We are as strong as our weakest link. This saying is aptly perfect in my practice as a pain clinician. Pain is our body’s way of telling us that it needs to be treated differently in short a lifestyle overhaul. In this perspective balanced living is vital to treat pain and remain pain-free.
For any chronic pain, fatigue, or weakness I run a blood profile specially VitD3, and have seen enough results now to say that nearly 75% of us are deficient in this naturally producing vitamin. So what has changed in the urban us?
Evolution and bone health
From the time of our evolution as homo sapiens ie present us our gene pool roughly remains the same. For our hunter-gatherers or even the farming ancestors, strong bones were essential for survival. Activities of survival like long-distance walking, occasional running, hunting, foraging for food, working for long hours in the fields, bearing and rearing children carrying heavy loads, and children placed great stresses on the skeletal system. Hence the requirement for robust bones.
So what has changed now if not the genes?
Our movement offloading. In the urban world, we have learned to outsource the so-called repetitive and boring movements. Driving for walking, robots for cleaning, washers for washing, elevator for stairs, and a supermarket jaunt for food. Even the food we get is pre-processed often not requiring the complete cooking process.
All of these allow us to move less or not at all. When there is no stimulus to move and weight bear why should the body keep the bones robust? What you don’t use you lose…
Bone health and captivity
With the new normal our outdoor movements are reduced to non-existent. This makes us sunlight deficient.
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol. The sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy for vitamin D synthesis to occur. That’s why vit d is the sunshine vitamin.
How does being low on Vitamin d feel like
- Getting sick often
- Fatigue
- Widespread muscle pain
- Mood swings and feeling low
- Weight gain
- Reduced appetite
- Low sleep quality.
If all of this is making you think about the action items please follow my next blog the Sunshine warriors. Will delve into the how to and what to … Till then open the glass windows and allow the sunshine to come in. Lounge in it and enjoy the warmth for 15 to 20 min… cheers