Vitamin D

You may have heard that researchers are studying whether or not healthy levels of Vitamin D have any impact on the severity of COVID-19 cases. Small studies are being conducted across the globe, and while there aren’t official conclusions, there may be benefits to boosting Vitamin D levels in our blood. 

Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin” because it gets produced in our skin in response to sunlight. Simply exposing our skin to the sun allows us to naturally make Vitamin D. For some of us, however, getting enough Vitamin D through the sun isn’t possible, and we may have a deficiency. A simple blood test can help you determine if you have a Vitamin D deficiency.  

What does Vitamin D do for our Body?

Vitamin D regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which both contribute to healthy bones and teeth. It also facilitates normal immune system functioning. Healthy amounts of Vitamin D can reduce your risk of multiple sclerosis, decrease your chance of having heart disease, can help prevent the flu, helps regulate your mood to ward off depression, and boosts weight loss.  

How to Get Enough Vitamin D

Foods like salmon, herring, sardines, cod liver oil, canned tuna, egg yolks, and mushrooms naturally contain high amounts of this vitamin. Supplements are another option for increasing levels of Vitamin D, so if you’re interested in going this route, talk with your doctor to ensure proper dosage. Some factors can make it difficult to get enough Vitamin D, like living in an area with high pollution, living in cities where buildings block sunlight, wearing sunscreen, and having darker skin. Standing outside in the sun for 10-30 minutes, several times a week, is generally considered a safe way to maintain healthy Vitamin D levels in your blood.   

Local Places to get Vitamin D Levels Tested

LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics are two labs that have locations throughout Milwaukee. We encourage you to speak with your doctor and other healthcare providers if you’re interested in exploring your Vitamin D levels.  

Resources

Doheny, K. (2020). More Vitamin D, Lower Risk of Severe Covid-19? Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200518/more-vitamin-d-lower-risk-of-severe-covid-19

Jones, T. (2019). 7 Healthy Foods That are High in Vitamin D. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-foods-high-in-vitamin-d#6

Wilson, D. (2020). 3 Surprising Benefits of Vitamin D. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d   

Stress and Digestion

How do you typically react to a stressful event? Think back to something recently that made you anxious, worried, overwhelmed, or stressed out. If you go back to this specific memory, did you notice your heart beating more quickly? Did you become hot, sweaty, or flushed? The situation was likely uncomfortable, so did you have urges to suppress or avoid your emotions? Even after the event, did you still have lingering stressful thoughts or reactions? 

Unless you’re an extremely zen, perfectly peaceful person who spends your days meditating, you’re likely under a high amount of stress right now. Even our zen, mindful people experience stress, especially with the constant uncertainty and confusion about the state of our world. Although stress is common and normal right now, we must take steps to respond to it, move through it, and heal ourselves. Unaddressed stress can wreak havoc on our bodies, especially our digestive system. 

When we experience a stressful situation, our adrenal glands release cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. Cortisol makes our blood vessels function irregularly, adrenaline speeds up our heart beat and blood pressure, and bursts of norepinephrine are linked to panic attacks, hyperactivity, and increases in blood pressure. Problematic amounts of these three hormones can increase our chances of heart attack or stroke, while also affecting our digestion. You’ve likely heard about the brain-gut connection, which essentially is our understanding of how our brain communicates with a system of nerves that exist in the lining of our gut (our Enteric Nervous System or “second brain”). When our brain releases stress hormones, our digestion becomes disturbed, and we experience higher sensitivity to acid. Stress can also potentially cause digestive issues by altering the bacteria in our gut. This explains why we are more likely to experience heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, and nausea during stressful times.   

The good news is that we can be proactive about responding to stress. We can first observe how we’re feeling, what our mind is doing, and start to slow down our reactions. Once we acknowledge we are experiencing stress, we can take deep breaths and find ways to move through it. When we notice ourselves feeling stuck in worries, we can shift our focus toward something that will help us feel more calm and in control. 

Ideas for Reducing Stress

-Reconnecting with the body. Reconnecting with the body is a great way to get grounded and check-in with ourselves. This can be done through a body scan, gentle yoga movements, breathing practices, dancing, exercise, and other activities that help you get in touch with your physical presence. By focusing on the body, this often helps shift our attention away from ruminative thoughts. 

-Processing our emotions. Processing our emotions can also be a great place to start tackling stress. Sometimes, we need to take a few minutes to figure out what we’re thinking and feeling. This can be done through journaling, meditating, talking with a close friend/loved one/therapist, or whatever practices help you listen to your mind and soul with curiosity. 

We are here for you! Please reach out to any of our healers for specific ideas on tackling your stress. 

References

How Stress Changes the Brain and Body. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.mindful.org/how-stress-changes-the-brain-and-body/

Improving Sleep Through Food

When you think about ways to get better sleep, what comes to mind first? Taking melatonin supplements, limiting blue light from screens/devices, and establishing a consistent sleep routine are often some of the ways we try to intervene on our sleep patterns. We don’t often think of our diet as a place to promote better sleep, but there is interesting evidence that certain foods can help us tend to our sleep, without needing to take additional supplements or drastically change our habits. 

Imagine in your mind a traditional Thanksgiving meal. If yours included turkey, you also probably experienced sleepiness soon after the meal. While some of this tiredness is likely due to eating large meals at Thanksgiving, the consumption of turkey also had an impact on feeling sleepy. This is because turkey is a food containing high amounts of tryptophan, an amino acid that is prevalent in protein-rich foods. It is a precursor to the release of melatonin and serotonin, which both influence sleep. 

Research has shown that people with low levels of tryptophan often experience anxiety, worry thoughts, and tension, which can all lead to low moods and trouble falling asleep. By increasing tryptophan consumption via foods, we can encourage our pineal gland to naturally produce melatonin, which can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. If you’re finding it difficult to get good sleep right now, or if anxiety is impacting your ability to fall and stay asleep, consider adding tryptophan-rich foods into your diet. 

Foods High In Tryptophan:

Eggs (especially the yolks)

Cheese

Pineapple

Tofu

Salmon

Spinach

Nuts and Seeds

Turkey

Chicken

In order to get the most benefit from eating tryptophan-rich foods, it is encouraged to pair these with healthy carbs. Carbs promote the release of insulin, which leads to amino acid absorption, allowing tryptophan (an amino acid) to remain in the bloodstream. Try to include brown rice, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods with your meals to reap the benefits of eating foods high in tryptophan. By mindfully adding some of these foods into your diet, we hope you will start to notice positive changes in your sleep quality. 

References

How Tryptophan Boosts Your Sleep Quality and Mood. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tryptophan#section7

7 Foods That Could Boost Your Serotonin: The Serotonin Diet. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/foods-that-could-boost-your-serotonin#food-and-mood