Dr. Coffee blog's updates

This post is a continuation from two past posts with new observations. Both topics are on human health and diet.

First update stems from the previous post Supplementing what? in which I warn about the dangers of long term strict veganism. This weekend, I had the luck of meeting an individual who became a Vegan within the last couple of weeks after being a practicing lacto-ovo vegetarian for about a year. It was a sight to see. She was about 10-15 pounds underweight. Her complexion was similar to a ghost, pale white. She is obviously intelligent, but the mental sharpness was not present. This on top of being sick with a cold or flu. Her friend (she was also present) who just started practicing veganism (same time) after being lacto-ovo vegetarian even longer was in the same physical state. I wish both of them would realize they are destroying their own healths'. It seems that these extreme vegetarian types have a cult like following. This trend is very disheartening in the least.

One argument that I read from a vegan propaganda publication this past week concerned the actress Alicia Silverstone. Her source of Vitamin B12 comes from Miso soup. I was not aware of this vitamin source, but I rather doubt the concentration is enough to fulfill an individual's daily requirement without eating several bowls of the soup. This is the very basic problem with veganism. Yes, you can find these necessary vitamins in certain vegan approved sources, but they will not provide enough of the vitamins to an individual for healthy living. I repeat once again, healthy, long term, strict vegan adherents do NOT exist. It is a dangerous lifestyle. One other quirky thing about the article was her description of feeling holistic (??????). I am coming to the conclusion that this general "feeling" comes from a lack of energy and mild hallucinations. Yeah, you feel holy, but what is it really?

The other update is on my own health and is a follow up to the post, Give me a D, Vitamin D, where I discuss a potential Vitamin D deficiency in my own diet during winter. I would my overall feeling as constantly tired even though I am not sick and been sleeping quite well. After taking about 2000 IUs of Vitamin D from store bought vitamins, I felt better the following day. After one week of the supplements, I felt back to normal or similar to summertime. My guess was right, I was lacking Vitamin D in my diet and it was manifesting itself as symptoms similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. From now on, I am going to start taking lower doses (~800 IUs) starting in November to prevent this problem from hitting me in the middle of winter again. I am sure this is a very common problem in our modern society that lives indoors during daylight winter hours because of employment.

Give me a D, Vitamin D

This blog was originally intended to cover science and technology, but it has grown to cover other topics related to this area. I have been writing several posts on nutrition and health since it is of interest to everyone. This post will be about a very important vitamin, Vitamin D. What differentiates this vitamin from the rest is the main source is not from our diets, but from sunlight exposure. It turns out the wavelength range in sunlight that produces Vitamin D in our skin, UVB radiation at 295-300 nm, is the same radiation that causes skin cancer. This supports the statement, "moderation in all things." As for dietary sources, the only concentrated natural vitamin D sources are seafood based. It appears in much lower doses within egg yolks. Vitamin D is routinely added to the US milk supply to prevent the deficiency in Americans which was first observed in the 1920's as the disease rickets in the general population. Rickets mostly vanished in the US after the fortification program started.

What inspired me to discuss this topic is evidence exists that Vitamin D deficiency may lead to chronic fatigue or even potentially Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What I have noticed in the last few days is feeling tired with no real purpose. My diet was good. I exercised regularly. My sleep was high quality with about 7 hours on the weekdays and 8+ on the weekends. Why do I feel sluggish all of the time? Thinking about it, this is how I always feel since living in Texas from mid-January to mid-March. Going further back, it is the same sensation that I felt in the gloomy Oregon winter with no sunshine. Fast forward to the present, we have had lots of cloudy days and little sunshine in the last few weeks. Due to my indoor work environment, when it was sunny I did not get any sunlight exposure outdoors. That is when it hit me, I might have Vitamin D deficiency. To battle this affliction, I am taking a multivitamin (400 IU dose), eating tuna fish sandwiches at lunch and taking 10 minute walks in the sun at around noon when possible. The regiment might also have some Vitamin D supplements added. I will update my rehabilitation progress after about a week.