The chart above shows disease preventative percentages based on serum levels. For example, there is an 80 % risk reduction from acquiring Type 1 Diabetes if blood levels are 54 ng/ml or higher.
Recently, I had one of my clients tested for vitamin D3 and his level was a pale 21.1 ng/ml. Sadly, I have had about 10 clients in this range since I started testing it within the past year.
What I typically do with a clients whom have D3 levels of around 20, is to put them on 10,000 IU’s per day and retest in 3 months. Individuals will respond differently to supplementation which is why I like to start out conservatively with 10,000 IU’s per day.
The below client’s lab results shows his blood draws for D3 on 8/10/2010 – then three months later on 11/15/2010. From supplementing him with a high quality bio-available form of D3 the client took his level up 37.5 points in 3 months! If you look back at the disease risk chart, he has optimized his risk percentage.
Optimalvitamin D levels are constantly being changed and there is not yet a consensus among health professionals. The Vitamin D Counsel suggests keeping year around levels between 50-80 ng/ml. Other healthcare professionals including some well known endocrinologists like to keep their patients between 80-120 ng/ml. If you were to extract blood levels of manual labor workers further south (about 30 degrees latitude or less) you would find an average score of 100 ng/ml. It is my belief that higher levels need to be achieved for those who are compromised by medical conditions or are trying to achieve optimal levels.
A Word From the Vitamin D Council:
“The single most important fact anyone needs to know about vitamin D is how much nature supplies if we behave naturally, e.g., go into the sun. Humans make at least 10,000 units of vitamin D within 30 minutes of full body exposure to the sun, what is called a minimal erythemal dose.“
Can You Overdose On D3?
Some doctors have the impression (by not keeping up to date with preventative research) ingesting 1,000 – 5,000 IU’s or greater per day can lead to toxic overdoses. This unfortunate view many physicians have of overdosing on D3 is simply incorrect and they need to be educated on the thousands of medical studies coming out almost monthly on now on D3. Most primary care doctors focus in on acute care and typically know little about nutrition or supplementation nor have the time and energy for preventative medicine.
The Problem with Being Indoors and Latitude:
If you are indoors much of the time and or live above 36 degrees latitude, get a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test, also called a 25(OH)D to determine you baseline. Depending upon you level of deficiency and body weight, consult a health care practitioner to help you determine dosage of this crucial vitamin alongside a retest in three months.
If you wear sunscreen, which blocks vitamin D production, you could theoretically live in the tropics and have low levels. Sensible sunlight exposure (20-30 minutes a day) can reduce your risk of cancer. “Now, studies are reporting most of us are vitamin D deficient and those deficiencies may well be causing numerous illnesses, especially cancer”. (for a full article about vitamin D3 and Cancer Click Here)
A New Study Shows How the Use of Sunscreens May be Accelerating Cancer
Many of the skin care products of today contain many harmful toxins that can increase free radical damage (cell death and or DNA damage). I can tell you that most sunscreens contain numerous toxins, that when come in contact with your skin, will be absorbed into your bloodstream to a certain extent. The best way to think about anything you put on your skin is to ask yourself, “Would I eat that?…even if it was tasty.”
I’ve provided you with baseline knowledge about the importance of testing and optimizing your D3 levels. contact us if you are local or contact your health care professional to have this test done as soon as possible and take control over your health today!
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Weight Loss, Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Fitness Services.
You could eat the perfect amount of organic foods, take high quality supplements and still not get enough nutrients, ending up with deficiencies.
How is this possible?!
As you can see from the above image, the modern day lion (everyday stressors) impair:
Digestion
Tissue Repair
Growth and Reproductive Systems
Many of us are in a chronic stress state and may not even realize it until we develop digestive problems, chronic fatigue, anxiety, or depression.
Our bodies and minds were designed for much simpler ways of life. The human genome has only changed .02% in the last 40,000 years, which means we have not evolved enough to handle current rapid changes in the world today. Many people physiologically react in the same way as they would being chased by a lion as they do in a busy grocery store, driving a car, airplane travel, having a work deadline, daily multitasking, low grade noises from multiple sources and on and on…..
I don’t mean to sound grim, but in order to overcome the stresses of today it will take more than positive thinking, meditation, and stress reduction techniques. Of course, there are some exceptions/people who can mentally and emotionally transcend, but many of us are struggling. Those of us who feel a little out of control and are in a chronic fight or flight response state can do two simple things to support the body.
Part of why tissue repair declines when you are in a chronic stress state is due to lack of nutrients caused by compromised digestion. Growth and reproductive systems can not operate very well if the system is malnourished! HCL and digestive enzymes help counter the stress response by giving a natural supplemental boost. You are simply adding in what your body would produce normally in an unstressed state. Kind of frightening, the idea of needing HCL and enzymes – but fear not, it could save you from developing a disease. I know that’s a strong statement, but many diseases arise from a deficiency(s). If you are not digesting your food or supplements, there will be deficiencies!
To better understand the stress response and cortisol you can refer my previous articles:
Rotator cuff muscles are commonly injured in work environments involving heavy computer use (especially laptops) and in repetitive motion sports such as tennis, volleyball or baseball. The above video gives a quick demonstration of proper ergonomics to prevent postural problems which lead to shoulder pain in the infraspinatus muscle.
The most common muscle to get irritated in high volume computer use is called the infraspinatus. (see image below)
If you find yourself reaching out in front to use your mouse, or if the keyboard is too far away, it will lengthen the infraspinatus and load it at the same time. Anytime you load a lengthened muscle repetitively, it will develop trigger-points (painful bundles of muscle spindles). Your body lays down trigger points to prevent the movements causing them to appear in the first place.
What compounds this problem of trigger-points in the infraspinatus?
Lack of Strength in the rhomboids, posterior shoulder, tricep, infraspinatus, teres major and minor, and mid – lower trapezius muscle and deep cervical flexors.
Lack of Flexibility in the chest (pectoralis major and minor), subscapularis, latisimus dorsi and anterior deltoid and scalenes.
To address strength deficits in the muscles listed above (1) consult my video below:
Aesthetics and Increased Injury Rate Do Not have to go hand in hand!
Injury prevention is still a new concept in the fitness / personal training industry, sadly. I’m not against intense workouts. In fact, if you want a strong and lean body, you’ll have to push hard. The trouble is – many people make the mistake of heading off to the local gym with a Mens or Womens Fitness magazine in there hands and “go to town” with preexisting muscle imbalances. This is where a personal trainer is key and can save you from injury, surgery, lost time from work – and that’s very expensive.
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Weight Loss, Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Fitness Services. Lab Testing and BioSignature available through clients only.
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