Exploring the Crucial Role of Vitamin D in our Health

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Healthy Wealthy and Wise podcast with doctor William Choctaw, MDJD. Our mission is to empower you with the knowledge and the tools you need to thrive in all aspects of your lives. Join us now as we discuss every thing from nutrition and exercise to money management and personal growth. Doctor Chongqing will provide insightful advice ice on how to improve your physical and financial health, as well as your emotional and mental well-being. Whether you're looking to boost your energy levels, unlike financial freedom, or cultivate a more positive mindset we've got you covered. Get ready to become the best version of yourself. So let's get started. Here's Dr. William Choctaw, MD JD.

0:51 Speaker 2: Hello. Welcome to the Healthy Wealthy and Wise podcast. I'm doctor William Choctaw, and I will be your host for this presentation. The healthy growth in Wines podcast is a part of the leadership master class series. And what we designed to do is to look at different areas of health, of wealth and wisdom and look at ways that we can tie them all together so that you will have a long and fulfilled life. Much of this is based on my five years of surgical practice and the things I've learned along the way and more specifically, the things that my patients have taught me. Today, we're going to talk about the Sunshine Vitamin D, and we're going with some specifics about how to top vitamin D is such an important vitamin for us, and what we need to do to maximize its use. And also, to make sure that we stay healthy, wealthy, and wise. I believe life is about being of service to others. I believe knowledge is power. I believe leaders can change the world. I always like to put up an outline whenever I get one of these discussions in the online basically has two purposes. It's designed to let you know what we're gonna talk about, but more important list, to let you know what the one who when I am just about done. So we're gonna start off by talking about mental, physical, and spiritual health. A real goal is to define vitamin d for you. We'll acknowledge the role of the sun

2:25 in this process. We'll talk about the risk of too much of vitamin d or too little vitamin d. And we'll talk about some of the things to avoid to make sure that you stay healthy in spite of vitamin D deficiency. Underlying all of these discussions are three basic areas. The healthcare is the number one area. If there are any legal issues, we will address those in this discussion . And there's always a financial impact, particularly when you were talking about healthcare either in terms of affordability of health care or in terms of the quality of health care that you may receive. And when those issues arise, we will address them. So let's get started. One of the things that I have found absolutely fascinating over my years in healthcare has been the existence of what I call the mental, physical, and spiritual health connection. Mental, physical, and spiritual health connection. And what I have learned from my patients is the importance of treating all three of those areas. If I'm gonna treat the whole patient, and give that patient quality care. And what I mean is that not only treat the physical, but I need to treat the mental And as importantly, I need to treat the spiritual. That does not mean that I have to endorse or embrace the belief system that every patient has, but I the very least, I need to recognize

3:56 it, and I need to recognize it from the context of how it may impact that patient's care, that patient's ability to follow my instructions, that patients ability to trust my recommendations so that they can help me help them. And so I have learned I continue to notice this mental, physical, spiritual dynamic. It is absolutely major, and I pass that on. That it's important to keep that in mind. Well, quite as a vitamin. Certainly, we all learn about vitamins in the past and we've seen them on television and we talk about them or we may we may use them in our daily lives or we may not use them because we don't think they're necessary. But let's let's define what a vitamin is. A vitamin is an organic molecules that is essential to a human in quantities of proper metabolic function. Let me repeat that. A vitamin is an organic molecule that is essential to humans in small quantities proper metabolic function. And today, we're gonna talk about a specific vitamin called vitamin D. Now there are ten to thirteen out of the vitamins, but we're only gonna talk about vitamin d today. But there's a second part of this of that depth submission for vitamins. Vitamin D is what we

5:30 call an essential vitamin. So how do we define an essential vitamin? An essential vitamin in essence is a vitamin that is or is an organic molecule that is made by the body. But not insufficient quantities to meet the body's needs. Let me repeat. An essential vitamin like vitamin D is made by the body, but not in satin, but not in quantity sufficient to meet the body's needs. So the our bodies make vitamin D, but they don't make enough vitamin D. So we have to get vitamin D pumped from an additional source to be completely healthy in terms of the responsibilities and needs that we have for vitamin D. In a way, I sort of look at it. This is what one of the examples of our connection to the world around us. Yes, the body makes it yes, we need it, but we require help from outside of the body to meet those needs. So what are the important sources for this need, vitamin d, is the sun. We see it every day, basically. And it is a major source of vitamin d. And indeed, it is the main source of vitamin D for our bodies. Well, how does that work exactly? I don't want to get too deep into

7:02 the biochemistry weeds, but let me just say, very, very briefly. The sun has something called UB rays, ultraviolet rays. And when the sun hits the skin, it affects a chemical in the skin called seventy hydroxychloroquel . And it converts that seven d hydroxychloroquel to a pre vitamin, which is then summarized to vitamin D. Let me repeat. The sun hits the skin. It converts the seven d hydroxychloroquel to a pre vitamin D, which is then I summarize to regular vitamin D so that it's then used by the body. So the sun is a major or one major source of vitamin d. The other source of vitamin d is foam and we'll talk about that a bit later. So it is very important then that we get proper exposure to sunlight sounds real basic. Right? But not always. Because, indeed, many of us have jobs or have had jobs, where we are not exposed to the sun very much at all. Maybe you get up in the dark.

8:17 You drive the work or go to work . You work all day. And when you get off, it's dark again, depending on where you live. I can tell you that one of my last jobs was it it required for me to fly all over the country. I live on the West Coast. And so whenever I had to travel with the joint commission, which I love the early great organization. As a survey, as a physician survey of hospitals, I would always make sure that I had a plane reservation for the very earliest flight possible if I have from my airport in California. Because I wanted to get to those hospitals on the East Coast before Sundown. Now, most of the times that didn't make it, but nevertheless, I I would go many days where I would never really see this sign. And and again, I'm sure many of you have experienced it just in your normal daily routine. Or your normal work routine. But my but the point I wanna make is the sun is very important. And it is not important just in terms of recreation, and mental health. It is very important in terms of physical health and in terms of vitamin D. And we'll get into detail about why vitamin D is so important. Okay? So there are two main external sources for vitamin D. One, vitamin D is an essential vitamin. Essential vitamin means the body makes it, but it doesn't make enough of it, so it needs external sources. And

9:48 there are two basic external sources. The sun, which is there, which is free and is there for all of us every single day. And dietary of food sources, which also is a good source of vitamin D. One of the main functions of vitamin D is how it affects the bone. It is a a primary target vitamin d, if you will, and it affects the bone in a number of ways. And one one of the things that this demonstrates is something that I see or have seen throughout my evaluation award experience with physiology and anatomy in the body, especially physiology that the body is very balanced. It's very balanced. And we don't really notice this consciously because this all happens on the unconscious level. But but there are a lot of things that go on in within the body that help to keep us functional at the level that we that we do functional. And in my mind, it's absolutely extraordinary. And so this happens in the bone. And so there there are two main types of cells that are in our bones.

10:53 Other bones, obviously, the structure for our bodies One my type of cell is called an osteoblast b l a s t. Osteoblast, osteo mane bone, and blast. And osteoblast basically make new bone sense or create new bone, if you will. And so the bone in like other parts of our body scan and other parts of our body are changing regularly . The balance of the osteoblasts is a type of cell in the bone called osteoclast, c l a s t. C l a s t s. And the osteo class, basically, their job, is to remove all bone. So you have the osteo blast that create new bone and the osteo class that removed the old bone as the osteoblast put down the new bone . Absolutely extraordinary.

11:47 Absolutely extraordinary. The other thing that vitamin D does is it helps to balance the relationship between calcium and phosphate way. We want to get into a lot of biochemical detail about it. But trust me, that balance is important also in terms of the functioning of the body. And another part of the physiology involved in bone, which is the primary focus, a primary focus of vitamin D, is something called ImmTOR. Now ImmTOR basically is an enzyme, if you will, a type of a type of protein and its main function is it has a signal main function . What do I mean by that? So when we talk about the osteoblast laying down new new bone cell. Okay? Let's use a hypothetical. Let's say you're in an automobile accident and you fracture your bone. You you fracture your femur. And and you have surgery, they pin it, and so you have a break in your bone . Well, that has the heel. And that the bone heals with the new bone being laid down. Those osteoblasts. Okay. Vitamin D has a big role in that. Right? But if after the bone is healed, the body continued to put more and more and more steel blast cells or bone cells or new bone cells on top of the new bone cells, on top of the new bone cells. What do you think would happen? You

13:19 would then get this mass that we would call a tumor and basically that is and it affects a definition for cancer. So cancer is unlimited growth. Of tissue within the body. So one of the important functions of vitamin d is to indirectly help to manage in some way that process a new bone being laid down. And basically, the mTOR signaling says, stop. So if ever when the bone is healed, it that's a process that then makes it stop because otherwise it would just keep doing what it's doing. So mTOR which is relating to vitamin D controls that process. What I'm trying to say. Okay? So my point is none of this is accidental. That accidental, everything is controlled in a very, very precise manner. We don't think about it. And we just function the way we function, and we may go out and break another bone. And then that bone will heal.

14:25 And then we'll break another on that, but only he'll think about some of the athletes who've gone through this, depending on which sport area. But my point is it's absolutely fascinating. Listeners to me that that that this one little by doing which we can get primarily from the sun in addition to what's already in the body. Basically, has such a powerful influence over our body. So when we think of vitamin D, what what would a patient a peer. How about a patient peer? If they had a deficient amount of vitamin D, they didn't have enough vitamin D. Well, in children, this is called Ricketts. It's a disease called Rickettsin. You may have seen pictures of children with with legs that are bowed because they the the bones a week, and they're not strong enough. It's so many times they've been under the weight and and that sort of thing. In adults is called osteomalacia. And what that means is, again, the bones are not strong enough. And they're weak because of a vitamin D deficiency. So there can be very serious real world causes or real world examples, if you will, of not having a vitamin d.

15:40 So what I'm saying in essence, spend more time in the sun. So who are some of the individuals who are most at risk for having vitamin D deficiency? Number one, those with limited sun exposure. We just talked about that. Limited sun exposure. It may be as a result of your job, it may be by choice. There are some people who may who have a who tend to have a phobia of this crime. And you may have seen them walk around with hats and umbrellas and whatever, and they never wanna be exposed to the sun. The sun is necessary in appropriate amounts to help us to keep our vitamin D at a certain at an appropriate level.

16:27 The sign is necessary at appropriate levels to keep our vitamin D at appropriate levels. Out individuals who are at risk for vitamin d deficiency are individuals who overweight, who have a basic metabolic index, that's greater than twenty four, twenty five or patients who are obese, why? Because the adipose cells, the ampoules, tissue cells basically decrease the effects of vitamin D. And so, why do you still have more vitamin D to have an effective amount of vitamin D? To function normally within the body. Pregnant women may have vitamin D deficiency. At certain times. Particularly, those who have high blood pressure during pregnancy or pre collapse, you may have lower blood levels of vitamin D. The elderly and I'm gonna define the elderly is sixty years of age and older.

17:27 May very well be that vitamin D deficient. Because as we get older, the system for making the internal body vitamin D is not as efficient. And that makes sense. You know, everything sort of ties out over time. And so in those and that group of individuals, it's necessary for us to take more vitamin d by mouth or by a dietary as a supplement to make sure all levels are appropriate. Dark skinned people may very well end up being more vitamin D deficient than others. Why is that? Well, the melanin in the skin, which causes the skin to be darker, tends to end fear with that ultraviolet b radiation that comes from the sun that mixes in the skin with that cholesterol that we talked about to convert it to d three and then to the regular vitamin d. So individuals who are dark skin need to have their vitamin D levels checked and followed just like others, but they are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency depending on their lifestyle. And then, of course, infants may be vitamin D deficiency, particularly if they are breast speeding. Because they're they're breastfeeding, breast milk tends to be low in vitamin D, and so they think they have additional vitamin D given. Now your physicians and

18:57 your healthcare providers know all these things. But again, I believe knowledge is power, and I believe as a non physician or a non healthcare person, the more you know is good. I think that's a good thing. And I think that helps you make sure that you get quality health care when you have to use our healthcare delivery system or you and any member of your family or friends use the healthcare delivery system. Well, let's take a look at foods. We talked about the sun. Right? And we talked about the sun as being that extra source vitamin D to raise the vitamin D level in the body so that all those functions with the bone and other areas can occur on a regular basis. What if you cannot control your work schedule. And you have to work the hours that you work and you can't control your transportation to confirm work. Then obviously, you have another option and that is vitamin D supplements and or foods. So what are some of the foods that are rich in vitamin d? Well, fish is one of the serving radage orange juice, which is always good. Mushrooms, egg yolk, cod liver memorial, cheese, and caviar. These are all fluids that are rich in vitamin D and, certainly, you just want to get in the habit of making sure that you take them If you don't wanna take supplements or you may wanna do both as long as you take them in

20:29 an appropriate amount, that would be fine. And so what are the benefits of having a healthy vitamin D? In addition to the bonuses that I talked about, I talked about Vitamin D also supports a healthy nervous system. Because keep in mind, a lot of these functions, if you will, that go on in terms of enzymes and proteins, they have to do with the nerves, and they have to do with the myelination or the covering of the nerve fibers. And all of that again has to be balanced so that it is effective and occurs in an appropriate manner. The vitamin d helps with your teeth. Having healthy teeth in your dentist will tell you that. An important another important area is your immune system. One of the things that we've learned doing the COVID and post COVID also. That is important to have a healthy immune system obviously because when the body is invaded by viruses or bacteria or whatever the infection is that's prevalent at that time, you need to make sure that your body can fight any invading force and do it effectively and and to keep you healthy throughout that process. Deltic Bols, we talked about in terms of having adequate vitamin D. It also improves your mind function. It improves brain function. Many individuals talk about having a brain fog, particularly post COVID. And I would always suggest to you, again, to make sure that you have Vitamin D levels checked, and it's an easy

22:03 fix, and just just take additional vitamin D, go out and spend more time in the sun. Healthy infants again need to be vitamin D sufficient and insulin if you it's an independent diabetic and making sure your vitamin D levels are at the right level, we'll make your insulin dependence more beneficial and more effective to you. It also reduces the rest of the flu with this certain again. All of us have been highly attuned to various types of flu viruses that have occurred and that may occur in the future. And this way, we stay continuously healthy from an immunological point of view.

22:49 What what happens Let's say that you are not able to get in the senior doctor to get your vitamin D blood test. Because again, you may say, well, doctor, how do I know whether vitamin eighty six or not, sample blood tests. Every doctor knows how to do it, knows how to order it, and that will tell you whether your your vitamin D levels are high or normal or above. But if you are deficient, some signs of that deficiency may be a low immune system. It may be there. Maybe if you get a cause and flaws all the time, and you think that that's more than it should be, and you've not had your vitamin D level checked. Certainly, you wanna get that vitamin D level checked . Anxiety, depression, which could be caused by a number of things, but vitamin D could be contributing factor. If you're chronically fatigued, you might want to look at that. Chronic pain, which occurs quite a bit, is certainly an indication or possible indication. Vitamin D problems. Muscle pain, hair loss, delayed wound healing. Could be vitamin D dependent. If you have high blood pressure and let's say you've been on medication for a while and all of a sudden that medication is no longer effective in controlling your blood pressure, that may be an indication that your vitamin D level has dropped or is not at the level that it should be. Again, another reason to have your vitamin D level checked. So As we conclude, I

24:26 want to particularly pay attention to a type of chronic pain condition. Now, certainly, over my years of practice, I've in a lot of chronic pain syndromes. And I'm going to define chronic pain as a type of pain that occurs in the body for no specific reason that lasts longer than six months. Let me say that again. A pain that occurs in the body for no specific reason, but lasts longer than six months. My experience has been when I've seen patients with chronic pain and chronic pain syndromes, they're absolutely miserable. And they complain about pain all over the body. Move to services, sleep to services. And one of the things that's very interesting is there a diagnosis called clavromyalgia, which is the type of chronic pain syndrome. A lot of the symptoms are very, very similar, if not the same as vitamin D deficiency . Now I'm not suggesting that vitamin D is the cause of paragolumide ultra or or the we'll we'll treat it a hundred percent. What I am saying is there'll be a lot of correlations with it. And it's just another reason you want to make sure that your vitamin D is at an appropriate level. We talked about MTOR and we talked about how emptory is an important part of vitamin D because it signals to the osteoplast when they need to stop laying down bone cells. And

26:00 we talked about that indeed, if you have a lot of bone cells being laid down, many times that is what we call cancer, a lung cancer. The cancer by definition is unregulated growth in a certain tissue, be it bone tissue, soft tissue, nerve tissue, whatever. And one type of bone cancer is called osteosarcoma, and it can occur at any age. And again, I only mentioned to show the importance of having appropriate vitamin D and the mTOR that go in the mTOR signaling that goes along with the vitamin D. And and something that we wanna do just to keep ourselves healthy at all times. So what happens, and we're just about done? What happens if you take too much vitamin D? That there always patients at least in my experience have been, if you suggest they take something, particularly something over the counter and you say, well, want you to take a thousand units of vitamin D. You can get it from the pharmacy. They'll take twenty thousand or thirty thousand. And so my point is you don't wanna do that. Because there are always symptoms of over medication or overdosing on any kind of medication. And some of the symptoms of too much vitamin D could be things like thirst, nausea, fatigue, headache, dizziness, appetite loss, etcetera. So so always

27:34 take take medication as prescribed and and don't overdo it. So in summary, what what we want and what I want for you? Is for you to be healthy, wealthy, wise, that the sun is a free source of vitamin d If you do not have dark skin, ten medicine sign every day, just go out and look up. And you're all set. If you do have dark skin two hundred and thirty minutes in the sun every day, just go out and look up It is free, it is it is it is a gift, and it is beautiful. If you do not wanna do with the side or if you in a situation where you don't have that control, starting to feel free to take the supplements.

28:22 And if you don't wanna take the supplements, just make sure that you take the food. So there are three possible choices that you have to make sure that your vitamin D is at the appropriate level. Finally, let me end with my basic principles. My my first basic principle is God is in charge. I am a position of faith . And indeed has been my faith in God and his wisdom that has guided me, protected me, and allowed me to arrived upon where I am today. The second principle is I don't have any bad dates. I used a lot of bad days, but I figured out that a day was bad when I said it was. So I decided I didn't wanna have any more bad days. So now my days are good days. Or great days. Third, don't sweat the small stuff. Most of the small.

29:13 I don't let little things bother me or decide try not. I try to let little things bother me because what I've learned is that most of the time it is not that big a deal. Fourth, forgiveness is therapy. Whatever individual other individuals do or say to me that I may interpret as negative, I immediately forgive them. Because what I have learned is that by forgiving them, not only does it reestablish my personal power, but it is therapeutic for me. And so I pass that on to you freely. And finally, Everything is a relationship. Relations are based on three things, mutual respect, mutual trust, good communication, and now be the change you wanna see in the world. Have a wonderful day.

30:02 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Healthy Willy and Wise podcast with doctor William Choctaw MD JD. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you found it helpful, you can support and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. With the keywords doctor William Choctaw. Click on the support the show and you've got it. This will also help ensure that you don't miss any future episodes, and then share this podcast with your family, friends, and or your coworkers. They'll be glad you did. So until the next time, live your best possible lives, the best possible way.