Oxford Private Medical

Vitamin D is essential for our bone health.   Lack of vitamin D is the cause of rickets in children, and it can cause ‘thinning’ of the bones in adults, increasing the risk of injuries such as wrist and hip fractures.   It may also play a part in maintaining cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of neurological conditions such as dementia, but the evidence for this remains unclear. Up to a quarter of the UK population is deficient in vitamin D, with rates higher in older adults and up to 94% in adults of south Asian extraction.   Most people do not experience any symptoms, but deficiency can cause pain and muscle weakness. Vitamin D is largely made by the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, it is also present in some foods including oily fish, some breakfast cereals and dairy products. People at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency include those who are not exposed to enough sunlight, people with darker skin, children, pregnant ladies and people taking certain medication

Do you have psoriasis or know someone who suffers with this condition? About one in 30 people in the UK have psoriasis and it can have a devastating impact on their lives. The dry itchy patches are uncomfortable and disturb sleep, scratching leaves traces of blood on the sheets and large amounts of scale can be shed onto clothes and carpets. All too often I hear people, including doctors, saying there is not a lot that can be done – ‘it’s the way you are made and you will have to put up with it to varying degrees for the rest of your life’. That is rubbish! I had psoriasis quite badly as a teenager – I even needed hospital based treatments. However, some simple lifestyle changes is all I need now to keep it at bay and I haven’t had a hint of psoriasis now for over 30 years. It needn’t be a miserable disease, suffered in silence and destroying relationships. Psoriasis can be mild, but it often affects sensitive areas or skin that can’t be hidden. This has far-reaching effects o