Episode 97: Why You Need Vitamin D For Enhancing Immunity, Supporting Mood, Reducing Inflammation and So Much More!

In this episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni are back together again, discussing: how to test for vitamin D; what an optimal level is; how to enhance absorption, and all the health benefits it has on the body and mind. Vitamin D isn’t just needed for bone health; could low vitamin D be the cause of your aches, pains and low mood?

Vitamin D deficiency is still underdiagnosed, under prevented and under treated in between 60-90% of the worldwide population. In Canada 59% of population are vitamin D deficient (below 75 nmol/L). 

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is best absorbed as a supplement when taken with food. 

What increases your risk of experiencing vitamin D deficiency?

  • Dark skin
  • Obesity
  • Older age
  • Malabsorption
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (due to malabsorption and inflammation)
  • Sunlight overprotection and/or deprivation
  • Chronic use of prednisone and other anti-inflammatory steroid derivatives, anticonvulsant medications (due to upregulation of liver detoxification, promoting excretion of vitamin D and metabolites)

Why should you care about vitamin D?

Vitamin D plays many roles in the body! It’s not just for bone density, which can decrease as estrogen decreases in perimenopause and menopause.

Vitamin D is known as a pro-hormone synthesized in the skin and activated in the liver and kidneys. Cholesterol is its precursor.

Why do you need vitamin D in your body?

  • Reduces cellular growth
  • Improves cell differentiation
  • Regulates and controls genes
  • Reduces inflammation, risk of cancer, autoimmunity
  • Reduces muscle aches/pain, fibromyalgia
  • Improves mood (and energy)
  • Enhances bone health

“The most common manifestations of vitamin D deficiency in adults is:

Depression

Infection

Chronic Pain”

  • Alex Vasquez (vitamin D monograph available at academia.edu)

Low vitamin D status or deficiency can manifest as:

  • Bone and muscle pain 
  • Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Infections/dysbiosis
  • Frequent falls and cognitive impairment
  • Statin intolerance and myalgia
  • Preterm birth 

How does vitamin D support your vagina?

Research shows that vitamin D supports the proliferation of vaginal epithelium in postmenopausal vaginal atrophy. After using a suppository with 1000IU vitamin D over 8 weeks, vaginal pH decreased, while vaginal dryness and pain significantly reduced.

You can think about your skin and mucous membranes (including epithelial cells and immune cells) are like bricks in a wall, with tight junction proteins acting like mortar and weather proofing or waterproofing provided by antimicrobial peptides, as well as lysozyme and secretory IgA, on surfaces. 

Mucous membranes are present in your mouth, digestive tract, genitourinary tract and respiratory tract. Strengthening your exterior barrier defenses prevents infection.

Research shows that people with low vitamin D levels are 27-55% more likely to get an upper respiratory tract infection. Higher doses of vitamin D are more protective, improves lung function and decreases inflammation. 

Synergistic nutrients for vitamin D include:

  • Magnesium – cofactor in the synthesis of vitamin D from both exposure to sunlight and dietary sources
  • Vitamin K2 supports getting calcium into bones and teeth

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) produced in skin and consumed in diet, preferred form for supplementation.

Food sources provide low amounts: fatty wild fish like mackerel, herring, sardines, trout, salmon, cod liver oil, egg yolk, milk, soy milk, fortified foods, beef liver, cheese

Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) produced by irradiating fungi and mushrooms, less efficient precursor to biologically active 1, 25 dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol), also potentially less effective and more toxic. 

Some examples of research using cod liver oil as a source of vitamin D:

  • study with 10 patients with multiple sclerosis over 2 years, daily supplementation of 1000mg calcium, 600mg magnesium and 5000IU vitamin D (from 20g cod liver oil) reduced number of exacerbations with an absence of adverse effects
  • studies with cod liver oil showed significant reductions of type 1 diabetes, while a study of more than 10,000 infants (less than 1 year of age) and children with 2000IU of vitamin D daily reduced incidence of type 1 diabetes by almost 80%

How do you know if you’re getting enough vitamin D?

Get your blood tested!

Reference ranges for serum 25 (OH) vitamin D3 in adults can vary:

Example:

Deficiency: <20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) 

Insufficiency: 20-40 ng/ml (50-100 nmol/L)

Proposed optimal: 40-65 ng/ml (100-160 nmol/L)

Excess: >80 ng/ml (200 nmol/L)

Proposed updated ranges:

Depletion: <20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) 

Insufficiency: <32 ng/ml (80 nmol/L) 

Marginal sufficiency: 30-40 ng/ml (75-100 nmol/L)

Sufficiency: 40-50 ng/ml (100-125 nmol/L) 

Proposed optimal physiologic range: 50-90 ng/ml (125-225 nmol/L) – based on levels found in pregnant rural Africans, lifeguards in USA/Isreal, farmers in Puerto Rico

Supraphysiologic: >100 ng/ml (250 nmol/L)

Potentially toxic: >150 ng/ml (325 nmol/L)

Pharmacologic dosing: 200-300 ng/ml (500-750 nmol/L)

What else is vitamin D good for?

Blood Sugar Balance:

  • Low vitamin D associated with insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction in diabetics and young adults who are apparently healthy
  • Healthy adults with higher vitamin D levels had better insulin sensitivity than those who were vitamin D deficient
  • HIgher vitamin D status related to 60% improvement in insulin sensitivity (vs. 13% by metformin)

Cardiovascular Disease:

-risk of heart attack twice as high for those with vitamin D less than 34 ng/ml (85 nmol/L) than for those with vitamin D status above this level

– patients with congestive heart failure recently found to have markedly lower levels of vitamin D than controls

-vitamin D deficiency as a cause of heart failure has been documented in numerous case reports

Hypertension:

It has been demonstrated that blood pressure is higher in the winter than the summer, increase at greater distances from the equator and is affected by skin pigmentation – all consistent with a role of vitamin D in regulating blood pressure

  • When treated with UV light 3x/week for 6 weeks, patients with hypertension increased vitamin D levels by 162% and blood pressure fell significantly
  • 800IU of vitamin D3 for 8 weeks lowered both blood pressure and heart rate

Depression: 

Vitamin D is known to have antidepressant effects by impacting neurotransmitter and neurologic function, as well as inflammation

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – for more info, see Episode ?

-recently, a dose of 100,000IU of vitamin D was found superior to light therapy in the treatment of SAD after one month

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): 

-condition characterized by polycystic ovaries, irregular menstrual cycles, increased hair growth, insulin resistance and obesity – for more info, see Episode ?

-study of 13 women with PCOS showed vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent and supplementation with 1500mg calcium daily and 50,000IU vitamin D2 weekly normalized menstruation and/or fertility in 9 women with PCOS-related menstrual irregularities within 3 months of treatment

Cancer Prevention and Treatment:

-vitamin D has anti-cancer effects mediated by anti-proliferative and pro-apoptosis mechanisms

-researcher Grant proposed that adequate exposure to UV light and/or supplementation of vitamin D could save more than 23,000 American lives per year from a reduction in cancer mortality alone

-more research needed at higher levels and longer durations

New research shows that physiologic requirement of vitamin D supplementation is 3000-5000IU/day and blood levels plateau only after 3-4 months of daily supplementation. 

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing monthly info session for expecting parents looking to trust their instincts and their body during labour and birth. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective begins again in 2022. You can get on the waitlist at wildcollectivetoronto.com

Today’s Mama Must Have:

Dr. Lisa is a big fan of board games for lots of family fun, including Despicable Me Minion Game of Life, Mousetrap and Don’t Make Me Laugh. 

Dr. Toni loves her emulsified vitamin D drops by NFH plus vitamin D/K for the whole family.

Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.

Episode 96: Protecting Your Energy with Amy Fowler

In today’s episode, Dr. Lisa talks with intuitive energy health and former registered nurse Amy Fowler about how to protect your energy, clear negative energy and tap into your intuitive healing ability. If you want to clear past hurts and not pass on any negative energy to loved ones, you need to listen to this episode to learn some simple practices you can use every day.

Amy Fowler is an intuitive energy healer that uses universal source energy to help locate, release and heal any stored negative emotions and energy in your body that have manifested as illness, dis-ease and physical pain. Trained as a registered nurse, Amy left her nursing career in 2019 to focus on her own healing and now wants to share her healing techniques with others so that they can learn to harness their own healing powers. For more information about Amy’s offers including Intuitive Energy Healing, Intuitive Card Readings and Animal Energy Healing you can follow Amy on Instagram @treat.yourself.first

In this episode, we cover:

  • The concept of how Trauma and trauma can get stuck in your body and manifest as symptoms like depression and pain 
  • The different ways you can be intuitive and “download” information from Source or the Universe
    • Clairvoyance – seeing information
    • Claircognizance – knowing information
    • Clairsentience – feeling information
  • How to start to feel and work with energy (also known as qi/chi or prana)
  • 2 practices to ground and clear your energy
    • With your feet on the ground, imagine tree roots coming from the bottom of your feet down to the core of the earth
    • Then imagine pulling up water or crystal energy from the core of the earth into your body, cleansing any negative emotions from all the cells in your legs, abdomen, chest, arms, head and the rest of your body
    • Then imagine pulling that negative energy back down through the roots to deliver it back to the earth
    • Imagine a shower of water or light from the sun, moon or stars flowing down through your entire body from your crown chakra to the bottom of your feet, cleaning out all the negative energy and flowing back to the earth
  • The main chakras or energy centres in your body
    • Crown – your connection to the Universe or Source at the top of the head
    • Third Eye – your internal seeing between your eyebrows
    • Throat – your true belief and/or voice in your throat 
    • Heart – 
    • Solar Plexus – who you are in the world, found between your breastbone and belly button
    • Sacral – your womanhood sexuality at the sacrum
    • Root – your grounding to the earth at base of tailbone
  • How to keep your throat and heart chakras unblocked
    • Speak your truth to yourself or write it down
  • What can affect your energy
    • Moon cycles, stars, other people
    • Full moon ritual – write out everything you want to release then burn the paper safely
  • How to ground yourself 
    • Focus on 5 things you can see, then 4 things you can feel, then 3 things you can smell, then 2 things you can taste, then 1 thing you can ground 
  • The importance of protecting yourself from negative energy while letting in positive energy
    • After clearing energy, see your energy start to glow in your body brighter, then outside your body in your aura, then see it slowly grow out and around you like you are surrounded by an orb
    • Send out the intention that your energy will protect you, filter out negative energy and allow in positive, loving energy 
  • How to get your kids involved in energy practices to protect them energetically without depleting your own energy
  • The importance of grounding your home and car

Connect with Amy on Instagram @treat.yourself.first to find a link to a free clarity call

Listen to the In Her Feelings Podcast “Protecting Your Energy” episode released on May 27th 2021 for more about the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise

Today’s Mama and Stepmom Must Have: 

Dr. Lisa loves using peppermint essential oil to support digestion, as well as energy, focus and concentration.

Amy is a big fan of having Arbonne Energy Fizz as an alternative to coffee to get an energy kick.

Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a naturopathic doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.

Episode 95: From Burnout to Feminine Presence and Power with Fran Watson

In this episode, Dr. Toni speaks with Art of Feminine Presence coach Fran Watson about reconnecting with our feminine essence and power as an antidote to feeling tired, worn out and trying to give from an empty cup. Listen in to learn more about the things that drain us as women, how to stop the energy drain and reclaim our power.

“The feminine essence wants healthy, loving attention and she wants it often. This is not a desire sprung from weakness but an impulse to grow. Healthy attention is like food and water. If we don’t get it, we don’t grow and when we stop growing, we die. It’s that important. A woman who is seen by the people in her life stands out by her vibrancy, her health, her skin and her smile. She is well fed and it shows.”

After 18 years in a high-profile career as a publicist in the film and television business, Fran Watson was exhausted, burnt out and unclear how to make changes despite knowing a lot about how to make changes. She was feeling stuck and didn’t have a lot of time or money to spend on getting unstuck. 

Now, this silver-haired woman in her 50s has mastered the Art of Feminine Presence and helps people who are feeling stuck in unfulfilling work lives discover their soul-work and fill up with clarity and confidence to step into the life they were born to live.

In this episode, we cover

  • The difference between feminine and masculine essence 
  • How and why you’ve been taught to reject your feminine essence and focus on the masculine…and why it leads to burnout
    • Masculine culture focused on daily rhythms sees feminine monthly rhythms as unpredictable – for more about cyclical living, see Episode 59
  • Why you need to give yourself permission to fill your own cup
  • The power behind finding a community where you can truly be seen and heard – for more on community medicine, see Episode 90 
  • How to bring your attention to your belly to connect with your energy, power and ability to communicate

Find the free Path to Presence Meditation from Fran HERE,

Follow Fran on Instagram and Facebook , and connect with Fran for a complimentary 30 minute private chats to explore her coaching work a little further: https://biggerlifenow.com/contact/

Join Fran for her upcoming workshop The Art of Showing Up: Be Seen & Heard as a Woman in Business

Today’s Mama Must Have:

Dr. Toni is a big fan of the classic naturopathic hydrotherapy practice of wet warming socks, also known as Magic Socks.

Fran loves to get life flowing with the 10 minute Path to Presence Meditation she shares on her website https://biggerlifenow

Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.

Episode 94: How to Reduce Plastic Use in Your Everyday Life with Emma Rohmann from Green at Home

In this episode, Dr. Lisa welcomes back Emma Rohmann to discuss everything you need to know about plastics. Why is plastic harmful? Are the alternatives any better? Listen in to learn about what you can do at home to protect you and your kids from the negative impacts of plastic. 

Emma previously joined Dr. Lisa on Episode 65

Emma Rohmann is an environmental engineer, mom of 2, and founder of Green at Home and The Healthy Home Method. With over a decade of experience as an accredited green building consultant and project manager, she now helps moms and moms-to-be reduce toxins at home without overwhelm, a lifestyle overhaul, or spending time and money on stuff that doesn’t work. Her online guides, courses, and personalized programs blend the science with the practical application needed to help drive healthy changes in our busy lives. Emma is a trained David Suzuki Foundation Queen of Green Coach, a guest lecturer at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and holds a certificate in Environmental Health from the University of Arizona. You can learn more from Emma on The Missing Pillar of Health Podcast and at greenathome.ca.

In this episode, we cover:

  • The impact of plastics, including microplastics, on the environment while recognizing the benefit of them
  • The 2 chemicals in plastic with the most attention and research
    • Bisphenol A (BPA) – hormone disruptor with estrogenic activity
      • affects immune system, fetal development, sperm function, fertility
      • found in hard plastics, can linings, higher in foods that are fatty or acidic, receipt paper from purchases can be absorbed through the skin
    • Phthalates – found in soft plastics, hormone disruptor, easily migrates to food
      • higher amounts in women with endometriosis, birth defects, diabetes, obesity, thyroid, asthma, allergies, behavioural issues in kids, quickly metabolized but common exposure is frequent, found in PVC and vinyl flooring – breaks down and transfers to household dust, found in synthetic fragrance in personal care products
  • The problem with BPA free plastic, and the hormone disrupting properties of BPA alternatives BPS and BPF
  • The reason why switching from plastic water bottles to cans isn’t the healthiest solution 
    • For the impact of PFAS, see the movies Dark Waters and The Devil We Know, as well as Emma’s The Missing Pillar of Health Podcast
  • Alternatives to consider investing in to avoid BPA and other bisphenol exposure
    • Coconut oil and tomato products in glass jars
    • Glass containers or beeswax wrap instead of plastic food wrap
    • Beans and other canned foods by brands using cans without bisphenols, like Eden Organics
  • The importance of re-thinking your use of single serve foods in plastic wrapping
    • Consider a litter-less lunch for your kids without juice boxes, ziploc bags, using stainless steel containers and silicone bags to swap out plastic containers
  • The importance of involving your kids in the continuing conversation around reducing the use of plastic products
  • How to decide what plastic alternatives you need to buy

Connect with Emma on Instagram and Facebook 

Find Emma’s Room-by-Room Checklist, Cleaner Recipes and other resources at greenathome.ca/learn 

Today’s Mama Must Have:

Dr. Lisa is a big fan of Stasher or Bumkins snack bags and Stasher reusable silicone bags for plantain chips. She also bought a kite to fly at a park to burn off extra kid energy. 

Emma loves to use an online calendar for communicating and coordinating events for all family members, as well as cloth bags for kids’ snacks.

Upcoming Events:

Dr. Lisa has a free Digestive Masterclass on Wednesday, Oct 13th at 7:00pm EST, called “Lose the Bloat, Prevent Overeating and Heal Leaky Gut”. Be sure to attend live to take advantage of some epic bonuses. SIGN UP HERE and see what other upcoming events are in the works!

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking to trust their instincts and their body during labour and birth is this month. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective begins again in Fall 2021! Email her if you want to get in on the action…there are only a few spots left. Find out more at: www.wildcollectivetoronto.com

Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.