Sunny D - The UK's Vitamin D Deficiency

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Posted:
March 4, 2012
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Sunny D – The UK’s Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D just feels sooooo good

I am solar powered. I know I am. The sun came out the other day and I ditched my mountain of work, sprawled out on a blanket in just my pants and enjoyed it. Heaven. Spring is coming and I am so ready for it. The sun makes me feel energised, light and happy and it’s magic Vitamin D that I have to thank.

Ah Vitamin D. You’ve become quite a celebrity recently. You seem to be in every health story I read. The majority of the Vitamin D created in our bodies come from exposure to sunlight and after years of slapping on the factor 50 and worrying about skin cancer, it would appear we have all become D deficient.

Vitamin D is vital for the health of the body and is responsible for healthy immune systems, regulating inflammation, serotonin production and calcium absorption. A deficiency in Vitamin D can cause all kinds of problems including depression, bowel problems, skin conditions, Diabetes, Arthritis and Osteoporosis. And the press has been recently highlighting the link between Vitamin D and Parkinsons, fertility issues, pregnancy problems, and Rickets in kids, a disease that seems to be making a come back.

According to Medical News Today we require ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least twice a week on the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen. Sounds nice but I reckon the last time most of us Brits had ten minutes sun exposure was last April when we had that freak hot spell. That’s almost a year ago!

Not only do we not have sun in the country, we also live very sheltered lives so even when the sun makes a rare appearance we’re never out and about to enjoy it. We hibernate in our offices and houses, our gyms are indoors, our kids play on computers, our groceries are delivered to the door and our shops are in undercover shopping centres. We simply aren’t getting the sun exposure we need.

If we’re not getting enough Sunny D, should we take a supplement? The NHS recommend the only people who need to take a Vitamin D supplement are

  • all children aged six months to five years old
  • all pregnant and breastfeeding women
  • all people aged 65 and over
  • people who are not exposed to much sun
  • people with darker skins such as people of African-Caribbean and South Asian origin

That sounds like just about everyone to me! I recommend taking a natural, easily absorbed supplement such as Natures Sunshine Vitamin D3. And the next time the sun pops out, do yourself a favour and spend ten minutes soaking it up…. I recommend stripping off to your pants for best results.

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Author
Posted:
February 24, 2012
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My Blog
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Sleeping Tight – Overcoming Sleep Problems

I don't want to sleep, I want to dance and sing on top of a mountain!

I can’t sleep.

Claire, my business partner, can’t sleep.

I’m waiting for the time when we call each other at 3 in the morning for a chat. You see our beloved business has taken on a new direction and new energy and we’re just way too excited to sleep. Whirling minds, a rather large to-do list and a brand new clinic are keeping us awake in the small hours and creating lovely bags under our eyes. Always a good look for a pair of health professionals.

When sleep problems and insomnia symptoms present in the clinic I consider a number of different sources (new wallpaper in the waiting room isn’t always to blame).

In Chinese Five Element Theory, waking in the night at a certain time can indicate a meridian imbalance with an organ or an emotion that is difficult to deal with.

11-1am – Liver – the emotion is anger

1-3am – Gall Bladder – the emotion is resentment

3-5am – Lungs – the emotion is grief

5-7am – Bowels – the emotion is not letting go

From my experience if someone has experienced a bereavement they will often wake in the night between 3-5am. The subconscious brain processes during sleep and if there is an emotion or experience that is very difficult for the brain to deal with this can lead to insomnia.

Stress and over worrying is a common cause of sleep deprivation. To support the body nutritionally I recommend a B vitamin complex (supports the endocrine and nervous system) as well as Niacin (vitamin B3) which has been found to settle worried minds. Avoiding caffeine and drinking plenty of water certainly helps.

The Bach Flower Essences which are good for stress include Elm – for that overwhelmed feeling and White chestnut – for circling thoughts. A simple technique that can be used at home – place the palm of the hand on the forehead and deep breath into the belly. This helps calm the mind and is a simple trick to getting back to sleep.

A big contributing factor of sleep problems is technology overload. Many people can’t sleep because they are on laptops, iPhones or watching TV straight before they go to bed. This plays havoc with the nervous system and I recommend having at least an hour of no technology before sleeping. Read a book, take a bath or just sit and do nothing which will help prepare the brain for sleep.

Sleeping is triggered by the hormone melatonin and is created by the pineal gland in the brain. The pineal is a rather sensitive nubbin, especially with light. Alarm clocks, stereos or TVs with lights can cause disturb the pineal gland so for a really good night’s sleep make sure everything in your room is pitch black and have no lights showing.

For Claire and I, we are just going to ride this insomnia wave for the time being and up our B vitamin intake. I, for one, don’t mind this ridiculously excited feeling that’s keeping me awake. And anyway some of my best inspiration arrives in the dead of night and I tell you it’s well worth the yawning and blurry eyes in the morning.

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Posted:
February 15, 2012
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My Blog
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Houston We Have A Problem – Is Bobby Brown To Blame For The Demise Of Whitne


Was the 'Bobby Posse' hat to blame?

Facebook and Twitter is awash with the news that Whitney Houston sadly passed away yesterday afternoon. I didn’t really believe it to begin with, a bit like hearing the death of Amy Winehouse, I just stood in the kitchen gobsmacked saying ‘really?’ three or four times.

I’m not a huge Whitney fan but I do have the occasional song that I like to warble too. Whitney could certainly bang out a heartbreaking song and when your relationship is going down the swany singing ‘how you shattered my world with your goodbye,’ at the top of your lungs certainly works a treat.

And I believe this is Whitney at her best. Yes I am a child of the 80s so I think ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ is a catchy tune, but it’s those painful love ballads filled with anguish that I remember her most for. Her torrid relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown and their 15 year relationship of abuse and drug addiction were never far from the headlines. And her songs reflected her personal life. She sang from the heart and from experience and this is why she had such impact.

Although we don’t know the cause of her death there is common public opinion that Bobby Brown is ultimately to blame for the demise of our beloved pop princess.

We, the public, seem to want to believe that the fresh faced gospel singer was entrapped by the evil R&B star who lured her into a life of drug taking and physical abuse which eventually led to her death. It is difficult to watch such a talent fall from grace as Whitney did. If anyone caught her performance on Xfactor in October 2009 its clear to see how completely out of it she is.

There is an interesting psychological model called the Karpman Drama Triangle which describes three roles people take in relationship and can be applied to this situation. The first role is Victim which is how we view Whitney. The second is Persecutor which is Bobby. And finally there is the Rescuer – us. Throughout her demise we wanted to rescue Whitney because we wanted her back to her former glory and it was easy to blame Bobby rather than accept that Whitney was responsible.

Is Bobby really to blame? Some say he got her into drugs but according to his autobiography he only smoked marijuana before he met her and they fell into hard drugs together.

The physical abuse seemed to be a two way street too “He slapped me once, but he got hit on the head three times by me,” Houston told Opera Winfrey in 2009.

But regardless who started what, they were in the destructive relationship together and they were equally responsible for their actions and choices. In a difficult situation it’s incredibly liberating to choose to opt out of the role of victim. As an adult no one makes us ‘feel’ or ‘do’ anything we don’t want to do. And Bobby didn’t force Whitney to take the path she did.

This is a loss to the music world. Whitney gave us much; the greatest selling single of all time by a female artist as well as the harsh lesson of the effects of a destructive relationships and drug abuse. RIP Ms Houston, we learned from the best, we learned from you.

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