Although the USA is touted as being the most progressive society, it is also a mecca of poor eating habits and refined and adulterated foods. The oil companies, genetic engineering companies and the chemical companies all seem to be snuggled together under the same blanket (I would also throw BIG Pharma under the sheets with them too if I had my druthers). Also, most of the soils being farmed upon have lost their nutrient density due to overuse and chemical pesticides.

I happen to work in New York City. A metropolis, which sits on a small island of hustle and bustle. There are at least 4 restaurants on every city block and maybe more on each avenue. There are ethnic neighborhoods including those cultures from remote areas of the world and the possibilities of finding foods that seem unique and strange are sometimes easier than finding the simple epicurean delights.

Even within a city offering many nutritious food possibilities, many people are still suffering from symptoms that are caused by vitamin deficiency. After studying fat-soluble vitamins (Vit A, E, D, K, F), it is made clear to me that for the past 20 years, our “dieting” society has gotten it all wrong believing that LOW FAT DIETS could possibly be healthy. What has become even more clear, is how important it is to eat healthy fats (olive oils, fish oils, flax oils, raw butter, raw dairy, etc) since fat soluble vitamins NEED fat in order to be processed through the system! And this processing means: neuron communication, brain function, joint lubrication, digestive health, cardiovascular health and REPRODUCTIVE health! So, throw that “fortified Vit D skim milk” out into the trash because guess what? You are getting little to no Vit D in that milk if it is skim or low fat!

Vitamin A happens to be known as the “eyesight” vitamin. It is found in animal foods (meat, milk and eggs) and in plant foods (carrots are what we probably associate as the most common vegetable with beta carotene). Unfortunately many things inhibit the absorption of Vit A, included are: MINERAL OIL (aka BABY oil or Petroleum jelly), coffee, fluorescent lighting, xrays, broad spectrum antibiotics, antacids and alcohol.

The typical symptoms of Vit A deficiency include: poor sense of taste and smell, acne, hardened bumps of keratin found on the upper back of the arm, poor digestion, ear infections, peeling or ridged nails, eye infections, poor vision, dry eyes and eye strain. Poor night vision is the first symptom to usually occur due to a lack of seeing the color purple. So, break out the Cod and halibut Liver oils (1 tsp p/day) BUT make sure it is from a reputable source that does not use fish filled with heavy metal toxins! I have been using www.drrons.com for their combination Cod Liver oil and Butter oil. If you can’t do the fish oil, start munching on ½ cup of raw carrots daily!

Vitamin E is actually a group of fat-soluble compounds also known as tocopherols. The gamma type is most commonly found in foods and is the most easily absorbed by the body. It functions to help boost our anti-aging possibilities, heals skin and scar tissue, supports reproductive health, reduces the need for insulin in diabetics, protects the thymus gland, protects the eyes and helps to boost the immune system.

In order for the body to absorb Vit E, it is imperative once again that the diet is not low in fat! Other things that could contribute to poor absorption are the use of birth control pills, chlorinated water, air pollution and cooking with rancid oils. Deficiencies of Vit E typically include poor reproductive health, heart disease, dull hair, muscular disorders and increased fragility red blood cells.

To ensure proper daily intake of Vit E, the best is 1 TB of wheat germ oil daily.

Vitamin D is known as the “Sunshine Hormone”…yes, it considered both a HORMONE and a vitamin! Vit D is actually a family of related compounds that are important for normal cellular growth, regulation of the immune system, assimilating and regulating calcium and phosphorous blood levels, protecting against food additives, leads and pesticides from entering the blood stream and helps to balance the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

The best form of Vit D is called SUNSHINE! The average American living above the horizontal line bisecting Georgia is not getting nearly enough (UVB ray) sunshine thus causing us to become Vit D deficient. The advent of the scare of skin cancer and the overuse of sunscreen (by the way, SPF 8 is enough protection, provided you do not sit in the hot sun for hours and hours wishing to become a bronzed god(dess), has led us to be even more deficient.

Vit D is super important for bone health so one very common deficiency symptom seen in this country is osteoporosis in adults and poor bone formation in children.

So, get on those walking shoes, try to expose at least ¼ of your skin to the sun and get outside for at least a minimum of 20 minutes per day!

Mineral Oil: OH NO!

I was thrilled to have been asked to give a lecture to RN's a few weeks ago about the Efficacy of Essential Oils in the Health Care Model at Fairleigh Dickinson University. I just finished my Certification in Aromatherapy and spent countless hours creating a highly visual and enlightening power point presentation. Unfortunately my 2 hour talk happened right after lunch in a dimly lit room. As any teacher knows, this is the hardest time to keep students interested as they are often going into a carbohydrate slump. Fortunately, I had my Peppermint Essential Oil and passed it around for a sniff every 1/2 hour to help boost alertness!

As I was preparing for this lecture, I found myself sidetracking into reading about the non vegetable and non nut oils that we put on our skin daily and how these are wreaking havoc.

Most people do not understand that our skin is like a sponge. They do not realize that when you apply lotions and use hair products that the chemicals in them seep into the superficial blood stream and then get carried throughout the body and the organs alike.

Here is a good test about skin absorption if you are willing to possibly smell like an Italian Restaurant :-)

Take a few cloves of peeled garlic and place them into a vat of hot water. Soak your feet for 10 minutes in the garlic water. You will notice that 20-30 minutes after your soak, the pores of your skin will begin to emit a garlic odor. That is how fast it takes garlic to make its way through your body! Luckily the chemical constituents of garlic (allium sativum) is excreted in a natural way.

I want to shed some light on Mineral Oil. This is also known as Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and mineral oil laxatives. It is even more well known as the branded name of BABY OIL. Mineral Oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. It is considered a "left over" liquid and is readily available and very inexpensive. It has been used in the cosmetic industry, personal care and baby products and the baking industry (think additive for glazing in white breads/doughs). I am including a link from the FDA about Mineral Oil http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~rdb/opa-g040.html

Mineral oil DESTROY Vitamin D in the body. This petroleum byproduct interferes with the absorption of Vit D.

Let me explain what Vit D is, just in case you don't know.

Vit D is actually considered both a vitamin and a HORMONE! It is imperative for normal cell growth and proliferation. It helps to regulate the immune system. It assists in regulating blood levels of calcium and phosphorus from the GI tract (which is why it is important for its role in preventing tooth decay and keeping bones strong). It regulates the function of the thyroid and parathyroid glands!

The best way of getting Vit D into your system is through natural sunshine! 20 minutes of exposure per day is ideal! We have now become a society in fear of the sun. We slather on the sunscreen in fear of Skin Cancer, but we need to keep two things in mind: 1. Is our sunscreen riddled with mineral oils? 2. If we keep ourselves fully blocked from the sun, we are not receiving adequate amounts of Vit D. Now, this is in no way an intent to tell anyone to burn themselves or to lay in the sun for hours without a protectant! It is just me playing the "what if we don't buy into the commercial machine" game.

My suggestion...instead of using commercial lotions filled with chemicals that we can't pronounce or eat for that matter, use a vegetable based oil or nut oil to use on the skin to help keep it soft and supple if you are plagued with winter dry skin.
Obviously if you have a nut allergy, keep away from the nut oils! You can replace them with vegetable oils!

I keep a bottle of organic Sweet Almond oil in my bath tub. After showering, with my skin still wet, I put about 1 tablespoon of almond oil into my palms and rub it into my skin. I then pat dry. Almond oil mimics the human sebum and is a very thin oil, so if used correctly, it will absorb into the skin and not cause any staining on clothes. I then add different Essential Oils to the almond oil base depending on my mood that day!

Keep yourself informed! Read the labels in all of your body products for Petrolatum, Petroleum or Mineral Oil.

If you have any questions about this post, please send me an email!