Transcript Of Today's Episode
Announcer: You're listening to The Doctor Is In podcast, brought to you by Martinclinic.com. During the episode, the doctors share a lot of information. As awesome as the info may be, it is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease. It's strictly for informational purposes.
Dr.Martin: Well, good morning everyone. I want to talk this morning about the sun, even though I haven't seen it in ... Boy, we haven't had much in northern Ontario. But I want to talk to you about the benefits [00:00:30] of the sun. I just want to talk about the importance of the sun, okay? And we'll look at, this morning, benefits and we'll look at some of the signs that you might be low in vitamin D. Okay?
Dr.Martin: So a major thing that happens with the sun, you guys know that. You know that when I talk about two vitamins that I would bring with me if I could get into every home, every senior home [00:01:00] in Canada, the United States, if I could just bring two things, well, I'd bring three. I'd bring probiotics too, to everyone there, but I would bring, yeah, I'd bring vitamin D and I'd bring B12. You guys know me. Those are two things that you absolutely, your body cannot do well without those two vitamins. Okay? Vitamin D and B12.
Dr.Martin: You know what? [00:01:30] Two things have happened in the world that made these things the boogieman. Okay? So vitamin D is the boogieman because the sun gives you cancer. Come on, guys, that has been drummed into the world. Sun, sun, don't go in the sun, use sunscreen, because cancer, cancer, cancer. Brought to you by Johnson and Johnson. Boy [00:02:00] oh boy, did they do a marketing job on the dangers of the sun.
Dr.Martin: I saw an actress the other day on TV. She was being interviewed and said, "Well, I don't go in the sun very much, because I don't want to wrinkle up." I don't know where you get that. Now, I'm not saying to go in the sun and bake like a lobster, but my word, you need the sun. The sun. When do you feel good? The sun. [00:02:30] Right. Okay. So here are the benefits of the sun.
Dr.Martin: Number one, what does the sun give you? Obviously it gives you vitamin D. The best source of vitamin D is the sun and if you don't get the sun, then you better take vitamin D. So sleep. One of the number one ... Well, I think it's one of the greatest benefits of the sun [00:03:00] is melatonin. Now, people, you guys would know this. Melatonin, everybody knows about melatonin. A lot of people take melatonin, but did you know your body makes melatonin? Yeah, melatonin is a hormone. Your body makes it. It helps you to sleep. Your body actually makes that hormone and guess what pumps up your melatonin? The sun. Yeah.
Dr.Martin: [00:03:30] How many people, what did we ... We talk about this all the time, about 70% of the population have trouble with sleep. I tell them, "Look, when the sun is out, even if it's cold, get outside." I know you're not going to get the amount of vitamin D you want if it's cold, because it comes in from your arms and legs, but you know what guys? Just being in the sun or going to work in your garden or whatever, get in that [00:04:00] sun. The sun increases your melatonin and that's why you sleep so much better. Like if you're on holidays and like I know a lot of people they tell me they go on a cruise or whatever, they get away for a week and they sleep like babies. They think it's the dark room in the ship. Maybe that's part of it, but no, you've been in the sun all day and you get more melatonin and your melatonin [00:04:30] is built up.
Dr.Martin: That's number one. Number two is do you know that the sun decreases your inflammation? It decreases your inflammation and that's why you feel so much better in the sun. Guys, the sun is not meant for chemicals. Don't throw those chemicals on your kids or your grandchildren [00:05:00] or on yourself. I never put chemicals on my skin. No. If you want to protect your skin, use a natural coconut oil. If you got really ... If you're really worried about burning, use some zinc, but big thing is coconut oil and I use our skin [ReVera 00:05:24]. You put a little bit of ReVera, but the biggest thing, okay? The key is [00:05:30] if you want to protect your skin from the damages of the sun, don't stay out of the sun. Protect your skin from the damages of the sun by taking care of your skin. Your skin is an organ, so take care of your skin by inside out.
Dr.Martin: Work inside out. It's not so much what you put on topically. I know a lot of women love their topical creams. I'm not saying don't do it, [00:06:00] I'm just saying that's not what protects your skin. What protects your skin is inside out. It's vitamin D inside the body that actually protects your outside of your skin. You see, if you never get any sun, you've got very low levels of vitamin D, unless you're taking vitamin D. And actually vitamin D, and that's why we like our little droppers. Vitamin D actually protects your skin. [00:06:30] So it's not only good for your sleep and it's not only good for inflammation, but the sun actually protects your skin from the damages of it.
Dr.Martin: Now, don't overdo it, but internally, if you take care of your ... The best thing you can do for your skin internally is take vitamin D. Secondly, antioxidants. You know what that is. An antioxidant is what [00:07:00] protects your cells inside your body. Antioxidants. The oxidative damage of the sun, antioxidants. That's why I love Navitol. I take Navitol every day. I've been taking it for about stinking, well, it's 30 years, at least.
Dr.Martin: Well, Navitol protects your skin because it works on the inside and that's why I rarely ever burn in the sun. [00:07:30] My skin is being protected inside out. It is great. If you've got good levels of the sun, you're going to sleep better because of melatonin. Secondly, you're going to lower all your inflammation markers. Inflammation markers. Do you know that? You get in the sun.
Dr.Martin: Here's another one. Do you know that the sun actually lengthens your telomeres? [00:08:00] Telomeres is part of your mitochondria. Telomeres are part of your DNA. You can actually ... The longer your telomeres are, the longer ... It's an anti-aging thing that your body actually has inside of itself. The longer your telomeres are, part of your DNA, they can lengthen with the [00:08:30] sun. So everybody, "I'm worried about wrinkles," you're actually helping to lengthen your telomeres by getting in the sun.
Dr.Martin: Twenty minutes in the sun, arms and legs exposed, and you get 10,000 international units of vitamin D in 20 minutes. Arms and legs exposed. [00:09:00] Okay? So one, sleep. Two, inflammation. Three, telomeres. It actually is an antiaging. Four, strength. Well, we all know what vitamin D does to your bones. You know, as a kid, we took cod liver oil. We were given cod liver oil. Why were we given cod liver oil? Because there was a condition around, when I was a kid, called [00:09:30] rickets. It's hardly around anymore, but rickets is bowing of the bones. Softening of the bones and you could have bowed legs.
Dr.Martin: That's rickets. They gave us cod liver oil. You guys, anybody around my age, do you remember that? Maybe grandma giving you cod liver oil or your mom? I can still remember the taste of it. Cod liver oil. But what they ... They knew vitamin [00:10:00] D was good for your bones and even today, doctors still think that vitamin D is only good for bones. That's why, "Don't take more than 1000 international-" Well, listen, it used to be 200. When I was in school, vitamin D was don't go past 200 international units of vitamin D, because that's all your bones need. Then they went up to 400. Then they went up to 1000. [00:10:30] Now, even in the medical community, they agree you need 1000 and if you got osteoporosis, take your calcium and vitamin D. At least they say it. And don't take calcium. You don't need calcium as a supplement. You need vitamin D and vitamin D and K2 will take your calcium that is made from vitamin D and put it where it belongs, in your bones.
Dr.Martin: So [00:11:00] you want to have strong bones, but it's not just strong bones. Yes. Yes, yes. Your bones will be stronger, no doubt, with the sun, but also your muscles. Your muscles. You know, when you see a frail senior, they're frail. Listen, I went to my class reunion, 45 years ago in May, we graduated. At the end [00:11:30] of May, we had a class reunion and my colleagues and it was so wonderful to be in Toronto and to meet with my classmates. Like not all of them, we only were about 10 of us, I think, that showed up, but it was wonderful. But a lot of them were frail. They're frail. They don't realize because of the boogieman, they're scared of the sun.
Dr.Martin: [00:12:00] And the sun strengthens your muscles. Not only your bones, guys, your muscles. You need vitamin D for strong muscles and I'm going to tell you another thing. If you got high blood pressure, have a look at your vitamin D levels, because if you ... Because think about that, your heart's a muscle. If you didn't know it. That's why I don't like statin [00:12:30] drugs, because one of the major side effects of statin drugs, cholesterol lowering medication, is to destroy your muscles and your heart is a muscle. The last time I checked, your heart's a muscle. You need vitamin D. Vitamin D strengthens your bones. Everybody knows that. But it also strengthens your muscle and your heart is a muscle and a lot of times people [00:13:00] with high blood pressure are very low in vitamin D. They don't get enough. They're not out in the sun.
Dr.Martin: Of course you live in northern Ontario, well, good luck with the sun. This is why I try and get down to Florida as much as I can in the wintertime, because my word, I don't know about this climate change, okay? I don't buy it. I don't buy it, guys. I don't, [00:13:30] because if you're watching, I want to tell you where we live. Okay? If you're not from northern Ontario, here's where we live. Santa Claus lives here and then there's Timmons and then there's [inaudible 00:13:43]. Okay? Like we live in the North Pole, just about.
Dr.Martin: Well, our stinking winter's as bad as ever, so jeepers creepers. Now, here's another one that it really helps [00:14:00] and I want you to think about this for a minute. What does the sun do for you? Well, this is a fact. You guys couldn't even disagree with this. Depression. Yeah. If you have a lack of vitamin D, you're much more ... There's other factors, I know, but you are much more susceptible to depression. When do you feel good? In the sun. [00:14:30] In the sun. So you know, depression, a lot of people, it's part of their depressive problems. I'm not saying it's everything. I'm just saying that depression is, this is just a fact, much more common in people with low levels of serum vitamin D. That's a fact. It's a fact.
Dr.Martin: So what do you ... Like vitamin D, the sun [00:15:00] is so good for your brain, even your outlook. Your brain. We talked about the immune system. You guys, again, it's only common sense. When do you get the flu? Do you get the flu in the summer? I mean, it's possible. Do you get a cold in the summer? Some people do, but not many, right? Not many. I mean, you get allergies in the summer, but they don't have colds. [00:15:30] So when do you think you get a cold? You get it in the winter time. When do you get the flu? When do they want to give you the flu shot? Is it because the bugs come out in the winter? Do viruses come out in the winter and they're not present in the summer? I'm asking the question.
Dr.Martin: Does everything, oh, bugs are out. Like it's the flu season. You heard that. It's the flu season. Well, why is it the flu season? Oh, the bugs [00:16:00] are out. No, the bugs are out in the summer. That's when they're out in northern Ontario anyway. They come out and our mosquitoes can carry you. I mean, they're so big and there are so many of them, especially when the sun goes down. But listen, guys, think about it. Just common sense. It's just common sense. When do you feel better? When is your immune system? Because here's what happens. Your T-cells. [00:16:30] Your Navy Seals of your white blood cells, they go to the surface of your skin. Yep, they go right to the surface of your skin and they've got a little antenna and that little antenna charges up your immune system, because your T-cells, they need that vitamin D to work properly.
Dr.Martin: That is why the, you know, when you don't see the [00:17:00] sun is when you're so susceptible to the flu and to pneumonia. How many people get viral or bacterial pneumonia in the winter time? Their immune system, they don't have enough vitamin D. That is a huge benefit of the sun. So guys, listen, this is why I am so big on that vitamin. [00:17:30] If I had choices, you know that. If you did nothing else, you take vitamin D or get in the sun. I'm not ... By the way, one of the questions was asked this morning, do I take vitamin D in the summer? Well, no, but I'm thinking about it this summer. Usually I don't, because whenever I get a chance, I get in that sun. I mean that. I get in that sun. I tell you, even if I come home for lunch, before I go back in the office, like [00:18:00] if I even get 20 ... If it's sunny out, I get in the sun and I actually lie in the sun for 15, 20 minutes, even at noon hour.
Dr.Martin: I'm always charging my immune system and you charge your immune system and it's good for your skin. Now, don't burn. It's good for your skin. It's good for the lengthening of your telomeres. It's good for your bones and muscle. It's good for your sleep. [00:18:30] It's anti-inflammatory. Can you think of anything that does as much as vitamin D from the sun? So in the summer, I don't ordinarily take vitamin D. How much vitamin K? Well, for every ... We put vitamin K in our vitamin D3. I recommend about a vitamin [00:19:00] K, you know, it's one for one. So if you're taking 1000 international units of vitamin D, you can take 1000 international units of vitamin K and it's K2, by the way. K1 you get from vegetable, the greens, and K2 is what takes the calcium out of your blood stream and puts it in to ... See, vitamin D [00:19:30] helps you to make calcium.
Dr.Martin: Calcium needs to be transported out of your blood vessels, because you can ... That's why I don't like calcium as a supplement. I'm not big on that at all. You don't need calcium. Get calcium in your diet. Vitamin K, guess where you get vitamin K? Yeah. The same place you get calcium, like butter and cheese. Cheese curds. Do you know how much I love cheese curds? Because they've got vitamin K2 and butter and cheese. Okay? [00:20:00] That helps take the calcium that's in there and it puts it into your bone, okay?
Dr.Martin: Okay. One of the things that I wanted to talk to you about too is how can you tell if you're low in vitamin D? Some of the signs and symptoms of low levels of vitamin D are these. Well, obviously if you don't sleep, I mean, look, could be a lot of things. Not just melatonin. Now, we talked about that [00:20:30] this morning and ladies, you know, if you've got high levels of cortisol, you might not sleep as well. Secondly, sleep is hormonal. A lot of times with low levels of progesterone, you're going to get hot flashes and you have an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone and that can have an effect on you. Okay? So here's a couple of signs that you might be low in vitamin D. Okay?
Dr.Martin: [00:21:00] Here's one that you might never think of, excessive sweating. Yeah. You know when a baby gets excessive sweating, you know, they sweat, sweat, sweat? Lots of times they're low in vitamin D, but so you. If you sweat a lot. You're a sweater, not a sweater, you sweat, you may be low in vitamin D. Up your levels of vitamin D. How much? Minimum 4000 IUs. That's what I recommend, [00:21:30] minimum of 4000s IUs. If you're under 4000 IUs, the Vitamin D Council, which I'm a member of, they do a lot of research. They recommend 4000 to 8000 international units of vitamin D. Okay?
Dr.Martin: Here's another one that you are possibly low in vitamin D and B12, by the way, for these next two symptoms. Low in vitamin D, low [00:22:00] in B12, just things that you might not even think of, of vitamin D and B12, you've got ... You're achy. You've just got an ache into your bones even. You're just achy and often that is a sign that you're low in vitamin D and low in B12. Those are the two. You guys know me. I talk about those two vitamins all the time. You could be low in ... It's a very common thing. You're achy. You're sore. [00:22:30] People that often tell me they've got fibromyalgia and I test them and they're low in vitamin D and low in B12.
Dr.Martin: So you know, and seniors, they often get that because they don't get in the sun. They don't get in the sun and they're achy. Here is another one. Well, obviously if you're sick all the time. Very low in vitamin D and vitamin D, like [00:23:00] you've got a poor immune system. You're sick and sick and just I get one thing after another, but most of ... You know me with the natural flu shot that I talk about in the fall and one of the key components of your immune system is vitamin D. I always talk about that. That's better than the stinking flu shot that rarely ever works and I don't want to go there, but I'm just telling you, it's craziness.
Dr.Martin: Just give everybody vitamin D for the amount of money they spend on the flu shot every year, [00:23:30] if you raised your serum levels of vitamin D, it's better than the flu shot. Then another one, what is another one I want you to think about? That is you're not steady on your feet. One of the signs of low vitamin D levels is you're unsteady on your feet, the same with B12, because it's called proprioception and it has [00:24:00] to do with your muscles and your brain talking to each other and if there's a mixed signal and you see people, they ... Well, they have trouble getting out of a chair, but then they're unsteady. They're lightheaded and they're not steady. That is often a sign of low levels of vitamin D.
Dr.Martin: Listen, if you have dark skin, [00:24:30] you've got to get even more vitamin D. You need more vitamin D than I do, because of your pigmentation. You need much more. You're protected from the sun naturally, right? But you need more vitamin D, because you don't get it. You need more of the sun than I do, okay? Oh, what depletes levels of vitamin D? Well, obviously if you don't get in [00:25:00] the sun, and you've got to ... Look, vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, so if you get in the sun yesterday and you don't have the sun today, you know what? You don't necessarily have to take vitamin D in the summer or if you're in Florida in the winter. Okay? Because it's a fat soluble vitamin, so it stays in your system.
Dr.Martin: Look, one thing that depletes your vitamin D is [00:25:30] sunscreen. It depletes it. Your vitamin D, because it only allows the ... It doesn't allow the UVB. UVB is the ultraviolet. UVB is what you need to make vitamin D. UVA is what you get when you are using sunscreen. Well, that doesn't increase your levels of vitamin D at all. It actually blocks [00:26:00] your absorption of vitamin D. So the other thing is if you've got digestive issues, because one of the places that your ... You see, this is why probiotics, I talk about your microbiome all the time. Your gut. Your gut. Your gut. Guess where your vitamin D is synthesized in your gut. You've got digestive issues, sometimes you've got to increase your vitamin D. Thirdly, thirdly, guess [00:26:30] what you need for vitamin D?
Dr.Martin: I talked to you about K2. I talked to you about good digestion, but here's something you need for vitamin D. Cholesterol. You need cholesterol for the absorption of vitamin D. Cholesterol. Everybody's trying to lower their cholesterol. It's another boogieman. I had even someone this week, I said, "Don't [00:27:00] you ever listen to me?" It was a new patient, so they were referred to me, okay? I said, "Man, oh, man." They said, "Doc, I don't eat too many eggs, because of cholesterol." I said, "What? You can have 100 eggs a week. You want cholesterol. Cholesterol is not the boogieman. You need cholesterol. Your brain is made up of cholesterol and you don't absorb [00:27:30] vitamin D." Meat, eggs and bacon. Yeah, I had bacon this morning to give me some cholesterol.
Dr.Martin: Look, your liver makes 85% of your cholesterol, so if you got ... One of the things that you might not absorb your vitamin D properly, is if you got fatty liver. How do you get fatty liver? How do you get fatty liver? Sugar. It's not cholesterol. God don't trust you to make enough cholesterol. You need 85% of your [00:28:00] cholesterol comes out of your liver and you need cholesterol, because without cholesterol, you've got no FedEx trucks on the highway of your blood vessels transporting your hormones and vitamin D is not really a vitamin. It's a hormone.
Dr.Martin: I don't want to go into that, because I'm just going to confuse you for nothing, okay? You guys are great. Okay? And I appreciate it very much. Look, if you want me to hit on any [00:28:30] topics, let me know. Let me just refresh your brain. Vitamin D is good. It helps you to sleep. The sun helps your immune system. The sun helps you from preventing depression. The sun helps your skin. It helps your telomeres. It helps your muscles. It helps your bones. So guys, thank you very much for listening. You guys [00:29:00] are great. Anyways, love you guys. If you have any comments, please send them. Even if you're negative, I can handle the negativity. I get negativity all the time. Hey, love you guys. Talk to you soon.
Announcer: You've reached the end of another Doctor Is In podcast, with your hosts, Dr. Martin Junior and Senior. Be sure to catch our next episode and thanks for listening.