really good test.  Dissolve your daily nutritional supplement in a bowl of water then add a sliced apple.  If your apple turns brown within 12 hours or so (probably less) then you make want to re-think what you are spending money on.   

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Health Benefits of Grape Seed Extract

I am glad to see Grape Seed Extract getting more press on-line. Grape Seed Extract is a very potent anti-oxidant. I take a Grape Seed-Vitamin C supplement that provides 600 mg of Vitamin C and 200 mg of Grape Seed (VITIS VINIFERA L.) extract daily. In fact, my wife is taking double that amount after having surgery to remove a early stage cancerous tumor last year.

Grape Seed contains bioflavonoids which are thought to help regulate and detoxify cells. Proanthocyanidins are a type of bioflavonoid, coming from dark berries, such as purple grapes and found in red wines in high concentrates. Many scientists believe that Proanthocyanidins not only help healthy cell function, promote vascular and immune functions but also have a role in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

Anyway, again glad to see more in the on-line sources about the benefits of Grape Seed extract and this article from Front Page, Health, titled "Grape Seed Extract May Beat Chemo in Late-Stage Cancer".

The more advanced cancer is, the less effective chemotherapy is. However, a new study has shown that grape seed extract has exactly the opposite quality: The more advanced the cancer, the less extract that’s needed to kill it. On top of that, the study also shows that grape seed extract targets the cancer cells that become most resistant to chemotherapy.

In the face of this remarkable new development, it’s likely that grape seed extract is more effective in treating late-stage cancer than modern medicine’s chemotherapy. Not only does it take less and less of the substance to kill cancer cells, it’s able to target the cells that have become drug resistant, thus making chemo useless!

Yet again, the common misperception that modern medicine’s treatments are stronger or more potent or better in any way is shown to be mistaken. Sadly, it’s a mistake that can kill.

Grape Seed Extract Exposes Modern Medicine’s Failings

The study in question was produced in the University of Colorado Cancer Center and published in the journal Cancer Letters. It was an in vitro study, not in vivo. That is, no living creatures were involved. The study was performed on cell cultures. That might make it seem relatively insignificant. However, much prior research has already documented grape seed extract’s ability to control and kill cancer, so that’s not in much doubt. What this study discovered is a plausible means by which it happens. This is the kind of information that modern medicine craves.



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Probiotics for Your Health

Surprising Benefits of Probiotics published on Yahoo! Health.  Researchers are starting to promote Probiotics for a health immune system.  I fully support this as I add a Probiotic every other day, sometimes every third day, to my diet.   What I take consists of, in part, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium. 

The Article: 

You’ve probably heard the virtues of probiotics extolled in health magazines and on cartons of Greek yogurt. Probiotics are live bacteria that naturally occur in certain foods—from fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut or kimchi, to live-cultured yogurt. They’re also added to some high-end dark chocolates and available as supplements.

Broken down, the word probiotic means “for life” or “promoting life.” While it sounds good, you still may wonder: are probiotics just another New Age gimmick, or is there some science behind the health benefits? Though far from a panacea, probiotics can help cure some ailments that may surprise you.

If poor marks on your last physical have sent you on a personal quest to lower your cholesterol, look no farther than your fridge.

A small study presented at a recent AHA scientific meeting found that a strain of probiotics found in dairy and meats called Lactobacillus reuteri lowered LDL levels in participants by nearly 12 percent more than the group taking a placebo. Overall cholesterol was lowered by 9 percent.

The liver uses cholesterol to make bile. Researchers believe that probiotics break up bile salts and decrease their reabsorption in the gut.

Your eyes may be the windows to your soul, but your smile is your welcome mat to the world. Besides being unsightly, poor oral hygiene is associated with serious health woes, including heart disease, diabetes, and even low birth weight.

Studies have shown that the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri kills the bacteria that causes tooth decay and lessens the harmful effects of gingivitis. A full mouth of teeth and a reduction in bleeding gums are two good reasons to add probiotics to your daily menu.

Whether you experience the occasional bout of traveler’s diarrhea or are among the one-third of people who will experience it as a common side effect of antibiotics, diarrhea is unpleasant and embarrassing.

But don’t worry—there’s good news for your tush; according to the Harvard Medical School, many studies suggest that probiotic consumption can help reduce diarrhea episodes. For example, a 2012 clinical review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that those who took probiotics with antibiotics were 42 percent less likely to develop diarrhea than those who took the placebo.

If you have eczema, you know how annoying and frustrating perpetually dry, itchy skin can be. What if we could prevent future generations from getting it? A study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that babies who are at risk for developing eczema may benefit from their mothers’ consumption of probiotics.

Allergy-prone mothers with eczema were given probiotics two months before giving birth and during the first two months of breastfeeding. The babies, who were assessed at 6, 12, and 24 months, showed a significant reduction in their risk of developing the no-fun skin inflammation.

The vagina is a delicately balanced environment of good and bad bacteria. Unfortunately, sometimes just taking antibiotics or birth control pills, becoming pregnant, or having diabetes is enough to throw your system out of whack. If you’re prone to pesky yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, or UTIs, you might consider protecting your lady parts with probiotics.

According to the Harvard Medical School, probiotics may help balance the bacteria present in your vagina and prevent the overgrowth of harmful microorganisms. While their effectiveness is still being debated, researchers agree that there’s no harm in adding more probiotics to your diet.

Some people seem to get sick every time the weather changes, but that doesn’t have to be you this year. Researchers who conducted a review of studies from the Cochrane Library concluded that overall, probiotics seem to reduce upper respiratory infections when compared to a placebo.

In another study, children from 18 daycares in Helsinki, Finland were given milk with or without probiotics. Can you guess which group remained healthier? You got it—those who drank the probiotic-enriched milk were 17 percent less likely to get a respiratory infection and 16 percent less likely to be absent due to illness.

Any parent or airplane passenger would agree: nothing is worse than a crying baby—especially one that can’t be comforted. Because we don’t know exactly what causes colic in babies, it’s difficult to treat. However, some research suggests that probiotics might provide some relief.

A 2007 study published in Pediatrics found that after 28 days, breastfed babies whose mothers consumed a daily dose of probiotics cried 194 minutes less than the test group that didn’t. A 2010 study published in the same journal found similar results. Gaining just a minute of peace and quiet would give you good reason to pop a probiotic supplement. Now you’ve got 194 good reasons.

If constipation, bloating, and gas are mainstay symptoms of your IBS or Crohn’s, a cup of yogurt a day may keep you regular all day. Johns Hopkins Health Alert reports that those who ate two 4-ounce servings of live-culture yogurt during a study experienced less bloating and more bowel movements after a few weeks.

Another study revealed that women who ate three 4-ounce servings of live-culture yogurt a day experienced a shorter amount of time between eating and bowel movements. That’s less time you’d have to spend doubled over, clutching your stomach in pain.

It’s important to remember that while many studies suggest that probiotics can have a positive impact on your health, other studies report weak findings. Although probiotics may not be the miracle cure you’re looking for, one thing’s for sure: they can’t hurt.

Whether it’s an apple a day or a cup of probiotic-rich kefir, if you feel healthier when you eat it, keep it up. Pay attention to your body and to emerging research on new and natural ways to stay healthy.

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