It seems well-established that skin exposure to sunlight, specifically the ultraviolet portion, causes the human body to produce Vitamin D just beneath the surface of the skin, where exposed to it. What I can't ponder is whether the D then circulates about, benefitting parts of the body not exposed, or does it remain mainly where-produced? Further, does the natural tanning of the skin inhibit to one degree or another the additional production of D? All colors of skin seem to tan, even very dark skin, though much less. Then, do Blacks experience lower levels of Vitamin D produced? Or, since black absorbs all colors of light, do they benefit MORE? AMA has indicated some number like 40% of American adults being Vitamin D deficient. So what? Vitamin D has been theorized to act in helping the body prevent the start of malignancies. That is incentive enough for me to ignore the skin-cancer, melanoma scares, and go ahead with tanning, but not allowing burning, or erythema, reddening. In my own case, a rather long-term experiment has shown spectacular results from producing Vitamin D via sunlight. This story I'm reluctant to tell. It involves the prostate gland. I would like to hear any thoughts about the questions posed above, however. Thanks for looking! mo.
I used to get the "sads" around christmas time. I started to take D3 supplements when I'm not getting sunlight and my mood seems to be better than it used to be around the holidays. Your mileage may differ. BTW, blacks in the US as a group have significantly lower levels of vitamin D in their blood. That would imply black skin was an adaptation to more sunlight, or more likely, pale skin was an adaptation to less sunlight.
Interesting thoughts! I really should "bone up" on D in greater depth. There are evidently several forms, maybe like "isomers" of the same compound? I do know that in the case of Niacin, there are two distinct forms, one of which seems to lower blood cholesterol, while the other does not. Both will be found on OTC shelves. For what it's worth, Niacinamide is the one to avoid, while Nicotinic Acid is the useful one. All these dag-goned organic chemicals! mo.
Eat well, get lots of exercise, and soak up the sun. I won't turn 60 for another 2 months, so I am still a youngster, but that is working for me. Pills aren't food, so I don't eat them, and whatever God put into those tasty animals seems to cover my needs as long as I don't ignore the organ meat. All this worry about what one eats is, in my opinion, a diversion from what one needs to do to be healthy. Once a person reaches 40, the number of strict pushups they can do is a good indicator of how long they will be healthy. If it gets under 20, then it is time to get ones affairs in order. A man has two choices; Make the investment and effort to stay in shape, or, take pills that end ones sex life and then hang on through increasing debilitation.
Gotta be sun to soak up. Around here that gets kinda scarce November - February. I take D, saw palmetto (the old man's friend) and in a bad year 2 maybe 3 aspirin (for the year).
Company I worked for in Colorado, a drywall manufacturing Plant, Flintkote Co., was headquartered in East Rutherford (NJ). The Corporate Facilities Engineer was always eager for the chance to come out to our location. He was a most likeable guy, helpful, but hindered in efforts by the Big Boss, who proved to be the main reason I quit after a year. Tibore Penzes, Ty for short, I think he was Hungarian, did finally travel to Colorado, after I discovered the big transformer feeding the entire facility was operating at red-line temperature. He believed that my find potentially saved the Co. a bundle, had the trans. shorted out, or worse! mo.
I've taken a vitamin D supplement for a while now, and have had positive results. Even with exercise these old bones creak a bit. The D seems to help with that. Agreed though, at any age it's important to exercise. There's no replacement for that. I drip with sweat as I write this having just finished my daily workout. I do it a little later on Sunday since it's not usually a work day.
Keep your blood levels at 70-90 nmols. Since it is fat soluble, it is a slow channge either up or down. I take 12,000 IUs/day and my blood levels are 80-85. Some in Europe get Shots of 250,000 - 500,000 IU's a month. Bottom line: If you do not get tested, you do not know!!!!!!!!
According to many "experts", of which I know nothing in fact, the following is one's excerpt indicating that when D deficiency is severe, definite symptoms present: Vitamin D deficiency symptoms will be described in the following article. Vitamin D is not like other vitamins; this pro-hormone is produced in the skin of humans and animals during the sun exposure. D deficiency can be described as a condition that develops when vitamin D levels in blood get too low. This condition can be mild or severe. Mild deficiency is usually asymptomatic, and it is very hard to diagnose. Vitamin D deficiency is also known as hypovitaminosis D. This can be a result of inadequate or limited exposure to sunlight, improper diet, or problems related to absorption of vitamin D. Certain diseases can impair vitamin D conversion into its active form. Some of these conditions include kidney disease, liver disease, or some hereditary diseases.Vitamin D deficiency usually results in bad mineralization of bones, leading to bone softening, osteomalacia, rickets and osteoporosis. Rickets develops in children, whereas osteomalacia affects adults. Vitamin D deficiency is usually diagnosed by checking the concentrations of calcidol in one’s blood. Calcidol (also called compound 25-hydroxyvitamin D) is actually a precursor to calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D). A review from 2008 suggested that vitamin D deficiency could be divided into four categories. You will see the table below in the text. The symptoms of severe deficiency include: ● Bone fractures ● Bone pain ● Chronic fatigue ● Weakness ● Muscle cramps ● Muscle weakness ● Osteomalacia ● Rickets in children ● Osteoporosis To get enough "sunshine vitamin", you need to expose your skin to direct sunlight, without wearing any sunscreen – several times a week. Darker skin needs longer exposure, because melanin contained in dark skin acts as a sun block. Vitamin D is also found in some foods like, animal meat, eggs, fish oil and dairy products. Beef liver is one of the best sources of vitamin D. However, none of these foods can actually fulfill your daily requirements. The amounts contained in these foods are certainly valuable, but they are not satisfactory. Vegetarians do not consume any of these foods, but they can opt for fortified cereals and energy bars that are enriched with vitamin D. Infants can get vitamin D through formula milk. Mother’s milk is very important, but it is not high in vitamin D. Formula milk should be added to the baby’s diet. According to numerous researches, vitamin D can be helpful in preventing certain diseases, like cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol in blood, asthma, etc. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the major causes of rickets in babies. This condition is characterized by bone softening and it leads to serious bone deformities. If vitamin D levels are low, bones will not be properly mineralized; calcium and phosphorus will not be properly absorbed. Skeletal deformities are extremely difficult to treat. Obesity is also related to low vitamin D levels. According to recent researches, low levels of vitamin D can prevent a person from losing weight. Many people who have successfully treated D deficiency say that it is much easier to lose weight when vitamin D levels in blood are normal. This is very true; according to just one of the studies, women who had low levels of vitamin D before dieting had difficulties losing weight. Vitamin D Deficiency Causes Some of the most common causes include: Poor diet. If you don’t consume enough foods that contain this vitamin, you will be at greater risk of developing this condition. You can solve this problem by consuming more vitamin D-rich foods, like animal meat, eggs, fish oil and dairy products. Limited sun exposure is one of the major causes of vitamin D deficiency. You should spend nearly twenty minutes in the sun (or longer, if you are dark-skinned), several times a week. People who live in cold weather countries are at greater risk, because they just don’t spend time in the sun. In such cases, sun showers are used as an alternative to sunrays. Of course, before you decide to use this device, talk to your dermatologist! People whose kidneys cannot convert this vitamin into the active form are also at risk. This happens as we age. Older people often have this problem. Being overweight is another risk factor. However, people who already have low vitamin D levels, and also have problems with obesity, can have difficulties losing weight. Low levels of vitamin D and obesity are closely related to each other.
Are you serious? Look at their legs. Are they bowed or knockneed? Feet turned too far in or out? Legs should be getting pretty straight by the time they start to walk. If not get a professional opinion. I don't hold doctors up as gods but some things they are quite good at.
Limited sun exposure is one of the major causes of vitamin D deficiency. You should spend nearly twenty minutes in the sun (or longer, if you are dark-skinned), several times a week. >mo ++++++++++++ Just to ask the dumb question, does this mean in the nude? Or with only just the usual parts exposed? I'm getting ready for our afternoon hike, need to know how to dress.
In the nude, for San Francisco and surrounding areas. Status quo. Fortunately, it wasn't exceedingly hot when I visited so I didn't have to suffer any of that.
Getting close to my theory here. I hoped it might be ferreted out, but there remains an important consideration unanswered. Does the area exposed to U-V benefit directly right there? In other words, it has been well-established that D plays a vital role in prostate health in men; they just don't seem to know how or why. I will reveal my story on this if promised, up front, that no snickering, poo-pooing, or regurgitation be allowed to result! Late in 2009, I was 66, noticed increasing difficulty urinating. My Doctor, in Ellington, MO, did the check, proclaimed my prostate was "50 to 75%" larger than normal. For those men unaware of the meaning of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy), you are too young to be reading this! Dr. prescribed Flomax, which seemed to help. In June, 2010, we drove to Laughlin (NV)/ Bullhead City (AZ) area to seek a rental place for the coming winter. We stayed at the Tropicana Express. In the evening of the day before we were to leave and go back to MO, we ate dinner, preparing to retire at about 10 PM, I could not pee a single drop! Tried for 15 minutes, told my wife, retired for the night. 1 AM, woke up, same thing, not a single drop, she got directions to the nearest hospital, drove me there. E.R. amazingly allowed her to sit in on the debacle, they decided to introduce a catheter, send me home with it in place to be treated as needed at home. We left in the morning, I having a plastic bag strapped to my thigh, which obviously needed periodic emptying at fuel stops, no big thing. We left on a Tuesday, arrived home on Thursday. Called my Dr. in Ellington, got an appointment for late the following week. He was to remove the drip system; I removed it myself by mid-week. Upon removal, no difficulty was experienced immediately when urinating, so I discontinued the Flomax. Having researched the Vitamin D-prostate theories, I began, that summer, exposing the delicate area to sunlight every few days, gradually at first, obviously privately, did not want my wife to decide finally that she had married a lunatic! It has been 4 years now, no problems whatsoever, the stream is as strong as it was in my 20s! A digital exam a year ago, the Dr. here in AZ proclaimed the size "normal". I expect some of you old-fart members likely are fully-aware of BPH. What have you got to lose trying it? Go gradual at first, of course! mo.
That's why I don't let doctors experiment on me. They have been real good at fixing my broken bones, and stitching up tears in my skin, the doc that did the laser surgery on my eyes did a bang up job. Other than that, I steer clear of them. As I said before, eat well (don't forget the organ meat, lots of 'D' in them among other things), get some sun, and use your body with physical work. If you don't use it you loose it.
So, do you have some theory of how your procedure works? No way is any sunlight getting to your actual prostate, which is a couple inches inward from the nearest skin area. Do you think it would also work for hemorrhoids?
