THE SECRET OF VITAMIN D ~ ISSUE 198 ~ NOVEMBER 10, 2015

By Diane Gold

The Secret Of Vitamin D is not really a secret at all. But let’s keep this short and sweet so that everyone reads it.

Women have Vitamin D deficiency. Men have it, too. Children who don’t go out a lot also have it. Get out more, and don’t be so prissy. What do I mean by that? For me, it means every time I go out, I shower upon return; so I go out less. That’s what I mean by prissy, and, yes, I am talking to myself.

Think about it. (1) What happens when we work all day in the sun? We come home, and we take a shower. (2) What happens when we go out to the beach and sun ourselves? We come home and take a shower. (3) What happens when we go out and play basketball and get all sweaty? We come home and take a shower.

THE SUN AND VITAMIN D

Before we consider these 3 examples and their differences, let’s look at why I am talking about the sun. Humans require ultraviolet B rays of the sun to turn the naturally occurring cholesterol in our skin into Vitamin D. To make this skin Vitamin D useful, it has to travel to the liver where dietary fat will stimulate bile to help to break it down (Vitamin D, a fat soluble vitamin). It adds some oxygen and some hydrogen and becomes 25 hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D. Then, it’s on to the kidneys for its last pair of oxygen and hydrogen which turns it into active Vitamin D called1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D or 1,25(OH)2D aka calcitriol. An amazingly cool thing is that excess Vitamin D is stored in the fatty tissue and the liver should we not get out in the sun every day.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The body storage of Vitamin D is how we can maintain adequate levels throughout our lives without daily sun. This is similar to protein and amino acid storage and the very reason we don’t have to consume every single amino acid at every single meal. It’s because the body has its very own pharmacy so that, when an amino acid, a protein, Vitamin D, or another substance is needed, the body goes to its own pharmacy to get it. We can’t do that with water and various other things.

LEADING TO THE SECRET

So, now, the secret of Vitamin D.

I hear people talk about the supplements they take that don’t improve their Vitamin D levels, and we know that supplements may not work for a variety of reasons, the biggest being that nutrients do not work alone. They need other nutrients to work at all. Kind of the way we humans are: we need each other to co-exist.

1) When we work in the sun all day, we consistently get sun. This gives us a good chance to use the sun every day to stimulate production of Vitamin D. We always get the trigger.

2) When we go out to the beach and sun ourselves, we get sun for that period of time, providing our skin is exposed and sun screen (if used) allows those UVB rays.

3) When we go out and play basketball and get all sweaty, we get sun for that period of time, providing our skin is exposed to the sun, just as in 2).

THE SECRET

AT WHAT TIME WE TAKE OUR SHOWER IS KEY. When we take a shower immediately after outdoor exercising or sunning, we allow no time for the Vitamin D that has started to form in our skin fully to absorb. One of my students’ and good friend’s 80-year-old mom had said to wait two hours before showering to let it sink in. I wait 3 on a good day, sitting there working without a shower.

BAM! That’s the secret. The only thing that makes it great to sit around with no shower is to know that the Vitamin D is literally dripping into our bodies so that it can make it rounds and sustain our lives.

CONCLUSION

The secret of Vitamin D is not deep and dark. It is transparent and light. Wait 3 hours for the glorious substance from the surface of our skin to convert and drip down into our grateful body. Marvel at the idea that we can store it. Be diligent and experimental about how much sun is required, being careful to avoid high noon, unless screened in some way.

Good health! Be at peace.
ACTIONS STEPS

1) Learn the time of most direct sun in each season (if you have season changes), and avoid it since too much sun can contribute to skin cancer.

2) Go out in the sun with as little clothing as feels good to you, 3 hours before or 3 hours after most direct.

3) Stay out for 10-30 minutes, being careful not to get sun burn. If you don’t get out that often, 30 minutes might be better, making sure you are not out at peak sun.

SECRET EXERCISE WITHIN 4).

4) DO NOT RINSE OFF except for sand on the feet for beach goers. Or, a colossally great stretch is to bring the leg up, placing the foot on the wall, tree, pole. Make certain the back stays straight for the entire time and that the knee is perfectly straight. Lean forward and rub the sand off your feet.

5) Go home or somewhere, and drink water. Lots.

6) Work, play, create without taking a shower or washing off the face.

7) 3 hours after you are out of the sun, take a shower so you will have your best chance of making active Vitamin D.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

There is scientific evidence that people with Vitamin D deficiency are more likely to get cancer than those with their Vitamin D intact. Even though some don’t talk about Vitamin D deficiency to educate us (Think industry: Let’s sell more sunscreen, and forget about making Vitamin D! Let’s take supplements, even though most of them do not absorb ), let’s consider going out in the sun so that we don’t get cancer because our immune system is too Vitamin D deficient to shut the cancer cells off.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying peaceful conflict resolution, habit replacement and certified in plant-based nutrition.

She believes in getting knowledge about our bodies and their health.

She says,

“It is important to drink in the sun. Just as plants need the sun to produce food, we need sun to stimulate us to produce Vitamin D. Are we taught to have mixed feelings about going in the sun? Yes. And with good reason. Since there is the risk of skin cancer. Yet, there is evidence that shows that low Vitamin D can cause cancer. So we have to be mindful and practical.

“In all this, why aren’t we educated about the fact that we can wash off the Vitamin D from our skin if we haven’t given it the time it needs to seep into our bodies? This is important information that, if known, could reduce supplement sales and reduce low levels of Vitamin D.

“Let’s spread the word. We never know what lives we will touch with this news.

“And, finally, let’s take overall good care of ourselves because we are so worth it.”

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK
IS WAITING BEFORE SHOWERING AFTER SUNNING.