Participants: Lee Wellard & Dr. Scott Grivas
Series Code: WM
Program Code: WM000424
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00:01 The following program presents principles
00:03 designed to promote good health and is not 00:04 intended to take the place of 00:06 personalized professional care. 00:08 The opinions and ideas expressed 00:10 are those of the speaker. 00:12 Viewers are encouraged to draw their own 00:13 conclusion about the information presented. 00:35 Welcome to Wonderfully Made. 00:37 My name is Lee Wellard, a Lifestyle 00:40 Educator from Wildwood Lifestyle Center. 00:42 And today we have with us Dr. Scott 00:44 Grivas, welcome Dr. Grivas. 00:46 Thank you so much Lee. We're gonna be 00:48 looking at a very important topic today, 00:50 one that effects every one of us at some 00:52 point if we don't get enough of it, 00:55 today's topic is Vitamin D. 00:58 Dr. Grivas how important is Vitamin D 01:01 with regards to health? Very important Lee, 01:06 Vitamin D which by the way it's not really a 01:10 Vitamin, that's right, it's a hormone, 01:12 steroid likehormone. It's responsible for up 01:17 regulating the last count I got over 200 genes in 01:22 the body that regulate normal body metabolism. 01:26 In fact now we found Vitamin D receptors in 01:30 almost every organ system and every cell, 01:33 so for optimum health, we have to have 01:37 sufficient qualities of Vitamin D. 01:40 Now, how common is Vitamin D deficiency? 01:43 Vitamin D deficiency is now consider to be 01:46 pandemic worldwide, not just in certain 01:50 countries but in almost all countries. 01:53 And it's interesting that even in those tropical 01:56 countries where you would think there's 01:58 plenty of sunlight that most people are so 02:02 clothing themselves that they are limiting how 02:06 much sun they actually do get, and so even in 02:09 some countries like the Saudi Arabia in this at 02:14 least half of the population still are 02:17 Vitamin D deficient. That's amazing, yeah, 02:20 and there's been a lot of discussion about how 02:23 much Vitamin D should we take, what do we see 02:28 as safe guidelines. I know science is 02:30 constantly changing, and we just want, 02:33 they want to know that this isn't an exact science, 02:36 there's still lots of things to be yet 02:38 discovered when it comes to Vitamin D 02:40 and across the board with all kinds of 02:43 nutrients, but just to get a safe idea what do you 02:47 see as ideal serum level? What we're measuring 02:52 now is 25-hydroxyvitamin D that's the name of the 02:58 Vitamin D that we're measuring in the blood. 03:01 And probably the best way to look at what is 03:06 the best level is to look at serum levels and 03:09 individuals who are getting adequate sun exposure. 03:13 And in those countries where there is plenty of 03:16 sunlight all through the year and people are 03:18 outdoors a lot their levels may run 50 to 70, 03:23 alright, you know nanograms per 03:25 you know deciliter, the optimum is still being 03:31 discussed alright but I think most recently 03:38 their recommendations at least get that Vitamin D 03:41 level over 40. You know, on laboratory 03:46 charts for reference ranges it used to be 22 03:49 to 100, then 32 to 100, right. And now we are 03:54 recognizing that bone mineral density actually 03:57 increases up to levels of about 40. 04:02 Now how often should we as individuals go 04:05 and get a Vitamin D test at a clinic or hospital? 04:11 Well, if you get a Vitamin D check and it 04:14 is low, then you're going to need to follow 04:17 up on that deficiency state. 04:19 In normally if it's low will replace for about 04:23 two months, and then will recheck the level. 04:26 Now, if you're in normal range to begin 04:29 with probably no more than a couple of times a 04:32 year where it's available. And which we check in 04:36 more as we go into the winter months, are there 04:41 specific times of the year that would be 04:43 better to get a Vitamin D check? 04:45 Almost everybody Lee drops the Vitamin D 04:48 during the winter time, right, so you know that 04:50 is going to drop and that's where perhaps an 04:53 intelligence supplementation 04:55 program would be advisable. 04:57 Okay, let's just talk a minute about 05:00 supplementation, there are different kinds of 05:03 supplementation that we can take, 05:05 what would be, what was you recommend is 05:07 one of the better supplementations. 05:10 Well, first of all let me state what is the most 05:12 commonly prescribe supplementation and 05:15 that's Vitamin D3, right, Vitamin D3 comes from 05:20 an animal source usually the sheep lanolin. 05:24 And it is the more potent of the 05:26 two replacement types. The other Vitamin D2 05:31 comes from the plants it's ergocalciferol, 05:36 but it's only about one third as potent, 05:38 one third is effective in raising serum levels. 05:43 So, you have to take more, right, but I, 05:46 myself I have the preference of wanting a 05:49 plant based supplement, and if my patients are 05:54 open to that I will prescribe Vitamin D2. 05:58 And in situations where people are profoundly 06:03 depressed in their levels, they have a nice 06:07 high potency Vitamin D2 that you can take by 06:10 capsules just once a week. And it's easy for people 06:14 to take rather than having to take it every day. 06:16 Now, can one have a Vitamin D deficiency 06:19 and not even be aware they have it, 06:21 they have no symptoms, is that possible? 06:24 It's possible certainly. Is that common? 06:27 Well, most of the people that we screen 06:30 are Vitamin D deficient, and so they come in 06:33 with a variety of different medical 06:35 problems, and they also turn up with 06:38 Vitamin D deficiency. And as we talked about 06:42 a few minutes ago Vitamin D is so 06:44 important in prevention of disease in so many 06:48 areas, that they may present with one disease 06:52 that maybe fueled by Vitamin D deficiency. 06:54 Right, let's talk for minute about this 06:57 certain diseases and disorders that could 06:59 arise from Vitamin D deficiency, if you 07:03 would like to share many of these 07:05 conditions that we're seeing resulting from this? 07:07 Sure, one of the big problems we have here 07:11 in our aging population is osteoporosis, 07:16 and we know that Vitamin D which is 07:20 helpful in absorbing calcium, okay, 07:24 through the gastrointestinal tract. 07:26 That it is necessary to be able to mineralize 07:30 normally the bone structures, so if we lack 07:34 Vitamin D we're going to have a progressive 07:38 decline in the bone mineral density until we 07:41 reach the, what is refer to as osteopenia or 07:44 lessening of that mineralization to frank 07:49 osteoporosis which is more severe forms of 07:51 demineralization, fracture risk increase in, 07:55 in that setting. But Vitamin D is also 08:00 very helpful to prevent the muscular skeletal 08:06 types of aches and discomforts 08:08 that people have. You may have heard 08:12 the term fibromyalgia, you know people just 08:15 hurt, they are sore in different areas. 08:18 And so many of these people now, 08:20 now that we recognize Vitamin D deficiency 08:24 have been shown to be Vitamin D deficient. 08:26 You replace the Vitamin D and 08:28 "fibromyalgia" disappears. 08:32 Vitamin D is responsible for the 08:34 regulation of blood pressure to help keep 08:39 pressures in the normal range, blood sugar, 08:42 insulin resistance. Vitamin D is key in 08:45 those situations. Vitamin D plays a very 08:50 important rule in immune function and 08:53 helps to suppress these autoimmune type 08:57 disorders that we see psoriasis for instance, 09:02 psoriatic disease and Crohn's disease and 09:05 these autoimmune you know fuel diseases. 09:08 Vitamin D helps suppress that and it is 09:11 also been shown now to be protective against 09:15 cancer, as well as infectious diseases, 09:18 tuberculosis and so forth. I remember we had a, 09:22 lady came to our Lifestyle Center, 09:23 actually she is one of your patients, 09:26 and she was writing a book, and she was, 09:29 for few months just sitting at 09:31 home writing this book. She was actually health 09:34 educator, and she ended up with multiple 09:37 sclerosis, if you remember that, 09:39 and she came, actually my wife was her 09:41 lifestyle counselor at that time. 09:44 And you ran a check on a Vitamin D levels and 09:48 they were quite low, and when she made 09:51 those changes and she took supplementation at 09:55 the time, then things started to improve and 09:58 to this day she hasn't had that MS back, no, no. 10:02 And so we see that there could be a lot of 10:04 disease perhaps we are not even aware of 10:07 that could be a contributing factor that 10:09 are yet to be discovered. Right. Now, let's talk 10:13 for moment about the amount of Vitamin D, 10:17 obviously we, we get different amounts with 10:19 different colored skin. How do we know how 10:24 much that we personally need? 10:26 It is so variable Lee depending upon like 10:29 you said skin color, even the degree of body 10:34 weight, because as people tend to get over 10:37 their ideal weight, increased fat stores, 10:40 Vitamin D is stored in the fat, it is not 10:43 available for use. So, it's, it's very 10:47 important that a person who let say is aged, 10:51 they don't produce as much Vitamin D as the 10:54 younger person, they are darker skinned, 10:57 or they over their ideal weight, these people are 11:00 gonna need more Vitamin D and there's 11:02 no way to predict, you have to measure serum levels. 11:05 Right, right, so we could be actually 11:08 getting enough sunlight and yet still be 11:12 deficient, well, in some instances. 11:14 Well, you're getting sun exposure, but obviously 11:17 it's not enough. Right, okay, okay, so as 11:19 we get older we have a harder time producing, 11:23 yes, the Vitamin D, okay. And so I believe 11:25 by the time we're about 70, we have a 75 11:31 percent reduction, exactly, of production 11:33 of that Vitamin D level. Let's talk a minute 11:37 about sunbathes at Wildwood and other 11:39 lifestyle centers you have solarium where 11:42 you sit down and I've had this myself, 11:45 sometime don't workout there and I just took of 11:49 my shirt and got that direct sun exposure, 11:53 how important would sunlight therapy like 11:56 that be to someone who is deficient? 11:59 Well, it's very important, the more we 12:03 get the greater we can raise serum levels. 12:06 I think it's been estimated that with a 12:08 more full body exposure like what 12:10 you're talking about in, in a private solarium 12:13 setting, that you after about maybe 15 12:17 minutes, 20 minutes of sunlight exposure in 12:21 the middle part of the day, you can generate, 12:24 the body will generate maybe up to 10,000 12:27 international units of, of Vitamin D, 30 minutes 12:31 maybe up to 20,000, so you can really boost 12:35 your levels by sun exposure in proper settings. 12:38 Now, you don't wanna get burned, that's very 12:41 important, we're not encouraging people to 12:43 take what we're saying and then go out in the 12:45 sun and then get your sun burn, right, 12:48 because that's then increasing 12:49 your risk for skin cancer. Right, and we could 12:52 equate having sun, sunlight or sunbathes 12:56 like food, is the certain amount that you wanna 13:00 eat and once you reach that limit you don't 13:02 want to overindulge, exactly, and 13:05 overindulging under sunlight can produce lot 13:08 of cancer. In fact we know today that 13:12 melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers 13:16 in, in North America and around the world. 13:19 So, obviously we're not quite finding that 13:22 balance somehow between getting enough 13:25 and also having too much. You know Lee, it's also 13:29 important for us to recognize that with this 13:33 rising incidence of skin cancer melanoma and 13:37 the other skin cancers. It's not just the sunlight 13:43 as people have adopted more and more animal 13:47 fats into their diet, it is these animal fats that 13:51 are deposited in the skin that when radiated are 13:55 much more likely to produce the cancerous 13:58 changes, than someone on a plant based diet, 14:01 so we need to recognize that also. 14:03 Sun doesn't need to get the bad press that it has 14:08 over these years, okay, so that people are so 14:10 afraid of, okay. Let's talk for moment 14:12 about sunblocks, I come from Australia, 14:17 we love the sun, and we love to go to the beach, 14:21 and I know we have highest incidence of 14:23 skin cancer in the world, but do these things 14:27 really protect us or are they just a way to be 14:32 intemperate with getting that sunlight. 14:36 You know, I think the sunscreens they are 14:38 protective, they have a place, sure we wouldn't 14:41 say we would never use them proper clothing, 14:44 you know, for excessive exposure in the sun, 14:47 but what I would recommend is that get 14:51 at least that amount that you're going to need 20 14:55 to 30 minutes a day of direct sun exposure to 14:58 as much of the body as you can, then you can 15:01 use your cover, okay. So, when you are out 15:04 longer periods then you know you are protected. 15:07 Now what would be one of the best times of 15:09 the day to get your sunlight? 15:12 In the northern hemisphere between 15:15 let's say 10 in morning and 2 to 3 in the 15:18 afternoon, that's when the sun is more directly 15:23 you know over head and you're getting those 15:25 rays that will give us the best radiation exposure. 15:29 Okay, now there is probably lot of people 15:31 watching that live up there north like Michigan, 15:36 Canada maybe even Antarctica who would 15:39 say well that's alright for you, but you know 15:41 the sun doesn't get that high to often for us, 15:45 what can we do to help with Vitamin D deficiency? 15:48 If the person is tested and they are deficient 15:52 then I would recommend some form 15:54 of supplementation. So, that we can get 15:57 those levels up to at least optimum for health. 16:01 Okay, now are there any medications that 16:05 can interfere with Vitamin D metabolism. 16:08 Yes, we recognize that, a number of agents, 16:13 the steroids for instance can, can interfere, 16:17 birth control pills, medications that we use 16:21 sometimes to control seizer disorders, 16:23 or to treat tuberculoses, I mean there are lots of 16:26 different agents that are out there 16:28 that can play a role. Sometimes I deal with 16:32 patients who say to me you know I can't 16:34 tolerate the sun too much, you know it 16:37 has an effect on me they have autoimmune 16:40 conditions, would we discourage them to get 16:43 out in the sun or would we use a more 16:46 temperate approach? Well, I would 16:49 encourage them to begin trying to get some 16:52 sun exposure; you have to work with 16:55 individuals with their own fear factor, right. 16:59 And if they are afraid we certainly don't want 17:01 to push them out to where they become 17:06 distressed and stressed over that, we might use 17:09 the supplementation now. But I try to encourage 17:13 people to understand the principle that God 17:15 made the sun, that it is good. 17:18 It's a natural remedy, it's a natural remedy, 17:20 it's not something to fear but like anything 17:23 that's good it can be taken to extremes, right, 17:26 and that's when we get into trouble. 17:28 Exactly, so the message we want you to 17:31 remember is one of temperance, moderation 17:34 in that which is good and absence from that 17:36 which is harmful. Let's talk for a moment about 17:40 the effect that Vitamin D has on the mind, 17:42 I remember many years ago I was in Japan and 17:47 I was stationed in the place where for six 17:49 months had very little sunlight. 17:52 And I just remember feeling that depression 17:55 and when the sunlight would come out, 17:57 it was just like living in another world, sure. 18:00 And I just wanted to rip my shirt off and get that 18:02 sunlight, what effect does Vitamin D 18:06 deficiency have on the mind? 18:09 Studies have demonstrated a marked increase in 18:13 depressive illnesses with the lack of 18:16 Vitamin D, lack of sunlight exposure. 18:20 Now, we even recognize that certain 18:22 illnesses that effect thought process in such 18:25 us schizophrenia much more common in 18:30 individuals who have been deprived of sunlight. 18:33 And so, I think we recognize that yes 18:35 indeed mind function is also 18:38 regulated by Vitamin D. Let's talk about the 18:42 immune system, Vitamin D's role in that 18:45 in protecting the body against things like 18:49 arthritis, and I remember years ago 18:52 it wasn't that long ago where people who had 18:56 tuberculoses, their treatment was open air 19:00 and sunlight, and we seem to have forgotten 19:04 this blessing that God has given us. 19:07 The immune system needs the sun and 19:12 Vitamin D it as we had mentioned up regulates 19:17 genes for the production even singularly of 19:20 certain types of we called them cytokines 19:23 or cell chemicals that are helpful in 19:26 combating infectious diseases 19:29 such us tuberculoses. And so the history of 19:33 our old TB sanatoriums where we used to put 19:37 people out in the sun to recover, that had a lot 19:41 of scientific physiologic basis, because indeed 19:45 that helps the immune system fight against 19:47 infectious diseases, those cells that are set 19:51 into the area of infection can function 19:53 can function best when they have ample 19:56 amounts of Vitamin D. And you know we now 19:59 recognize too that the body itself produces 20:04 antibiotic and antiviral like substances that are 20:09 inherent in the organism when it is expose to 20:13 Vitamin D. So, some are even now 20:17 suggesting that with colds and with other 20:20 infections to take added doses of Vitamin D. 20:24 Do you think we are at a point you know in 20:25 history where it necessitates use of 20:29 supplementation, can we get away from that, 20:33 we just have to have a perfect environment 20:35 and live a temperate lifestyle? 20:38 Well, I wouldn't want to press everyone into the 20:41 supplementation route, I would tell people to try 20:45 to get as much sun as is possible, especially 20:49 during the summer months, I think 20:51 supplementation is much less needed, 20:55 but if you are doing all that you can and your 20:58 Vitamin D levels are still low don't be foolish. 21:03 It's not assent to take a supplement if you need 21:07 it in order to get the levels 21:09 up to optimum levels. Let's talk about that 21:12 about the low side of things, when do you as 21:15 a physician start to get very concerned about 21:18 someone's Vitamin D levels? 21:20 Well, I've seen Lee patients come in and 21:23 their Vitamin D level is less than 4 wow, okay 21:26 and they are usually hurting, they have many 21:30 medical problems. And so I will try to get that 21:33 level up fairly quickly and I will use a high 21:37 potency replacement 50,000 international 21:40 units of Vitamin D once a week, I'll check them 21:44 two months later if its still low I'll continue for 21:47 another 8 weeks. But the more common 21:51 scenario is someone will come in and their 21:54 Vitamin D levels are in the low 20s, okay. 21:57 They maybe feeling pretty well, but we're 21:59 checking their Vitamin D levels and they are 22:01 low and so for that person I will be more 22:04 moderate and temperate with my replacement, 22:07 I'll encourage them to get more sunlight, 22:09 but I may use a small amount of 22:12 supplementation maybe 2 to 3000 international 22:16 units of D2 a day to gradually 22:19 build that level up. And that would 22:21 correspond with what is currently being 22:24 recommended of 800 to 1000 international units 22:30 of Vitamin D3 daily. Right, okay so what 22:34 you're saying is we have to moderate the 22:37 amount according to the deficiency and perhaps 22:41 even the person himself, the age level, 22:44 right, and what conditions we are 22:46 working with, yes, so there's no exact amount 22:49 really is there, no, we have to look at each 22:52 individual case. Let's talk about Vitamin D 22:55 and its role when it comes to even the 22:59 digestive system I believe, it has an effect 23:02 upon absorption of, of calcium, yes, certainly, 23:06 are there any symptoms that may occur in that 23:10 úarea as a result of lack. Lack of calcium well 23:14 certainly you know that's when we get into 23:16 the problem with bone pain and 23:19 increase fracture risk. And the lower the 23:23 levels of Vitamin D you can even get into a 23:25 syndrome called osteomalacia which is 23:28 a, a syndrome, a condition where people 23:34 actually, they just have a lot of bone pain 23:37 rickets, is the childhood kind of presentation for 23:42 extreme osteomalacia involving the long 23:45 bones, or the cartilage here in the, in the chest, 23:50 so yes there can be very significant problems 23:53 with low levels. Now, from your studies, 23:56 you find that the first 12 has the majority of the 24:00 problems with Vitamin D deficiency than more 24:04 native people who are out more, do they have 24:06 less of a problem? Less of a problem, 24:09 yeah because the more sun exposure that that 24:12 they are getting, and they are working 24:13 outside and they also have the other 24:16 balancing things of being outdoors in the 24:18 fresh air, they are exercising, right, 24:20 these are God's answers to, to disease, in other 24:26 words to be outdoors. So we get in a, a triple 24:29 blessing really when we, when we get this 24:32 sunlight, we're usually outside getting the fresh 24:34 air, we're getting the exercise, working and 24:39 it's just enhancing everybody function 24:41 really that's what you're saying the Vitamin D is 24:44 helping every cell of the body is helping all the 24:46 tissues, it's helping the organs, and most 24:49 importantly it's helping the mind to be at 24:52 function, right, more coherently. 24:54 And we are, I believe is God originally intended 24:58 us to be we're outside in touch with God's nature 25:03 and we can commune better with him as we 25:07 are in that environment. So, our minds are 25:09 drawn to the creator, and so there are many, 25:12 many benefits spiritually, physically, mentally 25:15 from, from the outdoor life. 25:19 Now, is that any danger in getting too much 25:23 Vitamin D from a supplementation, is that 25:26 any concerns? There is a theoretical 25:30 concern in all of the exposures I've had to 25:34 Vitamin D supplementation in 25:37 patients, I've rarely seen that and that is only in 25:42 individuals who have been very intemperate. 25:46 Studies have shown that you can take up to 25:48 10,000 international units of Vitamin D 25:51 daily for months and never have any adverse 25:55 consequences with that. You'll never get too 25:59 much from sun exposure because the 26:00 body regulates that you cannot get an overdose 26:04 of Vitamin D from sun. But yes we just tell 26:08 people you know follow up with your Vitamin 26:11 D, you know we don't need to run it to that 26:13 high extreme either because there can be 26:16 problems kidney stones, metastatic calcification 26:19 throughout the body, but that's rare it's not a, 26:22 it's not a common problem. So, we don't wanna 26:25 scare people away from taking needed 26:27 supplements because of this very uncommon 26:31 problem of excess. Right, right now can 26:33 people get enough Vitamin D in their foods? 26:37 It's very difficult because even in the 26:39 fortified food you are only talking about 26:41 maybe 100 units here or there. 26:46 And it just doesn't give enough adequacy 26:52 for the serum levels to raise. 26:57 So, that's something that some people are 27:00 using instead of supplementation, 27:02 so it would be more encouraging in getting 27:05 sunlight and on top of that where need be 27:08 a healthy amount through supplementation source. 27:11 Well, if they're taking it in fortified foods they're 27:14 still supplement, I see okay. 27:16 In their mind they may think not, right, but they 27:19 are still supplementing. Right, very good, 27:22 well we would like to thank you for coming 27:23 today on the program. I hope you've enjoyed 27:27 today's program and the information has been 27:29 useful to you. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 27:33 chapter 11 and verse 7: How pleasant it is for 27:39 the eyes to behold the sun; and as we looked 27:43 at Vitamin D today I hope it's been an 27:45 encouragement to you to bring about changes 27:48 in your life that could enhance your Vitamin 27:51 D levels. My name is Lee Wellard, a health 27:55 educator from Wildwood Lifestyle Center, 27:58 I really hope you've enjoyed today's 27:59 program. Please join us again next time for 28:03 another program on Wonderfully Made and 28:05 just keep in mind that your body is God's temple. |
Revised 2014-12-17