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Vitamin D by Paramhansa Yogananda
HEALTH CULTURE


VITAMIN D Part 1


In order for the body to be able to use calcium and phosphorus to build strong bones and teeth, it must have an adequate supply of vitamin D. Vitamin D also helps to .keep the muscles strong and the nerves steady.


The extreme penalty for a diet deficient in vitamin D is rickets. This disease affects the whole body as well as the bones. The muscles become flabby with lax ligaments. The whole nervous system is disordered, as is shown by frequent convulsions in rickety children. Even in the early stages the vitality is lowered and susceptibility to infections of all kinds greatly increased.


The prevalence of slight cases of rickets among children is not generally recognized. It has been stated that the result of having had a slight case in childhood was the primary cause of the large number of men rejected as army recruits. In England this has been, since the war, as high as 82 per cent. The chief cause was given as malnutrition during childhood. This was due either to lack of enough food or to the selection of the wrong kinds of food during the period of growth and so caused the adults to be classed as only C3 individuals.


The prevalence of the condition of rickets, in varying degrees of severity, among children is very grave. According to Dr. McCollum, the nutrition expert at Johns Hopkins, almost all children in the industrial districts of England and Scotland suffer from the disease and it is extremely common in different parts of Europe. Physicians in many parts of the United States have estimated that from 50 to 80 per cent of the children of this country have the disease in some degree some time in infancy or childhood.


Praecepta Lessons, Volume 3 (1938): Praeceptum #62



VITAMIN D Part 2


In the early stages of rickets “the children are usually constipated, restless, and irritable, and their sleep is troubled.” They are anaemic and do not stand or walk at the proper time. Often they are extremely nervous and have convulsions.


Rickets are essentially due to nutritional deficiency and can usually be corrected by right feeding and exposure to sunlight under expert direction. The homemaker’s task is to prevent diet deficiencies and maintain a high state of vigor by supplying all the food elements.


Vitamin D is the element credited with the property of preventing the very common disease of rickets and of helping to promote general good health and abundant energy.


Vitamin D, unlike the other vitamins, is not found in many human foodstuffs The richest known source is cod liver oil. Egg yolk comes next and a little is found in whole milk and butter.


Sunlight has been found to be very beneficial because it activates a substance called pro-vitamin D, or ergosterol, in the skin and then the vitamin D is carried throughout the body by the blood. For this reason, it is well, where possible, for everyone to take a daily sun bath or to use one of the special sun lamps designed for this purpose.


It is very essential for good health, strong teeth and bones and general well-being of both children and adults that they have an adequate supply of vitamin D. Its lack is considered the most serious dietary deficiency.


It is now possible to purchase certain brands of common foods, such as some canned milk, malted milk and yeast, which has been irradiated – that is, vitamin D has been added by exposing the food to sunlight. When buying evaporated milk and other prepared foods, ask for those which have been irradiated. Watch for new ones. This is a new process and undoubtedly the practice will grow if people demand it.


Praecepta Lessons, Volume 3 (1938): Praeceptum #63