How Happy Are Your Feet? - Health & Fitness Magazine online!

HEALTH
Why Wintertime is the
Logical Time to Test
Vitamin D & Neurotransmitters
By Dennis Godby, MA, NMD
Naturopathic Medical Doctor
Despite the abundant sunshine in California,
virtually everyone in Northern California
not taking optimal amounts of Vitamin
D in the winter, are deficient in this absolutely
critical nutrient. Also, if you normally feel
more blue during the winter months, it may be
due to lowering serotonin levels.
Vitamin D story
Having a low level of Vitamin D is associated
with an amazing 26 percent increased
rate of death, from all causes, according to a
2008 Archives of Internal Medicine study.
A large variety of studies have demonstrated
that low Vitamin D levels are a major factor
in: at least 17 varieties of cancer; heart
disease; stroke; high blood pressure; autoimmune
diseases, such as multiple sclerosis;
diabetes; depression; chronic pain; osteoarthritis;
osteoporosis; muscle weakness and
wasting; birth defects; periodontal disease;
weakened immunity, such as the flu; inflammatory
bowel disease....and many others.
If preventing cancer is important to you - a
2007 UC San Diego research team reported
that up to a whopping 50 percent of all breast
and colon cancer cases could be prevented by
consuming more vitamin D. Approximately
three-fourths of the American population do
not have adequate vitamin D levels.
After exposure to the same amount of sunlight,
60-year-olds make 4 times less vitamin
D than do 20-year-olds. It is safe and wise to
assume that seniors are Vitamin D deficient
and would benefit greatly by supplementing
with D3; however, testing twice a year to
reach optimal levels would be prudent.
Although wintertime Sacramento sunshine
may lift your mood, it will not help your Vitamin
D levels, as levels drop it creates the
perfect internal environment for wintertime
flues and other immune challenges.
Research from around the world has clearly
demonstrated that people do less well in the
winter as Vitamin D levels drop.
Vitamin D has profound and multiple effects
on human immunity. Influenza occurrence
parallels vitamin D deficiency. Norwegians
- who get less sun exposure than other Europeans
- have less flu epidemics and a smaller
wintertime spike in mortality because their
diet includes fish oil and the highest wintertime
vitamin D levels.
Due to increased skin melanin, African-
Americans generally have lower vitamin D
levels than Caucasians and may explain why
African-American children get pneumonia
twice as often as Caucasian children, and
why African-American adults often have
higher blood pressure.
Children with rickets, the classic vitamin D
deficiency illness are 11 times more likely to
have lower respiratory infections than children
without rickets.
Are your vitamin D 25 Hydroxy levels at
the optimal 60-80 ng/mL?
Serotonin and neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters (NTs) are molecules that
regulate brain function and send messages
from nerve to nerve both within the brain
and outside the brain. They also relay messages
from nerve to intestinal tracts, muscle
and lungs.
Common symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances
include: mood disorders, i.e. panic
attacks, depression, anxiety; eating disorders,
such as food cravings and poor appetite
control appetite; memory and pain disorders;
and metabolic problems, such as fatigue and
hypoglycemia; and insomnia.
Of the American people tested, 70% have
low serotonin levels. The six NTs that naturopathic
doctors commonly measure are:
serotonin, GABA, dopamine, norepinephrine
(NE), epinephrine (EPI), glutamate.
GABA is the most important and widespread
inhibitory neurotransmitter in the
brain. Its main job is to counter the brain’s
most common excitatory neurotransmitters:
NE, Epi and glutamate.
Serotonin works with GABA to prevent
over-excitation, reduce pain, induce: relaxation,
quality sleep, good mood, and
calmness under stress. Optimal serotonin
levels provide balance and equilibrium, both
biochemically and emotionally. A stressful
lifestyle, poor diet, and plentiful stimulants
like caffeine, can contribute to the above
symptoms, as well as blood sugar swings,
rage and bulimia.
Dopamine has many brain functions, including
motivation and good mood, pleasure,
focus, cognition, sleep and learning. Low
dopamine can contribute to: low motivation to
pursue dreams, social anxiety, attention deficit
(hyperactivity) disorder and depression.
Norepinephrine is found within the central
nervous system and functions as an excitatory
neurotransmitter, responsible for our
drive, ambition, alertness, focus and longterm
memory.
Epinephrine (adrenalin) functions both as a
neurotransmitter and hormone. It is a “fight
or flight” hormone, and plays a central role
in a short-term stress reaction. Chronic
stress may initially raise EPI, but eventually,
exhausts the adrenal glands.
Glutamate is an amino acid neurotransmitter
- the most common excitatory neurotransmitter
in the central nervous system
- powerfully stimulating neuronal tissue. It
is also involved in learning and memory.
Excess glutamate is dangerous to nervous
tissue, causing excitotoxicity, neuron damage
and death.
Dr. Dennis Godby, NMD, can be reached at
Sacramento Naturopathic Medical Center,
2530 J Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA
95816. Call him at 916-446-2591; email him
at DrGodby@SacND.com; visit his website
at www.SacND.com.
January Edition 2009
19