Vitamin D: The Body’s Essential Nutrient

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Theoretically, our bodies make plenty of Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, when exposed to the sun. But today, people shy away from the sun, due to cancer concerns, or lather on the sunscreen. We spend too much time in homes, on the TV or the computer, and many of us work inside. All of this blocks the production of Vitamin D. So it’s no surprise that three of every four Americans are deficient in Vitamin D!

Some people make ample amounts in the summer, but Vitamin D levels start to decrease when daylight savings time changes or when the sun is lower in the horizon. Sun is too low during winter months to even stimulate your body’s production of D.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that works along with Vitamin A to utilize calcium and phosphorus to build bones and teeth. Although we call it a vitamin, it really is a hormone produced by the sun. Deficiency results in nearsightedness, psoriasis, soft teeth, muscle cramps and tics, slow healing, insomnia, nosebleeds, fast heartbeat, arthritis and osteoporosis. Vitamin D also helps with all eye problems including eye spots, conjunctivitis, and glaucoma.

Benefits include:

  1. Vitamin D is needed for normal insulin function and regulation of blood sugar. It also helps prevent foot infections, which studies show, can come from low levels of Vitamin D.
  2. In obesity, Vitamin D is stored in fat tissue which prevents it from being used by the rest of the body. Therefore those individuals are at high risk for deficient Vitamin D.
  3. Higher Vitamin D gives many women an edge to surviving breast cancer and decreases in tumor size.
  4. Low Vitamin D contributes to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS seems to be higher in people living further away from the equator.
  5. Studies have found that Vitamin D supplementation lowers senior’s risk of bone fracture, suggested dose of 2,000 IU’s or more daily.
  6. Evidence has been mounting that Autism and Vitamin D are linked, since “D’ regulates thousands of genes in the human genome. Possibly a part of today’s Autism epidemic!
  7. Therapy with Vitamin D is associated with a lowered risk of mortality among those with Kidney disease.
  8. In Osteoporosis, the role of Vitamin D in skeletal maintenance is very important and helps absorption of calcium. Also eating foods high in Vitamin D like avocados, salmon, sardines, milk and greens are very helpful.

Dr. Lars Reynmark of Denmark wrote that Vitamin D deficiency affects risks of many different diseases. Supplementation can become a necessity if or until the body can produce it by itself. Recent studies found taking 2,000 IU of D3 daily was not sufficient for many to boost levels to normal ranges. In most cases 5,000 IU resulted in much better success.

D3 is better absorbed than D2, and actually D2 can lower your level of D3 even more! I recommend taking D3 in liquid form or in a homeopathic sublingual tablet to make sure it gets into the system. Others prefer the capsule or tablet which may take longer to break up in the body. For myself, I prefer the homeopathic form of D3 in 5000 IU’s daily.

 

References:

The Green Pharmacy by James Duke

www.lifeextension.com

www.naturalnews.com

www.healthyhealing.com

Cindy Burrows
Cynthia Burrows, M.T. CWC, Herbalist

Cynthia Burrows, from Austin, Texas, owns Cindy Burrows, Natural Health Consultant; assisting individuals with health issues they would like to change. She will set up a program giving choices of foods, herbs, teas and homeopathic suggestions. Cindy is past owner of Nature’s Healing Herbs, an Herbal, Green Tea, and Tincture product line, and a rare product line of Green Tea Foods. She has certificates for Herbalist at East West School of Herbology, and as Wellness Consultant with the Wellness Forum in Ohio.

Cindy is also a Medical Technologist, with a B.S. degree from Mansfield University in Mansfield Pa., she has been in healthcare for over 30 years. In 2005, she started using a new device founded in Europe, Quantum Biofeedback, “an energy rebalancing of the body”, by using our bodies electricity or frequency waves it can detect stress points in the body, she has added this to her consulting practice. She now has her Certification as a Biofeedback Specialist. She helps her clients by working with the synergy of herbs, food, homeopathy, and aromatherapy within her practice. She is a speaker, writer, and teacher. Cindy has been interviewed on TV; about the benefits of Green Tea and has been on radio about her small business tour to Ecuador.

Cindy has been an herbalist for over 20 years and has spent 6 years learning through the East West School of Herbology with Michael Tierra. She has studied Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic Herbs with a strong emphasis on nutrition. Along with many other continued studies of alternative and complementary medicine. She is a Certified Wellness Consultant, through a special program, The Wellness Forum, which has its nutrition program, now part of the curriculum at Ohio State University, providing educational seminars and workshops designed to impart relevant nutrition information to individuals to take control of their own health. These programs give healthier options and choices that can impact your longevity and quality of life. Cindy has been a speaker to many groups and has conducted many of her own classes on food and healthy life style programs.

Cindy has been involved with a hands-on healing program for the past 4 years and offers energy healing, through donation only, to anyone who needs her services.

She is Co-president of the Austin Herb Society and a member of the American Herbalist Guild. Cynthia has been a board member on many programs in the past including; La Sertoma, Arthritis Foundation, Toastmasters International, National Association of Female Executives, Handicapped Equestrian Learning Program, Entrepreneurs Association, and Austin Integrated Health Care Program.

Cindy also loves nature, animals, reading, blending teas, juices, etc.; likes to hike, and work with plants and, of course, cooking., mostly vegetarian.
Cindy has an adventurous streak.
She has organized and taken tours with business and artists groups to Big Bend, Texas, New Mexico, USA, and Ecuador, South America.