It is by far the most-talked about vitamin this year – with growing research proving that a Vitamin D deficiency can cause not only calcium deficiency (which can lead to osteoporosis), but other serious illnesses and hormone imbalances. So why all the fuss now? A study done in 2007 found a whopping 50% of women of childbearing age significantly deficient in Vitamin D and other research demonstrates a connection between cancer-survivors and adequate Vitamin D. Many of my patients have begun taking a separate Vitamin D supplement, as directed by their doctor, and those that aren’t are asking questions about what this mysterious vitamin is, how much we need, and how to know if we are getting enough.

De-Mystifying Your D

Vitamin D is a unique nutrient, which is actually considered a hormone rather than a vitamin, and therefore plays many important roles in the body. The most famous is its function to facilitate proper calcium absorption, thus promoting healthy bone mineralization and preventing osteoporosis. However, recent studies have shown that sufficient Vitamin D also plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy immune system, nervous system and endocrine system, while also preventing serious illnesses like cancer, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A deficiency may also be contributing to a couples inability to get pregnant, or other disruptions of hormone balance.

How Much Is Enough?

The only way to know if your body is struggling without enough Vitamin D, is to get your levels checked at your doctor’s office. Through a simple blood test, they can see the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD – aka “Vitamin D”) in your blood, which should be no less than 15 ng/mL (and ideally at 40 ng/mL). Based on your individual assessment, your health care provider can help you find the best plan to increase your Vitamin D levels to prevent illness and keep your body functioning at its best.

How to with Supplement Additional Vitamin D

The best way to get Vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight (see below), but there are some ways to incorporate the nutrient into your diet. However, the few foods that actually contain Vitamin D, do so in minimal amounts, making it especially difficult to maintain healthy levels without supplementation. Here is a list of foods with Vitamin D that you can play with:

• Salmon (especially wild-caught)
• Mackerel (especially wild-caught)
• Tuna Canned in Water
• Sardines Canned in Oil
• Milk (fortified with vitamin D)
• Egg Yolks
• Beef or Calf Liver
• Some Fortified Cereals

The appropriate dosage of a Vitamin D supplement is a controversial one. Research and medical doctors are safely using anywhere from 1,000 IU (international units) to 10,000 IU in adults. Dr. Andrew Weil and the Vitamin D Council are two reputable sources that agree on a 2,000 IU dose  (above and beyond a normal multi-vitamin, which commonly have between 200-600 IU) as safe for most adults between the ages of 15-70, and to increase that number if the individual has little to no sun exposure. The quality and the type of supplement you are taking also make a difference (ie: Vitamin D3 is most similar to that which we get from the sun, as opposed to D2), so it is important to discuss with your doctor and get a good recommendation.

The good news is you can’t over-produce Vitamin D from sun exposure or diet,  but careless supplementation can lead to toxicity in some cases. Vitamin D toxicity can present as fatigue, constipation, dizziness or heart palpitations. Medical professionals agree that while it is important not to have “too much of a good thing,” supplementing with Vitamin D is difficult to reach toxic levels. The amount of Vitamin D your body naturally produces after an hour of sun-exposure can reach levels of 15,000-25,000 IU, so there is little to be concerned about when supplementing with 1,000-2,000 IU per day. The best way to avoid toxicity is to get your nutrient levels checked to see if there is a need first.

Let The Sun-Shine On

It is true, that the sun is the most natural and potent way to get your fix of Vitamin D – at a much higher level than we can consume nutritionally. Best of all, you absolutely cannot overdose on Vitamin D this way. Your body knows exactly how and what from the ultraviolet rays to absorb through the skin to produce your nutritional quota. Of course, we all know the damage too much sun-exposure can cause separate and aside, so it is important to take certain precautions.

• Vitamin D absorbs best without sun screen, so don’t be afraid to sit out unprotected for 10 minutes each day before applying spf 15 or 30 lotion (note: always apply spf to your face, and be mindful if this recommendation is not a healthy choice for you, and use other ways to get Vitamin D)
• Adequate Vitamin D absorption may take longer in people with darker skin tones (up to an hour, say several sources), so these individuals may want to consider supplementing with another form of Vitamin D to prevent prolonged unprotected sun exposure.
• If you have fair skin, or a history of skin cancer, avoid unprotected sun exposure and get any Vitamin D needed from a supplement or dietary nutrition (plus some Vitamin D will absorb through sunscreens, just at a slower rate).
• Vitamin synthesizes slower through the skin as we age, so it is important to continually keep up on checking your nutritional levels. And don’t forget about seasonal changes! Research has shown that people living below the latitude of Los Angeles year-round are least likely to have a Vitamin D deficiency. So if you are a local New Yorker (like me), or other Northern Hemisphere resident, be mindful as that summer sun starts to set and your clothing becomes all that much thicker. You may need to adjust your Vitamin D intake in the winter.

Sun Safety

In the hot summer sun this year, it is important to protect your skin from the harmful sun rays if you are spending any length of time outside. Sunscreen is the best way to do this. It is recommended to either saturate your skin with an spf spray or use 2-3 Tbsp of lotion at a time, and to reapply every 2 hours or after swimming. Consumer reports listed the following as the best  and most effective sunscreens on the market right now:

• Up & Up Sport Continuous (Target),
• Walgreens Sport Continuous
• Banana Boat Sport Performance Continuous
• Aveeno Continuous Protection.

Leaving Your Analytical Mind at the Door

Although receiving a degree and license in traditional Chinese medicine means completing a rigorous four-year masters program, this ancient science is built on a foundation completely different from the one we grow up with in the Western world. Scientific algorithms and molecular biology will not serve to understand the complexities of something like acupuncture. The first step is leaving what we know to be true at the doorstep, in order to open up space for a second foundation to be built – one stemming from such eastern philosophies as Taoism and Confucianism. For this reason, acupuncture can be difficult to understand from a western medicine perspective. It is like trying to understand the flavor of an orange by eating at a pizzeria – an inappropriate model for comparison.

It has been said that acupuncture affects nerve communication, blood flow and conducts electrical impulses within the fascia muscle layer.  But, as I said, try and leave your analytical mind at the door. At the risk of sounding esoteric, acupuncture connects to the energetic pathways in the body known as meridians. These pathways are inherent in nature, and flow through every living thing (much like matter at its molecular level). They are typically unseen, and unfelt, yet ever alive and flowing with Qi – vitality.  Qi is what gives us life. Without it, there is no movement, no fullness and therefore no life. When Qi cannot flow smoothly, we feel it in the form of pain, illness or distress. Acupuncture directly manipulates the flow of Qi by way of the meridians of the body.

It’s All Connected

There are over 400 points on the human body throughout 12 different meridians, each with a specific function. Over the thousands of years that it took to develop Acupuncture, such functions were tested and agreed upon – having shown clinical efficacy based on experiential findings. Such findings were not based on disorders like “diabetes” or the ”flu,” because those labels were not yet invented at that time, but rather on individual pattern disharmony. Chinese medicine asks the question: “what does the person presenting with XYZ discomfort need?” not “what is the XYZ discomfort called so I can treat that.”  The latter form of question is more common within the Western medical model, which is in my opinion a strong case for the need to employ both models of care in public health for optimum results.

Back to the topic: how acupuncture works.  As I said, it is all connected. For example, if a person presents with knee pain it may be very beneficial to place needles at the knee joint to relieve it. However, needles placed on the elbow, low back or abdomen are also commonly used for strengthening the knee and depend on individual pattern differentiation. Likewise, several points around the knee are great for digestive problems, and often those points will be needled on individuals with no inherent knee pain at all. To understand how the energetic pathways run is to go to school for a very long time. To make sense of it otherwise, is to accept that there is plenty happening in life that we cannot see – not all that dissimilar from Western molecular biology.

The Web Around Us

Take cellular phones and the Internet. There are direct, real, pathways of communication between carrier towers and individual devices that are always open and able to travel at instantaneous speeds. We walk around among and through these pathways all day long - without knowledge of their existence except through the end result: our web browser working or receipt of a text message. When this system is slightly out of whack, the connection is lost and our devices malfunction. The pathways need to be re-opened and cleared so that proper functioning can occur. Imagine that the meridians in your body are the pathways and the commander keeping them open is the Qi. It is the job of an acupuncturist to open up such communication within the body, so there are no glitches.

Different People, Different Treatment

Unlike the technical support team looking for the predictable piece to fix an Internet malfunction, the human body is far  less predictable. The acupuncturist must look deep at individual constitutional patterns to develop proper and effective treatment. This takes time, a detailed history, and oftentimes ongoing treatment. Acupuncture works well alongside western medical treatments as it can offer great relief for side effects (as in Chemo Therapy) and without adverse reactions. It is also very beneficial for health maintenance (much like exercise), boosting the immune system, and can be used on a seasonal basis as preventative medicine once uncomfortable symptoms have resolved. Many people find that acupuncture is very relaxing, promoting an almost meditative state, an added bonus. 

To find out more how acupuncture can help you maintain or acheive your wellness goals, please contact me.