Vit D deficiency is associated with 17 types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, osteoporosis, asthma, and more recently autism. Studies show that 30-50% of Americans suffer from Vitamin D deficiency.
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Go out in the sun!
Our immediate primary source of Vitamin D is sunlight. Sun exposure is an easy, reliable way for most people to get Vitamin D. Exposure of the hands, face, arms, and legs to sunlight two to three times a week will cause the skin to produce enough vitamin D (the necessary exposure time varies with age, skin type, season, time of day, etc.) But what happens if you do this and are still low on Vit D?
Nurture your Liver
Vaidya Mishra explains that getting vitamin D through sunlight has become problematic because UVB is absorbed through the skin, and the liver and kidneys play a major role in transforming UVB to vitamin D.
In this day and age, due to:
1. Toxic diets: toxins in the food in the form of additives such as preservatives, flavorings, or processed ingredients, artificial colors, flavors, scents, etc.
2. Daily Stress: daily unreleased physical, mental and emotional stress that accumulates over long periods of time
3. Toxic Personal Care Products: toxins in personal care products we use daily such as – facial creams, make-up, oral and hair care products; as well as the chemicals in the water we drink and shower in; all these add put an extra load on the liver.
The liver is the organ that has to deal with all kinds of toxins that enter the body either orally or transdermally. Emotional and mental stress also produces acidic toxins in the body that end up being stored in the liver in order to be processed and discarded. This puts undue pressure on the liver, specially when a good diet is not maintained, causing the intelligence of the liver to be compromised, so it is not able to fulfill its key function in transforming UVB into Vit D. That’s why even though people may eat Vit D rich in foods (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc), or take large doses of Vit D supplements, and get enough sunlight on a daily basis, their Vit D levels may remain clinically low.
You need Vit D for Calcium, and Calcium for Strong Bones
Vitamin D has many important functions, most prominent of which is the absorption of calcium. Scientists confirm that calcium deficiency in the physiology is correlated to low levels of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is required for the regulation of the minerals calcium and phosphorus found in the body. Our bodies need vitamin D in order to absorb calcium from the intestines.
Ultraviolet light (from sunlight) helps our skin cells convert vitamin D from an inactive into an active state. If we do not have enough vitamin D, calcium that we get from the food we eat is not absorbed properly, causing hypocalcemia (lower-than-normal blood calcium) to develop. Hypocalcemia results in deformities of bones and teeth, as well as neuromuscular problems.
How is calcium related to Vit D and what diseases can result from lack of calcium?
When calcium is low in the body and de-mineralization or inadequate mineralization of the bone occurs, then one can have Osteomalacia. Osteomalacia is the softening of the bones caused by defective bone mineralization. This can also happen due to insufficient amounts of phosphorus and calcium. Or it can happen because of the overactive resorption of calcium from the bone as a result of hyperparathyroidism. Osteomalacia in children is known as rickets, and because of this, the use of the term osteomalacia is often restricted to the milder, adult form of the disease. It may show signs as diffuse body pains, muscle weakness, and fragility of the bones. The most common cause of the disease is a deficiency in vitamin D, which is normally obtained from the diet and/or from sunlight exposure.
Many of the effects of the Osteomalacia disease overlap with the more common osteoporosis, but the two diseases are significantly different. There are two main causes of osteomalcacia: (1) insufficient calcium absorption from the intestine because of lack of dietary calcium or a deficiency of or resistance to the action of vitamin D; and (2) Phosphate deficiency caused by increased renal losses.
With SV Ayurveda protocols, you can approach the Vit D insufficiency from a holistic point of view.
A balanced diet with a timely consumption of daily meals and snacks is necessary to improve overall health and the health of the organs and organ systems that can restore optimal levels of Vit D in your body.
Vaidya Mishra favors the safe and effective transdermal delivery of Vit D. He recommends correcting your diet and routine, then adding the transdermal protocol, while maintaining regular testing of the levels to show the actual results.
Is the transdermal approach unique to SVA?
The efficacy of the transdermal approach is still not as well documented and appreciated as it has been in the ayurvedic and more specifically, in the SVA tradition. However, scientists are catching on. In Canada, there has been some pioneering work in this aspect, view this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsRvoZNDLSc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
The post Low on Vit D? SVA Tips and Guidelines An epidemic appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.
It is a great summer-evening dinner dahl to cool off pitta and nurture you with easy-to-digest protein. It will take you 10 minutes to prepare!
contributed to UTI, fatigue, and unnatural menopause symptoms. I moved to Berkeley California a few months prior and became addicted to Arizmendi Bakery on Shattuck Ave. eating their morning buttery scones filled with warm and melty chocolate pieces and drank it often with coffee. I have never been a coffee drinker, but my fatigue led me to it. I was also trying out all the new cafes and eating out a lot. In addition, a friend from Italy had gotten me into a Gelato craze. I basically ate everything that I was not used to eating. I had got
ten lazy and bored with my Ayurvedic diet. I was taking my good health for granted. All this sugar was starting to harm my health.
compromises on the quality of the products that he formulates. He is very strict about this. Each ingredient has certain requirements and standards. They must have maximum prana, which means they are fresh and free from chemicals and pesticides. And of course, it has to be the correct herb. There are so many artificial and similar herbs that are not actually the correct herb. For example, Ashoka. There are many types of Ashoka. The Ashoka he had received on the day I arrived was from a pure source. That is why the products when used properly, have such health transforming affects. And that is why the products are also more costly.
toasted in mum’s ghee and mum’s masala and one day she made fresh moringa leaves. The dahl always had a new and distinct flavor that was crafted and created in their kitchen with divine assistance. Most of all there was a whole lot of love in the food. I felt I was in heaven eating such an abundance of delicious food that was healthy, nourishing, and detoxifying as well. After one week of eating Malvika’s food, my UTI disappeared and that was without taking herbs and of course no sugar. My eyes looked clearer and I started to feel energetic. What they reminded me of is that eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring. Now, it’s a week since I have been home and cooking all the dishes she showed me. There are so many spice combinations that make a big difference and variety of dishes. This food is life changing.
e tree “a-shoka:” the one without grief and that removes grief.”
In the summer time we are exposed to increased “agni” – the sun’s vicinity to the earth heats up the environment along with our bodies. In response to the heat, our channels dilate and our metabolic “agneya” organs – liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach – carry and circulate more heat.
kaalaj: time-bound immunity indicates that one’s immunity may wear out with the passage of time, i.e., aging, and seasonal changes – even if you have strong immunity, adjusting your diet and routine to ongoing seasonal changes will help keep it stronger;
