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Old 04-03-2008, 11:03 AM   #1 (permalink)
 
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Feeling pale and tragic? Take Vitamin D

Feeling pale and tragic? Take Vitamin D
By Jeanné McCartin

April 03, 2008 6:00 AM
"It's spring — glorious spring," she said with a manic tone to her voice.
The calendar backs her up. The weather — not so much.
She put her head down on my kitchen table, then rhythmically and repeatedly lifted it a few inches and dropped it back to the surface. "I - can't — take - it — one- more - day," she said. "Sun. I need sun. Vitamin D!" she said as she lifted her head, grabbed my shirt and pulled me within inches of her crazed looking visage. "I'm going to hijack a plane to Florida. I swear I am!"
Looking into my friend's eyes I believed her. Looking out at yet another gray, overcast day, I offered to help.
After a few cups of mellow tea we calmed down and decided there was no way we'd get away with it — and prison promised even less rays. Besides, the way most of my friends are acting these days we'd probably have to stand in a roped-off, "hijackers'" waiting-line till our number was called. There's more than theft in the faces of the people around me — of those who show their faces at all. There are some who are just staying indoors waiting for the yellow orb to re-emerge.
So, what is it about the sun? Well, many things really. But as my friend pointed out there's Vitamin D, so we'll take a look at that one.
How much does a lack of D contribute to the "winter whackies?" That's still being debated and investigated, but there's plenty of research to indicate it's a contributor. Research also shows we're deficient — many of us very much so. And a lack of D does more than make us moody, there are a number of health ramifications.
Amy Coombs, family nurse practitioner and owner of Whole Life Health Care, an integrative medical practice in Newington, says it's simple. We in New England are prone to D depletion; we live in a part of the county without year-round adequate sun — the major source of the vitamin.
"You can get it from some foods, but more so from the sun," she says.
Her own practice drives the point home.
"I'm trying to check everyone that comes through the door and what I've found is 98 percent are deficient. It's amazing. I've had three normals in a month."
A lab defines a "normal" D reading at 32 units or above. "But research shows it should be about 40," says Coombs. "Anything below 20 is a vitamin deficiency. ...; We're seeing a lot below 20. Of the 98 percent that are abnormal I bet 60 percent or more are critically low, below 20, and that's where the research shows it impacts health."
The impacts are numerous.
"It can increase the risk of bone loss and cause a lack of absorption of calcium, which then increases the risk of fracture. And it increases the risk of cancer — that's what the newer studies coming out (show)," she says. "And they're still coming up with more areas that seem to be problems, such as mood disorders and heart disease."
More recent studies show low levels of D may be linked to multiple sclerosis, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease. Still another links it to dermatitis. "It's kind of an interesting phenomenon."
And yes, D appears linked to depression. An article in WebMD quotes Reinhold Vieth, Ph.D., a vitamin D lead researcher at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, as saying his research showed an improvement in depression with an increase in Vitamin D levels.
"It appeared that instead of feeling worse in the winter, they actually felt better with the supplements," he said.
In another WebMD article, John Cannell, M.D., who heads the Vitamin D Council, and is a staff psychiatrist at Atascadero State Hospital in California, says D is effective because "it increases levels of the (chemical) serotonin in the brain." Many antidepressant medications work the same way.
Coombs thinks D is linked to mood disorders, which have increased over the years. It could be in part to less sun exposure in general she says. First we simply don't go outside much. And these days when we do we cover up or use sun block — which just happens to block the light you need for Vitamin D.
So where to go from here? "The first thing is get your levels checked by your primary care provider," says Coombs. "Anyone (with numbers) under 20 needs to be treated aggressively. That's a pro-active thing to do. ...; once you get it up then you're at a point where you just maintain."
"I also recommend you get at least 30 minutes of sunlight — uninterrupted — a few times a week."
And that sun block issue? Coombs says most dermatologists support the 30 minutes block-free rule.
There are foods that supply Vitamin D. Oily fishes are good. There are D-fortified foods, such as milk, some cereals and juices.
The top food source is fish liver oils — a tablespoon of cod liver oil will provide 1,360 IU (international units) according to WebMD. Fatty fish are next: herring, 3 ounces, 1383 IU; catfish, 3 ounces 425 IU; salmon comes in at 3.5 oz at 360 IU, followed by mackerel, sardines, tuna and eel. For the vegan there are mushrooms. A half a cup can provide more than 2,700 of vitamin D2 if exposed to just 5 minutes of UV light after being harvested. A whole egg provides 20 IU.
Numbers on how much D one should take a day vary, but run between 800 and 1000 IU daily, "especially given the area we live in," says Coombs. But age and individual levels may indicate differently. Get it checked to be sure; just might end the head banging.

SOURCE LINK: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/p...030328/-1/LIFE
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"under exposure to UV rays is as dangerous as overexposure....this is D life" eileen


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