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August 15, 2009
The Hormone You Probably Need More Of
Hi ,
What hormone regulates your immune system and protects you from cancer, type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis? This same hormone is critical to over 2000 pathways in your body. And yet this hormone level is low in most Americans because of our lifestyle. What hormone is this - Vitamin D. We have always thought of Vitamin D as a vitamin, but actually it is a hormone formed by your body by combining cholesterol and sunlight in your skin cells.
We were designed to get sunlight exposure over our skin surface for some amount of time every day...a minimum of 20 minutes exposure over our entire body surface (twice as much if you have dark skin). The exact amount of light exposure is actually responsible for all the different skin colors of the people of the world. Anthropologists have shown that the entire human species began in central Africa and spread out from there. The high intensity of sunlight at the equator caused the development of black skin to prevent over-exposure to sunlight. As humans expanded more toward the poles the sunlight got weaker so the skin color got lighter to allow more sunlight to penetrate down into the skin in order to form more Vitamin D. This happened over hundreds of generations, but even now we see this effect in summer when we develop a tan to reduce sunlight penetration and excess Vitamin D production.
This is not most people's problem. Most people have just the opposite problem - not enough sunlight. We spend our lives indoors or in cars. Glass blocks the Vitamin D producing rays of the sun. And now in a special insanity we have taken to wearing sunscreen to make sure we never produce any Vitamin D at all. Consequently we are deficient in the hormone Vitamin D.
Why are we wearing sun blocker? Sunlight in the right amounts does not cause skin cancer. In fact it actually is our best prevention from the most deadly skin cancer - Melanoma. But as the variety of human skin colors demonstrates, too much sun can be a problem. Excess sun - specifically when it burns you - can lead to basil cell cancer. Dark skin protects the basil cell layer of the skin from excess sunlight. This is one of those profoundly well known principles that we try to ignore - moderation in all things. Everything in the body is about balance. Everything has to be in the right amounts. Too little water and you die. Too much water and you also die. Everything needs to be in the right amounts and time.
Sunlight works the same way.
Here is a just released article on Vitamin D and calcium as a preventative for 75% of breast and colorectal cancers.
For the last 80 years Vitamin D was thought to only be concerned with calcium absorption to prevent rickets. Consequently the levels of Vitamin D recommended were the minimum levels needed to prevent rickets (around 400 IU). Now that we know just how crucial Vitamin D is for so many of our body's systems the estimate of how much Vitamin D we need each day is being raised by 500% to a 1000%. Fortunately Vitamin D is easily taken as a supplement. I take 2000 IU of D3 (the type you want to use) each day. I tested myself with a lab blood test first for Vitamin D levels and found I had only half of what I should have. I suggest you have your blood Vitamin D levels tested also. If you need it I can write you a prescription for the lab work.
Even better is to get out and make your own Vitamin D. Start out with only 5 minutes of full sun exposure and gradually work up to the 20-minute level. Whatever you do, do not stay out so long that you burn. It is the genetic damage created by the burn that sets you up for skin cancer of the basil cell type. Do not wash off your skin after your sun exposure for several hours, as the Vitamin D formed in the skin will have to gradually soak in to the blood stream level. A quick dip in the pool will simply wash your Vitamin D away. Come winter at this latitude the sun is not strong enough to do the job so supplementation will be necessary. Fortunately good quality D3 is readily available to us (the inferior D2 put into milk has little value).
Sunlight has been used as a therapeutic modality for thousands of years. It strengthens our immune system and helps us avoid many of the diseases that have become so prevalent since we became an indoor society. So get outside and soak up some hormones. Your body will thank you for it.
Good Journey,
David
Office Announcement!
Jennifer is returning for a week and a half during the last two weeks in August and is available to do massage at the office while she is here visiting. Call for your appointment early!
Health Challenge #14
Improve your eating environment.
Eating is an important activity for the health of your body. It is a very complex process that changes food into energy and replacement parts for the maintenance of your body. The part of your nervous system that is dedicated to this endeavor is called your parasympathetic nervous system. It is counter-balanced by its opposite, the sympathetic nervous system - your excitement/fight or flight stress coping system. When one side is up and running, the other is turned down and vice versa. This has profound implications. The part of your nervous system that controls digestion, maintenance, and repair shuts down when you are revved up and excited or stressed. That means the conversion of your food to into energy and replacement parts gets messed up. The food becomes a poison instead.
We have talked about the many poisons to avoid in your diet in this health challenge series. But even healthy, clean, organic food can become a poison if your digestive system can not work properly because you are stressed while you eat. For this reason the feeling environment you are in when you eat is very important. Mealtime must be a time of relaxation and peace so your parasympathetic nervous system can take over and maximize your digestion ability. Mealtime must be a happy time.
Turn off your TV. Put aside the paper. Sit down and relax. Enjoy your food and the company you are with. This will support your body as it engages the complexities of turning food into you.
If you missed any of the previous health challenges -
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Whale Watch:
Yeah, nothing much to say here on this front. I have managed to cut out the wheat once again, but the inflammatory response I kicked up at my son's wedding has not settled down yet. I am just walking forward.
David
Financial Health
While the health of our physical body is critical to our full participation in this world, so is our financial health. If we don't have the resources necessary, we can not buy the healthiest foods and lower the stress to healthy levels. I am always searching and trying different ways to build alternate income streams. One of the most promising I have found lately is this one. They seem to have all the bases covered that the many other programs I have been involved in missed. I will be starting this program and wanted to share what I will be doing with you. If it works out well you will certainly hear more about it from me.
David
Learn about this program here:
Ouestions - if you have questions of a health or growth nature we could discuss in this newsletter, or if you have comments or ideas about a future newsletter focus please email me at:
david@fairoakshealth.com
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