I love the Fall Season - cooler weather that let's me bring out of storage those lovely warm sweaters and funky scarves, donning my embroidered Uggs, visiting Julian for apple picking and sipping unfiltered apple cider, warming by the fire, creating culinary delights from seasonal foods such as pumpkin, apples and squash, riding my bike on a brisk afternoon and watching Sunday football! And, of course, who can forget Halloween and Thanksgiving - two of my favorite holidays. 

In my nutritonal and homeopathic practice I have watched many of my clients start getting sick in the fall and winter seasons and then don't return to great health until the summer months.  I have found several ways that really help them with keeping their immune and mental health strong during what many have found the most stressful of seasons. I have written a series that I will post over the next few days that give tips on how to stay in great health during the Fall Season. Hope you enjoy it and find it helpful as well as health-ful. 

To your good health, 

Keverne

Here in Southern California we don't see the dramatic fall foliage changes like the Northeast States do but we do experience a change in the amount of sunshine that we have been receiving and that change can make a BIG difference on our mental outlook and immunity. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) also known as winter depression, winter blues, or seasonal depression is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter. It is thought to occur due to the lack of exposure to sunshine. Vitamin D is known as the "Sunshine Vitamin". Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to sunlight.  

Did you know that Vitamin D was essential for bone density, immune function, nerve protection as well as mood stabilization? In the fall and winter months we receive less sunlight and stay indoors more due to the cooler weather.  Therefore, it is important to make sure you are getting a proper intake of Vitamin D and whenever possible find some time to get what precious little sunshine we get on those fall and winter days.  Also increasing intake of foods rich in Vitamin D such as fish or fish oil, egg yolks, butter, mushrooms, and dark leafy greens. Taking Vitamin D with Vitamin A has been shown in some studies to reduce the incidence of colds. 

How do you know if you are getting enough Vitamin D? A simple blood lab test can determine your Vitamin D levels. Therapeutic dosages can be determined from those lab results. 

If interested in knowing if you are Vitamin D deficient or would like a quality high therapeutic Vitamin D supplement that is right for you, contact me via email or call the office.