Hello, all!

Welcome to another edition of the Neuro Notes. 

Today, I am stepping a little bit outside my normal realm and talking about Vitamin D and just how important it is to a person's mental well-being. 

To begin, what is Vitamin D?  

According to Mayo Clinic, 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 Neuro protective properties support immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity. 

How does the body use it? 

• Vitamin D is crucial not only for bone health but for proper brain development and functioning.  
• Low levels of vitamin D are associated with depression, seasonal affective disorder, and schizophrenia in adults. 

There are 2 general types of OTC (Over the Counter) supplemental Vitamin D. These are D2 and D3. These can be obtained at about any retail store or pharmacy. 

According to Psychiatric times:  

“Produced in the body when the body is exposed to sunlight, vitamin D has been hailed as the “sunshine” vitamin with many therapeutic attributes. Lack of sunlight has been linked with mood disorders-especially seasonal affective disorder. Therefore, there is a good rationale for investigating the association between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of depression”. 

While we are still learning much about the human mind and body, it is becoming quite clear that Vitamins, such as Vitamin D play a huge role overall in our mental and physical well-being.  

NOTE: This blog post is for informational purposes only and is NOT intended to treat or diagnose a health issue.

For deeper and reliable health information visit: 

• National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements

(http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp) 

• National Osteoporosis Foundation

(www.nof.org/prevention/preventing-fractures/prevention-and-healthy-living/) 

Much Love.

Journey on, my friends.

Chuck and the Neuro Harmony Staff.