This week Dr Em and Dr Dem are Thirsty for being barefoot and sunshine.
You may notice that sometimes our wonderful Northcote Chiropractors may spend a shift adjusting barefoot.
This isn’t because they forgot shoes that day but rather there are a number of physiological benefits of being barefoot. Your wonderful feet are designed to move – all our toes should be able to move independently of one another. When we wear shoes this can affect the mobility of our toes. Movement is really important for every joint in the body.
Dr Demi has written up 2 blogs on the benefits of bare feet which you can access here and here
Dr Emma has been thirsty for sun and Vitamin D. Living in the UK we don’t really get Vit D from October to March.
There is an increasing awareness in our society for supplementation of Vit D, especially in children, but what happens when the sun comes out? We tend to put sunscreen on to protect us from sunburns, but what can do is prevent our body’s absorption of Vitamin D through the skin.
Dr Emma says that according to the latest guidelines they recommend having arms, legs and face exposed to the sun in order to get enough adequate sun exposure. Because all of our bodies are wonderfully different there is still no real consensus on how much time you should spend outside sunscreen free. So what is the best way to get that vital vitamin D?
- 1 burst of interaction of sunlight for 20 mins gets you 20 000iu of Vit D – the RDI for oral intake is 400iu so 20 minutes outside if you are not someone who burns easily is a great way to up your Vit D stores
- If you are someone who burns after 5 minutes in the sun then go outside with 25% of your skin uncovered and no sunscreen on for 3-4 minutes, apply sunscreen after this and continue on with your day
- Your skin absorbs 70% of what you put on it so try to find a sunscreen with minimal nasties to reduce Chemical stress on your body. Your liver is your detox centre and is important for hormone production including breakdown of vit D to a useful form so minimising the other chemicals it has to break down is important. Some great natural brands are moo goo, jason, green people
- Ideal time for Vit D absorption is between 11am-3pm
So why is Vitamin D so important?
Vitamin D deficiency affects moods and immunity. Dr Dem and Dr Em love supplementing with Vit D especially during those cold dark winter months where we are predisposed to mood changes and lowered immunity. Vitamin D is also an important factor in bone health as it helps your body absorb calcium.
Vitamin D has also been shown to have a positive effect on Type 2 Diabetes as it sensitises the body to insulin. Insulin resistance is a common state that contributes not only to Type 2 Diabetes but also to polycystic ovarian syndrome. People who have type 2 diabetes or are taking medications like Metformin are at a greater risk of Vitamin D deficiency.
Q&A: What do you think of Vitamin D supplementation?
- Good quality vitamin D supplement is really important. DLux is a brand that is an oral spray. They have 1000-3000iu which Dr Demi uses. For Children biocare do a Vitamin D, C and zinc blend.
- Blood tests are available for you to determine your functional levels of Vitamin D so you can adjust your supplementation accordingly.
- If you are of African descent in the UK you tend to be 100% deficient 100% of the time so supplementation is incredibly beneficial.
