Living In Balance

Living in the pacific northwest, we get to enjoy all 4 seasons (especially this past year!).  As we enter the season of seemingly endless rainfall and shorter days, I think it’s a good time for a friendly reminder about vitamin D deficiencies.  During the summertime, our skin is more likely to be exposed to the sunlight, which converts cholesterol in our bloodstream into vitamin D (see, cholesterol isn’t necessarily the enemy).  Vitamin D is then processed into its more active forms via the liver and then the kidneys, ultimately leading to calcium and phosphorus balance inside of the body.  There’s a bit more to the actual mechanism, but essentially this means it helps balance your nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems.  It’s important to note that vitamin D is available in the foods we eat, as well as in supplements, so you don’t just need to get it from the sun. When someone is vitamin D deficient, they typically don’t even know it.  Short-term signs and symptoms may include p