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Thursday, April 21, 2011
The One That Started It All
Welcome to Body, Soul & Mind! We're still working on the site, but feel free to explore and contact us if we can serve you in any way.
Also, we'd like to hear from you! Let us know
Also, we'd like to hear from you! Let us know
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Vitamin D - My Own Happy Pill
(((Please apply disclaimer from March 1st post to this post as well. No lawsuits or frivolous complaints please. I neither pretend to be a doctor nor play one on TV.)))
As a freshman, I had the privilege of being a part of the Crane Golden Crane band. They needed an oboe player and I needed another elective. At that time, they were ranked fourth in the state and one of the annual rewards was a trip to State Solo & Ensemble combined with a Schlitterbahn visit. For kids that lived in the dry, arid dessert sand dunes (also known as West Texas), Schlitterbahn was a water wonderland. (This was also before Schlitterbahn went BIG and was featured on the travel channel.)
I'll never forget riding home (on the chartered buses - not those nasty yellow dogs other schools had to use) (oh, how spoiled we were) and hearing Barbara barfing her lungs up in the back of the bus. Word trickled forward that Barbara had thought it would be a bright idea to start her summer tan at Schlitterbahn that year. So, she'd gone the entire day at the waterpark without sunblock.
Obviously, Barbara made a stupid decision and we all paid for it the entire way home.
However, at what point did her sun exposure turn catastrophic? If she had only stayed out half the day without sunblock, would she have had the same reaction? What about an hour?
We've been brain washed into thinking that if we're going to be outside then we need sunblock. If our kids are going to be outside for longer than it takes them to get from the front door to the minivan, we slather sunblock so thick on them, we could no longer catch them if we tried. They'd slip right from our grasp.
With everything that has happened with Craig's diet and the changes we've made as a family, I am SMACK DAB in the middle of sunblock and pool research. See, sunblocks contain millions (slight exaggeration) of synthetic ingredients that Craig can't put on his skin. And pools? Chlorine is no longer an option for my little one either. Granted, we will probably venture to Schlitterbahn or Seaworld once or twice this summer. However, we won't be hitting up the neighborhood pool on a daily basis like we did last year. I'm looking for alternatives - like salt water pools, rivers, or possibly a backyard pool. (That last option comes with a groan.)
However, I've come across some very interesting findings regarding Vitamin D as I compare sun exposure with mineral veils combined with astaxanthin.
We all know we get Vitamin D from the sun and probably the majority of us are on a Vitamin D supplement (especially in the winter months). The first thing I would recommend is to check your supplement for Red Dye #40. Sound ridiculous, but a good friend just informed me that her Vitamin D she's been taking for the long winter months in New York contained red dye. (I could just scream!)
Secondly - how much do you need? Well, this is where it gets interesting. Vitamin D comes in a variety of sizes and strengths. On the back of the bottles, the daily recommendation is usually only 60 units (IU's) per day. However, recent research has proven that larger amounts provide enormous protection from auto-immune diseases, Parkinson's, colds & flu, heart disease and stroke.
I increased my Vitamin D intake to 8000's units a day after research that indicated that it would boost my immune system and possibly help with depression. I don't think I've ever suffered from true depression, but sometimes negative thoughts seem to get the best of me. (I tell myself I'm entitled to a few negative thoughts given everything that has happened over the last year. Allow me this disillusionment, please.)
I have been amazed at how my energy levels have sky rocketed and how negative thoughts come around alot less frequently. If depression, negativity or just a general sense of "down-ness" has ever been a problem for you, I would highly recommend increasing your Vitamin D intake.
Obviously, however - the best way to get Vitamin D is through a little bit of healthy outdoor time. Again though - how much? How long?
I recently came across this website that calculates how many minutes of sun exposure you would need where you live to equal 1000 units of a Vitamin D supplement. For me, living in Austin and with it being April, I would need three minutes of sun exposure on my face, arms and hands to equal 1000 units. Therefore, since my daily goal right now is about 8,000 units total, 20 minutes in the sun is just about right. Look yours up and see what would work for you.
As a freshman, I had the privilege of being a part of the Crane Golden Crane band. They needed an oboe player and I needed another elective. At that time, they were ranked fourth in the state and one of the annual rewards was a trip to State Solo & Ensemble combined with a Schlitterbahn visit. For kids that lived in the dry, arid dessert sand dunes (also known as West Texas), Schlitterbahn was a water wonderland. (This was also before Schlitterbahn went BIG and was featured on the travel channel.)
I'll never forget riding home (on the chartered buses - not those nasty yellow dogs other schools had to use) (oh, how spoiled we were) and hearing Barbara barfing her lungs up in the back of the bus. Word trickled forward that Barbara had thought it would be a bright idea to start her summer tan at Schlitterbahn that year. So, she'd gone the entire day at the waterpark without sunblock.
Obviously, Barbara made a stupid decision and we all paid for it the entire way home.
However, at what point did her sun exposure turn catastrophic? If she had only stayed out half the day without sunblock, would she have had the same reaction? What about an hour?
We've been brain washed into thinking that if we're going to be outside then we need sunblock. If our kids are going to be outside for longer than it takes them to get from the front door to the minivan, we slather sunblock so thick on them, we could no longer catch them if we tried. They'd slip right from our grasp.
With everything that has happened with Craig's diet and the changes we've made as a family, I am SMACK DAB in the middle of sunblock and pool research. See, sunblocks contain millions (slight exaggeration) of synthetic ingredients that Craig can't put on his skin. And pools? Chlorine is no longer an option for my little one either. Granted, we will probably venture to Schlitterbahn or Seaworld once or twice this summer. However, we won't be hitting up the neighborhood pool on a daily basis like we did last year. I'm looking for alternatives - like salt water pools, rivers, or possibly a backyard pool. (That last option comes with a groan.)
However, I've come across some very interesting findings regarding Vitamin D as I compare sun exposure with mineral veils combined with astaxanthin.
We all know we get Vitamin D from the sun and probably the majority of us are on a Vitamin D supplement (especially in the winter months). The first thing I would recommend is to check your supplement for Red Dye #40. Sound ridiculous, but a good friend just informed me that her Vitamin D she's been taking for the long winter months in New York contained red dye. (I could just scream!)
Secondly - how much do you need? Well, this is where it gets interesting. Vitamin D comes in a variety of sizes and strengths. On the back of the bottles, the daily recommendation is usually only 60 units (IU's) per day. However, recent research has proven that larger amounts provide enormous protection from auto-immune diseases, Parkinson's, colds & flu, heart disease and stroke.
I increased my Vitamin D intake to 8000's units a day after research that indicated that it would boost my immune system and possibly help with depression. I don't think I've ever suffered from true depression, but sometimes negative thoughts seem to get the best of me. (I tell myself I'm entitled to a few negative thoughts given everything that has happened over the last year. Allow me this disillusionment, please.)
I have been amazed at how my energy levels have sky rocketed and how negative thoughts come around alot less frequently. If depression, negativity or just a general sense of "down-ness" has ever been a problem for you, I would highly recommend increasing your Vitamin D intake.
Obviously, however - the best way to get Vitamin D is through a little bit of healthy outdoor time. Again though - how much? How long?
I recently came across this website that calculates how many minutes of sun exposure you would need where you live to equal 1000 units of a Vitamin D supplement. For me, living in Austin and with it being April, I would need three minutes of sun exposure on my face, arms and hands to equal 1000 units. Therefore, since my daily goal right now is about 8,000 units total, 20 minutes in the sun is just about right. Look yours up and see what would work for you.
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