OAKFORGE COMMUNITIES-LAKES & WOODS

I learned something recently I wanted to share about Vitamin D deficiency.

   The most common  cause is lack of sunlight, but can be caused from certain disorders. It can cause muscles/bone to become weak/painful and they have fatigue. Infants can develop rickets-the skull is soft, bones grow abnormally, and inflants are slow to sit and crawl. Blood tests and sometimes xrays are done to confirm the diagnosis. From birth infants should be given vitamin D supplements because breast milk contains little vitamin D, vitamin D supplements can be taken by mouth or given my injection usually result in a complete recovery. Almost no one consumes enough Vitamin D from foods to prevent vitamin D deficiency when exposure to sunlight is inadequate. The skin forms less Vitamin D in darker skin people, older people and people who use sunscreen. In older people this can cause bone fractures from only slight jarring or a minor fall if it continues too long and leads to osteoporosis (decreased bone density). Some people consume so little vitamin D in their diet that over the counter vitamin D of 400 units per day does not prevent the deficiency. Some people need a Dr.'s prescription of vitamin D in order to have a normal level, if they are not able to get enough sun.  Vitamin D can be found in fatty fish such as herring, tuna and salmon, fish liver oils, etc. and also in fortified milk and cereal.  This is from www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch154/ch154j.html. Also, according to www.wikipedia.com , Vit D deficiency can lead to restless leg syndrome,and this feeling of twitching, tickling and feeling like worms in legs keeps waking the person up frequently in the night so they can' t get restful stage 4 sleep, and so they get sleep deprivation which causes short term memory loss and cognitive difficulties such as difficulty thinking, problem solving, knowing, learning etc. This can all be prevented with either getting enough sunlight, or a blood test to diagnose low vitamin D and a Dr.'s prescription for vit d supplement (stronger than over the counter).

Wow! Great research.  My wife and I have been looking into all kinds of things about vitamin D since she was told a couple of years ago that she needed to get more into her system.  We tried the fish oil tabs and I believe she is still on them, they made me burp and the result was less than attractive for the folks that shared my space at the time.  Also since older age has kind of set in on my part I have been diagnosed with questionable sugar levels, she looked into Cinnamon as an addition to the vitamin suplements and that has truly helped.  See it's the little things like this that can help us all keep healthy.  Flowers, I believe I know who you are.  Would you be willing to do an article in our newsletter on health issues?  Of course we couldn't prescribe anything but merely offer suggestions for a healthier life style.  If you want it, it is yours. 

J Drew,

   I could do the article on Vit D, and also I have some information on fatty acid analysis and diet/supplements. There is a diagnostic fatty acid analysis lab that claims that 'the number of diseases whose clinical course can be affected by fatty acid therapy is huge, including inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, hormonal disorders, auto-immune disorders, arthritides, mental and behavioral disorders, and many cases of senile neurological degeneration. Only very recently has laboratory analysis achieved the level of sophistication necessary for health-care providers to  provide precise supplementation based of a patient's biochemical individuality.' I don't know if this lab can actually do what they claim, but if so they could help a lot of people. Most of what they recommend is only dietary changes. I have a 15 page paper on it that someone could have if they are really interested and maybe give it to their Dr. to check into. They say that fatty ocean fish such as salmon, herring, tuna, mackeral, wild trout and fish oils are big inflammation fighters and contain the fatty acid EPA/DHA. Their phone number is 1-800-522-4762.  How long would you like the article and who do you want me to turn it in to?                                                                                                

     I

OK, don't know if you have saved any of the past newsletters, but if we can keep most articles down to three to four paragraphs, that is a good thing.  Wish I could tell you the amount of words but can't without getting into it pretty deep.  Might be best to start out with an itro article with one or two basic tips, like:  Did you know that by eating brocolli you can lower your whatever by 6 points.  Something like that and then a small article describing what results they can obtain by making subtle changes in their diet/lifestyle.  If you wish, name the column like we did with the "From the Kitchens of Oakforge" .  Really I think this could be a good thing.  Something if you choose to do that could actually help all of us.  A little research and an article every third month or so would be a welcome addition to our publication.