Vitamin D. The message is simple: to optimize your health, you must optimize your vitamin D levels. To determine your vitamin D levels, go to your doctor and have a 25 hydroxy D blood test done. Make sure your 25 hydroxy D levels are greater than 50 nl/mg. 65 nl/mg is better. If your health isn’t great, work toward a 90 nl/mg. Take this test 2-4 times each year in order to make sure your levels reach these numbers and keep them that way. Get plenty of sunshine and vitamin D therapy bed exposure when you are not able to get plenty of sunshine. Take vitamin D supplementation. Your body will absolutely not be able to get enough of its vitamin D needs from food alone.

Vitamin D is crucial to good health for many reasons. Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the bloodstream, enabling normal mineralization of bone; modulates cell growth; supports healthy neuromuscular and immune function; and reduces inflammation. It also encodes proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Additionally, vitamin D is a "catalyst" or "activator" upon which the assimilation of all other nutrients depend -- protein, minerals, and water-soluble vitamins. In other words, without sufficient quantities of vitamin D, the body is significantly challenged to effectively utilize key nutrients.

Got it? Simple really. Yes, but here is a crucial detail when working to optimize your vitamin D levels that most people don’t know. Vitamin D is not a vitamin at all. Vitamin D is actually a group of fat-soluble steroid hormone precursors. Hormones. Turns out, when you think "optimize vitamin D," you need to also think "Balance hormones"! For women, and for men. And, even though this reality makes optimizing vitamin D more difficult, it is actually great news because when you are REALLY doing what is necessary to optimize vitamin D, you will ALSO be balancing your hormones. Balanced hormones influence every function in our bodies, drive our feelings, and improve our daily lives.

Win, win.

Imbalanced hormones can lead to fatigue, all types of skin problems (especially acne), mood swings, depression, weight issues, diminished sex drive, loss of memory, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, anxiety, endometriosis, fibroids, painful menstruation, female and male menopause, and VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY.

The first step in balancing hormones is to support the liver. The liver breaks down old hormones that float around in the bloodstream. If the liver isn’t doing its job, excessive hormone levels in the blood can clog receptor sites and tell the pituitary gland to slow down the production of new hormones. It is this deficit in the liver that causes many of the symptoms of hormone imbalances. What’s more is that vitamin D that is obtained from sun and UV exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo hydroxylation in the body for activation. This process of activation occurs in the liver, where vitamin D is converted to 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

Because the liver is key to optimizing hormone levels, many people find relief of their hormonal symptoms AND THEIR VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY ISSUES when following a liver detoxification program. There are several methods for detoxing the liver including: detoxification diets such as is laid out in my book, Ten Days to Optimal Health, coffee enemas, colon hydrotherapy, and in-home enemas.

Additionally, excess hormones in the bloodstream (think insulin resistance), as well as environmentally troublesome hormone imposters from human activity, clog up hormonal receptor sites, making it that much more difficult for the cells to receive the hormones that are in the bloodstream. Of course, our cells also have vitamin D receptors. Fortunately, citrus essential oils –- Orange, Lemon, Tangerine, Grapefruit, Lime, and Citrus Fresh -- actually clean out and reset the cell’s hormone receptor sites. Use a variety of citrus oils orally and in your colon cleanse program throughout each day.

Simply -- to optimize your vitamin D levels:

• Detoxify your liver
• Clear cellular receptor sites
• Give yourself sunshine exposure, vitamin D tanning bed exposure, vitamin D supplementation, and regular testing of your 25 hydroxy D levels

Within 2-6 months, you will see your vitamin D levels improve. And, your overall health.

Labels: detoxification, hormonal balance, liver, sunshine, vitamin d deficiency