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Holistic Health Tips - Vitamin D and Sunscreen

Vitamin D is also called the sunshine vitamin. It’s actually not a vitamin but a prohormone. It’s called a vitamin because it’s something we need to get every day. We get it from sunshine but many of us work in offices, live in Canada, lather ourselves with sunscreen and therefore are often deficient.

So why is Vitamin D so Important? The sun has gotten a bad rap lately and is often deemed as evil. Therefore, many people are covering themselves with toxic chemical laden sunscreens to prevent getting sunburn. But there are many dangers of not getting enough sun. In fact observational studies show that a higher vitamin D status, higher dietary vitamin D intake, and greater sunlight exposure have been associated with a decreased incidence of colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer, and a lower incidence of total cancers.

Vitamin D has functions all throughout your body. It helps your gut absorb calcium and phosphorous which makes it very important for bone health. It doesn’t build bone but helps your body absorb the nutrients needed to build bones. It is also important for healthy adrenal glands and blood sugar control. It is also involved in brain and nervous system development and functioning. This is why some people feel their mood is better in the summer as they are spending time outdoors.

Vitamin D also supports healthy: immune system mood memory blood pressure digestive system – blood sugar balancing and digestive enzymes skin sleep – good sleep is tied to blood sugar balance, hormone balance,

digestion and thyroid heath carbohydrate and fat metabolism

Vitamin D may also be useful for preventing and/or treating the following conditions:

Back pain Breath-holding spells Burns Cancer Chilblains Colds Congestive heart failure Critical illness Diabetes Fatigue Hearing loss Influenza Myopathy

Osteomalacia Osteoporosis Paget’s disease Polycystic ovary syndrome Rickets Seasonal affective disorder Tuberculosis

Why are we Vitamin D deficient?

1. As I mentioned above, we either don’t go outside or we wear too much sunscreen.

2. Dark skin – synthesize less vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.3. Poor liver function – the liver is involved in converting vitamin D into a

usable form. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin. If you aren’t absorbing fats well then you won’t be absorbing Vitamin D.

4. Poor kidney function – one of the stages of activating Vitamin D into a usable form is in the kidneys. Any kidney problems can create a Vitamin D deficiency.

5. Food allergies- irritation of the gut of any kind can impair absorption.6. Northern climates – Canada qualifies for that! In fact, you may not

absorb any Vitamin D at all during the winter even if you love outdoor winter sports and did them all naked!

7. Genetics – you may have the genetic markers that affect Vitamin D receptors and therefore require more Vitamin D for it to be effective.

8. Showering and scrubbing with soap. If you’re out in the sun and you come in, shower and scrub with soap right away, you may be scrubbing off that Vitamin D before it is absorbed. It is recommended that you wait 48 hours before you scrub with soap. Stick to scrubbing your armpits, groin area if possible.

9. Some medications – statin drugs, anti-seizure, glucocorticoids, rifampin, St. John’s Wort and others.