Heal Yourself At Home

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NEWSTARTS CHART

Nine Life Choices for Vibrant Health

N E W S T A R T S

Attend to Diet, Lifestyle & Emotional State

Why do this?

Nutrition

Exercise

Water

Sunlight

Thoughts

Air

Rest

Trust

Sex

	Why are Vitamins A and D so Important?
	Vitamin A (Retinol)	Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)
Functions in body	Sufficient vitamin A needed for mineral uptake / utilization of water-soluble vitamins; • Essential for good eyesight (retinal component) - Vitamin A is called "retinol" because of its presence in the retina; • Builds muscle; • Utilizes protein -initiates gastric juice secretion; (High-protein diet depletes vitamin A - e.g. heavy meat-eating); • "Beauty"Vitamin - keeps the skin smooth and soft • Improves growth in nutrient-deprived children; • Powerful inhibitor of prostate cancer ; • Antioxidant -controls free radicals in body fats, and its presence in Cod liver oil protects against lipid peroxide damage. • Growth/repair of body tissues - used in cell division. • Helps build strong bones/teeth, rich blood; • Protects mucous membranes of mouth / nose / throat / lungs / entire digestive tract / bladder / kidneys . • Immune system builder; • Vitamin A protects against possible dioxins and pesticides (a useful ingredient in cod liver oil) • Reproduction - necessary for sperm production. Used in cell division and differentiation (i.e. cell decides what it will be), and prenatal development (Aids RNA production); Prevents spontaneous abortion. • Sex Hormone Production -needed for conversion of cholesterol into steroid hormones	Vitamin D does much more than aid calcium absorption for bone strength: • Vitamin D3 (the vitamin D form produced in the body by the action of sunlight on skin) is converted via liver, then kidneys and nearly all body cells to its active hormone form, called CALCITRIOL. • Virtually all the body's cells have vitamin D receptors - meaning they use vitamin D to function properly. • Upregulates nearly 3000 genes -considering that your body only has ~25,000 genes helps one to grasp D's enormous influence on health; Vitamin D affects DNA through vitamin D receptors (VDRs), which bind to specific locations of the human genome; • Bone Formation and Strength -By promoting intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption, vitamin D helps to form and strengthen bones. • Aids repair and maintenance; • Regulates Immune system and Inflammation - vitamin D up-regulates an important gene for fighting infections and controlling chronic inflammation. This gene produces over 200 anti- microbial peptides, most importantly, cathelicidin, a natural broad-spectrum antibiotic (the reason vitamin D is so effective against colds / flu and why flu occurs in winter). Since vitamin D modulates immune response it can prevent over-reactive inflammation leading to autoimmune disorders E.g. Crohn's Disease, IBS, Rheumatoid arthritis. • Has anti-cancer properties, especially against breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancer.E.g.Prostate cancerhas been found to be inversely correlated to geographic availability of sunlight and skin darkness. Vitamin D at certain levels is growth inhibitory to prostate cells. Tuohimaa P. et al, Both high and low levels of blood vitamin D are associated with a higher prostate cancer risk. • Precursor to the steroid hormones. • Effective antioxidant against lipid peroxidation Wiseman H. Vitamin D is a membrane antioxidant
Signs of Deficiency	• Goose bumps on skin (mostly at back of upper arm); • Night blindness; • Keratomalacia (severe nutritional deficiency, corneal ulceration, extreme eye dryness); • Increased rate of infection; • Increase in mortality; • Advanced deficiency affects mucous membranes of respiratory/gastro-intestinal/genito-urinary tracts. • Deficiency in pregnancy causes malformations in baby -eye-defects, displaced kidneys, harelip, cleft palate, heart abnormalities, larger blood vessels. Vitamin A stores are rapidly DEPLETED by EXERCISE, FEVER and STRESS	• Research implicates vitamin D deficiency in many disorders; www.vitamindcouncil.com/research.shtml • Body unable to control calcium and phosphate levels - Low blood levels of vitamin D cause release of calcium and phosphate from bones. Consequentially, bones form, but without becoming dense and hard(i.e. mineralized) Ã Rickets in children(softening of the skull bones, bowing of the legs, spinal curvature, increased joint size.). • Osteomalacia in adults (Pain in the joints/hips, back, ribs;Muscles in the upper arms and thighs become weak; Fatigue; Waddling; bone fractures) -often seenin the elderly, who generally receive little sunlight. (Malacia means "softening").