Introduction to Vitamin D

At this time of year, especially living in the UK, we are very aware of the long grey days and how this can lead to a Vitamin D deficiency.  Vitamin D is known as “the sunshine vitamin” because all it takes is 15 minutes in the sun for a fair skinned person to create 10,000 to 20,000 iu of Vitamin D.

My reason for writing this series of blog articles on Vitamin D is that more and more scientific evidence is coming to light about the impact of a Vitamin D deficiency.  More than 1 billion people worldwide are estimated to be deficient in vitamin D due to limited sunshine exposure.  Researches have pointed out that raising levels of Vitamin D among the general population could prevent chronic diseases that claim nearly 1 million lives throughout the world each year.

So how do you know if you are short of Vitamin D?

You can have a blood test ideally in January (when your vitamin D levels will be at their lowest) and July (when they are likely to be at their highest) so you see if you are deficient.  Apart from blood tests there are other signs:

  1. You have dark skin – Those of Afro-Caribbean descent you are at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency as you need 10 times more sun exposure than fair skinned people to produce the same amount of vitamin D.
  2. You feel blue
  3. Your 50 or older – The older you get your skin doesn’t makes as much vitamin D in response to sun exposure and your kidneys are less efficient at converting vitamin D into the form used by your body.
  4. Your overweight or obese – vitamin D is fat-soluble, hormone like vitamin which means body facts act like a sink collecting it, so you are likely to need more vitamin D than someone who is their ideal weight.
  5. Your bones ache – especially when in combination with fatigue.
  6. Head sweating  – years ago Doctors used to ask mothers about head sweating in newborns as it was a clear indicator of vitamin D deficiency.
  7. You have gut trouble – as mentioned previously vitamin D is fat soluble so if you have a gut condition e.g. Crohn’s, Celiac, gluten sensitivity, IBS that affects your ability to absorb fat you may have a lower absorption of fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin D.

Related Posts

  • Anxiety reduction & massage?

    I know that I often say that one of the benefits of massage is that it may reduce anxiety.  I think most people would agree that being in hospital or undergoing hospital procedures may makes us feel anxious.  So I was interested in a recent study that looked at the effectiveness of massage with or without guided imagery (a therapist talking you through a scene to help you relax), prior to cardiac catheterisation.  As you can imagine anxiety is very common in patients prior to cardiac catheterisation, which can lead to high blood pressure and increase the amount of sedation necessary to complete the procedure. Fifty five patients opted to receive either a 15-minute massage (31 patients) and a 20 minute guided imagery (24 patients) in a quiet area of the hospital prior to cardiac catheterisation.  Self-report anxiety levels, blood pressure and heart rate were evaluated in the research participants as well as matched for comparison to a control group not taking part in the study. The results indicated that massage, with or without guided imagery, produced significant reductions in self-reported anxiety, with the combined intervention having a more pronounced effect.  In addition a lower diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were found when compared to the control group. In my experience slow, deep stokes help to reduce anxiety and as a team we often incorporate this into treatments. References Amstrong K, Dixon S, May S, Patricolo GE (2014).  Anxiety reduction in patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation, following massage and guided imagery.  Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 20 (4): 334 - 338.    

  • Can daily dark chocolate boost athletic performance?

    I will begin with a confession, I love dark chocolate.  So I am an avid reader of any scientific research on dark chocolate, as its always good to be able to justify eating chocolate for its health benefits! Recently a research team studied nine amateur cyclists to establish whether epicatechin, a type of flavanol found in the cocoa bean, would increase nitric oxcide production in the body.  Nitric oxide expands blood vessels, allowing more oxygen to get to vital organs, which boosts endurance and sports performance.  The cyclists were divided into tow grounds, with the first instructed to replace a normal daily snack with 40g of dark chocolate for two weeks, while the other group did the same for white chocolate. The two groups were assessed in cycling exercise tests in the laboratory to measure heart rates, oxygen consumption levels during moderate exercise.  The groups switched chocolate types after a one-week interval and repeated the tests.  The cyclists eating dark chocolate were found to use less oxygen and covered more distance in time trails compared to the cyclists eating white chocolate. So maybe dark chocolate shoulder become a staple part of endurance althlete's diets. Reference R K Patel, J Brounder, O Spendiff, 2015, Dark chocolate supplementation reduces the oxygen cost of moderate intensity cycling, Journal of International Society of Sports Nurition, 12:47.

  • Reflexology and Pain Management – Part 2

    In part 1, I explored what pain was, the pain response and briefly explained how reflexology helps manage pain. Much anecdotal evidence shows the benefits of reflexology in pain management and several studies indicate successful treatment outcomes including pain reduction. (See references at end of article). However I would like to focus on one recent study by Dr Carol Samuel and Dr Ivor Ebenezer of University of Portsmouth as this is the first time Reflexology has been scientifically evaluated as a study for acute pain.  The results indicate that reflexology may be as effective as pain killers for common conditions such as osteoarthritis, backache and cancer. Participants attended two sessions, in which they were asked to submerge their hand in ice water. In one of the sessions they were given reflexology before they submerged their hand, and in the other session they believed they were receiving pain relief from a Tens machine, which was not actually switched on.  The use of the Tens machine is equivalent of a sugar pill in drug trials. The researches found that people felt about 40% less pain, and were able to stand pain for about 45% longer, when they used reflexology as a method of pain relief. So if you are in pain now, by not book a reflexology session. References Booth L (1997) Vertical Reflex therapy: results of a reflexology trail in a Bristol residential home for elderly Khan S, Otter S and Springett K (2006) The effects of reflexology on foot pain and quality of life in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: a case report, The Foot 16 pg 112-116 Brown CA and Lido C (2008) Reflexology treatment for patients with lower limb amputations and phantom limb pain: an exploratory pilot study, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 14 pg 124-131 Hughes CM, Smyth S and Lowe-Strong A (2008) Reflexology for the treatment of pain in people with multiple sclerosis: a double-blind randomised controlled trail, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 14(1) S1-S109