So… what is the hype about Vitamin D???

I am so glad you asked!

I have started ordering this on all of my patients, as I really feel that when Vitamin D levels are optimal; people feel so much better!!

You know how you feel when you go out in the sun for the day, it just gives you great energy and attitude….well that seems to happen when vitamin D levels are optimized by the right type of supplementation!

Vitamin D has long been recognized as vital to bone health because the body needs the vitamin to absorb calcium. Recent research confirms that D may be essential for a wide range of conditions including, prevention of colon cancer, diabetes, fatigue, muscle weakness, breast cancer, fibromyalgia, and generalized weakness as we age.  Research has also recently shown us that with age our skin becomes less productive at allowing sunlight to produce Vitamin D, making a deficiency more pronounced, putting us at risk for fatigue, weakness and cancer.

Vitamin D was researched at Harvard Medical School and published in the May issue of Archives in Internal Medicine.  Researchers collecting data from over 10,500 women over ten years found that those that had a consistent intake of vitamin D and Calcium had a 30 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer. 

One of the most interesting functions of Vitamin D is its ability to down-regulate hyper-proliferative cell growth. Cancer cells that have a vitamin D receptor often respond to Vitamin D, by decreasing their growth, thus reducing the risk of cancer proliferation.

So what can vitamin D do for you?

Þ      Help prevent a growing list of chronic diseases, including Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, and ovarian cancer.

Þ      Help keep your bones and teeth strong and healthy

Þ      Regulate the growth and activity of your cells

Þ      Reduce inflammation and help with chronic pain

Þ      Promote energy and strength       

How can we get more Vitamin D?

Þ      Salmon, sardines, shrimp, milk, cod, cheese, and eggs (sockeye salmon containing the most)

Þ       Exposure to sunlight supplies us the majority of Vitamin D our bodies require.   Dark skinned people require about 10-15 times exposure to the sun to get the same effect as lighter skinned people. Aim for 20 min, three times weekly in early morning sun, exposing face and as much of your body as possible (summer times most effective) – this will only work in the non-winter months!

Þ      Supplement (which is crucial at all ages) with Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). The type of “D” is crucial. I recommend D3 which comes from fish oil and is found in eggs, organ meats, animal fat, cod liver oil and fish. It is equivalent to the vitamin D formed on our skins from UV-B sunlight.  The dose for younger and older adults is 1000 IU daily.  This amount may need to be increased if your blood level is too low. We carry this type of Vitamin D in our office and it’s very reasonable for a three month supply!

Testing for Vitamin D levels?

The best marker for vitamin D is a blood test called 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D. This test should be run for those that are in a higher risk category as mentioned above or have problems getting enough sun exposure (all of us in the winter) and those that have chronic pain, fatigue or loss of strength.

Ask your medical provider for a vitamin D test, I order them routinely at my office in the winter, as do the medical physicians and practitioners in my office. Get back to a “D-Manding” diet and get your health on the right track!

Best to your health and wellness!

Nisha

Now that I am seeing patients again in my private office located next to Ventana Wellness, I am reminded of the significance that balancing hormones really has.

When you think of estrogen alone having 200 functions in the body, it’s no wonder that when our hormones are whacky, we feel terrible.

I am also daily stunned at the number of women who really don’t know where to begin in their quest to get balanced, or even how important their hormones are in helping them feel normal again!

Oprah, Suzanne Somers, Christiane Northrup, Robin McGraw, and many more have spent a great deal of time promoting this area of medicine.  I am grateful beyond belief that we have powerful, strong, women standing up and supporting the need for hormone testing, bio-identical

hormones, and individualized care.  I believe that this is what women need today to reverse the negative aging effects on their bodies, improve their mood, help them drop pounds, sleep better, think better, revive their sex lives, and hundreds of other physical, emotional, and mental benefits.

There is hope for women who are tired of getting the same old answer; “It’s not your hormones, it’s just that you are getting older.” It may take me a lifetime to make sure that every woman knows that there is a better way to be treated, especially the women who have suffered – because their doctor doesn’t have the knowledge about the importance of bio-identical hormones, natural supplements, diet for weight loss, and stress management strategies to get the adrenals kicked back into gear…. But… I will do my best to make a difference in women’s lives and the lives of those around them, so that we can move this wonderful body of medicine to the forefront.

Here’s to Balance and Light! Nisha

I am reminded daily of the importance of whole body/mind balance. Conducting periodic “tune-ups” is so key to alleviating nagging symptoms that just do not seem to want to leave no matter how hard you will them to depart!

Last week I worked with a woman who had gained seven pounds over the holidays. She had worked so hard to get her weight off prior to the holidays, and she was feeling like a total failure. I met with her and she was so distraught about the fat around her middle, her low energy, and of course, the cravings that were out of control. Sugar, sugar, sugar!

I gave her the following advice:
1. She needed 72 hours without sugar, or bread/starch/flour products, and to eat every 4 hours during the day.
2. I instructed her to add a supplement called 5HTP to her bedtime regime for stress control and cravings and better sleep, and to make sure she was getting the basic supplements, i.e. calcium-magnesium, B-Complex, and ginseng for energy.
3. I encouraged her to begin adding more lean protein to her diet at each meal, and to eat as many veggies as she could possibly get down daily. (Not potatoes!)
4. Lastly, I had her “hit the pavement” again with her daily power walking, to start back into easy weight lifting with just three simple things daily: 20 push-ups, 50 sit ups and 25 deep-leg lunges. And….
5. Call me in a week.
She took me seriously and did the Slap Me Into Shape Post-Holiday Plan!

She called today and reported that she felt 100% better, had lost 3 pounds, her cravings were under control and she wasn’t snapping at her husband. She felt better about herself, and most of all, she was back in the saddle and feeling great.

This simple game plan reminded me of how important it is to keep re-aligning yourself with what your body needs and craves. Keep re-dedicating yourself to doing the right things that provide the strength and endurance we need to be the incredible women we are.

The dynamic force we transmit when we are balanced ripples to all the people around us. We know this, and we know that energy from others affects us also. It should really call all of us to take a closer look at what we are doing that is and isn’t beneficial for our TOTAL mind and body balance!

I am going to remember how little it takes to get back on track and continue to share this with women who feel that they have lost hope to be who they need to be physically, emotionally and mentally!