VITAMIN D – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
As cold days descend on us, so does the cold season. Our immune systems are suddenly under a lot of pressure since everybody around seems to be coughing and blowing their nose, not to mention the cold weather and general weariness that comes in late autumn. And while we explored the Shilajits effect on our system to the core, there is much more we can do for our immune system in these cold months, which brings us to today’s blog.
Sunlight and, consequently, vitamin D. You probably heard of it at some point, yet we still feel like it needs to be mentioned more. Vitamin D is an essential and versatile vitamin, a deficiency that can quickly emerge on these cold days. So, in the spirit of learning more about our general health, let’s get to it.
1. WHAT IS VITAMIN D?
Vitamin D is a nutrient obtained from food and synthesized in our bodies. For most people, the best way to get enough vitamin D is by taking a supplement because it is not easy to get it through regular food alone. Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms: vitamin D2 (“ergocalciferol” or pre-vitamin D) and vitamin D3 (“cholecalciferol”). Both documents are well-absorbed. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it binds to fats, and its absorption is much quicker if we eat it with something fatty. Vitamin D isn’t naturally found in many foods, but you can get it from fortified milk, fortified cereal, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
But, the most significant source of the vitamin is the least abundant thing in winter times. Sunlight. Vitamin D production in the skin is the primary natural source of vitamin D in all humans. Depending on where you live and your lifestyle, vitamin D production might decrease or be completely absent during the winter months. Also, people with darker skin tend to have lower blood levels of vitamin D because the pigment (melanin) acts like a shade, reducing the production of vitamin D.
Worldwide, an estimated 1 billion people have inadequate vitamin D levels in their blood, and deficiencies can be found in all ethnicities and age groups. It is essential to get at least some sun exposure every day (if possible) since it impacts your mood and the production of this crucial vitamin. Sunscreen, while essential to prevent skin cancer, also can decrease vitamin D production.
Can You Use Shilajit as Part of an Addiction Recovery Program?
*Note: This is a contributing author article. More about him below*
Drug addiction recovery often takes on many different forms and provides a wide range of care options. For example, many types of supplements may be used to support a person’s health.
Some addiction rehab centers are trying out SHILAJIT, a treatment mainly used for high-altitude sickness that may provide unique advantages. However, some concerns must be addressed before trying it out.
What is Shilajit?
Shilajit is a natural substance that has been used for centuries in India and other Middle Asian countries, particularly in mountainous regions such as the Himalayas. The exact origin of Shilajit is actually unknown because its creation started millions of years ago. If you want to learn more about the origins of shilajit click here.
Shilajit is a blackish-brown powder that—once it has been purified—can be mixed into drinks, cooked with food, taken in pill form, or ingested as is.
Raw Shilajit should never be consumed before purification because it is heavy in various types of metals that may be harmful to the body. When correctly prepared, Shilajit is known as a phytocomplex or a substance that is rich in various types of chemicals and nutrients.
For example, Shilajit contains:
- Fulvic acid, which aids in the absorption of iron, the formation of blood, and the production of energy.
- Selenium, which may help prevent or treat cognitive decline.
- Nutraceutical substances, food products that claim or demonstrate medical or other health benefits in addition to their nutritional value.
- Antioxidants, in even greater quantities than super antioxidants such as blueberries.
Research has found that Shilajit can be produced from many types of plants—including the moss Barbula, the alga Minium, and the liverwort Asterella—and even molds.
While Shilajit has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years in Asian countries, it has only recently made its way west. Now scientists and doctors here have been analyzing its properties to determine what kind of benefits, if any, it may have on health.
Among its powerful pharmaceutical effects, some may be useful for addiction rehab and recovery.
What are the Benefits of Shilajit?
Multiple studies have found that Shilajit may have a variety of unique benefits. For example, it has been shown to help with some Alzheimer’s symptoms and manage some age-related signs, such as wrinkles. As for benefits related to rehab, further research is needed. A handful may improve recovery.
Among Shilajit’s possible rehab benefits are:
- To increase testosterone levels in men. Drug abuse may decrease men’s testosterone levels and leave them with a low sex drive, a high level of fatigue, anxiety, and emotional confusion. More testosterone may decrease these symptoms, helping a man in rehab feel stronger and more capable of recovery.
- To help with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This disease may make addiction recovery more difficult by robbing a person of vital energy. By increasing energy production on a cellular level, Shilajit may help decrease these symptoms and make it easier for a person of any gender to focus on their recovery with the proper attention.
- To i. At least, it did in some rat-based trials. If it does the same for humans, it could help those in rehab who have suffered from cardiac issues related to their former substance abuse.
However, it is essential to note that the FDA does not monitor Shilajit as a drug. It is regulated as with other dietary supplements and they have yet to approve it for drug addiction treatment, meaning it is critical to examine whether this option is right for you.
Should I Use Shilajit for Drug Addiction?
Deciding to use a supplemental treatment option, like Shilajit, for drug addiction therapy is often complex.
Though its side effects are relatively minor, some may experience confusion, anxiety, or other emotional effects when taking Shilajit.
If a person uses Shilajit that hasn’t been carefully purified by the manufacturer, it may cause damage to their physical health. This type of damage to the body may contribute to otherand cause serious complications. Though rare, it is possible.
And some treatment facilities may also balk at using this substance because they
- Have no experience with it.
- Do not believe that is useful.
- Don’t want to cause harm.
Though rehab centers tailor their treatment to the needs of an individual, they also don’t do anything likely to cause harm. If they don’t feel comfortable providing a treatment option like Shilajit, they may refuse to do so.
Some facilities that focus on holistic care may be more interested in including this compound as a supplemental care option, alongside more traditional rehab treatments. They carefully research the types available on the market to ensure that the manufacturers purify Shilajit properly.
If Shilajit has benefits for individuals with addictions and mental health disorders such as anxiety, it may also have benefits for when the two conditions co-occur, also known as dual diagnosis.
The benefits of Shilajit for treatment have not been confirmed by studies, but the unique care method may make treatment more comfortable for some individuals.
Author Bio: is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoy writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them.
More sources at:
2. WHAT US THE ROLE OF VITAMIN D?
Vitamin D is a nutrient your body needs for building and maintaining healthy bones. That’s because your body can only absorb calcium, the primary component of bone when vitamin D is present. Vitamin D also regulates many other cellular functions in your body. Its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties support immune health, muscle function, and brain cell activity. Also, laboratory studies show vitamin D can help control infections and reduce inflammation. Many of the body’s organs and tissues have receptors for vitamin D, which suggest essential roles beyond bone health, and scientists are actively investigating other possible functions.
Meta-analyses of epidemiological studies have found that people with the lowest serum levels of vitamin D had a significantly increased risk of strokes and any heart disease event compared with those with the highest levels. For instance, In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, nearly 50,000 healthy men were followed for ten years. Those who had the lowest levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to have a heart attack as men who had the highest levels.
Furthermore, In an analysis of more than 427,000 White European participants using Mendelian randomization, a 54% higher risk of dementia was seen among participants with low vitamin D.
Overall, the role of vitamin D is getting more and more recognized with recent discoveries, and we can’t wait to see what else they come up with.
GET SOME SUNLIGHT
This would be the best advice we can give. Sunshine is the source of life. However, you look at it. Getting enough vitamin D is the best thing you can do for your health right now, besides a healthy dose of Shilajit.
Surprisingly, there were traces of vitamin D3 found in Shilajit. While these levels are not nearly enough to be worth mentioning as a vitamin D supplement, it’s astonishing how complete Shilajits’ nutritional profile can be.
Our sources and more info: