Vitamin D: Part 4

There is so much history to this part of my health and healing journey and there is no way I can lay it all out right here. But I can scratch the surface.
What I do want to share about today is something I am ever so passionate about, and that is Vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency has been an ongoing part of my health journey and I am still learning the impact of it.

When you hear the word "Vitamin" you don't think that deeply about the certain role Vitamin D plays in our health and wellness. It is actually a cell receptor that modulates cell growth. There are different chemical receptors to Vit D and the list of systems in our bodies it can effect are numerous, including our immune systems and hormone balance. People do not make their own Vitamin D. We need sunlight to synthesize it. The vitamin also is found in several foods. The challenge for me... I'm never supposed to see the sun? I've been asking and researching on this since the beginning of my wild ride with Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. It's extremely contradictory for me to fight that, and still maintain sufficient Vit D levels which are proving to support your body in surviving cancer. 

Are you like... WHAT??
I have been on a wild Vit D ride. One that started after my third baby, and I believe has played a significant role in my cancer diagnosis and the way my body has responded to treatments. 

After Ella was born, after many health issues, a doctor was finally thorough enough to check my D levels, when nothing else was making sense.  The results showed my levels were almost non-existent. After a treatment to boost the levels in my blood with extreme amounts of Vit D, things in my body started changing and recovering. That was 7 years ago. I started having hormone issues along the lines of APD(Autoimmune, Progesterone Dermatitis). With a monthly cycle I was diagnosed with chronic hives responding to a hormone irregularity. Again interesting right? That was 5 years ago. I saw dermatologist at a hospital clinic to deal with my skin issues and chronic hives, I did light therapy to help my skin. Interesting right? Come with me on this path with me, all related to Vitamin D. After we finally had a treatment plan, I got pregnant again with my #4. Hormones all out of whack again right? And A boy this time, different than the other 3 pregnancies, and the hormones between different sexes played a role too. My APD went by the wayside. I remained vigilant in keeping my Vit D levels checked and in a healthy range with doctors. Now we jump in to an 18month old little boy, hormones back in some balance. And a mole grows on my skin and into my leg muscle, lymphatic system, and across blood vessels, that is malignant melanoma. Not just a skin cancer caused by the sun, which is empowered by Vit D. But perhaps there is more to this story, there is always more to every story.

*We also found that lower levels of vitamin D were linked to more severe forms of melanoma at presentation. Patients with low vitamin D levels were more likely to have thicker tumors and higher-stage disease than patients with higher levels of vitamin D.

*25% of melanoma patients in our investigations had deficient levels of vitamin D 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/866623

It's so complicated. I have been learning SO much. There are many factors that play a role in most of our bodies terrain heath. That is why I share a small picture of my health journey with you. Please Please Please do some personal research or talk with your doctor. I can explain and talk through more with you too. jwdennstaedt@gmail.com. The below research in the smallest little glimpse into the world of Vitamin D. It is important in so many ways. 
Ask your doctor to test your levels. 
Find a supplement and diet that invites more Vitamin D into your life. 
The sun part, I will share about that coming up soon when I open the can of Sun safety, sunscreen, and enough Vit D. (Another part, often controversial for some individuals)

But for YOU...
colds and flu season, and sometimes unknown and undiagnosed issues... Here's how you can aid in the healing and building up your immune system with Vit D. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/02/16/515428944/a-bit-more-vitamin-d-might-reduce-winter-colds-and-flu

http://time.com/4672626/vitamin-d-cold-flu/

Why and What is Vitamin D?

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/vitamin-d

Some of the biggest vitamin D deficiency symptoms include:

• Weakened immune system
• Seasonal depression
• Autoimmune disease
• Cancer
• Weak bones (osteopenia)
• Skin issues eczema and psoriasis
• Dementia

"When vitamin D is given to people who are deficient, which is the case for as much as 40% of Americans, it does amazing things including reducing the risk of the flu and respiratory infections, including pneumonia."

Tod Cooperman, MD, President of ConsumerLab.com

How do I get it and enough of it? Here are some of the most Vit. D rich foods.

Cod liver oil
1 tsp: 440 IU (over 100% DV)

Sardines
3 ounces: 164 IU (41% DV)

Salmon
3 ounces: 400 IU (100% DV)

Mackerel
3 ounces: 400 IU (100% DV)

Tuna
3 ounces: 228 IU (57% DV) 

Raw Milk
1 cup: 98 IU (24% DV)

Eggs
1 large: 41 IU (10% DV)

Mushrooms
1 cup: 2 IU (1% DV)

*Supplements and amounts can be important too. I take fluctuating amounts of supplements depending on time of year, and cold and flu symptoms. I can talk with you about this too. Certain supplements are super important. Don't just run to target real quick and grab Vit. D. Do a little reading about that first. 

Ok friends take this to heart as much as you want to soak in or not. My journey is not yours. I do believe there are so many missing pieces to everyones health journey that if we started to pick them all up and map them together we would find that there is more hope for healing than we think. And even more important that we can be involved and advocates to our own healing.