Vitamin D, a brief description of a long term killer

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate. In humans, vitamin D is unique because it can be ingested as cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) or ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and because the body can also synthesize it (from cholesterol) when sun exposure is adequate (hence its nickname, the "sunshine vitamin").

Although vitamin D is commonly called a vitamin, it is not actually an essential dietary vitamin in the strict sense, as it can be synthesized in adequate amounts by all mammals exposed to sunlight. An organic chemical compound (or related set of compounds) is only scientifically called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from their diet. However, as with other compounds commonly called vitamins, vitamin D was discovered in an effort to find the dietary substance that was lacking in a disease, namely, rickets, the childhood form of osteomalacia. Additionally, like other compounds called vitamins, in the developed world vitamin D is added to staple foods, such as milk, to avoid disease due to deficiency.

Vitamin D travels top the liver, where it picks up extra oxygen and hydrogen molecules to become 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D. This is the chemical that doctors should measure to diagnose vitamin D deficiencies. But although 25(OH)D is used for diagnosis, it can’t function until it travels to the kidney. There it acquires a final pair of oxygen and hydrogen molecules to become 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D; scientists know this active form of the vitamin as 1,25(OH)2D, or calcitriol, or vitamin D.
Calcitriol circulates as a hormone in the blood, regulating the concentration of calcium and phosphate in the bloodstream and promoting the healthy growth and remodeling of bone. Calcidiol is also converted to calcitriol outside of the kidneys for other purposes, such as the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of cells; calcitriol also affects neuromuscular function and inflammation.

Beyond its use to prevent osteomalacia or rickets, the evidence for other health effects of vitamin D supplementation in the general population is inconsistent. The best evidence of benefit is for bone health and a decrease in mortality in elderly women
Limited exposure to sunlight can have a negative effect to the production of Vitamin D . Except during the short summer months, people who live at latitudes above 37 degrees north or below 37 degrees south of the equator don’t get enough UVB energy from the sun to make all the vitamin D they need. The same is true for people who spend most of their time indoors and for those of us who avoid sunshine and use sunscreens to protect our skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation (see "Suncreens"). It’s an example of an unforeseen consequence of wise behavior, but you can enjoy sun protection and strong bones, too, by taking vitamin supplements.

Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with increased mortality, and giving supplementary vitamin D3 to elderly women in institutional care seems to decrease the risk of death. Vitamin D2, alfacalcidol, and calcitriol do not appear to be effective. However, both an excess and a deficiency in vitamin D appear to cause abnormal functioning and premature aging. The relationship between serum calcidiol level and all-cause mortality is U-shaped, Harm from vitamin D appears to occur at a lower vitamin D level in the black population than in the white population.

Vitamin D deficiency causes osteomalacia (called rickets when it occurs in children). Beyond that, low serum vitamin D levels have been associated with falls, and low bone mineral density.
Evidence for health effects from vitamin D supplementation for cardiovascular health is poor. Moderate to high doses may reduce cardiovascular disease risk but are of questionable clinical significance. Also Low levels of vitamin D are associated with multiple sclerosis. Supplementation with vitamin D may have a protective effect but there are uncertainties and unanswered questions. Low vitamin D levels are associated with some cancers and with worse outcomes in other cancers, but taking supplements does not appear to help people with prostate cancer. Currently evidence is insufficient to support supplementation in those with cancer. Results for a protective or harmful effect of vitamin D supplementation in other types of cancer are inconclusive.

When researchers looked at 25 hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in 492 men age 40 to 79 who lived in Chicago, Illinois, they found that 93% of African-American men and 69.7% of European-American men were vitamin D-deficient, with 25(OH)D levels of less than 30 ng/mL. (According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Chicago gets 54% sunshine, compared with Yuma, Arizona, which gets 90%.). Vitamin D levels were low in not only African-American men but those with lower incomes and people with higher body mass indexes. Although low sunlight exposure is a known factor in lower levels of vitamin D, researchers found that African-American men also had lower levels of vitamin D in sunnier seasons as well.

Higher vitamin D dietary intake is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to research conducted by a team led by Cedric Annweiler, MD, PhD, at the Angers University Hospital in France. Similarly, investigators led by Yelena Slinin, MD, MS, at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis found that low vitamin D levels among older women are associated with higher odds of global cognitive impairment and a higher risk of global cognitive decline.

Short term Vitamin D deficiency can manifest as weak muscles or flu like symptoms while long term effects could ultimately bring immune-mediated diseases, Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Schizophrenia and Depression. Considering a daily mid-day sun exposure of 15 minuets for light color skin while dark color skin takes and hour. Modern living has drastically reduced our natural sun light intake, which may have a slow long term effect. Although still early to conclusively prove modern living might be making you sick, it is worth noting that the majority of dark skin people suffer cardiovascular disease and have symptoms similar to the deficiencies of vitamin D. Its is unlikely that modern living will stop knowing that we need to change our lives for longer exposure. Hopefully being made aware that sunlight is important every day might just save your life, some time later in life...

The Human Orgasm, a brief description

Experienced by males and females, orgasms are controlled by the involuntary or autonomic nervous system. They are often associated with other involuntary actions, including muscular spasms in multiple areas of the body, a general euphoric sensation and, frequently, body movements and vocalizations are expressed. The period after orgasm (known as a refractory period) is often a relaxing experience, attributed to the release of the neurohormones oxytocin and prolactin.

Human orgasms usually result from the stimulation of the penis in males, typically accompanying ejaculation, and the clitoris in females. Stimulation can be by self-practice (masturbation) or by a partner (penetrative sexual intercourse, non-penetrative sex, and other erotic sexual activities). In addition, partners simultaneously stimulating each other's sex organs by mutual masturbation, penetrative intercourse, or other rhythmic inter-genital contact may experience simultaneous orgasms.

In men, the most common way of achieving orgasm is by stimulation of the penis. This is usually accompanied by ejaculation, but it is possible for a man to have an orgasm without ejaculation (known as a "dry orgasm") or to ejaculate without reaching orgasm (which may be a case of delayed ejaculation, a nocturnal emission or a case of anorgasmic ejaculation). Men may also achieve orgasm by stimulation of the prostate
Many men who began masturbation or other sexual activity prior to puberty report having been able to achieve multiple non-ejaculatory orgasms. Some evidence indicates that orgasms of men before puberty are qualitatively similar to the "normal" female experience of orgasm, suggesting that hormonal changes during puberty have a strong influence on the character of male orgasm.

An increased infusion of the hormone oxytocin during ejaculation is believed to be chiefly responsible for the refractory period, and the amount by which oxytocin is increased may affect the length of each refractory period. Another chemical which is considered to be responsible for the male refractory period is prolactin. This represses dopamine, which is responsible for sexual arousal. Because of this, there is currently an experimental interest in drugs which inhibit prolactin, such as cabergoline (also known as Cabeser, or Dostinex). Anecdotal reports on cabergoline suggest it may be able to eliminate the refractory period altogether, allowing men to experience multiple ejaculatory orgasms in rapid succession. At least one scientific study supports these claims, although cabergoline is a hormone-altering drug and has many potential side effects. It has not been approved for treating sexual dysfunction. Another possible reason for the lack or absence of a refractory period in men may be an increased infusion of the hormone oxytocin. It is believed that the amount by which oxytocin is increased may affect the length of each refractory period.

Female orgasms are complex, women typically being divided into two categories: clitoral orgasm and vaginal (or G-Spot) orgasm. Sigmund Freud, who postulated the concept of "vaginal orgasm" as separate from clitoral orgasm. In 1905, Freud stated that clitoral orgasms are purely an adolescent phenomenon and that upon reaching puberty, the proper response of mature women is a change-over to vaginal orgasms, meaning orgasms without any clitoral stimulation. While Freud provided no evidence for this basic assumption, the consequences of this theory were considerable. Many women felt inadequate when they could not achieve orgasm via vaginal intercourse alone, involving little or no clitoral stimulation, as Freud's theory made penile-vaginal intercourse the central component to women's sexual satisfaction.

A woman's orgasm may last slightly longer or much longer than a man's. Women's orgasms have been estimated to last, on average, approximately 20 seconds, and to consist of a series of muscular contractions in the pelvic area that includes the vagina, the uterus and the anus. A series of studies conducted by Gert Holstege and his colleagues at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have established physiological characteristics which are unique to orgasm, including brain activity, as well as variation in the responses between men and women.

One study examined 12 healthy women using a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner while they were being stimulated by their partners. Brain changes were observed and compared between states of rest, sexual stimulation, faked orgasm, and actual orgasm. "Differences were reported on the brain changes associated with men and women during stimulation. However, the same changes in brain activity were observed in both sexes in which the brain regions associated with behavioral control, fear and anxiety shut down. Regarding these changes, Holstege said in an interview with The Times, "What this means is that deactivation, letting go of all fear and anxiety, might be the most important thing, even necessary, to have an orgasm."

During stroking of the clitoris, the parts of the female brain responsible for processing fear, anxiety and behavioral control start to relax and reduce in activity. This reaches a peak at orgasm when the female brain’s emotion centers are effectively closed down to produce an almost trance-like state. Holstege is quoted as saying, at the 2005 meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Development: "At the moment of orgasm, women do not have any emotional feelings."

Human brain wave patterns have shown distinct changes during orgasm, which indicate the importance of the limbic system in the orgasmic response. Male and female brains demonstrate similar changes during orgasm, with brain activity scans showing a temporary decrease in the metabolic activity of large parts of the cerebral cortex with normal or increased metabolic activity in the limbic areas of the brain.
Orgasm, and sex as a whole, are physical activities that can require exertion of many major bodily systems.

 A 1997 study in the British Medical Journal based upon 918 men age 45–59 found that after a ten year follow-up, men who had fewer orgasms were twice as likely to die of any cause as those having two or more orgasms a week. A follow-up in 2001 which focused more specifically on cardiovascular health found that having sex three or more times a week was associated with a 50% reduction in the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Serious research on sexuality began in the U.S. in the 1950’s with Alfred Kinsey and his famous Kinsey reports. Kinsey reported that sex reduces stress, and that people who have fulfilling, satisfying sex lives are less anxious, less violent, and even less hostile.
One of the first longitudinal studies of aging began at Duke University in the ‘50s and reported in the December 1982 journal Gerontologist established a link between the frequency of sexual intercourse (for men) and the enjoyment of sex (for women) as a predictor for longevity.

The Duke study of 270 men and women over a span of 25 years seemed to suggest that an active sex life has a positive correlation with longer life span. Researchers could not conclude whether people lived longer because of the benefits of physical exercise, an emotional connection, or both. A possible bias in the Duke study is the fact that healthier men tend to be more sexually active.
Several studies have found that sexual dissatisfaction was a predictor of the onset of cardiovascular disease. A study published in the November-December 1976 journal Psychosomatic Medicine compared 100 women with heart disease with a control group. Researchers found sexual frigidity and dissatisfaction among 65% of the coronary patients but only 24% of the controls.
The indirect evidence that good sex is directly linked to improved health, and therefore, longevity, increases every year. As scientists learn more about links between good sex, our brains, emotions and body functions, they will directly confirm the linkage between good sex and longevity. We know today that good sex is associated with wellness in many ways. The benefits of  sex seems to promote the continuation of man, and recent studies tells us it now promotes the longevity as well. The orgasm serves in many different ways to solidify pair bonding and increases repetition for procreating. From a scientific stand point, it links our animalistic nature and resets our mood. The benefits of sex as a natural way of life out weighs the arguments against it. But despite the research and scientific data it can be one of the most misinterpreted and abused topics for which we take for granted...

A good nights sleep will keep you out of the OLD folks home

Scientists have discovered another possible benefit of a night of restful sleep. According to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health fragmented or interrupted sleep could predict future placement in a nursing home or assisted living facility.  "Sleep disturbances are common in older people," said Adam Spira, PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health. "older women, more fragmented sleep is associated with a greater risk of being placed in a nursing home or in a personal care home. Compared to women with the least fragmented sleep, those who spent the most time awake after first falling asleep had about 3 times the odds of placement in a nursing home.

Individuals with the lowest sleep efficiency -- those who spent the smallest proportion of their time in bed actually sleeping also had about 3 times the odds of nursing home placement." There are similar patterns of associations between disturbed sleep and placement in personal care homes, such as assisted-living facilities. Sleep duration per se did not predict placement in either of these settings.


According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions -- such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression. In addition, insufficient sleep is associated with the onset of many diseases and is responsible for motor vehicle and machinery-related crashes.

Previous studies have also linked disturbed sleep with disability in older adults and impairment in activities of daily living and mobility. Using a prospective cohort study, researchers measured the sleep of women with a mean age of 83 years old from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Participants were asked to wear actigraphs on their non-dominant wrists for at least three days. These devices record movement, and the resulting data can be used to characterize patterns of sleep and wake. Demographic information as well as place of residence at initial interview and at 5-year follow-up was also provided.

Although several prior studies had investigated the link between sleep disturbance and nursing home placement, those studies asked participants questions about sleep rather than collecting objective sleep data. "Despite the growing literature on sleep disturbance and disability, prior to our research very little was known about the association between sleep disturbance in older adults and risk of placement in long-term care facilities.
Greater sleep fragmentation is associated with greater risk of placement in a nursing home or personal care home 5 years later after accounting for a number of potential confounders," said Kristine Yaffe, MD, senior author of the study, and professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. Spira adds, "It's important to remember that this is an observational study, so our findings cannot demonstrate a conclusive causal link between sleep disturbance and placement in long-term care facilities. We need more research to explain how sleep disturbance might lead to this outcome, and whether interventions to improve sleep might prevent it."