Emotions, DNA and Physical Well Being

It has taken me some time to post another blog article as I've been studying some things about how the mind heals, the mechanics of how our beliefs effect us and trying to put it all together into some kind of coherent thought.  This blog, as opposed to some of the others I've written, is not as easy as just regurgitating information so you can have another thing come to your inbox saying, Here's New Information for you!  For me to pass on this kind of information, it needs to be something that I can put my stamp of approval on and say with some confidence that it is true and worth looking at.

In a book called "The Healing Mind" written by Dr. Irving Oyle, he makes a startling statement:

We can create the conditions which will allow the healing process to occur, but his autonomous healing factor is under the complete control of the psyche which, by varying its rate of vibration, can cause disease or initiate healing.  The therapeutic efficacy of any healing system is directly proportional to the patient's inner faith in that system.  The stronger the faith, the faster and surer the healing.


Image via WikipediaTo some extent, we can see this played out in something that every medical researcher has come to understand as a part of experimentation....the placebo effect.  It is a very recognized and accepted affect when dealing with the healing arts.  Often times, when a new medication is being developed or a new medical protocol is being tested, researchers have a test group which is given a placebo rather than the new item being researched.  Many times, in this control group, there are individuals who get better.  They have not been given any medication, any different treatment - they have simply been told that they have been.  The conclusion then must be drawn that what helped them was not the placebo, but the belief in the placebo to help them.

Quantum physics is starting to identify the mechanics of why our thoughts effect our physical bodies as well as the world around us.  One of the experiments I found very interesting was done by the Institute of HeartMath: 

"In 1991 the Institute of HeartMath ( http://www.heartmath.org/ ) was formed for exploring the power that human feelings have over the body and the role those feelings play in our world. One of the most significant findings reported by HeartMath is the documentation of the doughnut shaped field of energy that surrounds the heart and extends beyond the body. 

Knowing this field exists they went on to conduct further experiments between 1992 and '95 and began by isolating human DNA in a beaker and then exposing it to a powerful form of feeling known as coherant emotion.

They performed a series of tests involving up to 5 people trained in applying coherant emotion. 
Using special techniques they analysed the DNA both chemically and visually, the results were undeniable and the implications unmistakable.....Human Emotion changed the shape of the DNA without physially touching it or doing anything other than creating precise feelings in their bodies!"


Image via WikipediaThey also found that positive emotions such as love, gratitude, joy and happiness decompress or relax the DNA, which they linked to increases in the physical immune system.  Conversely, living in a state of stress, anger, rage or hate, the DNA constricts and our immune systems decrease.  Personal experience might validate these findings in that when individuals find themselves under stress for long periods of time, they are often more susceptible to colds or flu.


Dr. Scott Walker, DC has developed a healing technique called "Neuro Emotional Technique" where he has found that underlying emotional components have significant effects on whether a chiropractic patient is able to resolve chronic back pain or not.  When the chiropractor can locate where in the body the emotional issue is and resolve the emotional charge on the memory, the spine can be adjusted with lasting results.  He has gone so far as to make a chart listing the organs of the body, where on the spine they are connected and the underlying emotions that affect those organs and the spinal connections.  His technique is very effective in dealing with these underlying emotions.  


In recent years, science has come to understand the truth of scripture in several ways having to do with joy and its effects as opposed to bitterness and its relation to diseases like cancer.  Scripture tells us that a "merry heart doeth good like a medicine"; Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life; A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy and wrath are as rottenness of the bones.  

After 9-11, Dr. Barbara Fredrickson of the University of Michigan found that many survivors of the Twin Towers disaster developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Understanding the traumatic volume of that day, it would be understandable to think that all of the survivors would have PTSD.  However that was not true.  All of the survivors did not show signs of PTSD.  Why not?

What she found was this:

-- People high in happiness before the attack simply bounced back.

-- But those whose pre-attack happiness levels were lower didn’t do as well. Highly unhappy people developed PTSD much more frequently.

Dr. Lynn Johnson has a powerpoint presentation that can be downloaded, called Advanced Topics in Happiness, which outlines some of the science behind the field of Positive Psychology.  It's fascinating stuff and it really works.  For example...think about 4 or 5 people in your life who have been kind to you.  Let yourself feel the emotions you feel about them - is it thankfulness, gratitude or perhaps thinking about these people makes you happy.  Whatever the feeling happens to be - one a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most positive, did your state of emotion become more positive?  Do you feel better?  There is proof that if you can maintain a state of happiness the majority of the time in your life, you will be healthier, more successful and live longer.  Bob Hope, Sid Caesar, and George Burns can't be wrong!

Thoughts are not to be our masters, but they are to serve us. If they do not serve us well, we don't need to pay attention to them.  One of the things to understand is that just because a thought enters our head, we don't need to pay attention to it.  There are many thoughts that we disregard every day.  But many of the thoughts we pay attention to are given attention due to the emotions that are linked with them.  Negative emotion is often linked to negative thought processes.  If that negative thought process is producing negative fruit in your life, then what good is it?  Perhaps you have had a very traumatic experience in your life - wouldn't you prefer to be like the 9-11 survivors who did not develop PTSD?  


As human beings, we have the ability to inoculate ourselves against trauma with happiness and joy.  Learn to see the positive in whatever situation you find yourself.  Like Paul who wrote in Philippians 4:11, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."  Our circumstances do not dictate our emotional state.  That may be news to some, but it is true.  When Paul wrote those words, he was in a Roman prison.  What is true is that some circumstances are more difficult than others, but if we can find something positive to hold on to through the circumstances, we will be inoculated against the more severe negative impacts.  Hope is a powerful thing and it is one thing that more positive, happier individuals have in greater abundance.  


This information might be seen to some as controversial so I am just bringing it to you and you can do your own research and make your own decisions.  However, if you consider these things to be good evidence that your emotional life truly does effect your physical body and the world around you, you might consider making the changes that are needed to become a happier and more joyful person....not for anyone else, but for yourself. 

Related articles

• How Does Mood Affect Immunity? (everydayhealth.com)
• Bach Flowers (solutions4livingwell.blogspot.com)
• Delta Brain Waves and Their Importance in Sleep (solutions4livingwell.blogspot.com)
• Personality Traits Are Important When Looking At A Potential Mate (livingwellcc.blogspot.com)
• Water is More Important Than You Might Think (solutions4livingwell.blogspot.com)

 

Bach Flowers

Image via WikipediaMost people have never heard of Bach flowers, but I use this homeopathic remedy quite often in my counseling practice.  It is a very powerful remedy to use in dealing with the background noise of our emotions as we move through life.  Homeopathic remedies have been around for many, many years but because we are so much more used to pharmaceuticals, when someone gives us a more natural kind of remedy we either don't understand it or we take it and expect it to work like an aspirin or an anti-depressant and when it doesn't we assume it didn't work.  Bach flower remedies are similar to homeopathic remedies in many ways, however they are produced differently than homeopathics and are not depending on the theory of successive dilutions.  Therefore, although they are considered homeopathic, they are not true homeopathic remedies.

Dr. Edward Bach is the man attributed to the development of this homeopathic treatment.  Dr Bach received his formalized medical education at Birmingham University and at University College Hospital in London.  However the more he practiced, the more he observed that there was a relationship between chronic disease and intestinal poisons.  He also believed that a patient deserved individual treatment rather than a mass remedy for a certain disease.  In 1924 he wrote a paper entitled "Intestinal toxemia and its Relations to Cancer" which is what eventually led to his interest in botanicals and finding natural substances to treat disease.

Image via Wikipedia"In 1928, Bach found the first of these remedies, noting that the vibrations of seaweed had almost the same vibrations of the dysentery-type of virus.  He noted that using his remedies in a homeopathic potentizing method left the remedy with a positive polarity while a reverse polarity was required to be associated with the disease.  After observing the dew on the plants he was using, Bach collected the dew and found that the sun had naturally potentized the dew and that it had the reverse polarity he needed.  Thus, he had discovered the process to be used in most of his remedies-simple water, heat (sun) and a botanical flower.  He noted that the strongest power of the plant was in the flower.......


.....Most amazing was his understanding of the mind and that the mind controlled the physical.  By simply normalizing the mind, a sick body would correct its own infections.  Bach was a student of people and an observer of the sick.  His observations lead him to classify individuals into personality groups.  Bach found that when the personality is treated, the body is able to correct physical problems in a natural way, without the aid of chemical medicines."   (excerpt taken from Dr. Edward Bach: A History) 


I find the most effective use of Bach Flower therapy is when someone is dealing with so many emotions that have built up over time and have not been resolved.  It is much easier to deal with present day problems when you are only dealing with the emotions from present day.  However, often we find ourselves dealing with emotions from past hurts, grief and loss that has been with us for awhile and it feels something like background noise.  We get used to it, but it is hard to hear specifics through.  Sometimes those emotions come to us from past trauma that we don't remember, but yet the emotional echo is still reverberating in our physical bodies.  Finding the correct flower remedy that will treat those background emotions brings a lot of relief to an individual.

Image via WikipediaBach Flower therapies are also used with animals, especially shelter animals.  Shelter animals have been subjected to a lot of trauma.  They are suffering loss that can become depression if they have been lost, their owners have not been able to keep them or the trauma of being a stray - wandering, being hungry and dealing with human beings who don't want them on their property.  Although in these cases, the therapies often need to be re-applied consistently, animals are among the best patients and respond quite well to these natural remedies.  When I give them to my animals, I often put them in their water, or apply them topically on their paws or on the back of their necks.

Some of the best reasons to choose homeopathic remedies include:

1. Homeopathy has no side effects
2. These remedies have no drug or food interaction, are safe and gentle
3. Homeopathic remedies never interfere with presently taken medications
4. Homeopathic remedies are approved by the FDA and have never had any application taken off the market
5. Remedies have long shelf lives and can be used well beyond the expiration dates required by the FDA
6. Remedies have no allergic properties so can be taken by anyone
7. Remedies properly matched to the particular emotional responses are very effective.  If not properly matched, they simply do nothing.  

Bach Flower remedies can be taken in water, as mints, in cream form that is applied to the skin and work equally well in each format.  Most remedies such as "Rescue Remedy" or "Calming Essence" are used to alleviate emotions dealing with fear or anxiety, but depending on what is causing the fear or anxiety, there can be more effective remedy compilations custom made which target the specific underlying emotional motivators.  

In my experience dealing with the different emotions and where you find them in the physical body, then alleviating some of the underlying feelings can bring a certain amount of healing to the individual organs that are affected by the emotion.  For example, in sexually abused females, we often find a higher occurrence of bladder infections.  A correlation could be made between the emotion of feeling stuck, having a paralyzed will because of the control that comes from sexual abuse and the bladder because the bladder is where that emotion is often localized.  It has been my observation that when this trauma is dealt with effectively, the number of bladder infections will tend to decrease or go away altogether.  Effective therapy can come from a combination of spiritual comfort, counseling, trauma therapy and/or homeopathic remedies; however when I have combined counseling therapies with the Bach flower therapy I have often found it to be very effective. 

There are 38 original Bach remedies plus the five flower remedy used for anxiety.  Each of these remedies is prescribed for certain mental and emotional problems, forming a complete therapeutic system.  If you have never tried these remedies, I would encourage you to speak with a knowledgeable person and find out more about how they could help you in your healing journey.  

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• Homeopathic Remedies for Cats with Hyperesthesia (brighthub.com)
• Bach Flower Remedies (healingthewomanwithin.wordpress.com)
• Bach Flower Essences to the Rescue! (chicagonow.com)
• Understanding Grief and Repressed Emotion (solutions4livingwell.blogspot.com)
• What Do Emotions Do to our Liver? (solutions4livingwell.blogspot.com)
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Water is More Important Than You Might Think

Image by Cayusa via FlickrOne of the things that I have been encouraged to do with this blog is to bring you information from resources that I have come across and found useful.  I am the first one to admit that I don't know everything, but what I am good at is gathering information in the form of books, articles and studies that I often refer to if the topics warrant it.  This is one of those references that I'd like to share with my readers.  To begin, here are a few facts about water that I've found over the course of my study:

• Approximately 85% of your brain, 80% of your blood and 70% of your muscle is water
• At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant's body weight
• A person deprived of water will die in 60 to 80 hours.
• Our brain is over 80% water and controls each and every process that happens inside of our body.
• The average adult must replace the ~10 cups (80 oz) of water it loses each day through perspiration, the kidney/bladder system, bowel movements and the respiratory system (which must be moist or breathing would be painful)
• Water adjusts the body's temperature and assists in digestion.  
• Because of the neutral pH level of water, it assists in helping the body maintain a healthy pH level. The human blood has a natural pH of about 7.4. The human body cannot survive if the pH of their human blood drops to 7 or rises to 7.8! So the body has natural buffers it uses to keep the blood within these narrow limits. Hint: your bones (including your teeth) are mostly calcium--an alkaline substance. So if your body gets too acidic, it leaches the calcium from your bones creating tooth decay and bone loss. Increased storage of fat and water retention is also a way your body protects itself. To get to your ideal weight--alkalize.
• Drink 1/2 your body weight of water in ounces, daily.
• Use 1/4 tsp of salt for every quart of water you drink.  As long as you drink the water, you can use the salt (non-refined, sea salt only - table salt or sodium chloride is undigestible)
• Every 6 oz of caffeine or alcohol consumed requires an additional 10-12 oz of water to re-hydrate you.  Caffeine and alcohol dehydrate the body.
• If you have diabetes, sugar concentration happens to your blood when you're dehydrated. Because your blood is 83% water, when you lose water, the volume of blood decreases and the sugar remains the same. More concentrated blood sugar means higher blood sugars.
• In the elderly, it is very important to make sure they remain hydrated.  Dehydration can result in blood pressure problems, dizziness and falls.  

Although there is a lot of information out there about how water is used in the body and why we need it, do we really understand what dehydration looks like.  Yes, severe dehydration we can usually recognize, but what if we are a little dehydrated?  

Cover of Your Body's Many Cries for WaterSeveral years ago I came across a book titled, "Your Body's Many Cries for Water".  I thought it was a very good resource and I wanted to share some of its information with you.  Although the book calls many of these things cures and preventions...which I don't quarrel with...I also see these different symptoms as what happens as our body experiences different levels of dehydration.  

• WATER PREVENTS AND RELIEVES HEARTBURN:  Heartburn is a signal of water shortage in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.  It is a major thirst signal of the human body.  The use of antacids or tablet medications in the treatment of this pain does not correct dehydration, and the body continues to suffer as a result of its water shortage.   
• WATER PREVENTS ARTHRITIS:  rheumatoid joint pain - arthritis - is a signal of water shortage in the painful joint.  It can affect the young as well as the old.  The use of pain-killers does not cure the problem, but exposes the person to further damage from pain medications.  Intake of water and small amounts of salt will cure this problem.  
• BACK PAIN:  Low back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine are signs of water shortage in the spinal coumn and discs - the water cushions that support the weight of the body.  These conditions should be treated with increased water intake - not a commercial treatment, but a very effective one.  NOTE:  This is one that I can personally acknowledge - I have had lower back pain for many years but once I increased my water intake significantly, the back pain disappeared.  
• ANGINA:  Heart pain - angina - is a sign of water shortage in the heart/lung axis.  It should be treated with increased water intake until the patient is free of pain and independent of medications.  Medical supervision is prudent.  However, increased water intake is angina's cure.
• MIGRAINES:  Migraine headache is a sign of water need by the brain and the eyes.  It will totally clear up if dehydration is prevented from establishing in the body.  The type of dehydration that causes migraine might eventually cause inflammation of the back of the eye and possibly loss of eye sight.
• COLITIS:  Colitis pain is a signal of water shortage in the large gut.  It is associated with constipation because the large intestine constricts to squeeze the last drop of water from the excrements - thus the lack of water lubrication.
• ASTHMA:  Asthma, which also affects 14 million children and kills several thousand of them every year, is a complication of dehydration in the body.  It is caused by the drought management programs of the body.  In asthma, free passage of air is obstructed so that water does not leave the body in the form of vapor - the winter steam.  Increased water intake will prevent asthma attacks.  Asthmatics need also to take more salt to break the mucus plugs in the lungs that obstruct the free flow of air in and out of the air sacs.
• HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE:  Hypertension is a state of adaptation of the body to a generalized drought, when there is not enough water to fill all the blood vessels that diffuse water into vital cells.  As part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis, when water from the blood serum is filtered and injected into important cells through minute holes in their membraines, extra pressure is needed for the "injection process."  Just as we inject I.V. "water" in hospitals, so the body injects water into tens of trillions of cells all at the same time.  Water and some salt intake will bring blood pressure back to normal.
• ADULT-ONSET DIABETES:  Adult-onset diabetes is another adaptive state to severe dehydration of the human body.  To have adequate water in circulation and for the brain's priority water needs, the release of insulin is inhibited to prevent insulin from pushing water into all body cells.  In diabetes, only some cells get survival rations of water.  Water and some salt will reverse adult-onset diabetes in its early stages.
• CHOLESTEROL:  High cholesterol levels are an indicator of early drought management by the body.  Cholesterol is clay-like material that is poured in the gaps of some cell membraines to safeguard them against losing their vital water content to the osmotically more powerful blood circulating in their vicinity.  Cholesterol, apart from being used to manufacture nerve cell membranes and hormones, is also used as a "shield" against water taxation of other vital cells that would normally exchange water through their cell membranes.
• DEPRESSION, LOSS OF LIBIDO, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, LUPUS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY are conditions caused by prolonged chronic dehydration.  They will clear up once the body becomes well and regularly hydrated.  In these conditions, exercising one's muscles should be part of the treatment program.  

With this information, you can begin to do your own research regarding water and how increasing your intake significantly can benefit your health.  More information can be found at www.watercure.com   Dr. Batmanghelidj has researched this field of study for many years and I believe he is a reliable source of information.  Please check out his website on your journeys around the web and see what you can learn.  Clean, pure water is a very inexpensive way to improve and maintain health.  It's worth looking in to!

Blessings to you as you seek out your health!

If you are looking for a good source for high quality and/or whole food supplements, please go to Supplements For Living Well  on the web.  

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The Most Important Key in Maintaining Good Health

As I was taking my daily walk, I began thinking about some of the things that I wanted to share with my readers today.  It always amazes me with regard to complexity and wondrous ability the physical body has to just go through its day to day functioning.  I reflected back on all the studying that I have done over the last four or five years in the natural health field. I remembered different books that I've read, lessons that I've learned and people that I've learned from, but what has impressed me most is the incredible capacity that the human body has to simply live.  Our bodies have been programmed on many levels to stay healthy...in fact there was a quote that I read at one point which stated that if the body is allowed to do what it is created to do, you can't beat health off with a stick!  So if that is the case, then why do we get sick?

In all reality, our bodies are very complex chemical laboratories which have one purpose...to live and to do whatever is necessary in order to maintain homeostasis.  Our bodies have redundant back up systems that kick in when our primary systems are compromised; they regulate minute changes in hormone levels, changes in brain chemistry and digestion...however even with that said, when our bodies have to go to those back up systems, it is not without a price.

But as I thought back over so much of my life and how often I never thought about the impact that certain behaviors would have on my health, in the whole scheme of things, the primary tool that I realized we have been given to remain in good health is something that we don't think about very often.  It works behind the scenes and we hardly aware of its existence until it is overwhelmed....that tool is our IMMUNE SYSTEM.

Our immune system is as important to our good health and longevity as oil is to an automobile.  It is the system the good Lord gave us to fight off the many germs, bacteria and viruses that are in the environment we live in.  We don't think about it, but when we overload our bodies with toxins and negative emotions, don't give it the proper rest or nutrition, don't drink enough water or exercise enough, we begin to overload our immune system...creating an environment that it cannot overcome, resulting in disease and sickness.  If our immune systems are operating at peak efficiency, we can fend off a host of diseases and stay healthy.  Although you don't think that a public health organization would recognize something that the natural health community has been aware of for many years, I was amazed to read that even the Center for Disease Control has begun to link disease with the emotions related to stress. “Up to 90 percent of the doctor visits in the USA may be triggered by a stress-related illness.”  


If we maintain a healthy immune system, we can avoid many of the diseases that lead to difficulty later in life.  Diseases like cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease can be avoided if we do what we need to do to keep our immune system healthy.  So...you may be asking...what are the things that I can watch for to maintain my immune system? Here is a list of things that you can research.  I have provided the links to good articles and from there you can search in other places to increase your understanding of this subject.  This is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you a good start.   

• Stress -The body responds to stress by releasing stress hormones, such as epinephrine (also called adrenaline) and cortisol (also called hydrocortisone). The body produces these stress hormones to help a person react to a situation with more speed and strength. Stress hormones increase blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. Small amounts of stress are believed to be beneficial, but chronic (persisting or progressing over a long period of time) high levels of stress are thought to be harmful (1).

• Image via WikipediaAnger - A study from Harvard School of Public Health studied hostility in men and found that those with higher rates of hostility not only had poorer pulmonary functioning (breathing problems), but experienced higher rates of decline as they aged.  

• Ruminating - Rumination is comprised of two separate variables - reflection and brooding.  The reflection part of rumination can actually be somewhat helpful - reflecting on a problem can lead you to a solution.  Also, reflecting on certain events can help you process strong emotions associated with the issue.  however, rumination in general, and brooding in particular, are associated with less proactive behavior and more of a negative mood.  

• Vitamin D - Recent medical research indicates human daily requirements for vitamin D may be up to 10 times more than what is currently recommended. Proper vitamin D supplementation gives one a much better chance of preventing many major illnesses such as, but not limited to: Heart Disease, Hypertension, Arthritis, Chronic Pain, Depression, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Obesity, Premenstrual Syndrome, Muscular Weakness, Fibromyalgia, Crohns Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune Illness, and Cancer.

• Image via WikipediaNon Processed Foods - Many high quality, non-processed foods are both inexpensive and highly nutritious, while others do cost a bit more but can go a long way toward healing your body of chronic inflammation and boosting your immune system naturally, without resorting to either supplements or drugs.

• Chronic Inflammation:  According to Donnie Yance, clinical master herbalist and certified nutritionist, chronic conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease have a strong link with chronic inflammation, which promotes the production of free radicals
• Dietary Guidelines:  a good diet that consists of whole food, low toxicity and promotes a more alkaline pH level will help to avoid many of the obstacles that lead to ill health.  Eating smart and eating with the goal of good health in mind helps to minimize the obstacles many individuals build up over a lifetime of creating acidity in their bodies.

Scripture also has a lot to say about health and maintaining our bodies so that we can fulfill our life purpose.  Here are a few scriptures taken from the book of Proverbs:

•  Proverbs 14: 30                                                                                                                          A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy and wrath are as rottenness of the bones.

• Proverbs 13: 12                                                                                              Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

• Proverbs 3: 7-8

          Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord, and turn [entirely] away         from evil.  It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.

Image via Wikipedia

• Proverbs 16: 24

          Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.

• Proverbs 17: 22

          A happy heart is a good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

I believe that the side of good health which can be gained from attitude and a hopeful, positive mental state can be summed up in this verse, which is one of my favorites:

 Image via Wikipedia

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Hopefully this information has provided you a good start to an overall healthy lifestyle.  Often, making changes like this is easier said than done, but it is important to remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  Small, consistent changes over time will result in reaching a goal of good health.  I wish you all the best as you begin and maintain your journey.

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Vitamin D3, It Just Isn't About Milk Anymore

Now that we are approaching Spring, it seems that I am reading more and more articles about the benefits of Vitamin D.  It makes me wonder why the articles are coming out now, rather than during the Fall or Winter months when most people really need to increase their intake of Vitamin D3.  I suppose the answer to that would be that in Spring we tend to see more sunlight and sunlight is a natural source of Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is a fat-soluable vitamin, with its main role to help the body absorb calcium.  


According to the Environmental Illness Resource (www.ei-resource.org):

"The less sunlight you are exposed to during the winter month, the more likely you are to develop SAD to some degree. This is because sunlight helps to regulate a multitude of hormones and neurotransmitters that control the body clock and have strong effects on mood and behaviour. Two of the main players are melatonin and serotonin. When the sun goes down the pineal gland signals the production of melatonin to increase, which in turn signals the body that it is time to sleep. In the morning when sunlight enters the eye, the pineal gland signals production of melatonin to decrease and that of serotonin to increase. Serotonin wakes us up and keeps us in a good mood, bringing emotional stability and allowing us to see the sunny side of life! Sunlight hitting bare skin is also very important. The body requires sunlight on the skin to be able to produce vitamin D, which has important mood modulating properties of its own, as well as playing a role in influencing other important chemicals."


Vitamin D therefore has a big part in regulating our emotional well being and in turn, our outlook on life.  The farther away from the equator we live, the less sunlight we are exposed to.  Yes, ordinarily when we grow up in a certain environment we become acclimated to that place but in this day and age people move frequently and often move great distances which has an effect on their bodies.  For example, I had a friend once who moved to Eastern Washington from Georgia, where he had lived all his life.  Within three years he decided to move back to Georgia because he could not acclimate to the dry climate.  He didn't like the dry skin, his sinuses were dry and he was sick quite often.  Now, when I go to Georgia or Florida or anywhere on the South Eastern coast, I literally suffer extensively from the high humidity and heat because I live and have grown up in a much more dry climate.  I can't imagine that I would even last a year, let alone three years in a climate like that.  It is the same with sunlight.  There are those who need the sunlight extensively so migrate South in the wintertime if they live in the Northern parts of the United States.  With the advancement of light technology, others purchase light boxes and spend time with them each day in order to increase their production of Vitamin D.  The older we get, the more we need to pay attention to our exposure to sunlight since we tend to be inside more due to work, illness or disabilities as we age.


Healthy levels of Vitamin D help fight off depression and inadvertently help with anxiety as well.  The reason I say inadvertently is due to its effects on blood sugar, which when high can increase levels of anxiety.  Our bodies are extremely complex creations and the combination of what is necessary to keep them functioning precludes the idea that vitamins, minerals and other forms of supplementation tend to work in a vacuum.  One thing effects another which effects another.  Although I support the use of supplements, my main caution to my readers would be to ask this question:  Why do I need the supplement?  We tend to be a pill popping population and don't ask why we need to take them.  In optimum health, our bodies work quite well and if they don't, there is a reason.  Treating the symptom isn't always the first course of action.  The first thing to ask is why is my body behaving like this?  


Healthy blood calcium levels are also maintained through healthy levels of Vitamin D in the body.  Blood calcium levels effect the nervous system, blood pH,  bone density and enable the body to use calcium efficiently.  Our bodies are programmed to live and they have many backup systems that kick in when things go wrong.  For example, when we eat a diet high in the wrong kinds of fats, if we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, it puts stress on the liver and the gall bladder.  If the gall bladder doesn't have the proper amount of plant sodium (not sodium chloride or table salt) it is unable to keep the pH levels in our digestive tract at the proper levels.  The backup system for that is to pull calcium from the bones...which eventually leads to osteoporosis.  So, when one has osteoporosis, it is not necessarily a lack of calcium, it can be a lack of plant sodium which we can get from any celery stick, which then results in calcium loss to the largest calcium holding organ in the body...the skeleton.  The question of why is an important one because if you understand why something is happening, you can get to the appropriate cause and correct it.  


As mentioned above, Vitamin D3 has an effect on blood sugar.  Although it seems that more research needs to be done on this subject, it is suggested that there is a correlation between the level of vitamin D3 in a person's body and glucose tolerance and/or insulin secretion, especially when they are diabetic.  


Image by Pink Sherbet Photography via FlickrSo where do we get Vitamin D3?  The most obvious place is from the sun.  We want to work with our body's natural mechanisms as much as possible.  When we are outside, we are exposed to the sun and most likely we are moving our bodies which is healthy as well.  Why do you think that there is a correlation between how much we exercise and how strong our bones are?  It is because when we have healthy Vitamin D3 levels promoted by sunlight, calcium is more efficiently appropriated by our body and our bones become healthier.  Take a hint from our feline friends....they make an appointment with a sunny spot several times a day and you don't hear about cats with osteoporosis.  I know, that may be simplistic but it makes the point!


Other places to get Vitamin D is from mackerel, salmon, tuna, cod liver oil and beef liver, however if liver is used as the solitary source you would have to eat eight slices a day according to the USDA.  Just as a matter of personal opinion, I can't imagine doing that!  Milk is another source, however it is only fortified with 100 IU per cup or 25% of the RDA.  The National Institute of Health says only 29% of men and 17% of women are able to satisfy their daily Vitamin D needs through diet alone.  Some of that could be because of the nutritional deficiency in our food these days, but that is a story for another time.  


Image by lazybone83 via FlickrI would also suggest that in the place of natural sunlight, that you bring natural light, full spectrum light, into your home.  Replace as many light bulbs as possible with full spectrum light bulbs...especially the bulbs over the bathroom vanity.  Women especially tend to spend time at the vanity putting on their makeup, doing their hair and other necessary functions.  Why not use that time being exposed to full spectrum light?  If this doesn't do the job, then purchase a light box and use it daily.  If you can't find one locally, a company called Full Spectrum Solutions has them.  www.fullspectrumsolutions.com


According to Veggie Fitness:   Vitamin D Boosts Your Immune System.Not only does Vitamin D play a key role in our immune function, it also helps us fend off autoimmune diseases and illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis. Vitamin D helps keep the harmful T-helper 1 cells low, these cells attack our immune systems. 


Although I realize that soy products have become a notable form of protein for individuals, I would caution their use because they also contain a large amount of plant estrogen.  According to the Weston A Price Foundation: 


"Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth. Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys."


Needless to day, Vitamin D3 levels need to be paid attention to.  As a counselor, I work with individuals who suffer from depression as well as other forms of emotional disturbance so as part of their treatment, I tend to send them to their Primary Care Physicians asking that their Vitamin D levels be checked.  When we are depressed, there is a darkness that settles over our lives and it is hard to peek around the curtain to see what life should be like.  If our neurotransmitters are not functioning at optimal levels, it will be difficult for us to benefit from or even achieve a positive outlook on life.  If you work indoors extensively, live in an area that doesn't get a lot of sunlight or you are not outdoors to get your 15 - 20 minutes of sun exposure daily, I would encourage you to check out your Vitamin D3 levels and see if you need some supplementation or a lifestyle change.  Just remember that supplementing at levels approaching or exceeding 10,000 IU daily needs to be monitored by a healthcare professional.

For a high quality, whole food Vitamin D3 supplement, visit my website at www.supplements4livingwell.com

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