By Kerri Knox

Doctors and Dermatologists for the past several decades have been telling us that virtually any amount of sunlight exposure is terrible for us and that we are going to get skin cancer with even a small amount of exposure.

Dermatologists tell us that we need to wear sunblock and cover up our skin at all costs, yet we are finding that the lack of sunlight exposure is probably contributing to the rise of many chronic illnesses such as heart disease, many different cancers, musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, diabetes and other 'diseases of civilization'.

This lack of sunlight exposure has contributed to very widespread Vitamin D Deficiency across the western world. Now that researchers and doctors are learning more and more about Vitamin D Deficiency, they have begun checking people's Vitamin D Blood Levels.

Many of these researchers and doctors are shocked at what they have found. Dr. Elise Schroeder, a Naturopathic Doctor in Portland, Oregon has found that 100% of her clients are Vitamin D Deficient. In fact, her findings are no different than those of most researchers who are finding that deficiency, even in people who are 'healthy', is approximately 85% of the population!!

Turned around, this means that only 15% of the population does NOT have a severe Vitamin deficiency!

If you think that you aren't likely to be deficient, think again. Researchers found that even people living in Hawaii who got significant sunlight exposure were Vitamin D Deficient. And the vast majority of my clients are shocked to find out that they are deficient and can't understand how they got that way.

Nearly every day, people tell me, "But I eat healthy, take a multivitamin supplement and I go out in the sun, how did I get Vitamin D Deficient?"

But eating healthy has virtually NOTHING to do with it! You'd have to eat 6 to 10 ounces of fatty fish or 20 glasses of milk to meet your requirements. And supplements usually have a tiny 400 - 800 IU's of Vitamin D in them- not NEARLY enough to meet your daily requirements. And most people who are deficient and tell me that they go out in the sun everyday are living north of 37 degrees latitude. If you live this far North, you get ZERO Vitamin D from the sun from mid September to April- even if it is sunny and warm!!!

So, if you rely on diet and sunlight to get your Vitamin D, I can guarantee that you are deficient! Which puts you at higher risk for the 'Diseases of Civilization' that I mentioned above.

By Jared Hillman


Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common types of vitamin deficiency. This is a very special vitamin that we don't get from food, but instead, from sunlight. The rays of the sun trigger the process to produce vitamin D in our bodies. This deficiency most of the time gets unnoticed, but there are some vitamin D deficiency symptoms that are good to keep an eye on.

To understand the symptoms, it is good to know how vitamin D helps us: this vitamin is good to develop strong bones and muscles. A deficiency will affect both the muscles and the bones. When it is just starting out, it manifests in the form of aches and fatigue. Depending on the specific case and severity, these other symptoms may appear:

• Pain or tiredness in the muscles. This also translates as weakness; you'll feel more tired from doing activities such as climbing stairs.
• Bone pain problems. These tend to be more pronounced on the legs, back and hips.
• In children, this condition is more common. Children can develop curved legs if the condition is severe.
• Babies and children with severe vitamin D deficiency can experience cramps and respiratory problems. Parents need to be very alert of this condition.

Identifying the symptoms is very useful if you suspect you have a deficiency, however the best course of action you can take is prevention. The best way to prevent it is by walking a few minutes during the day. This way you'll keep your body generating vitamin D in healthy amounts.

If the condition appears to be more severe, doctors can recommend a series of treatments like the use of tablets or injections.

By R. Edward Jones


The benefits of Vitamin D are not much talked about in the press. That could be why most folks are unaware of the major benefits of Vitamin D. But please don't think that Vitamin D is not for you.

Vitamin D is another one of those fat soluble vitamins. Fat soluble means that Vitamin D (along with Vitamin A and E) are stored by your body.

Vitamin D is the only vitamin that your body can manufacture. Your body needs exposure to sunlight (without sunscreen) for this to occur.

Your body can also get benefits of Vitamin D from food sources or from supplements. Food sources of Vitamin D include cod liver oil, fatty fish like sardines, tuna or salmon, milk that is Vitamin D fortified and eggs.

However, most folks do not get the required amount of Vitamin D from their diet or exposure to sunlight.

Can't I Get the Benefits of Vitamin D from My Diet Alone

An article in the READER'S DIGEST titled "The Healing Vitamin" states that "Even with a healthy diet, you may be D-ficient (get it? D-ficient?)." The article argues that Vitamin D is not found in many foods and the foods that it is found in, people don't eat enough of.

In addition, folks are using sunscreen to keep the sun from damaging their skin. And even sunscreen with an 8 SPF cuts the UV rays necessary to make your Vitamin D to almost nothing.

An article in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION titled "Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults" points out the benefits of Vitamin D. It states that "low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia (comes before osteoporosis) and fractures."

This same article goes on to state that "most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone" and "pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements."

Benefits of Vitamin D in Preventing Osteoporosis

Another article appearing in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION titled "Osteoporosis, Prevention, Diagnosis and Therapy" tells us that "adequate calcium and vitamin D intake is crucial to develop optimal peak bone mass and to preserve bone mass throughout life."

The major benefits of Vitamin D is in enabling your body to use calcium and phosphorous. Without Vitamin D, your body cannot process the calcium in your diet and starts taking it from your bones.

In adults, this results in the bone disease called osteoporosis. In children, a severe Vitamin D deficiency causes what's called rickets.

Rickets is a softening of bones in children and is rare in the industrialized nations though.

An article in the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE titled "What Was Wrong With Tiny Tim" amusingly argues that Tiny Tim of the Charles Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol" fame is thought to have suffered from Rickets.

That's Not Very Funny

Although Rickets is rare in the industrialized world, osteoporosis is not. In the U.S. it is estimated that 10 million folks have osteoporosis. 18 million more have low bone mass making it highly likely that they too will eventually have this crippling disease.

Osteoporosis is a major health concern and major source of suffering for us older folks. It is estimated that one in two women and one out of every eight men over 50 years of age will have a fracture related to osteoporosis.

300,000 fractures of the hip, 700,000 fractures of the vertebrae, 250,000 fractures of the wrist and over 300,000 other fractures happen every year related to this disease.

Again, the major benefits of Vitamin D is that it enables your small intestine to absorb calcium from the foods you eat. Calcium is required by your muscles and nerves as well as for bone formation.

When your muscles and nerves are not getting enough calcium because of low Vitamin D levels, your body robs it from your bones.

Your bones then become porous and brittle. This does not happen overnight but over the course of your lifetime. That is why prevention of osteoporosis should begin at childhood. And making sure you get the benefits of Vitamin D along with an adequate supply of calcium is one way to do so.

Benefits of Vitamin D in Slowing Progression of Osteoarthritis

Another Osteo you say? Sorry! This time it's osteoarthritis (OA). This disease is a gradual deterioration of the cartilage in the joints. It is the most common form of arthritis.

Another of the benefits of Vitamin D is that it has been shown to lessen the severity of the pain and disability of this disease. The Arthritis Foundation has also reported on the link between low levels of Vitamin D and the increased progression of osteoarthritis of the knees.

Also, in an article in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION titled "Steps Toward Understanding, Alleviating Osteoarthritis Will Help Aging Population," we are advised that "preliminary results appear particularly strong for vitamin D."

Are There Other Benefits of Vitamin D? What About Vitamin D and Cancer?

More research is needed but preliminary studies have shown benefits of Vitamin D in areas such as high blood pressure, cancer of the colon as well as breast cancer and diabetes.

Can I Get My Benefits of Vitamin D Without Taking Too Much?

Dr Reinhold Vieth, Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto argues that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (birth to 50 years - 200 IU, 50+ years - 400 IU) may keep you from getting osteomalacia. But he feels more is needed to keep you from getting osteoporosis and secondary hyperparathyroidism.

In an article published in THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION, titled "Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and safety," he argues that our ancestors were "naked apes in tropical Africa (his words)." And as such they enjoyed full body exposure to the sun on a daily basis. This, he stated, could give them the equivalent of 10,000 IU every day (and possibly a severe sunburn - my words).

A Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) has been set by The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine. This is the level of Vitamin D that they suggest you do not exceed. The UL for infants 0 to 12 months old is 1000 IU. The UL for both children as well as adults is 2000 IU.

Studies done since 1997 suggest that the current UL is conservative and that Vitamin D is safe below levels up to as high as 10,000 IU.

Since multivitamins supply Vitamin D in doses of 400 to 800 IU as do the single supplements, you should feel more than safe getting your benefits of Vitamin D.

By Alitsa Neuyo


It is a well known fact that our body requires a specific intake of minerals and vitamins to remain in good health and work perfectly. The body can be supplied with the vitamins it requires through a maintained diet and healthy food, even then the body can become unhealthy and face problems, if the food you take doesn't provide it with the required vitamins, causing a deficiency in vitamins within the body. This can be observed at higher levels of deficiency of the required vitamins.

If someone faces loss of appetite or fells tired most of the time, it clearly indicates lack of vitamins A, B1 and B2. Other visible problems may be chapped lips, emotional and mental stress and more painful and troubling habits.

Though the causes of the deficiencies are many, the most common are stress, improper vitamin content, improper diet and consumption of medicines which obstruct vitamins. If the body does not receive the necessary vitamins everyday, a person tends to feel tired and less energetic. Usually supplements and vitamins will be prescribed by the physician if you consult one, under such circumstances. This will fulfill the required content of your body. It is also important to ensure that vitamins are not taken in excess than required, as this more likely harm your body. Some people try to make up for the deficiency by consuming extra vitamins; this is, however, not suggested.

Even if you are taking a proper diet, you will still be required to take supplements and vitamins. Eating healthy food doesn't imply that the required content of vitamins has been taken, so it is always suggested to take the required vitamins apart from that. These are a great alternative to make up for the missing minerals and nutrients which your diet might not fulfill.

The supplements and vitamins should be taken prior and after every meal. It is important for you to ensure that the body gets the required vitamins in case of any deficiency. Though you cannot really make out, but this deficiency highly effects your health and overall performance.

Supplements should always contain vitamins B6, B12, D, E, and folic acid. These supplements are quite effective in fighting cancer and also keep your heart healthy, apart from acting as a supplementary diet. All these combined make you feel more energetic and ensure a healthy and proper immune system.

Taking good care of your body is important. To ensure this you might have to spend some money. These supplements and vitamins are available online or nearby nutrition stores and some of these are quite affordable. Regardless of your age, it is important to ensure consumption of proper food. Also remember that these are only supplements to provide the additional content of vitamins, which you may not be getting in the food you take, so do not think of replacing your food with these products

If you have not been able to consume proper food, which may happen at times, you can make use of these supplements and vitamins to provide the body with the required intake. It is one of the best places where you can invest your money, as it helps ensuring the right content of vitamins in the body. Though the cost may accumulate over a period of time and you might be spending considerable money over these, it provides the worth to your money by keeping your body fit and healthy, and at the same time preventing a vitamin deficiency. Even though it is a common problem in today's time, it can be easily taken care of.

By Jeff Sharp


Hair loss is something that affects millions of women every year, so you're not alone in having this problem and looking for high quality information on how to prevent and restore your hair.

Being a woman suffering from hair loss can be extremely embarrassing and take a toll on your self-confidence. Losing your hair is a major problem in today's world, and it seems to bear its ugly head the first time when you're having your first child or when you're just getting older.

A vitamin deficiency is not the only reason for you losing your hair, stress and hormonal imbalances also play a big part in how healthy your hair is.

There are also some issues with hygiene products like shampoos and conditioners, which nowadays contain him and a lot of chemicals and other harmful substances. These products can cause hair loss if used for prolonged periods of time.

Sometimes hair loss can't really be prevented, but there are natural alternatives which can help you dramatically slow down the process of aging and increase your chances of keeping your hair for a long time.

Losing some hair every day is normal, but if you're reading this then you probably have noticed too much hair falling out and you're looking for a simple solution. The key is to look for a completely natural treatment or product that has been proven to work on women.

You might want to look into some new herbal treatments in the market today; these are completely natural and only contain natural nutrients and herbs.

Another way to boost your hair health is to live a healthy lifestyle and exercise, you might even want to supplement with high-quality multivitamin and pure omega-3 fish oil.

When you're looking to solve the problem of a vitamin deficiency, look for vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, zinc, biotin and vitamin B6. Other effective ingredients you might want to look into our horsetail silica and para-amino benzoic acid.

By Dr Jenny Tylee


Vitamin and mineral deficiencies do not always show up as major health problems. This is because most of us are not deficient in one single nutrient. So we don't have diseases such as scurvy (which results from a severe lack of Vitamin C). What we are more likely to have is what is called a 'subclinical' or marginal deficiencies. These marginal vitamin and mineral deficiencies are likely to be the cause for minor symptoms such as headaches, difficulty in sleeping or skin problems. These minor problems is left untreated are likely to become more serious which is why it is important to deal with the vitamin and mineral deficiencies as soon as possible.

Vitamin deficiency signs and symptoms

Our bodies make it clear when we have minor deficiencies. The following is a list of the symptoms and the vitamin and minerals that may be deficient.

Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Are you tired a lot of the time?
2. Is your ability to keep going noticeably decreasing?
3. Are you having a hard time keeping your weight stable?
4. Do you often experience physical pain - arthritis, muscle aches, migraines?
5. Do you often get colds?
6. Is your eyesight deteriorating?
7. Is your mental clarity or concentration decreasing?
8. Is your memory on the decline?
9. Are you experiencing more sleeping problems?
10. Are you often depressed?
11. Are you often anxious, nervous or irritable?
12. Do you have difficulty with your bowels either constipation or diarrhea?
13. Is your skin dry and scaly?
14. Do you have problems with pimples and blackheads?

1. If you checked yes to any of these then you could be suffering from vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Have a look at the list below to see what vitamins and minerals may be deficient in your diet.

1. Hair problems - Vitamin B12, B6, Selenium
2. Eye problems - Vitamins A, C
3. Nervousness - B6, B12, B3, B5, Magnesium, Vitamin C
4. Infections - Vitamin A, B-complex, C, Biotin, Calcium, Potassium, Zinc
5. Fatigue - Zinc, Iron, Vitamins A,B,C,D
6. Constipation - Vitamin B-Complex, Vitamin C
7. Diarrhea - Vitamins A, Niacin (B3), B12,K
8. Muscle cramps - Vitamins B1 and D, Biotin, Sodium, Magnesium and Calcium
9. Skin problems - Vitamins A and B-complex, Biotin and copper.

The initial vitamin and mineral deficiencies may only lead to minor problems but they can lead to dangerous problems. The lack of antioxidant nutrients can lead to high levels of free radical toxins in our bodies. An example of this is a toxic substance called acetaldehyde that is produced by the liver in detoxification. These are dealt with by antioxidants. However in the absence of sufficient antioxidant nutrients or in deficiency states these substances have been linked to the development of diseases such as Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease.

If you have signs and symptoms associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies then you need to review what you are eating to improve your diet, cleanse your system so that you can make the most of the nutrients that you have and take a vitamin and mineral supplement.

References

Bland, J. 1996, Contemporary Nutrition. J & B Associates.

Soothill, R. 1996, The Choice Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. A Choice Book Publication.

Sullivan, K. Vitamins and Minerals: A Practical Approach to a Health Diet and Safe Supplementation. Harper Collins.

Vitamins are essential for the growth and development of the human body. Vitamins are found in natural foods. A good diet virtually ensures an abundant supply of vitamins. Vitamin A deficiency is a common disease in poorer parts of the world and causes night blindness. Vitamin A is found in fish, liver and green vegetables. Failure to consume sufficient quantities of meat, milk or milk products leads to a deficiency in Vitamin B12. This deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia and, if severe enough, can result in irreversible damage to the nerves, liver and intestinal tract. Vitamin C, found in green vegetables, berries and citrus fruits, helps prevent infection, enhances immunology and can help prevent cancer. A lack of Vitamin C can cause anemia, bleeding gums, muscle degeneration and blood clots. A deficiency in Vitamin D affects the bones, heart, kidneys and the thyroid gland. Vitamin D also enhances the immune system.

A deficiency may cause an enlargement of the prostate gland, gastrointestinal disease, impotency and decreased circulation. Vitamin E helps prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Vitamin K plays an important role in the formation of bones and blood clotting. A lack of Vitamin K leads to a low platelet count and poor blood clotting.
Folic acid is found in beans, beef, barley and chicken, amongst others. A deficiency of folic acid causes depression, anxiety and birth defects in pregnant women.
Vitamin deficiency can treated by recommending dietary regulations, oral supplements, or by injections. Oral supplements are useful for those unable to consume food rich in vitamins. Injections are useful for persons with diseases that prevent absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

Vitamin A and Deficiency
Vitamin A is known as Retinol. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin. Your body requires an adequate amount of Vitamin A for healthy vision, bone growth, immune functions, and reproduction. In addition, Vitamin A promotes the development and maintenance of a healthy overall appearance. A person’s skin and hair appear healthier when the recommended intake of Vitamin A is met on a daily basis.

Do you know how to get enough Vitamin A? Some reliable food sources where Vitamin A can be found are: spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, tomatoes, broccoli, peas, bell peppers, turnips, peaches, cantaloupe, papaya, mango, oatmeal, milk, liver, and eggs. As you can see, Vitamin A is very friendly to the Vegetarian and Vegan diet.
Persons over the age of nineteen should watch their daily diets and Vitamin A intake. It’s suggested that males over the age of nineteen consume meals which from which they will obtain 900 micrograms of Vitamin A on a daily basis. Through research and surveys, statistics show that most North Americans do not suffer from Vitamin A deficiency. Excess alcohol depletes Vitamin A in your body.

Nevertheless, there are millions (if not billions) of people that suffer from Vitamin A deficiency on a global level. For instance, when you examine developing countries with malnourished citizens, Vitamin A deficiencies can be observed. Vitamin A is required for proper immune functions. Without a proper intake, a person’s body can not fight infections properly. Hence, many children die each year from infections throughout developing countries. Studies also link vitamin A deficient individuals with Pneumonia. When deficient, the cells that line the lungs lose their ability to remove disease causing microorganisms.

Unfortunately, Vitamin A deficiency can have life-altering or life-threatening effects. According to the World Health Organization: “An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 vitamin A-deficient children become blind every year, half of them dying within 12 months of losing their sight.” These tragic consequences require sustainable solutions.
Those who feel that they are lacking Vitamin A in their diets should talk to their family physician about a scheduled diet or Vitamin A supplements.