Taking Showers Causes Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vitamin D deficiency, which is generally defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations ≤20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L), is incredibly common in the United States.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggests nearly 42 percent of adults are deficient, and this rises to 82 percent among African Americans and 69 percent among Hispanics.

A low vitamin D level is not only incredibly easy to fix – simply get more sun exposure on a regular basis or take a vitamin D3 supplement – it’s incredibly important to fix as well.

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer, which are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Most often vitamin D deficiency is the result of spending too much time indoors and using sunscreen every time you’re in the sun (which blocks your body’s natural vitamin D production).

However, there are some other little-known causes of widespread vitamin D deficiency that may surprise you. Case in point – taking showers.

Taking Showers Might Lead to Vitamin D Deficiency

A 2007 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism revealed a conundrum: low vitamin D levels among surfers and skateboarders in Hawaii, a population with the equivalent of 11 hours of full-body sun exposure per week, with little to no reported sunscreen use.[i]

The subjects had vitamin D levels of around 30 ng/ml. Comparatively, dark-skinned hunter-gatherers in Africa have levels of 50 ng/ml. Darker skin pigmentation reduces vitamin D production in the skin, so, as John Cannell, MD of the Vitamin D Council put it:[ii]

“Why would light-skinned sun-drenched outdoor sport enthusiasts in Hawaii have an average level of 30 ng/ml, while very dark-skinned hunter-gatherers in Africa have levels of 50 ng/ml?”

The answer, he theorized, may be found in a 1937 paper that is largely ignored today. The authors found that washing human skin “by the usual methods” removes vitamin D and its precursors from the outer layer of human skin, and removing it tends to produce a deficiency of vitamin D. As Dr. Cannell noted:[iii]

“Assuming the African hunter-gatherers do not take showers twice a day that so many cosmetically brainwashed Americans do, then simple water, especially soapy water, routinely washes off oils containing vitamin D in modern humans. This means we must add soap and frequent showering to the list of things that explain why modern vitamin D levels continue to decline, decade after decade.”

The take-home message is this: if you’ve been out in the sun for an hour or two, resist the urge to take a shower right after you get home – even if you were exercising. Instead, give your body time to absorb the valuable vitamin D precursors on the surface of your skin before you wash them away with soap and water.

Why a Low-Cholesterol Diet Might be Detrimental for Your Vitamin D Levels

The cholesterol precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol in your skin is converted into vitamin D following sun exposure. As you age, the concentration of 7-dehydrocholesterol in your skin declines, and it’s thought this is one reason why the ability to produce vitamin D declines with age. According to Chris Masterjohn:[iv]

“One of cholesterol’s many functions in the body is to act as a precursor to vitamin D. Vitamin D can also be obtained from foods. Interestingly, foods that provide this vitamin — all of which are animal foods — tend to be high in cholesterol.

Since cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, inhibiting the synthesis of cholesterol will also inhibit the synthesis of vitamin D. Since sunlight is required to turn cholesterol into vitamin D, avoiding the sun will likewise undermine our ability to synthesize vitamin D. And since vitamin D-rich foods are also rich in cholesterol, low-cholesterol diets are inherently deficient in vitamin D.”

Foods such as sardines, shrimp, butter and egg yolks are naturally rich in both cholesterol and vitamin D, but many people avoid them. For the record, the government panel charged with updating the U.S. dietary guidelines recommended that the cholesterol limit be removed from the 2015 guidelines.

The panel’s report noted “cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption,” and eliminated the 300 milligram per day cholesterol limit that’s been a part of past years’ guidelines.[v] So feel free to include healthy cholesterol-rich foods in your diet without fear that you’re harming your health. On the contrary, you’re doing your health a favor.

Keep in mind, however, that even if you eat vitamin-D-rich foods, it’s difficult to get enough vitamin D from diet alone. Some experts believe adults may need 4,000 to 8,000 IUs of vitamin D daily to maintain optimal levels (levels associated with cancer prevention).[vi] For comparison, there’s only 49 IUs of vitamin D in a 100-gram serving of egg yolk and 56 IUs in the equivalent amount of butter.

If You’re Obese, You Need More Vitamin D

If you’re obese, you’re at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency as well. Some scientists have suggested that vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin, gets absorbed by fat tissue in obese people, thereby lowering levels that make it into the bloodstream.

However, evidence showing that vitamin D collects in fat tissue is lacking. Instead, it’s thought that the vitamin D simply gets “diluted” throughout your body if you have more mass than a normal-weight person, which means your levels are likely to dip if you aren’t getting enough from sun exposure or supplementation.[vii]

Sun exposure remains the best way to get your vitamin D levels up, as your body can produce 10,000 to 25,000 IU of vitamin D after just 15 minutes in the sun.[viii] A supplement is your next best option. Look for high-quality vitamin D3, like that found in Super Joint Support (1,000 IUs of vitamin D3 in every serving, plus joint pain relief too).

Finally, be sure to have your vitamin D levels tested regularly (at least once a year if not more). This is the only way to know if you need to increase your vitamin D supplementation and/or sun exposure accordingly. Your goal is not just to avoid deficiency; it’s to get your levels into a high enough range for the health protection to occur. Research suggests a level between 50 to 80 ng/ml is optimal.

- See more at: http://www.losethebackpain.com/blog/2015/12/13/taking-showers-causes-vitamin-d-deficiency/#sthash.5hfpd01I.dpuf

Inversion Therapy for Herniated or Bulging Disc

If you’ve been diagnosed with a herniated or bulging disc, you definitely should look into inversion therapy. Inversion therapy has long history of helping people eliminate back and sciatic pain caused by disc problems like herniated disk, bulging disc, degenerative disc disease and more. In fact, inversion has been used for nearly 2000 years and has millions of success stories. Click here to learn more about inversion therapy - See more at: http://www.losethebackpain.com/blog/2009/11/19/inversion-therapy-for-herniated-or-bulging-disc/#sthash.8sMHM9xY.dpuf

Herniated Discs

Herniated Discs: What They Are and What You Can Do About Them
By Jesse Cannone and Steve Hefferon

What is a herniated disc?

The funny thing is, the medical community has not standardized the term for a common spinal condition. So, if you’ve been told you have a herniated disc, a slipped disc, a prolapsed disc, a bulging disc, a ruptured disc or even degenerative disc disease, it’s essentially the same thing. The terminology just depends on who you’re talking to.

Technically, a herniated disc occurs when the outermost part of the disc begins to weaken and the inner soft part starts to press outward. Most people don’t even know they have a herniated disc until the herniation is touching the nerve. And, yes, you can have a herniated disc and not have pain.

What causes a herniated disc?

The two most common reasons for a disc to herniate are trauma and muscle imbalances. Muscle imbalances to what are called “postural dysfunctions.” These dysfunctions put abnormal pressure on the disc that will cause increased wear and tear over time. Eventually, the weak spot will give way and make contact with the nerve, bringing you pain.

The most important thing to understand about herniated discs is that, barring trauma, they do not happen overnight. You may be come symptomatic very quickly, but it takes a long time for conditions to be right for the nerve to be put under enough pressure to cause pain.

What are the symptoms of herniated disc?

Complaints range from local pain to radiating pain. Depending on where the herniation is, you may experience arm pain or leg pain.

Loss of bowel or bladder control is deemed a medical emergency, so you should get to the emergency room as quickly as possible if either of these things happen to you.

What are the most common treatments for herniated discs?

Common treatments include cortisone injections, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), hot packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and therapeutic exercises.

There are more than a handful of surgical procedures for a herniated disc, all of which have two main goals: to take pressure off the nerve and stabilize the joints.

Why do traditional herniated disc treatments fail?

Most traditional treatments fail because they simply address the symptoms and fail to address the cause of the condition. Your herniated disc is a physical problem, and it requires a physical solution. There are no pills or injections that can create postural balance in your body, which is what is necessary to reduce the pressure on the nerve.

Which herniated disc treatments work best?

A herniated disc is a very complicated condition and most people get the best results when they combine multiple treatment approaches together. For example, Inversion Therapy can be very effective but it works even better when you also perform Muscle Balance Therapy.

Herniated Disc is by far one of the most common conditions associated with chronic back pain and most people get the best results when they combine multiple treatment approaches together.

The first step is to make sure you get the very best and most up to date information you can on the condition, including your own experimentation with what you can tolerate and what works best for you. The second step is to find the best experts you can regarding the subject.

Having a comprehensive plan to control, controlling Oxidative stress and Systemic Inflammation, is vitally important to controlling pain, so here are some considerations to start with are drinking clean water, Proteolytic Enzymes Therapy, changing your eating habits, believing that you will achieve the comfort level you desire and having a spiritual guide can be the basics of your program.

Every one with a Herniated Disc has Trigger Points and everyone should have a way to administer self trigger point Therapy everyday to them self, immediately followed by and combine with Muscle Balance Therapy to restore balance and proper function of the muscles and joints.

Herniated Disc respond very well to most forms or spinal decompression and Inversion Therapy is a viable option for Herniated Disc suffers based on the many overall healthy benefits it has been shown to help with, just to mention a few improved circulation, stress reduction, improved range of motion.

Learn to take time for your self and relax, with the use of far-infrared heat, it can help immensely, it is deep penetrating and dramatically improves the blood flow to the area in question for very quick relief and improved range of motion.

Top 3 Ways to Treat Herniated Discs:

Inversion Therapy / Spinal Decompression

Muscle Balance Therapy

Natural Anti-Inflammatory

50 Years of Back Pain Gone in Just Days!

Jerry Talisman had suffered from chronic back pain on and off for over 50 years. Like most people, he had tried it all… chiropractors, physical therapy, he even overdosed on tylenol but nothing gave him lasting relief until he discovered muscle balance therapy.

Unlike most treatments which only deliver temporary relief, if any at all, muscle balance therapy delivers lasting relief to 8 out of 10 people who use it because it addresses the underlying cause of the pain, not just the symptoms.

If you suffer from any type of back pain, neck pain or sciatica, I urge you to learn more about this breakthrough new treatment. Click here to learn more…

- See more at: http://www.losethebackpain.com/conditions/herniated-disc/#sthash.uoV70kG4.dpuf

Bodybuilding and Back Pain

“Bodybuilding Sins” That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts : Part 2

by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS  and Steve Hefferon, CMT

Welcome to article number 2 in our series “Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts”. In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.

If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.

Here's a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article #1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article #2 - Training Variations - Pain Relief and Maximum Results (Below)
3. Article #3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article #4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article #5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention
    

Article #2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results

Bodybuilders are a stubborn bunch... almost as bad as runners! And they tend to follow the “HERD” doing whatever exercises and routines the “pros” are doing...

Now, if your goal is to be as big as possible and you are not at all concerned with your health and fitness, don't even bother this article... this article is for bodybuilders who ARE concerned about their health and want to be big, strong, powerful, and agile... if that's you, read on...

The reason so many bodybuilders suffer from so many different injuries is because there are several things the “pros” don't tell you...

First off, the articles that you see in all the muscle mags aren't even written by the “pros”... and the workout routines they recommend are always extreme and often not even used by the “pro” who supposedly wrote because their main goal is to sell magazines... not give you the real deal on bodybuilding.

If you are serious about bodybuilding and want to achieve your true peak, you need to stay injury free... and that's just about impossible if you train they way most bodybuilders do.

There are several key strategies that you can use right now to not only eliminate any aches, pains and injuries you currently have, but also keep from creating more muscle imbalances in the future. For a more detailed article on muscle imbalances go to Aches and Pains Articles

Strategy #1 - Target the Weaklings!

No, we don't mean the exercises you think your weak at, or even the muscles you think are underdeveloped... what we mean is the muscles that are weak in relation to the opposing muscle group.

For example, in the first article we talked about why the Leg Extension is not a great exercise and why it's responsible for so many cases of knee, hip, and back pain... and the reason is, most people, especially bodybuilders, are already over developed and stronger in the quadriceps... and usually have a significant imbalance between the quadriceps and hamstrings.

Another reason bodybuilders tend to develop so many severe muscle imbalances is because they emphasize the front of the body more than the back... a great example of this is what we call “The T-shirt Muscle Workout” and it usually consists of dozens of sets of chest and biceps...

you know what we mean... in just one workout you do flat bench, incline, decline, pec deck, dumbbell fly, cable cross overs... and then for biceps you've got barbell curls, dumbbell curls, preacher curls, cable curls, machine curls, and the list goes on...

So instead of emphasizing the muscles that are already strong, why not really hit those weak and under worked muscles like: neck, upper back, shoulder rotators, hamstrings, glutes, hip rotators, lower abs, and shins.

These areas tend to be weak, tight, out of balance with their opposing muscles, prone to muscle strains and pulls and most importantly, these imbalances lead to major injuries and conditions like back pain, knee pain, rotator cuff tears, tendonitis and others.

All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go away unless you work towards correcting the imbalances... and the only way to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do a series of physical assessments like the ones covered in our “Lose the Back Pain Video”.

Strategy #2 - Experiment!

Here's a personal challenge for you: Replace at least 1 of your normal weekly workouts with something totally different like combat martial arts, kettle bell training, functional training, or even strongman style exercises.

For example, instead of doing your super heavy, 3 inch partial rep leg presses, try a single leg squat... and if that's easy, try adding weight! Or instead dozens of sets of shoulder presses and lateral raises, see if you can do 1 handstand push-up.

Those are just a few examples... do yourself a favor and experiment with other types of exercises.  You can find hundreds of different types of training styles by taking classes, reading books, watching videos, surfing the web,
hire a personal trainer, etc.

We aren't asking you to give up your traditional workouts... but just cross-train a bit so you not only work towards a balanced body but also towards a stronger, more powerful and usable strength. Again, what good is muscle if you can't use it!

Strategy #3 - Switch It Up!

Another great way to minimize the number of missed workouts due to injuries is to vary the exercises that you do for each muscle group. For example, if you always do barbell squats try rotating in other exercises like single-leg leg presses, trap-bar dead-lifts, d-bell squats, etc.

Conclusion

Remember, the key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is to identify what areas you need to target. In the next two articles we'll be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip, knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises and stretches. In the meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Articles and if you have questions, please post them in our
Discussion Forum.

 http://www.losethebackpain.com/aff/index.php?p=chusiong&w=LTBP-BBpartII

7 Most Essential Tips to Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing close to 600,000 deaths a year.[i] Often, this is related to plaque build-up in your arteries, known as atherosclerosis, which can hinder blood flow or lead to a blood clot. This, in turn, can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Yet, heart disease isn’t only a matter of heart attacks. Heart disease also refers to many other heart and blood vessel conditions, including heart failure (when your heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should), arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) and heart valve problems.

In some cases, you may receive some warning signs that your heart is in trouble. Chest discomfort, pain in your arms, back and neck, shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness, or even extreme fatigue can be signs of heart attack, for instance.

But in some cases, you’ll receive no warning at all.

An irregular heart rhythm can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death within minutes of the first onset of symptoms. Nearly 360,000 cardiac arrests occur in the United States every year, including in people who have not been diagnosed with heart disease[ii] …

7 Tips to Prevent Heart Disease

While medications and surgery are the standard heart disease treatments, there’s a lot you can do to prevent this disease in the first place, and many of the best strategies are related to your lifestyle choices.

7. Eat Nuts

Eating nuts daily may lower your heart disease by 29 percent, thanks to the healthy fats, minerals, and inflammation-fighting compounds they contain.[iii]

6. Get Enough Sleep

Men who have trouble falling asleep have a 55 percent higher risk of heart disease than those who do not.[iv] Why the connection? The study’s researcher explained:[v]

“Poor sleep has influence on endocrine function, it can increase chronic inflammation and also it can change circadian patterns.”

5. Minimize Stress

Chronic stress is also pro-inflammatory predicts the occurrence of coronary heart disease. Those experiencing work-related stress, loneliness or social isolation have an increased risk of having a coronary event, such as a heart attack,[vi] and acute episodes of stress also pose risks to your heart.

4. Eat Sardines or Take High-Quality Fish Oil

The omega-3s in low-mercury fish like sardines or wild-caught salmon are invaluable for heart health, as they lower inflammation and the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease.

3. Exercise

It’s no secret that exercise is good for your heart, both by helping with weight loss and via direct effects on the heart. Research even shows that exercise works as well as drugs in the secondary prevention of heart disease.[vii]

2. Eat More Vegetables

A veggie-rich diet (think kale, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, etc.) is at the heart of the Mediterranean style of eating, which emphasizes fresh produce, olive oil, nuts, beans, fish and even wine. Eating this way (as opposed to the veggie-poor, overly processed Standard American Diet) could prevent about 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease.[viii]

1. Fight Chronic Inflammation

Part of the allure of many of the strategies above is that they reduce inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation is common in heart disease and stroke patients, and it may promote the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries, raising your risk of heart disease (and other chronic diseases) considerably.

Chronic inflammation is often the result of many years of poor diet, inactivity, excess alcohol, cigarette smoking, excessive stress and other unhealthy lifestyle choices. The key word here is ‘choices.’ You can make a decision, starting today, to drastically lower the inflammation in your own body — and you don’t need anti-inflammatory drugs to do it.

A comprehensive anti-inflammatory diet, consisting of inflammation-fighting food, drinks and herbal supplements — is an invaluable tool to help keep inflammation, and thereby heart disease, at bay.

Proteolytic enzymes also have an unsurpassed ability to fight chronic inflammation and underlying pain. These enzymes are naturally produced in your pancreas, but your natural production declines with age; these inflammation-busters become largely depleted as you hit 40 and over.

Fortunately, there’s Heal-n-Soothe, the best systemic enzyme formula to replenish your body’s supply of vital enzymes. Heal-n-Soothe® not only gives you the healing power of proteolytic enzymes in a convenient capsule but it also goes where no other proteolytic supplement has or will with 12 additional proven anti-inflammatory ingredients. If you want to lower your risk of the top cause of death in the United States, and you want to do it naturally, take matters into your own hands.

Clean up your lifestyle and get Heal-n-Soothe.

- See more at: http://www.losethebackpain.com/aff/index.php?p=chusiong&w=top12natural

10 worst fast foods

10 Most DISGUSTINGLY Unhealthy Fast Food Sandwiches.… NEVER Eat These Worst Fast Food Heart Attacks! 
http://www.losethebackpain.com/aff/index.php?p=chusiong&w=10wrstfd

10 Fruits

The Top 10 Healing Fruits
Eating a piece of whole fruit is a wonderful way to add vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to your diet while also satisfying your sweet tooth.
http://www.losethebackpain.com/aff/index.php?p=chusiong&w=10fruits