Vitamin D is necessary for building and maintaining healthy bones. The primary component of bone is calcium, which can only be absorbed when vitamin D is present. When you are out in the sun your body makes vitamin D and converts into the active form, calciferol. The catch is you will only make Vitamin D when your shadow is shorter than your height.

Now with everyone screaming that you should wear sunscreen when you are outside, most people are not getting any Vitamin D from the sun! Not to mention, people are staying inside more than what we use to. Kids aren’t allowed to play outside freely anymore.

Vitamin D affects vital functions of your body other than bone health.

• Immunity- Vitamin D receptors are found all over the body, including the immune cells. Research shown that vitamin D deficiency is part of the seasonal nature of cold and flu outbreaks.

• Cognitive Function– In the past few years, many studies have linked shortage of vitamin D with cognitive impairment in older men and women and very low levels of vitamin D are at twice the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Mood- Low levels of vitamin D have long been associated with a higher incidence of depression.

• Muscles- One of the byproducts of vitamin D’s breakdown, helps with contraction and relaxation of the muscle and in turns makes muscles stronger.

• Lungs- Vitamin D plays a role in keeping our lungs healthy due to vitamin D possessing a range of anti-inflammatory properties.

• Heart- Research has demonstrated an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels in the blood and high blood pressure. In other words, the lower the vitamin D, the higher the blood pressure.
  

• Kidneys-Because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it helps to regulate kidney function and plays a very beneficial role in treating kidney disease.

• Weight Loss- When you don’t have enough vitamin D, you feel hungry all the time, no matter how much you eat. That is because low levels of vitamin D interfere with the effectiveness of leptin, the appetite hormone that tells you when you are full.

Where can you get Vitamin D?

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. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. 

In our office we sell a Vitamin D supplement. Finding a good supplement that has cholecalciferol (D3) in it is key to absorption because the body already has D3 in the body and is more effective.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic care looks at whole body health. When you see a chiropractor you should be concerned with how your body is functioning, rather than wanting to chase pains. Pain is a symptom of something that isn’t functioning properly. Whether it is from a misalignment of the spine, a vitamin deficiency, a food allergy or something else, chiropractors want to find out what the cause is.

If you have any questions on what chiropractic can help you with give me or a chiropractor near you a call! Chiropractic is very effective at managing pain, but all chiropractors are wanting to keep you healthy and functioning at the best you can! Think about putting chiropractic into your life as a lifestyle. (Which usually only consists of once a month adjustments, keeping your diet healthy and reaching all your personal lifestyle goals.)

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036