There has been a lot of press and diagnosing of vitamin D deficiency recently (at least I have seen a steady increase in my office of patients being told by their M.D. that they are vitamin D deficient). So, what are some of the common symptoms, what is causing the steady increase and what is the best supplement/way to resolve the problem? As for the common symptoms there are a thousand web sites to give that info so I am going to just share the ones I think are most accurate and relevant.

Symptoms of Bone Pain and Muscle Weakness

Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following:

• Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Cognitive impairment in older adults
• Severe asthma in children
• Cancer
• depression
• chronic fatigue
• weight loss
• diabetes
• heart disease
• stroke
• osteoporosis

Some of the common causes of deficiency are:

• Limited exposure to sunlight can also be the cause. This is very easy to treat. Just go out more. Everyone lathers up the sun screen to the point that they aren’t getting enough sun.
• Your kidneys cannot change vitamin D into its active form. This comes with age. The older you get, the harder it becomes for your kidneys to do this process.
• You are overweight. Vitamin D is absorbed by fat cells which can lead to low levels of vitamin D in your body. Lose some weight, because if you don’t your bones will become more fragile.
• If you have dark skin, you should be aware that melanin in your skin reduces skin’s ability to produce vitamin D. Take a vitamin D supplement.

How to Get Vitamin D

As discussed earlier the SUN

Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. The flesh of fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources [1,11]. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Vitamin D in these foods is primarily in the form of vitamin D₃ and its metabolite 25(OH)D₃ [12]. Some mushrooms provide vitamin D₂ in variable amounts.

Supplements, and not the kind you get at Costco as discussed in earlier blogs. Don’t get me wrong, I love Costco but not for your vitamins. There are numerous types and brands out there on the market. As always we recommend you get them from your doctor/chiropractor acupuncturist etc. In our office, we use a few different brands and which ever brand tests well for that patient is what we suggest. The dose again needs to be determined on an individual basis. In my office, we will dose out what the patient needs so they don’t get too much or too little.

I hope this helps clear up some of what you may be hearing in the media and from your M.D.

I have had a rush of questions lately about the risks and health benefits of Coconut Milk. A lot of people are concerned about the fat content. DON’T be! First, most people are too focused on the fat content when they should be more worried about the sugar content of things. Coconut milk, oil, etc., while high in fat, is 2/3 medium chain – which means it is pushed straight to the liver where it is readily used for immediate energy and doesn’t have a chance to be stored as fat. Bodybuilders have been using and looking for good sources of “medium chain” fats for years. I found a good description for you to read.

Benefits of Coconut Oil

Nearly 50% of the fatty acid in natural coconut oil is lauric acid, which converts to the fatty acid monolaurin in the body. Monolaurin has adverse effects on a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, fungi, and enveloped viruses. It [monolaurin] destroys the lipid membrane of such enveloped viruses as HIV, measles, Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), influenza and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The usefulness lauric acid/monolaurin in treating AIDS is currently under investigation. Lauric acid is a main component of human breast milk and helps protect children from illness during infancy.

Capric acid, which comprises another 7% of coconut oil fat content, also stimulates anti-microbial activity.

In other words: not only does coconut oil not cause heart problems, it is good for you. To quote Dr. Mary Enig: “The research over four decades concerning coconut oil in the diet and heart disease is quite clear: coconut oil has been shown to be beneficial.”(See endnote)

Coconut oil is a “functional food,” defined as a food that “provides a health benefit over and beyond the basic nutrients.”(See endnote) It is an immune-system enhancer.

For further reading: Mary G. Enig, Coconut: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century. Also the Center for Research on Lauric Oils, Inc.

A personal note as a new parent: my son will be turning 1 on the 10th of August. Most sources of course now say you need to put them on Whole Milk. I don’t think so! Unless you are getting Raw Milk, which unfortunately, can be difficult to come by depending on where you live, but that is a topic for another day. We are going to be adding good healthy amounts of Coconut Milk to his diet.

Questions, concerns, comments? Feel free to email us.