There are epidemic-sized deficiencies in the United States that have gone largely unnoticed.  They?re not regularly in the news, and can often get left out of doctor appointments.  However, neglecting them can end up with results ranging from diabetes to hip fractures.  These are some facts you don?t want to miss out on.
Research suggests that people living in the United States have shorter lives and worse health than other citizens of wealthy countries [1].  We have quite the charts for obesity with 2 out of every 3 adults in the US either overweight or obese [2].  We also boast 240,000 fast food establishments, which unmistakably don?t help [3]. Sadly, the majority of our society makes poor health choices as far as eating, exercising, and checking up on good health.  Many of us are taught to wait until something is detrimentally wrong before seeing a doctor.  In other words, we are told to treat sickness instead of to promote wellness. 
 
If we turn the tables and go down the road of prevention and care, we could avoid many health hardships.  As the World Health Organization declared in 1948, ?Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.?  The problem is that our nation seems to have forgotten about the essential building blocks that our bodies need in order to foster good health and prevent future disasters: vitamins and minerals.
 
Vitamins and minerals often get lumped together and overlooked.  All-in-one pills based on gender or age are widely available and consumed.  As convenient as they may seem, there is unfortunately no one-size-fits-all solution to good health.  Every person?s body is unique; their health needs are as well.  Ultimately, vitamin and mineral levels should be regularly checked and monitored by a trusted physician in case your body needs more or less of a certain nutrient.  This is vital because in the end, nutritional deficiencies won?t just make you ?feel bad.?  Being deficient in any essential vitamin, mineral or hormone can cause deadly outcomes. 
 
A Spanish study now has proven that type 2 diabetes has a deep relationship with vitamin D deficiency.  Diabetes can develop even if you?re weighing in at a normal body weight?if you lack vitamin D [4].  This is very serious, as at least 42% of our nation is deficient in it [5]. When your body doesn?t have an adequate amount of vitamin D, it cannot regulate the insulin effectively.  So you may not even be overweight or over-sugared; you may just not get enough sunlight and fish.  In fact, 10% of people with diabetes are a normal weight, which adds up to be nearly 3 million people [6].  Those who fit in the 10% category are mostly likely deficient in vitamin D.  
 
Keep in mind, this is just one example.  Mounting evidence declares that a vitamin D deficiency won?t only cause diabetes; it can also cause serious metabolic diseases and chronic diseases like cancer or cardiovascular disease.  However, vitamin D deficiency is by no means the only nutritional issue that can wreak serious havoc.  Lacking any essential minerals, vitamins or hormones can eventually wind up in life-threatening conditions.  While these deficiencies may seem fairly benign, don?t be fooled.  They are like the first big, juicy snowflakes that kickstart the snowstorm.  
 
Let?s say you have low vitamin D levels and low estrogen levels.  Your bones may suffer greatly, leading to osteoporosis, then a hip fracture, bed sores, life in a wheel chair, blood thinner medication, and an early death.  No one may blame this person?s death on the initial lack of hormones and vitamins, but it was no doubt the beginning of the end.  Let?s say another person lacks magnesium, as a supposed 80% of the population does, then gets a life threatening health problem.  This is no surprise, as magnesium is found in over 300 enzymes in the body.  We cannot function without it.  But will a magnesium deficiency be blamed for the death?  Probably not.  Last, let?s say I have problems with wounds healing.  Any dietician could tell me that I need protein, zinc and vitamin C to heal.  If I had these levels checked out before I got the wound, then I wouldn?t run into the issue of my open wounds potentially getting life-threatening infections.  
 
Being honest, how many people do you think actually get their vitamin and mineral levels checked out regularly?  I would guess not a whole lot.  The bottom line is that vitamins and minerals have been neglected in our society for long enough.  It?s time patients should know that it is necessary to have nutrients monitored regularly in order to prevent dangerous illnesses.  Vitamins and minerals are at least, if not more, important as anything else that gets a regular check up. 
 
Correcting your body?s nutrients before they cause damage can save a lot of money in the future on surgeries, treatments and appointments.  If you are interested in living a full, healthy life, give us a call to make an appointment today.  We can help make sure your body is in optimum shape by feeding it the natural nutrients that it craves. 
 
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13497
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/Pages/ove…  
http://www.statista.com/statistics/196619/total-number-of-fast-food-res…  
http://press.endocrine.org/doi/10.1210/jc.2014-3016  
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310306
http://www.obesity.org/resources-for/your-weight-and-diabetes.htm