Vitamin D

Lately I've been feeling overly tired and run-down. I've also been in quite a daze lately and feel a bit of brain fog, can mostly describe the feeling as 'blah.' In addition, my muscles and joints have been overly sore after workouts, workouts I've done before and had no soreness from. I am not a big fan of going to the doctor but figured it was time for a physical and some blood work. Everything came back outstanding, my blood work profile looked like that of someone in their early 20's....except for Vitamin D. My Vitamin D levels are extremely low and all of the symptoms I've been experiencing can be explained by just that. My sleep has been affected, I have been tossing and turning more than usual, having trouble falling asleep and waking several times a night without being able to fall back asleep. Low Vitamin D levels are associated with sleep issues which explains the other symptoms of fatigue, brain-fog and feeling 'blah.' And being overly tired explains the soreness and aching of my body since I am still pushing it as hard as I was with enough sleep. So the good news is, I am super healthy for my age, the bad news is, I should know better and should never have stopped taking my Vitamin D supplement. People, including myself and even other physicians, don't realize the effect low vitamin D can have on a person. There is such a variety of vague symptoms that it is hard to pinpoint. This is even more important now since we are approaching winter and will get less sunlight exposure. We can't just go outside and get our 20 minutes anymore, so be diligent and get your Vitamin D levels checked!

Here is what you should aim for:

Vitamin D Range:

30.0 - 80.0 ng/mL (according to Roche Diagnostics who did my testing)

You will see a variety of ranges that are considered normal, some starting as low as 20, others 25 and so on. I personally feel that 50.0 ng/mL should be the low starting point for a range.

If you get tested and your Vitamin D levels are low, you should start supplementing with 1000 - 2000 IU's daily but always check with your Primary Care Physician first. I much prefer liquid drops to capsules, and use Bio-D-Mulsion by Biotics.

DIY Facial Scrubs

I am obsessed with a product at Lush called Ocean Salt. If you haven't tried it, you must, it's amazing (shh...even my hubby uses it occasionally)! It is a mixture of sea salt, vodka, grapefruit and a bunch of other stuff but it leaves my face glowing with on dry patches. It is pretty abrasive though and my skin is sensitive so I only use it once a week. But at $35 a large size, I figured I'd figure out a way to make a few of my own at-home versions of facial exfoliators to tide me over and keep my skin soft and glowing!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Honey Oatmeal Scrub:

1/4 cup oats

1 T honey

1/2 t nutmeg

Honey is very soothing and moisturizing. Oats are good for exfoliating the skin gently and is hypoallergenic. Nutmeg is anti-inflammatory and will help with acne/breakouts.

Coffee Scrub:

1/2 t olive oil

1 t honey

1 1/2 t coffee grinds

Coffee/caffeine is great for reducing puffiness and brighten the skin. Olive oil is a great moisturizer and will let the skin shine/glow. And honey is great for sootihng and moisturizing.

Sugar Scrub:

1 t sugar

1 t yogurt (unsweetened)

1/2 lemon juice

Yogurt contains a lot of nutrients that will help moisturize and tighten skin and lemon will help control oil and add brightness. These are just a few I like to use, you can mix and match and substitute however you like! Just be sure not to overdo the scrubs, sensitive skin types should stick to once a week, twice at most and those with less sensitive skin can use one every few days. Just pay attention to your skin and how you react, anything that causes a lasting redness or discomfort, obviously do not use again! And don't scrub too hard, the ingredients in the scrubs are already rough so you just need to dab the skin and move it around, very little pressure is needed. And lastly, make sure to clean your face first, you don't want to apply any scrubs to dirty skin.

Chiropractic Adjustments!

AS a Chiropractor, I figure it is time to talk about the benefits behind my profession. On a daily basis, I hear things like 'I'm afraid to get adjusted.' 'Does it hurt?' 'Do I need to have my neck done too?' 'It looks so scary.' 'Is it dangerous?' And the list goes on! Obviously, not all patients are scared or leery at first, but a lot who have gone through the experience are, so I thought I'd address it here and talk you all through it.

First of all, adjustment, manipulation, 'cracking,' etc, are all interchangable and are refer to the manual/hands-on treatment performed by a Chiropractor. An adjustment is a high velocity, low amplitude thrust directed at a specific joint in the body. Adjustments target misalignments in joints, in an effort to realign them, which in turn can affect the nervous system, decrease muscle spasm and tension, decrease stress, increase range of motion and many more.

Adjustments can help with a diverse variety of conditions, including everything from headaches and stress to strain/sprains and joint pain. I have treated everything from whiplash from a motor vehicle accident to digestive issues and asthma. When you affect the nervous system, you are increasing the way the body functions overall. By targeting specific vertebral segments in the spine, you can affect the nerves passing through those vertebra, increasing their function to the parts of the body they supply. For example, cervical vertebra 4 (C4) affects the diaphragm through the phrenic nerve. Adjusting this segment and the two surrounding segments (C3 and C5) can help with asthma or even hiccups. You can see why it is important to keep your body aligned and as healthy as possible at all times. Chiropractors do not just deal with muscle and joint pain but can alter the way the entire body functions.