Proper nutrition is key to physical, emotional, and even spiritual health. As a Medical Intuitive and Licensed Counselor, I commonly make recommendations about vitamins and nutrition. While my recommendations often originate from the information I receive from my spiritual guides, they are also backed up by the latest research. Read on to learn what you may not know about vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K below.
A 2019 study revealed that vitamin D levels vary by racial groups. One size definitely doesn’t fit all, and no matter what your race, ranges on blood tests don’t give us the whole story. Lab ranges are often very general, and a “normal” range can vary by hundreds of units. Instead, I recommend asking your doctor what is optimal.
Fan of the sun? Vitamin A was shown to lower your chances of getting skin cancer in this recent study.
Vitamin C’s positive impacts on health and wellness continue to be supported by the latest research. Through its epigenetic effects, vitamin C may influence hundreds of genes. In controlled trials, vitamin C has lowered blood pressure, decreased the incidence of atrial fibrillation, decreased bronchoconstriction, decreased pain, decreased glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, shortened the duration of colds, and lessened the length of ICU stays. Along with B vitamins, it has also been shown to help with depression. B vitamins are also among those helpful in the treatment of alcoholism.
Did you know that certain vitamins in both men and women can help improve fertility? It’s true! For men, vitamins C, D, and E can increase sperm count and motility and help sperm to be more fertile. In women, vitamin C helps to regulate the menstrual cycle and ovulation, and vitamin E increases the production of cervical mucus, helping sperm to live longer. Vitamin D and the B vitamins, especially B-6 and folate, are also important for women hoping to improve their chances of conceiving.
Vitamin D can also help to treat metabolic syndrome, a condition that can cause blood sugar imbalance, heart disease, and stroke. It has also been shown to help cancer patients live longer, help prevent schizophrenia, and help autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, along with vitamins A, D, and K2.
Diseases commonly seen in older populations are also seeing promising results using vitamins. Mobility and disability symptoms were reduced by the use of vitamin K, and Parkinson’s symptoms were reduced by B12.
Some vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K, are fat-soluble, which means that they can build up to dangerous levels if we take too much. People who have Crohn’s disease, colitis, or IBS due to inflammation of the gut may have difficulty absorbing fat-soluble vitamins at all, along with vitamins D and B12, so they may need other forms of supplementation rather than food or oral methods.
Tips to remember about using nutrition to enhance your health:
• Get your information from credible, educated sources, and do your own research before taking any supplement or even increasing foods for their nutritional content. Even though most supplements are substances found in the body or generally safe to take, they are not without possible side effects or interactions.
• Use your intuition. There are no magic pills, and if something does not feel right to you, trust that feeling. You know your body better than anyone else.
• Food is medicine, so try to get your nutrition from food if possible. If you need to use supplements, make those sources as natural and chemical-free as possible. Read labels.
• One size does not fit all. What works for one person may not work for you.
• Do not attempt to treat yourself. Ask for help from professionals. For instance, a blood test can reveal vitamin deficiencies or levels that are too high.
• If you are taking something that makes you feel bad, stop.