Greetings from a now sunny Belgium.
I'm a happy lady.
Belgium seems to have been through one of the longest winter in years. Suddenly temperatures went from 5°C to 20°C, so you can imagine the difference outside and in people's moods!
As a law student and hopeless romanticus in this grey little country I had had my part of stress as always, with tough exams, frustration, lack of exercise and sunlight. There was also problems with my health that I had to ignore in other to perform, and there were some people acting very annoying.
I found a lot of energy from studying at home in the presence of my parents and with their care, their food, their sound. I ate tons of Nestlé black chocolate with blueberries and almonds to improve my memory while studying, which I thought worked wonders. I sniffed rosemary to lighten my mind and test it for memory, since it is said to stimulate the mind.
I had good exam results, but how I was tired. Fatigued, basically. I was done by the end of January and I was ready for sunshine, craving it, begging for it, but it didn't come. I become even more tired, crancky, out of breath.
I knew I still had Tietze Syndrom, the syndrome that can give you attacks that make you feel like your ribs are getting crushed by a car. I wasn't getting any attacks, but I still had trouble breathing. If the sun shone for 30 minutes, I would sit at the window and fall asleep instead of letting the vitamine D seep through my eyes. I was that exhausted: I couldn't even sit up.
I started to think that I had lupus, or athritis. I thought I had an immune disorder too. I bought a few books, one called 'Boost', which is about becoming energetic and beautiful through food and lifestyle, and 'Healing the immune system using foods and supplements', because I was starting to become a hypochondriac and because a good friend of mine had psoriasis and instead of healing himself would always eat white bread, chocolate and cola. He looked yellowish, prematurely white haired and had a small gut. He had a lot of stress in the world of law, his wife was sick, but since he still felt energetic (he worked from 7 to 22), I was getting worried that my condition was worse.
The first thing I read was that stress sucks minerals and vitamins out of our system. Yes, if you eat an appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals, you're losing too many! A recent article in De Standaard claimed that only top athletes need energy drinks and extra vitamins, etc. ... not ordinary people like you and me. Wait, what? I know, energy drinks are a different thing, but someone under stress burns just as much energy as a top athelete (they say exams or like top sports), and needs all the vitamins and minerals that he can get! Treat yourself like a number one canine and fortify your foods! Eat the best meats! Eat protein rich vegetables and chicken!
Now, before I read any further, I had my blood checked. I was sleeping till the afternoon, crying, yawning my jaws off, feeling bored and uninterested. My blood seemed normal, except for one thing: I had a severe vitamine D deficiency!
I thought that vitamine D definiencies were for people who lived behind their computer in their basement, year out. I went through my year and realised I had spent the whole summer stressing and trying to rescue half a year worth of exams, how I was almost exploding with frustration, even though I sat at a desk faced south... How the sun hadn't shone in months since October, and how I had been cramming since December, worried about the future, never going outside. I could feel it in my joints, in my veins and in my skin: I had a severe vitamine D deficiency. Of course. Instead of taking vitamin D pills I did what my doctor told me and got a D-cure, a real weekly cure for people with a deficiency. Like kids in coal mines. One ampule of oil in a glass every week for 4 weeks in a row would be enough to heal me.
I never took supplements. I thought I did, but all I ever took was a little bit of vitamine C for my skin and some magnesium to stop my feet muscles from cramping, which worked very well. Then just a bit of iodine here and there, and some nail and skin pills from the drugstore... hmm... not very dedicated.
The vitamine D started to work quickly, but I also followed some great tips in the book such as eating more green plants (cucumber, water cress), apples, healthy meats, yakult, water, tea, whole grain, natural vitamine D in the sun. The immune system book said that you need 10 vitamins every day to combat any disease:
Calcium/magnesium (for the joints), selenium (red blood cells), Q10 (metabolism), vitamine C (immune system), vitamine A (eyes and skin), vitamine B (energy), vitamine D (joints and energy), vitamine E (red blood cells), zinc (tissue) and iodine (hormone regulation).
I didn't buy any durgstore brand to avoid pills filled with filling. I mostly bought from the brand Biover.
*Drum roll*
The effects of taking vitamins for two weeks were:
- no more foot cramps (thanks to the magnesium/calcium combination)
- better vision (thanks to the vitamine A)
- warm sensation in my joints (thanks to the vitamine B that gives a lot of energy (don't take before bedtime)
- fatigue was nearly gone (vitamine D-therapy)
- some red spider veins from wearing high heels, around my ancles, had diminished (thanks to the vitamine C I think)
- I had a much better menstrual flow, no PMS and a shorter quicker period with less smell as well (thanks to the idione)
- my lips and skin seemed plumper (thank to the vitamine A and E)
- I got less cold easily (thanks to the vitamine C)
- I lost a bit of weight (maybe the Q10?)
Mind that taking vitamins isn't necessary when you have a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. It would be "expensive urine" if you took vitamins without needing them (amazing how the body flushes them out immediately when you don't need them, isn't it...). But I do think that this is a "cummulative condition". Personally I had a healthy diet, but it wasn't very much what was healthy, which automatically leads to a bad lifestyle, not to mention the stress and frustration that comes for everyday life...
Still, it's better to get vitamins and minerals through food but we all know it would cost tons and take ages to get enough vitamine D from our food, especially since most cows aren't grass fed anymore and since a lot of fruit and vegetables are grown indoors. I believe that with our collective lifestyle, stress and mediocre diets, we can all benefit from taking some extra vitamins.
If you're going through a period of fatigue or illness at the moment and you don't know why, have your blood checked right now! Your doctor will not only tell you if you have an illness or not, but also which vitamins or minerals are missing!
x
Helena
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