Use This ‘Shadow Trick’ To Make Your Own Vitamin D in Pottsville

December 4, 2012 by

My patients surely know that it’s the best way to get vitamin D.  But what if I told you that there’s one easy trick that can let you maximize the amount of vitamin D that you can make yourself.

That can make all the difference, especially now that…

Winter’s Coming (for some of us it is here already)

The availability and strength of sunlight decreases during the winter months.  This means you’ll have to be deliberate about getting sun exposure.  During the summer, it’s almost automatic – you spend time outdoors wearing sleeveless shirts and shorts, for instance, and within a short period of time you’ve soaked up a lot of sunlight without even trying.

Even in the summer, though, you can still employ this handy trick to get the most vitamin D from the sunlight.  But it’s absolutely essential during the winter months.

Why Vitamin D?

Vitamin D supplementation is a good idea, in addition to sun exposure in the winter.  In other words, it would be best if you got sunlight and took a supplement.  Bear in mind that during the winter, you should increase your supplemental vitamin D to compensate for the lack of sunlight.

Vitamin D is very important to your overall health, particularly your bone health. Here are just some of the health benefits of vitamin D:

  • Decreased risk of chronic disease
  • Decreased risk of contracting influenza, colds, and other contagious illnesses
  • Regulation of calcium and phosphorous in bone remodeling
  • Maintenance of blood calcium levels
  • Stimulation of intestinal calcium absorption

Some of these health benefits are because…

Vitamin D is Also a Hormone

Yes, this vitamin has a dual function. Because of this unique trait, vitamin D plays a vital role in an untold number of body functions.  It has the ability to “turn off” or “turn on” certain genes in the body, thereby making it an indispensable component of a properly functioning body.

How Much?

Inevitably, the question of how much vitamin D we need each day comes up.  And this will amaze you: a study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has shown that just one 20-minute exposure to summer sun in Hawaii wearing a bathing suit produced between 15,000 and 20,000 IU of vitamin D3.1   The Vitamin D Counsel recommends 5000 IU per day of supplemental Vitamin D3.

The best part is that you can’t “overdose” on vitamin D obtained from sunlight. Your skin will automatically shut the process off when you’ve made enough of this vitamin, even if you are still in the sunlight when you’ve reached your maximum.

If you are in doubt as to your vitamin D levels, a simple blood test can let you know exactly where you are. Then you can customize your sun exposure and oral supplements to create the optimal levels of vitamin D in your body.  The Vitamin D counsel recommends your Vitamin D on the lab test should be 60 to 100.

I just had my Vitamin D checked in October.  It was 43 even though I was out twice a week with short sleeves and shorts all summer.   Everyone is different and the blood test is the only way to know your Vitamin D level.

The ‘Shadow’ Trick

The trick to getting the most Vitamin D out of your daily sun exposure is to sunbathe when your shadow is shorter than your height.  This means that in the winter, with the sunlight at a slant, your optimal sunbathing time is greatly narrowed down.

Typically, you’ll get the most vitamin D if you go out between 10am and 2pm.  That’s about the only window of time when your shadow will be shorter than your height.  And that’s when the UVB rays, which are what you need to make vitamin D, are at their strongest, and the time when most will tell you to hide from the sun!

But remember, the key to avoiding skin damage such as premature aging of the skin or the dreaded melanoma, is to keep sun exposure during these times for a short duration.

Summing It Up

  • Expose as much skin as possible to the sun, aiming for full-body sun exposure for 20 minutes (20 for light-skinned individuals and 30 for those who are darker-skinned).  This might be impossible if it’s too cold outside, so that’s where my next suggestion is important.

 

  • You can use a sun lamp.  Just be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, and be certain that your sun lamp is made for the purpose of vitamin D supplementation.

 

  • Don’t wear any sunblock or sunscreen while you’re sunbathing for Vitamin D production.

 

  • If you’re fair-skinned or haven’t exposed your skin to the sun for a long period of time, pay special attention, especially at the beginning, to make sure you never allow your skin to get burned (a pink tone is OK, though).

The research is clear, so don’t let your fear keep you away from the sun, because…

Responsible Sunshine Exposure is Crucial to Bone Health And Health in General

With this knowledge, you can embrace the sunlight without fear.

And here’s another piece of positive information: as you prepare to let your skin feel the warmth of sunlight this winter, remember that your mood will likely improve in the process.  Lack of sunlight can send many people into a season-induced slump. Exposure to light is an easy and effective remedy for the winter blues.

So let the sunshine in, be happy and healthy!

Filed Under: Vitamin D Tagged With: , , , ,

Fibromyalgia and Muscle Fatigue in Schuylkill Country

January 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Schuylkill County: Muscles are comprised of two different basic muscle types: fast twitch and slow twitch.  Fast twitch muscle fibers have low endurance whereas slow twitch muscle fibers have high endurance.  As an example, sprinters have a high percentage of fast twitch muscle fibers in their legs and long-distance runners have a higher percentage of slow twitch muscle fibers.  Everyone has their own genetic mixture of these two types of muscle fibers in their muscles.  Additionally, postural muscles, the muscles that hold us upright against gravity, have a high percentage of slow twitch fibers.  Dynamic muscles, the muscles that enable us move have a higher percentage of fast twitch muscle fibers.  That is why when you workout using your dynamic muscles you fatigue more easily than just standing using primarily your slow twitch muscles. 

chiropractor pottsville Fibromyalgia and Muscle Fatigue in Schuylkill Country

Example of Fast Twitch and Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber

A recent study has shown a difference in muscle fatigue in fibromyalgia patients.  In the study two groups of patients were utilized, one with fibromyalgia and the other normal controls.  In the first test the subjects upper arm muscle was stimulated using electrical current to contract the muscle while measuring muscle activity with a surface EMG.  In the second test, the subjects were asked to flex their upper arm muscle and hold it for 3 seconds.  Muscle activity was also recorded with a surface EMG.

The researchers found that there was no difference in strength between normal subjects and fibromyalgia subjects.  There was also no difference in muscle fatigability when the muscle was stimulated/contracted by the electrical impulse.  However, there was a difference in fatigability of the muscle between the two groups when the subjects voluntarily contracted (under control of their brain) their muscle.  Fibromyalgia patients had a higher rate of muscle fatigue and it occurred much earlier.

Fibromyalgia sufferers activate a higher percentage of fast twitch muscle fibers (the ones that fatigue easily) compared to normal subjects.  The control of this activation is under the Central Nervous System (the brain and spinal cord).  Therefore, the researchers concluded that the altered activation is a Central Nervous System motor (muscle) control-processing problem.

Although it is well established that fibromyalgia is a central pain-processing problem, this is the first time research demonstrated a central muscle control difference between normal subjects and fibromyalgia sufferers.  The fatigue problem is not in the muscles, but is in how the brain and spinal cord recruit the muscle fibers and control the muscles.

Along with treating the central pain processing problem with transcranial electrical stimulation to increase the alpha waves it also explains why light exercise has been shown to be beneficial.  Additional studies have shown improvement in muscle fatigue symptoms with whole body vibration (WBV).  WBV exercise targets the fast twitch muscle fibers and therefore increases the number of fast twitch muscle fibers and fatigability is lessened.

An research paper can be found here:

Central motor control failure in fibromyalgia: a s… [BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009] – PubMed result

Filed Under: Chiropractic, Fibromyalgia, Natural Remedies Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Schuylkill County Fibromyalgia Suffers, Update 2010: What We Now Know May Help You

November 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Schuylkill County: Do you hurt all over, frequently feel exhausted, can’t seem to ever feel “rested” after a night’s sleep?  Do you feel like your brain is in a fog, and you failed to respond to any of the recommended medications from your family physician and no test seems to uncover anything specific?  If this sounds like you, it is possible that you are suffering from fibromyalgia (FM). 

FM can begin with a physical or an emotional event but does not have to; FM can seem to come out of nowhere, as well.  In the US, FM. affects about 2% of the population, mostly women (3.4%) and especially with increasing age. 

A Review of the Diagnosis and Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

When we consider the wide spectrum of signs and symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia Syndrome, it is important to understand that not everyone has all of these symptoms.  However, the first four symptoms must be present in order to have a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

  • Generalized body pain of three or more month’s duration.
  • Widespread pain on both sides of the body, in areas above and below the waist
  • Pain at 11 out of 18 predictable “tender points”  
  • Sleep disturbance

 

Other symptoms may include:

  • “Restless Leg” Syndrome
  • Diffuse muscle and joint pain which increases with activity
  • Fatigue often accompanied by a “hazy” or “foggy” sensation
  • Inability to concentrate often leading to anxiety and frustration
  • Numbness in various body regions (often transient).  
  • Irritable bowel can be part of the syndrome as well as digestive problems.  
  • Tension headaches and/or migraine headaches
  • Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome

 

The 18 predictable “Tender Points” associated with Fibromyalgia are illustrated below.  These tender points are verified using approximately 4 kg of pressure.  There must be at least 11 out of 18 tender points present; otherwise, the patient does not have true FMS, according to the American College of Rheumatology guidelines.

  • Back of the headchiropractor pottsville Schuylkill County Fibromyalgia Suffers, Update 2010: What We Now Know May Help You
  • Between shoulder blades
  • Top of shoulders
  • Front sides of neck
  • Upper chest
  • Outer elbows
  • Upper hips
  • Sides of hips
  • Inner knees

 

Poor sleep quality is a serious attribute to FM, and one that has been in the spotlight of investigation when it comes to finding the cause.  In the past, medical treatment has been heavily focused on the problem of sleep disturbance, and therefore one of the treatments of choice thus far has been administration of sleeping medication to enhance quality of sleep.  Results have been somewhat favorable, but less than desirable in most cases.

New Reasearch Insights

Over the past few years, it is well accepted that generalized hypersensitivity is common in FM suffers.  It is as if they just cannot turn off their brain.  Their pain centers are stimulated too easily.

Central pain processing (activity in the brain and spinal cord) has been shown to differ in patients with FM compared to those without FM.  This is very complicated to explain but how the nervous system process painful or typical non-painful stimuli changes with FM.  It is almost that the brain and spinal cord of FM suffers amplify a painful and sub-painful stimulus so that the pain is felt more intensely.  The brain of FM suffers also fails to modulate or reduce pain signals. 

In a study using Functional Brain MRIs of FM patients, it was found that there was increased brain activity to low threshold stimulus.  This means that a stimulus that would not be considered painful by a normal functioning brain and spinal cord is very painful to a FM suffer.  Additionally, in this study when the painful stimulus was applied in the normal group there was increased activity in the brain at different areas that was not found with FM patients.  This additional activity is thought to be the activation of what is called the Descending Inhibitory Pathway, a built-in pain regulator/depressor.

In another study, a group of 168 FM patients, various tests were performed including an auditory brainstem response (ABR) which tests the cranial nerve that is responsible for our hearing and balance; a test that measures for eye movements primarily when sleeping; and, a third test that measures balance functions.  The following is a list of the results from the 168 patient study:

  • 78% of the FM patients complained of dizziness or vertigo.  Most of these cases were mild, but 4% complained of constant, severe dizziness.
  • Sensorineural hearing loss (hearing loss that comes from the inner ear) was found in 15% of the FM patients.
  • 51 of the subjects (30%) had abnormal ABR test findings.
  • 58% had abnormal eye movement tests, and
  • 45% had abnormal findings on the balance test.

 

Some studies also report that similar symptoms are associated with whiplash-associated disorders and up to 22% of whiplash suffers develop FM.

FM patients were found to have low serum ferritin, magnesium, and zinc.  Serum IL-8 (a pro-inflammatory factor) was elevated but did return to normal in 6 months after multidisciplinary pain treatment.  This was interesting because anti-inflammatory meds, including steroids are not helpful for FM.

Oxidative stress also has a role to play.  A decreased level of a coenzyme was also found.  This coenzyme becomes depleted by the lipid lowering Statin drugs, the ones that can give you muscle pains.

Several studies failed to demonstrate any abnormalities in the muscles of FM patients.  There is some evidence that fascia (connective tissue between muscle) is the source of the abnormal pain stimulus.  It has been found that FM suffers have increased levels of inflammatory mediators in the fascia surrounding the muscle cells.  Under the microscope, the fascia looks similar to chronic plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow.  The appearance has been described as a dysfunctional healing response.

Current Treatment Recommedations

There have been several drugs approved for FM.  Some have shown long-term responses to pain, sleep, and quality of life.  All have reported significant side effects.  There is also evidence of a mixed opiate with acetaminophen being helpful.

There is strong evidence for mild cardiovascular exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy, stress reduction.  At Doctors’ Choice, we use gentle Cranial Electrical Stimulation (CES) to treat all the main symptoms of Fibromyalgia – widespread pain, insomnia, brain fog, anxiety, and depression that sometimes are present.  In medical studies, this treatment has been 90% effective.

CES works on the Central Nervous System helping regulate the neurological mechanisms that carry pain signaling.  It also reduces the production of stress hormones, which further reduces the pain experience.

There is moderate evidence supporting massage, muscle strength training, and acupuncture.

There is good antidotal evidence for certain nutritional/herbal supplements but not when used by themselves.

The best responses to FM treatment have been noted when combinations of therapies have been used.

At Doctors’ Choice Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, we have a FM program that is unique in addressing the recommended therapies.  We are committed to help you or a loved one that is suffering with FM, and sharing this information may be one of most evident acts of kindness you can give.

Filed Under: Back Pain, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, Neck Pain, Shoulder Pain, Whiplash Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,