The vitamin D status of the UK has been assessed since 2001, as a component of The National Diet and Nutrition Survey, and according to them :
• 90% of the general population have below optimal levels of vitamin D
• 75% of young adults, the elderly and British Asian children are deficient.
• 20-60% of the general population are deficient
• 20-40% of young men and women (19-24years), women over 85 years, residents of care homes over 65 years, and children of British Asians are severely deficient
• 5-20% of the population are severely deficient

These are frightening statistics!

So why are we so deficient?

The simple answer is that we aren’t getting as much sun as we used to. Our ancestors, millions of years ago, lived naked in the sun, living and working outside. Over the years we have put clothes on, started working indoors, travelling in cars and living in buildings that block the sun! More recently the scares of developing cancer from the sun have minimised the exposure even more and we now smother our children and ourselves in high factor sunscreen that blocks vitamin D!

Whilst there are some foods that naturally contain Vitamin D or are fortified with it, dietary sources alone are insufficient to satisfy human requirements. Salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, trout, and fresh tuna (not tinned) are particularly rich sources with wild salmon providing 500-1000 IU of vitamin D per 100g and farmed salmon providing 100-250 IU per 100g serving. So an adult would need to eat 2-4 servings of wild salmon a day to maintain the daily vitamin D requirements.

Why do we need Vitamin D3?

Well it contributes to numerous functions in the body.

High vitamin D levels can lower the rate of ALL cancers by 77%
People with the highest levels of vitamin D have a 43% lower rate of heart disease
Men with the highest levels of vitamin D have less skin cancer
Women with high vitamin D levels have 20% less bone loss and fractures
People with high vitamin D levels have 20% lower rates of gum disease
People with the most vitamin D have a 55% lower rate of diabetes
And vitamin D is a mood enhancer, too.

We know that Vitamin D is vital for skeletal health and rickets, the classic vitamin D deficiency disorder is resurging in the UK, but there is more and more evidence to show that a vitamin D deficiency may have many other important health consequences.

Vitamin D is crucial for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, which have various functions, especially the maintenance of healthy bones.

It has been found that those children who developed rickets in the first year of their life had 3 times the risk of developing type1 diabetes, compared with those who did not develop rickets. In a recent study by researchers in Finland, it was found that children who took the recommended amount of vitamin D, 2000 IU a day in their first year of life, lowered the incidence of diabetes by 80% .

Vitamin D is required for the maintenance of normal muscle function.

Vit D is an immune system regulator and is know to help fight disorders such as the common cold.

Vit D helps to increase the production of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that in low levels in the body is associated with mood disorders such as depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Vitamin D may play a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life.

It can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms and the likelihood of hospitalisation, researchers from Harvard Medical School found, after monitoring 616 children in Costa Rica.

Various studies have shown that those people with adequate levels of Vitamin D have a lower risk of developing cancer. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in cancer patients regardless of nutritional status, in a study carried out by Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

So how much vitamin D do we need?

The current recommendation is 200 IU but if you consider that the skin will naturally produce 10,000 IU in response to 20-30 minutes of summer sun exposure, you can easily see that the recommendation is very low.

The correct level of vitamin D supplementation is the one which brings the blood level of vitamin D into an optimal range which may be different for each individual. Some medical literature suggests 5000 IU is more realistic to promote optimal levels.

Supplements should contain vitamin D in the form of D3 (cholecalciferol) because this is the form that is naturally produced by the skin upon exposure to sunlight.

Suggested Supplements:
D3 Lemon Melts 500
D3 Lemon Melts 2000
D3 5000
Iso D3
D3 Drops 1000

Results showed that increased intake of cruciferous vegetables was associated with reduced risk of dying of breast cancer, a decreased risk of mortality overall, and lower cancer recurrence in a dose-response pattern.

This data was from a Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study which monitored 4,886 Chinese breast cancer survivors for 4 years from 2002-2006.

Cruciferous vegetables contain bioactive compounds that have anti-cancer properties that may influence cancer development, progression and survival. They have been shown to reduce tumour proliferation in human breast cancer cells.

So, the message is clear and simple, to all women, eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables.

42,883 men aged between 40 and 75 years were surveyed and it only took one sugary drink a day to increase the risk. However drinking sugary drinks just twice a week did not seem to have the same effect.

Heart disease is still the major cause of death in the West and so far the risk factors have included obesity, smoking, physical inactivity and poor diet. Now they have to add sugary drinks to the list.

Sugar is a bad food – it’s not just non-nutritive, it’s anti-nutritive, and the reason for that is that when sugar is found in natural foods and plants, like apples or berries, it comes complete with the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes needed for its digestion. When it is found in your sugary drinks, or in other processed foods such as your cereal, it contains nothing of any value. It is ‘pro-inflammatory’. Your body actually has to borrow from its stores of nutrients in order to process it and that’s one reason sugar is considered to be an immune system depressor. It can put your white blood cells, and therefore your immune system, to sleep for hours. In order to be metabolised, sugar literally ‘eats up’ nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and so ‘takes energy’, it does not ‘give’ energy.

When you eat sugar, your blood sugar rises quickly and your pancreas immediately jumps into action. It responds to the increase in blood sugar by secreting the hormone insulin, whose job, among other things, is to get that sugar out of the bloodstream quickly and deliver it to the muscle cells where it can be used for energy. If sugar stays in your blood it can do a lot of damage.

Once we have sugar in our body, most of us are not using our muscle cells enough to create much of a demand for all the sugar that is in our diet. It really doesn’t require too much sugar to power the muscles used to move the mouse on your computer, so the muscle cells eventually shut their doors. Sugar then goes into fat cells, or it continues to stay in the blood and cause inflammation and other damage.

Of course with our high calorie diets we require a lot more insulin to manage all the sugar than is needed for a moderate amount of sugar from a natural food, like an apple. The pancreas has to put more and more insulin into the system to get the job done, and high levels of insulin create a whole lot of other problems.

Insulin, for example, tells the kidneys to hold onto sodium, which increases blood pressure, leading to heart problems. High insulin levels encourage the body to store excess fat and chronically high insulin levels have also been linked to Metabolic Syndrome, an insulin resistance problem which is similar to ‘pre-diabetes’, this also increases the risk for heart disease.

And that’s just the beginning…

Olive oil is full of monounsaturated fatty acids that will help to raise HDL, the good cholesterol, and lower LDL, the bad cholesterol. It is one of the basic ingredients of a Mediterranean diet, and those people who eat such a diet have shown to have much lower than average levels of heart disease and cancer.

Olive oil is a strong antioxidant that helps to scavenge and wipe out those free radicals that can lead to cancer. In fact it has been shown to protect the cells of the colon, prostate and the uterus from cancerous changes. Recent research has also shown that olive oil helps to normalise blood sugar levels which benefits diabetics.

Other than adding it to your food, what other uses are there for olive oil?

The study of movement or gait is known as ‘biomechanics’. The alignment and function of ligaments, bones and muscles determines the way in which we move. Running shoes in recent years have been designed to suit runners with different biomechanical needs. They are as follow:

Forward planning is vital to prepare your feet for a marathon so here are details of those recommendations in order to be pro-active regarding footcare for the event.

‘Fixing Your Feet’ is a book from Wilderness Press which contains vast amounts of extremely good advice – often written directly by Runners, Hikers and Athletes themselves. This is an ideal reference tool to increase your chances of success in any demanding event such as this Half-Marathon.

CCS Cream is a moisturising cream is essential to condition your feet for the event. A supple skin is better able to cope with exertions from exercise and footwear – so this cream, available from Boots, Lloyds, Superdrug and good Chemists, is an excellent way to take preventative measures to help your skin.

Practical Footcare. At The Wyndham Centre we have a specific Chiropody Surgery running on Tuesdays and Fridays in Baldock, Hertfordshire. We are able to improve many problems on the feet, and recommend actions to ensure comfort for as long as possible. Should you feel pre/post Half Marathon attention for your feet is appropriate – Toenail trimming/management or Corn/Callus removal – then do contact The Wyndham Centre on 01462 893586.

Have a Great Baldock Half-Marathon Take Care of Your Feet – they are going to be doing a Lot of Work!

You have probably been training hard for the last few weeks which will have strengthened your heart, reduced the effect of stress, improved your energy levels and made you feel and look good! However there is a downside to excessive exercise known as ‘oxidative stress’. During intensive exercise the body needs more oxygen than normal, and this results in a greater production of ‘free radicals’. These are unstable oxygen molecules that possess either one electron too many or one too few, and they steal an electron from other healthy molecules thus interfering with the normal biochemical processes. This then starts a molecular cascade that resembles a falling stack of dominoes leading to cellular damage. Damage to the cellular structures can be responsible for damaged and sore muscles, slowed recovery and a reduction in immunity.

It is now recognised that athletes who train intensively have additional nutritional requirements and after a marathon it is essential that they replenish the vitamins and minerals that they have used to compete. Research has indicated that intensive exercise could compromise or depress the immune system and many top class athletes suffer from recurring bacterial and viral infections. One possible explanation for this is that exercise increases the levels of the hormones, adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol in the body and these may reduce the functioning of the immune system.
Supplementing with antioxidants to prevent oxidation damage therefore is a must. Studies have shown that 200-400mg of vitamin E daily and 200-1000mg daily of vitamin C can reduce markers of muscle damage. Much research is focused on the beneficial effects of some of the more recently discovered antioxidants and the proanthocyanidins extracted from the seed of red grapes and pine bark are possibly the most potent antioxidants so far discovered. Cats Claw and Echinacea have attracted the attention of researchers as immune system boosters as well. Echinacea has been widely used for centuries as an anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial and research indicates that it stimulates the production of T-cells, the natural killer cells of your white blood cells, that have specificity for different antigens.
To build muscle mass and repair tissue the body must have an adequate intake of protein. Amino acids, vitamins and minerals are essential for building muscle mass and strength. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for the maintenance of optimum health. Exercise, particularly if intensive, places an additional demand for these key and vital nutrients. Maximol a multivitamin and mineral supplement, is an all natural product with a high bioavailability factor because it is in a liquid form.
It contains all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and ultra-trace minerals that are classified as essential for your body and optimum health.
If you would like any further advice or would like to try any of the products mentioned please ring us at The Wyndham Centre. Don’t forget that it is essential each and every one of us takes vitamins and minerals on a daily basis because we do not get the nutrients we require from our diet. Next year make sure you take all the necessary nutrition before the marathon and you will find that you run even better!

Would you like?

So, what causes IBS? Well, a host of things may contribute to the problem.

1. Diet.

A diet of processed foods, sugar, caffeine and fried foods is not the best for your digestive system or your health. Sugar causes inflammation and puts your immune system to sleep for hours, so toxins are allowed to accumulate making you feel unwell.

2. Food sensitivities.

It may be that you have some food sensitivities. Most of us have a sensitivity to something, but if we are healthy, have no stresses and life is great, our bodies will cope. The minute our immune system becomes compromised and we become stressed, we start to react to foods, and usually those foods that we eat on a regular basis.

To help you work out which food may be causing you problems you can keep a food diary to see if your reactions tend to always start after a certain food, or you can try an elimination diet and then introducing one food at a time. On the other hand having a Vega test for food sensitivities can give you immediate results.

3. Parasites.

If you have had food poisoning or been abroad and suffered bowel problems it may be that you have parasites. These parasites can live within the bowel for years.

Parasites, by definition, live off other living things. Those that infest our bodies not only live off the nutrients in the food that we eat but they actually live off our tissues stealing our energy, making us feel weak. They secrete toxins into our blood stream that circulate, and often cause damage. Many people do not realise that they have them for some time, and they can often be very difficult for the doctors to diagnose, however there are herbal remedies that can help to eliminate them.

4. Fungal infection.

Yeast and mould are fungus, and there are over 200 that may live within the body. Small amounts of these organisms are normally well tolerated if you have a healthy immune system. However if the immunity is compromised in any way the body and especially the intestines may become susceptible to an overgrowth. Antibiotics, steroids and the contraceptive pill all compromise the immune system and therefore upset the bowel flora and kill off good as well as bad bacteria. This allows fungus to grow which results in a yeast infection. It is important to take probiotics to put the good bacteria back into the gut and to take an anti fungal remedy to remove the over growth.

5. Leaky Gut syndrome.

When the lining of the gut becomes inflamed it is rather like a sieve where the holes become large and allow bacteria, toxins and food to leak through into the body.

An inflamed gut does not absorb food and nutrients properly and therefore fatigue and bloating occurs. The detoxification pathways are compromised resulting in chemical sensitivities. The leakage of toxins into the body upsets the liver, which then finds it difficult to handle everyday chemicals and then the protective coating is adversely affected and the body is not able to ward of bacteria, viruses, yeast and parasites. The cycle begins again and it becomes a vicious circle.

There are good supplements tht will help to line the gut wall and improve the immune system within the gut.

6. Acid/Alkaline balance.

It is so important to keep your body as alkaline as possible. In your digestive system the stomach is extremely acid in order to start the digestion of proteins, but the rest of the digestive tract is supposed to be alkaline and the pancreatic enzymes will only work in an alkaline medium.

If there is an acid/alkaline imbalance, it can cause indigestion, heartburn and bloating and usually soon after eating. Eating lots and lots of green vegetables will help to keep the gut alkaline and there are good supplements to help as well.

7. Stress.

Many people say to me that their flare-ups are caused by stress. Stress causes chemical changes in the brain which act on the nerves in the colon. The intestines will contract or go into spasm too fast or too slow and it may in turn influence motility (the propelling of contents through the gut).

Deep relaxation is a great way to help with stress and hypnotherapy can get you into that state very well.

Why am I so Tired ?

Here are 7 reasons that you may feel tired.

1. Food sensitivities

A very common reason for tiredness is that you are suffering from a sensitivity to something that you are eating. The one thing that the majority of people say to me having taken the foods that they are sensitive to, out of their diet, is that they have so much more energy. It is probable that we all have a propensity for food sensitivities but if we are healthy, have no stresses and life is great, our bodies will cope. The minute our immune system becomes compromised and we become stressed, we start to react to foods, and usually those foods that we eat on a regular basis. It is said that ‘we are what we eat’, yes, this is very true but more importantly ‘we are what we absorb’. To prevent food sensitivities we require good absorption qualities in the gut.

The gut has many functions:
• digests food,
• absorbs small food particles to be converted into energy,
• vitamins and minerals attached to carrier proteins are taken across the gut lining into the blood stream
• helps to detoxify the body
• contains antibodies that act as the first line of defence against infections

When the absorption becomes compromised the lining of the gut becomes a colander rather than a sieve, with larger holes allowing bacteria, toxins and food to leak through into the body. Large food antigens are foreign to the body’s defence system, so it attacks them resulting in the production of antibodies against once harmless foods, and then a food sensitivity develops. Also when the intestinal lining is damaged the carrier proteins that take the vitamins and minerals across become damaged resulting in a vulnerability of the person to vitamin and mineral deficiencies and therefore tiredness.

There are many factors that can increase the permeability of the intestinal wall such as alcohol and caffeine, drugs especially antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and antacids, food additives, diets high in refined carbohydrates and stress.

2. Diet.

If we constantly eat cooked, processed food, our body, which produces around 22 enzymes that work on all the different foods, is forced to supply all of the enzymes needed to digest that food and this requires a lot of energy. It is for this reason that we may feel tired after eating a meal. Eventually our body will use up its ability to produce enzymes and this causes fatigue as well as many other symptoms

3. Vitamins and Minerals.

Unfortunately even high energy foods do not give us all the vitamins and minerals that we need. Fruit and vegetables are picked way in advance of being ripe so that they do not get the benefit of the soil; fertilisers and pesticides leach any minerals from the soil, and then the vegetables and fruit are stored and sprayed to make them look good and last longer on the shelf. A cereal bowl of spinach in 1948 would have given 150mg of iron; the same bowl today gives us 2mg! Just like our car needs the right petrol for it to run properly, we need the right vitamins and minerals to stop us becoming tired.

4. Acid/Alkaline balance.

It is so important that you eat lots of green organic vegetables to keep your body alkaline. According to Dr Robert Young of the pH Miracle, ‘the more alkaline foods that you eat, the more alkaline your body will be, and the more energy you will have’. All complex carbohydrates, sugars, sweeteners, tea, coffee, animal protein and some fruits are acidic or have acidic effects on the body. What then happens is that the acidity interferes with the healthy red cell production. The red blood cells become damaged by the acid and clog together so that there is less oxygen to the body cells and therefore the body becomes tired.

5. Blood Sugar.

Why do I recommend cutting out all sugars, processed foods, tea and coffee? Because these foods are stimulants; they push our blood sugar up and give us a false sense of energy! A common reason for tiredness is a transient blood sugar.

When we eat carbohydrates and sugar they pass through the walls of the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream, the blood sugar level rises. This causes the pancreas to make insulin which ‘pushes’ the sugar out of the blood and into the muscles where it provides energy for all our daily tasks and activities. With the help of just the right amount of insulin the blood sugar level drops down again to normal level and everything is balanced – supposedly.

The aim is to prevent sudden large increases in blood sugar levels so that excessive unnecessary amounts of insulin are not produced, sending the blood sugar levels abnormally low. This is when you feel tired. Steady blood sugar levels can be readily achieved by changing from high to low glycaemic index foods. Studies have revealed that different carbohydrate foods have different effects on blood sugar levels and this is known as the glycaemic index. This is a ranking of foods from 1-100 that tells us whether a food will raise blood sugar levels dramatically, moderately or just a little. Many foods such as bread and potatoes are digested and absorbed very quickly, sending the blood sugar level sky high, whereas most fruit and vegetables keep the levels steady. Stimulants like tea, coffee, chocolate, alcohol and stress can also increase the blood sugar level.

Glucose is needed as an essential fuel for the body, especially the nervous system, but we do not need to eat glucose. It should enter our bodies as an integral part of various unrefined and complex carbohydrates, gradually being broken down step by step. It is also available by the conversion of glycogen stored in the liver.

Some of the symptoms that we may experience with a drop in blood sugar are fatigue, thirst, frequency of urination and panic attacks.

6. Dehydration.

The human body is 70% water. It makes up 75% volume of our muscles and heart, 83% of our brain and kidneys, 86% of our lungs and 95% of our eyes. If we do not drink enough we will compromise our body and our health. One of the greatest causes of daytime fatigue is lack of water. Water increases the oxygen in the blood and maintains normal electrical properties of the cells improving cell to cell communication. Without it, cells lack communication.

So it is very important that you drink at least 1-2 litres of plain water a day to prevent tiredness.

7. Deep breathing.

Breathing is not something we have to think much about, it happens automatically, but how many of us breathe deeply enough? If we look at the shape of our lungs we have a much greater capacity in the lower part of our lungs, so to get more oxygen into the blood and therefore the body, we need to get air right to the bottom of our lungs.

Breathing is the bridge between body and soul and oxygen is the elixir of life. Germs and disease cannot live in an oxygenated environment so it is important to fill our cells with oxygen.

A great exercise that helps you to do this is ‘power breathing’. Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4, hold for a count of 20 and breathe out for a count of 10. Repeat this 3 times and several times a day.