Learn Why Vitamins C and D Are so Important for Your Health

Have you ever wondered what makes vitamin C and D so important?

Your body doesn’t make vitamin C naturally, so your diet must include the right foods or nutritional supplements. And Vitamin D is necessary for healing your body; it’s produced in response to your skin being exposed to sunlight. Even if you avoid sunshine, there are lots of other ways to get this essential vitamin.

At Balance Hormone Center, our primary practitioner, Gordon Hart, PA-C, promotes healthy living with natural treatment methods. This includes ensuring all of our patients are nutritionally balanced and living their best lives. If you aren’t able to get all your vitamins from foods, nutritional supplements help.

Am I deficient in vitamin C or D?

If you’re lacking these important nutrients, you aren’t alone. About 35% of adults in the United States are vitamin D deficient, and 7.1% are vitamin C deficient. You may be lacking these crucial vitamins and not even know it.

Vitamin C

If you’re able to eat a lot of fresh produce, you might not have a problem getting the recommended amount of vitamin C. This is great news considering vitamin C is essential for your body’s healing process. This vitamin is needed to form or support cartilage, blood vessels, collagen, and muscle.

But it’s possible your body needs more vitamin C if you notice any of these signs or symptoms:

Wounds are slow to heal
Dry skin
Bleeding gums
Fatigue and irritability
Loss of vision
Weight gain

In rare cases (fewer than 20,000 per year in the US), scurvy is the end result for those who have a severe lack of vitamin C in their diet.

Foods with vitamin C

According to the National Institutes of Health, women over the age of 18 should have at least 75 mg of vitamin C every day, and men should have 90 mg. Many people get their vitamin C naturally from the foods they eat. Here are some foods that contain plenty of vitamin C:

Oranges
Cantaloupe
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Red peppers
Potatoes
Broccoli
Kiwi

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is especially critical in maintaining your health. Experts suggest that a lack of vitamin D can play a part in the prevention of hypertension, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and glucose intolerance. And low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with cancer, asthma in children, and increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

If you notice any of these signs, it might be time to call us at Balance Hormone Center for a checkup:

Fatigue
Frequent illness and infection
Back pain
Bone pain
Slow wound-healing
Depression
Hair loss
Muscle pain

Foods with vitamin D

Depending on your age, men and women both need anywhere from 15-20 mcg of vitamin D every day to maintain health. Lots of delicious foods contain enough vitamin D to keep you well. Here are a few:

Tuna
Salmon
Mackerel
Swordfish
Beef liver
Cheese
Egg yolks

What can I do about a vitamin deficiency?

You may be lacking sufficient vitamin C and D for many reasons. If, for example, you have food allergies or eat strictly vegan meals, you might not be able to get the recommended daily dosages. Other reasons you might not be getting the right amount of vitamins are:

Hormone imbalances
Poor or imbalanced diet
GERD medications
Malabsorption issues such as Crohn’s disease
Thyroid or pituitary gland problems

Balance Hormone Center offers unique and customized treatment plans that include nutritional supplements, helping you avoid vitamin deficiencies.

Certified physician assistant Gordon Hart may suggest intravenous (IV) therapy sessions, to begin with, boosting your current nutrient levels. Another way our team helps you defend your body against lack of vitamin C and D is clinical-grade dietary supplements. We suggest these over-the-counter additions to your diet based on your specific needs.

Do you want to learn more about nutritional supplements at Balance Hormone Center in Norman, Oklahoma? To discover which nutritional supplements will supercharge your lifestyle, call our office today or use our convenient online scheduling tool to request an appointment.