OCD, Me and Vitamin D: A Trip of Extremes

Yahoo ^ | April 19th, 2012 | Sherry Tomfeld

[stillafreemind]

I'm almost 60 now, and my OCD has changed dramatically. Looking back, a direct connection between my severest symptoms, and the lack or abundance of Vitamin D, seems clear.

As a child, I was allergic to milk and was raised on soybean formula. I practically lived outside and took jobs, like bean row walking and picking tomatoes. I did not start suffering from OCD until I started working in factories and restaurants. I spent a few years farming, and the OCD ebbed. Next I started trucking and worked in confinement hog buildings. I did a total tailspin and the OCD came back worse than before.

[stillafreemind]

My family has fibromyalgia sufferers. Reading this article made me wonder if the lifestyle changes in the last 30 years is making people sick.

I think people ARE staying out of the sun too much. It seems like when society decided to live indoors on computers and such..the weird diseases just blossomed.

[stansblugrassgrl]

I’m an outdoor person and love being in the sun. Our daughter has never liked it. She didn’t want to tan, she wanted her skin to stay soft, etc. She’s been constantly sick for the past 3 years. She went to the doctor and when they tested her vitamin D levels,she had almost none. She’s now on a supplement. I told her she needs to get out in the sun but no.

I really irritates me how the media drives people by their fears. I get so tired of being told I shouldn’t do this or that because it’s not good for me. Folks that buy into it (like my daughter) are starting to suffer long term health consequences from not eating enough salt, drinking enough beer, eating eggs, butter, red meat, smoking a stogie and not having a sun-kissed body.

[khelus]

There are time I also wonder about all the changes in food production: all the chemicals added to the food supply, and the massive importation of food and chemicals from China, land of quality fade where plastic is used to improve the ‘protein’ content, antifreeze is a sweetener, the use of cheap labor {lacking the minimal concepts of hygiene}to handle food production etc..

If you look back at food production in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s; it’s only 1 or 2 steps from what is considered organic today.

[stillafreemind]

I have family members in their 30s that bought in to the scare tactics. Now..they are raising their children the same way. I’m the one that’s nuts because I love the sun..no sunscreen because it does funky stuff to me..raise our own beef and eggs and garden. We buy as much organic stuff as we can.

Yep..family thinks I’m nuts.

[stillafreemind]

I couldn’t agree with you more. I will also add my concerns about Japan’s goods being shipped here. Have they checked them to make sure they are safe after that horrific accident?

[Bon mots]

Not sure what to think about our changes in diet...
I ate a lot of soy milk and tofu for a while due to being lactose intolerant, I ended up with a nearly deadly case of thyroid disease.

Now I read the book "Wheat Belly" and decided an experiment and gave up wheat... my belly is gone. I have replaced it with healthy grains but not the modern FrankenWheat that is now our new staple.

As the book said, look at your old photos... why aren't your grandparents and parents fat? They ate the same stuff... what changed?

New, modern varieties of wheat.
They have been bread to increase yields, profits and efficiency for farmers, totally ignoring the effects on people.

The author claimed that bread and finished products made from our modern American wheat has a higher glycemic index than refined table sugar in some cases!

[Bon mots]

decided an experiment = decided to conduct an experiment on myself...

(Friday!)
:)

[stansblugrassgrl]

You sound like my kind of person. Don’t raise our own beef, though. And no chickens right now. We moved here about a year and a half ago. The garden was the priority. We have the place picked out for the chicken coop, but don’t have the money for the fencing or the coop materials yet. However, it’s not that big of a deal right now as we have friends with chickens, so we trade.

Our civilization has lost touch with the ground, with the earth, with the dirt. They’ve lost touch with what it means to take care of yourselves.

I used to hike a lot by myself (until I hurt my back a couple of years ago). I live in AZ. People would tell me how dangerous it is to hike by myself, that I could be attacked by wild animals at any moment, etc. We go to Alaska, I asked about the local hiking trails. Not one person said “it’s dangerous to hike by yourself”. They said “make sure you’re armed and have a great time”. Very refreshing!

As for the wild animals - I have had more problems with domesticated dogs then I’ve ever had with wild animals on the trail.

[texteacher]

I am reading this book now...have totally taken myself off breads. Only eating fruits, veggies, and some meat. Easy to do for me, harder to change my tennager, but it will happen slowly. After a while, the processed food tastes like paper with salt on it.

I think it is interesting that Europeans will not allow some of our processed food “crap” into their countries.

I am slowly turning into one of those fanatics who does not trust the AMA, big pharma, FDA, etc.

If you have Netflix, watch “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”. It is another eye opener.

[texteacher]

As far as being outdoors and getting sun. Working in the outdoors is great. I love working in my yard and flower beds. While working in my yard I am moving around working in shade, part shade and sun. I am also wearing clothing to absorb my sweat and protect my legs and arms.

However, I have some family who lay out in the sun, wearing very little, and bake themselves. IMHO, I think this is crazy. It is really hard for me to keep my mouth shut when my 55 yr. old SIL who loves laying out by the pool gripes about wrinkles and age spots.

[stansblugrassgrl]

And speaking of chickens - this is a song I wrote called “Back Yard Chickens”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYwzbafxshw

It’s been pointed out to me that we do not have a HOA here where we live - but it made for a good line in the song.

[stansblugrassgrl]

I have family members whose skin has that “leather look”. There’s a nudest colony in New River, where we used to live. A friend and I went there out of curiosity. There was a naked guy in the office (don’t know what I was expecting but it surprised me), and pictures of naked people all over the walls. We were invited to drive around and tour the place. It was amazing how leathery skin gets with constant exposure to the sun - and droopy in some cases. ;-)

When I was younger, I’d lay in the sun to avoid tan lines, but as I get older, I’m not that interested in showing that much skin. Kind of sad, if I really think about it.

[Stand W]

Yes to both. Ive been off wheat for about 6 months now and have no cravings. Hardest part was giving up beer. Again no more cravings.

Saw the movie and have been experimenting with green juicing for about a month. Really feel a difference and have so much more energy. Thanks for posting.

[luckystarmom]

My 15 year old daughter is having lots of issues. She is having tics and I think some OCD. She is low on vitamin D, so I have been giving her supplements. We live in N. California, and it’s not sunny enough to get enough vitamn D yet.

I had her tested for celiac’s, but it came back normal. She is having stomach problems, but I think it must be just lactose intolerance.

I’m supplementing her with vit D. We have to watch the sun because we are fair skinned and skin cancer runs in the family, and my brother died of it.

Wish I could help my daughter with something easy. She is getting more and more depressed!

[oh8eleven]

According to the gubmint (who's only here to "hep ya"), sunshine, salt, sugar, eggs, secondhand smoke, and raft of other "evil" things were going to kill you dead in your tracks.
In fact, it's the lack of self discipline and exercise that lead to most problems.

[bgill]

It seems like when society decided to live indoors on computers and such..the weird diseases just blossomed.

Back in the day we all played outside, rode our bikes everywhere, played in the dirt and romped with our pets. We were healthy. Now day, kids are pampered and made to stay inside under the A/C so they're all on the verge of dying from peanut dust and have reactions to carpeting. Autism and asthma has skyrocketed. But parents continue to refuse to allow them to be kids.

[chris_bdba]

I am severely deficient in vitamin D so much so that I take am prescribed vitamin D of 2 per week 10,000 iu. I also have had type 1 diabetes for 40+ years.They have discovered that high doses of Vitamin D in kids who are pre diabetic can hold off the illness for a long time.I am very light skinned and staying in the sun does me little good since I do not process the sunlight the right way.I am not OCD to the point of having to do thing in a certain number but I do have a tendency towards wanting numbers to end in 5 or 0.

[simonbarsinster]

May I make a.suggestion re: your daughter?
Find a Lyme literate medical doctor - and get a test done for Lyme disease.
I have two sons - we live in Oregon - sick for years with weird seemingly unrelated symptoms and finally after 5 years they were found to have Lyme disease. Google Lyme literate medical doctor - any other type of doctor will not do.
Or better yet go to the Lyme Disease Association site and find one there.
Lyme Disease mimics other illnesses and maladies - most doctors will not and cannot test it and treat it properly.
Rule it out.
God bless.

[luckystarmom]

I don’t think that’s it. She hasn’t been in areas where there are tics much.

We also have a strong family history of tourette syndrome tics and depression. I think that is what is going on, but it would be nice if the vitamin d could help!!

[redhead]

I’m reading “Wheat Belly” for the second time, and even wrote a “book report” for it on my blog page. I ate my last bite of wheat-based food on Jan. 28, and have lost about 10 pounds of belly fat that I have NEVER been able to get rid of before. READ THIS BOOK.